Massage Gun For Triathlon Training Guide
Massage guns are everywhere. You can find them easily in a sporting goods store and it’s not complicated for them to be purchased over the internet.
Athletes and fitness trainers have been giving their backing to them, but they are more than just a passing fad. This phenomenal rise in popularity can be attributed to its efficacy, so long as the massage gun is used appropriately.
Massage Gun
If you’ve never heard of it, a massage gun is a tool someone can use to give themselves a fast, strong massage whenever and wherever they are. It’s clear why these items are referred to as massage guns—they somewhat resemble handguns, and they offer self-applied massage treatment.
It can be difficult to decide which massage guns are the most reliable since there are so many to choose from. In a nutshell, a quality massage gun delivers quick, concentrated force into the muscle tissue, eliminating tenderness and rigidity.
How Do Massage Guns Work
Massage guns employ percussive therapy and vibration therapy, often at the same time.
Although they both have advantages, percussion and vibration treatments are somewhat distinct. Experts think that making use of both methods of manipulation of the soft tissue can minimize aches and tiredness after exercising.
Percussive Therapy
Percussive therapy consists of applying pressure to the muscles and fascia so that the adhesions are broken down and the circulation to tender or aching spots is increased.
These devices use percussion to penetrate deeply into the soft tissues to provide the best possible benefits. An example of this would be Theragun devices that penetrate 16 millimetres deep into the muscle tissue.
Vibration Therapy
Vibration therapy can be thought of as a miniature version of percussive therapy. Vibration therapy still acts on certain areas, but the amount of force used is reduced – this type of soft tissue treatment typically goes up to a depth of 8 to 10 millimetres in the organic tissue.
Vibration therapy is often the ideal choice for individuals struggling with chronic discomfort, extremely tender muscles, or a medical condition which does not permit the utilization of percussive treatment.
Percussive therapy is similar to deep tissue massage, just as vibration therapy is comparable to Swedish massage.
How to Properly Use a Massage Gun
For optimum results from your massage gun, it is vital to use it correctly. Using a massage gun incorrectly can cause harm or, if you’re lucky, be a waste of resources. Here are some suggestions on how to best utilize your massage gun in various situations.
Using a massage gun is typically uncomplicated, and can be managed with a single hand. The Hydragun is operated via one button. Press the button to turn it on or off and keep holding it to cycle through the various speed settings.
Before operating your massager, you must decide which accessory to employ. Hydragun ships its device with seven options.
A larger ball attachment should be employed to massage larger muscle groups, like the glutes, quads, calves, lats and traps, if a more superficial massage is desired.
The fork attachment is meant to penetrate more intensely on muscles that are medium-sized, such as the forearms, calves, and shoulders.
The rounded addition was crafted for curved muscular clusters (like your forearm, bicep and shoulder) to decrease pressure and encourage blood flow.
The bullet attachment facilitates accurate and extensive penetration, and steel-headed choices are intended to create a tougher massage and move-over garments with more ease.
Once you’ve determined the needed accessory, you can start to concentrate on the major muscle masses that are concerned with triathlon preparation and competition.
Josh Orendorf, who is a personal trainer and a doctor of physical therapy, advises to take it slow at the beginning. Begin with gentle pressure to get the massage going, as more power doesn’t necessarily equate to a more beneficial message.
Orendorf advises that you take care not to put too much pressure on a certain area or hold it for a prolonged period. It is advisable to keep the massage gun in motion and only spend a maximum of two minutes massaging each group of muscles.
Instead of pushing the massage gun onto your muscles, you should try to let it move more gently, gliding over them.
How to Use a Massage Gun Before and After Swimming
Exercising in the water involves working the entire body. The activity of the sport will cause various large muscles to contract, depending on the type of stroke being executed.
The primary source of propulsion behind most swimming strokes is the upper body muscle groups, particularly those in the shoulders and upper back. When kicking is involved, however, the legs, gluteal muscles, and lower back also need to be engaged to push the swimmer through the water.
The abdomen and lower back muscles play an important role in keeping a swimmer’s posture balanced while they move through the water, thus making swimming a total body exercise.
Massage guns provide stimulation to the muscles and also enhance circulation to the area of application. Doing a warm-up can be advantageous because the motion pumps more oxygenated blood to the muscles, enabling them to carry out activities with more efficiency and less exhaustion.
In regards to recuperation, the enhanced circulatory system generated by massage guns can help with the body’s healing by washing out toxins and decreasing tightness and pain after physical activity. It is possible that athletes could resume their training more productively and in a shorter amount of time.
Massage guns with smaller heads can be advantageous for massaging those tiny muscles around the shoulders and upper back/neck that tend to get stiff, particularly when engaging in activities like front crawl.
How to Use a Massage Gun Before and After Cycling
In the same way, a massage could be a useful tool for a cyclist before they begin their ride, massage guns provide a boost in blood circulation and reduce muscle tightness.
The constant shaking sends signals to the nervous system that enable the muscles to be contracted and able to do the job of pushing the bicycle’s pedals.
Because biking involves using many large muscle groups, it would likely be more effective to use massage guns with bigger attachments.
