As an athlete you always remember to stretch, eat healthy and drink lots of water, sometimes that is not enough. Regular Deep Tissue massage with a Registered Massage Therapist can help tremendously in your performance in 8 different ways :
1- Improves Range of Motion and Flexibiliy; vigorous training causes rigid muscles. By smoothing out scar tissue, trigger points and shortened muscles your muscle becomes more flexible.
2- Diminishes your recovery time; by aiding in the removal of waste in your muscles it helps the body to recover faster.
3- Increases circulation and oxygenation; deep tissue massage acts like a pump by compressing it expells toxins and by releasing it absorbs blood and oxygen, which makes the muscle more flexible and also aids in breathing more deeply.
4- Helps to eliminate toxins; exercise causes toxins like lactic acid and uric acid to build up in your muscles caused by tightening of muscles which restricts the blood and lymph flow.
5- Reduces pain; by reducing spasm, cramps and helping the body to heal faster.6
6- Diminishes your risk of injury; tense muscles are more likely to get injured also deep tissue massage will help in reducing the severity, frequency of strains, pulls and aches in your muscles
7- Improves motor control; massage helps to connect mind and body which increases the precision of your motor control.
8- Helps you Psychologically; it can be relaxing, reduces anxiety, improves your mood. Athletes in the right state of mind have an advantage over other athletes who are stressed.
In addition, according to a recent McMaster University research, having a deep tissue massage after an intense workout will actually cause muscles to enlarge and grow new Mitochondria ( which is responsible for converting nutrients into useful energy it is considered the powerhouses of our cells).