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Every day during the tour de France, it's mentioned that after the stage, the riders get a massage. It sounds to me like this is the big perk to the job, and the one that would make me consider a career as a grand tour rider. :rolleyes: :p ;)
Well, since no one is ever going to pay me to get a massage, I haven't had one in a couple of years. How about you?
i got one after i did the Seattle to Portland ride. I think it helped. (I was so wasted by then...but i do remember how good it felt. I picked a big strong male masseuse.)
I recommend them.
I found a place that has students - $30 for an hours worth of massage (and they are students of oriental medicine, not massage students, they are quite knowledgeable about more than just massage) I tend to get a massage every few weeks during the racing season.
when I'm Ironman training I go to an ART guy. With the huge loads I'm putting on my body I need the ART massage to loosen things up.
ART massages HURT when you are having them done, but I feel SOO much better after it's done!
I believe what I have done is much different than the tour riders. I'm sure theirs are to flush out the lactic acid.
And ART is not something you'd have done daily.
I've got a degree, so after we go for a ride, I have to work. :(;)
Not as often as I should. But IMO it's like good nutrition, it's one of those things that are expensive but really important for good health.
Oh, my, massages are great on so many levels! I get one every two months because that's all I can afford. In between, I use a foam roller as really cheap self-massage (SMR).
I always schedule a massage after a big event (marathon or AR). They are so beneficial. Sometimes even after smaller events I'll schedule a doctor's appt to get "rolled" out. They use the rolling pin thingy on my thighs, calfs, and bum—I can't believe the difference it makes.
I have one scheduled for next week to help with my "detox" I'm doing right now.
They are pricey though . . .
I started because of my lower back pain. It took me several massages while on vacation in Breck, CO to perfect it--a 30 minute massage on legs and hips leaves my back feeling loose and happy! Schools are also an excellent way to go. I also use the foam roller.
During the peak of training for an Ironman, I will have them once a week. In recovery, I go in 2 days after and then again 1 week after. Otherwise, as needed, but like running mommy they are not "relaxation" massages. ;) The last time I had a relaxation massage they told me to go see the not-relaxation-massage-guy because the problems I had were too specific to being active and what he did was perfect for that. It really is - but sometimes it seems to take 48 hours before you see the whole benefit (immediately after feels "weird" but more mobile, within a couple hours it feels like your muscles are "repairing", then around 24 hours things feel good, but the ultimate is 48 hours).
The tour guys are probably getting massages to keep the blood flowing and get rid of lactic acid. I don't know how "relaxing" they are for them either - though I imagine sometimes just having that 30 minutes away from everything dedicated to recovery is really nice.
Well, I'm obviously long overdue. I'll see what I can do about that.
When I was running and competing regularly, I got a massage every 2 weeks. My massage therapist was amazing. She did deep tissue massage and although it hurt (because I had so many knots and junk in my muscles), I felt fantastic the next day. At the time, I was also seeing a chiropractor and physical therapist on a regular basis. The nice thing about my massage therapist was that when I was dealing with different issues (hamstring, piriformis, glute issues, etc.), she would always do research to find out what she thought would work best for me. Each massage was never the same. I think the massages helped my training and racing quite a bit. Since I'm no longer racing and cycling is kinder to my body, I use a foam roller and a Goose Bumps massage ball.
Yep, I get deep sports massages. My GF falls asleep--I just try not to yelp! I tell the masseuse, "It should hurt--I do yoga twice a day--I need you to go deeper! I'll tell you when to stop." I'd love to go monthly, but frequently let it slide.
Every week for me :-)
Mission accomplished. :)
I discovered a chain called "Massage Envy" that puts you on a monthly subscription. They're not the world BEST massages, but I'm not after the flavored oils and whale songs in the background, I just need to get the lactic acid out! The subscription forces me to go every month... Used to be that I'd wait until I feel like I've 'earned it' or that I'm 'worth it', only to never go.
Naff that: GO GET A MASSAGE! And if you're sporty, it really does do a body good!
-- gnat!
My husband had a massage last year after completing the MS 150 and my sister-in-law had one after completing a sprint marathon. Both said the massages were incredibly effective at decreasing the soreness in their muscles. I plan to get one after the MS 150 this year!
I had one massage guy tell me I was the only un-massagable person he'd ever massaged. He kept moving me around, telling me to "relax"...I laughed and said that I was as relaxed as I got! I am a COP! We don't relax. I wrote it off to a bad massage guy....but I didn't get around to getting another for several years, before my Defensive Tactics week at the academy (or "hell week" which ends with getting the crap beat out of me) and the guy there said, "wow, you are really hard to massage."
