Without further ado...The Benefits of Massage After Exercising:
Massage is very beneficial after a workout or rigorous exercise because the muscles are warm and malleable and therefore loose and easy to stretch out and work on. With a massage, you can prevent the onset of muscle soreness, increase your flexibility and elongate the muscle, all of which will make your workout more beneficial and increase your results in the future.
Every professional sport team or athlete employs massage therapists because they are aware of how crucial massage is to an athlete's success and health. By improving flexibility, you can increase your sport performance: run and move more quickly, increase your speed and endurance. The muscles will be working more efficiently for you. Massage releases the muscle tension which in turn helps the range of motion of the joints.
Having a massage directly after a workout can prevent muscles soreness and muscle fatigue, as well as prevent injury. Massage improves circulation and blood is the ultimate healer in the body, so increasing circulation and oxygen to muscles will help one recover from a strong workout, especially if any muscles were injured or over stressed. As you exercise or workout, you can build up tiny amounts of scar tissue in muscles, which a massage can break down. Just because you feel fine, doesn't mean your body isn't accumulating stress. Repetitive stress injuries will build up in a muscle or the body in general over months or years and it can be awhile before a person has a severe injury or pain to realize it. Massage is one way to counteract this, it's all about prevention, just like a healthy diet.
A great benefit of massage is eliminating waste, which is useful after a workout. Regular exercise depletes the body of amino acids and other essential nutrients. Massage breaks down lactic acid build up (which causes muscle cramping), increases waste elimination and boosts the immune system to counteract this depletion.
Studies have shown that massage after a workout can decrease the swelling of the muscle and damage to muscle fibers, while showing an increase of white blood cells in muscles making a massage after a workout a smart idea.