This permits a sizeable area to be rubbed (that is, the quadriceps, which constitute the flesh of the thigh). Attachments of a smaller size can be employed for concentrating on more exact, limited parts including the knee, heel, and hips.
How to Use a Massage Gun Before and After Running
Running is also a great full-body workout. Most of the force when a runner run is taken by their lower legs, particularly the muscles in the calves, namely the gastrocnemius and soleus. As a result, these muscles often become quite tense.
The strength of the muscles in the lower legs can impact the risk of sustaining an injury, including shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome). Therefore, it is important to utilize strength training to enhance muscularity and then allow adequate recovery times following physical activity.
The knees take in a sizable amount of the force, allowing runners to regulate their gait, and thus, patellofemoral pain syndrome, which is more commonly known as “runner’s knee” is quite commonly encountered.
The hips and upper body muscles are responsible for maintaining the body’s position and stability while jogging, which necessitates hundreds of small muscle contractions at every step. This heightened activity accumulates as runners go through 5 to 10-km runs.
A massage gun can be utilized to invigorate muscles that are exhausted or taut from prior runs, as well as to ready them to run again by energizing them.
Using them along with mild warm-up activities like leg swings, calf lifts, squats, and other dynamic movements that get your body ready to take on the pressures generated during a run makes them quite useful.
The advantages of running utilizing numerous muscle groups are enhanced by the various attachments accessible with massage guns.
The big attachments work best for working the major leg muscles like the hamstrings and quads. Conversely, the smaller accessories are good for accessing harder-to-reach places like the front of the tibia or the soleus, which is the muscle known as the “runners muscle.”
Using a Massage Gun Before Workouts
Getting a massage before exercising can help your muscles warm up by encouraging more circulation to the muscles you will be using while exercising. Incorporating a massage gun into your pre-workout routine may maximize your range of motion.
If you are preparing for a workout, take 1-2 minutes to massage each muscle group that you will be working out and give some time to the supporting Muscles too – about 30 seconds. Get a massage gun for the job.
For example, if you plan to do a leg workout, try this pre-workout massage gun routine:
- 60 seconds on each quad
- 60 seconds on each hamstring
- 30 seconds on the lower back
- 30 seconds on each calf
It won’t take you long, not even five minutes, to improve blood flow and ready your muscles for physical activity.
You should not overlook other vital elements of the warm-up such as dynamic stretching and a bit of aerobic exercise to increase your heart rate. Percussive therapy should not be used as a substitute for consciously moving your body and preparing it for physical activity.
Using a Massage Gun After Workouts
Following your exercise session, you can utilize your massage gun as part of your cooldown. After exercising, using percussive therapy can help to reduce your body from an intensified condition back to its calm state.
Massage guns can theoretically reduce the stress in your body by covering up the pain signals that your brain gets after training, in much the same way a TENS device does.
Additionally, percussive therapy aids in keeping the blood flowing after a workout, enabling oxygen and essential nutrients to reach your worn-out muscles.
In conclusion, post-exercise percussive therapy may help lessen inflammation in the muscles, which could be beneficial in decreasing discomfort experienced after exercise. It is believed that this type of muscle soreness is caused by small tears in muscle fibres and swelling of the tissues.
Using a Massage Gun for Sore Muscles
Your muscles may feel exceptionally tender a couple of days after doing your exercise routine. The condition that comes after a tough workout is referred to as Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), and using a massage gun can bring some relief. A massage gun won’t eradicate Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness entirely but can provide short-term relief.
Set the speed and depth preferences of a massage gun for sore muscles in such a way that it does not bring about any pain.
Considering sore muscles tend to be tender, you will likely want to utilize the lower settings on your device. After obtaining a comfortable position, apply the massage gun to sore spots on your body for a period of one to two minutes.
How Not to Use a Massage Gun
Generally speaking, massage guns are a secure method of relieving muscle tightness and helping to build endurance. Be aware of the misuse of common massage guns.
Do Not Use a Massage Gun:
- On bony areas
- On musculoskeletal injuries such as sprains and strains
- On bruises or open wounds
- If you have severe or unexplained pain
- Without talking to your doctor if you have arthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, or another musculoskeletal condition
How Often to Use a Massage Gun
It is safe to utilize a massage gun daily as long as it is done with the proper methods and one does not surpass the endorsed time interval specified by the manufacturer (most massage guns come with directions that indicate for how long the appliance should be used in a solitary session).
Applying a massage gun on a specific muscle or muscle group for an extended period could cause tenderness or soreness.
If you don’t use a massage gun frequently enough, you may not see the desired results. Check the device instructions if you are uncertain about how long to use your massage gun.
Side notes
Despite numerous studies performed, sports scientists have not formed a unified understanding of how sports massages affect athletes. Further research on a larger scale is necessary to gain an accurate comprehension of its effects.
Research such as the one conducted by the BMJ declared that there are slight but cumulative and notable upgrades in flexibility and delayed onset muscle soreness when involving sports massage.
The effects of this could be advantageous to triathletes who have tiresome exercise routines and filled agendas.
Sports massage fans recognize the power massage guns possess to reduce any perceived soreness and exhaustion. This is why massage guns have grown in popularity so much in recent times.