So I don't do it very often.
Maybe have a glass of wine before you go have your next massage :):).Quote:
Originally Posted by kenyonchris
I love massages and go for the neuro-muscular. They hurt some when they hit trigger points and muscle spasms, but they sure do get rid of a lot of sore spots. It's important to drink a lot of water after a massage -- a massage breaks up lactic acid and toxins and the water helps it to flush out. I frequently take a long steam after a massage as well. Heavenly.
Every other week for me. :D
I feel so great today. I must make this feeling last! It was the best I've slept since my crash nearly 3 weeks ago.
I have a hard time giving in sometimes too - my tactic is to not think about relaxing per say, but rather to concentrate really hard on feeling a body part that they are not working with - so like when the person is working on my leg and they are at the part where they are moving it all around at the hip joint and I need to give up control of that leg, I concentrate really hard on feeling the tip of my middle finger on the opposite hand.... I think it helps me not work against the masseur.Quote:
Originally Posted by kenyonchris
My LMT is a real gem, but maybe there are more like her out there. She's a Reiki practitioner as well as having a really strong background in neuromuscular techniques and physical therapy. The way she explains it, she opens the channels to release endorphins before she goes deep. I'll be lying there thinking, "this should really be hurting, I'm in agony when my other LMT does this," but it doesn't hurt at all.
If I could pay her to follow me wherever I go I'd have her on retainer in a heartbeat. :p
I did a search on ART massage and couldn't find it :confused:
I know about Reiki (sp), deep tissue, sports, Swedish, Rolfing.
I get ROLF'ed about once a month. It's all I can afford. But its worth every cent. It's a good thing I'm a small person rather than 6' plus body builder. Can you imagine what the masseuse must think when a new client shows up and he looks like ARNOLD (Terminator guy) in his glory days. Now that would be a bad day for a masseuse.
The ROLFing I get is really deep and I like it that way. Sometimes it hurts but when you muscle is so tight like a string on a violin, it's going to hurt a bit.
And do drink plenty of water before and after.
I wish I could get a massage very day. :D :D maybe even once a week would be nice. But I'm just a pauper with queens need. :D :D
ART is Active Release Technique. I could be wrong but I don't think it's a type of massage but it's a technique that can be used during massage?? My chiropractor uses it and my former massage therapist used it. It hurts like crazy but it works. Has anyone ever had the Graston Technique used on them? Another very painful technique and you end up with bruises all over your body. :eek:
Quote:
Originally Posted by smilingcat
Should have googled before I responded. ART is a massage technique.
http://www.activerelease.com/what_patients.asp
I always assumed that it was a form of torture that was used during a massage. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
There ya go! Mark your massage on your calendar.Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
:p I also found it hard to relax while mostly naked in front of a stranger, wondering what they are going to touch next! Since I like a deep massage, I focus on my yoga breathing-- and it does take me awhile to relax. I'm a cheap skate, so I try to convince myself to relax so I get my money's worth :DQuote:
Originally Posted by kenyonchris
I see a chiropractor once a month, and a massage can stretch that out for me--so it would probably pay for itself it I did it regularly.
After realizing my range of motion in my neck became a little limited, and experiencing somewhat chronic shoulder pain due to stress and alot of driving, I went to get a series of deep tissue massages after several years of not having any massage. I thought it would take "years" to work through, but I found a good person and after 4 sessions she worked through it where I had no glitches/trigger points and I had my range of motion back in my neck. It was painful in the beginning. She used hot stone massage as well, where she would lay the stones on my back and neck and then she would also use the hot stones with hot oil to massage the problems areas as a prelude to the deep tissue work. The hot stone massage really relaxed those target muscles she wanted to work on and allowed her to go deeper. So now I only go in when I need to. Once and a while I schedule an entire session with hot stone. It feels great on the legs when you've been riding hard.
I had a great massage therapist that I was referred to my my LBS. She helped me with my ITB issues, and aside from the weekly sessions, taught me stretches to do after riding. I lost track of her after Hurricane Katrina, and I do wish I could find her again (yeah I know it's been 4 years).
A friend of mine is a massage therapist, and I see her occasionally - but she doesn't take the step further on teaching me how to stretch better to keep from reinjuring myself. I don't have trouble with my ITB, not it's my uncooperative shoulders and tense neck muscles. But I do feel much better after seeing her. Need to schedule an appointment for this coming week since I'm off.
After an MS-150 ride one year, I was gifted with a massage - and that was wonderful. :D Got me through day 2 a happier camper.