I’ve got an Oly at the end of September. How close to the race is too close to get a massage? My muscles are always tired and sore now, so I was thinking I’d do it one week before. Good? Bad?
My input on this is utterly uneducated, unscientific and anecdotal in nature.
That said:
I think if a massage therapist is very accustomer to working on endurance athletes, such as a traditional race soigneur as seen in cycling, then they know how to massage before a race. This massage exerts an invigorating effect on the athlete.
A therapist without that level of expertise and with a more traditional massage background probably does not have that degree of insight into the athlete’s needs. I don;t know that they may do you any harm per se’, but they may not help much.
When I raced in Europe we had a soigneur for our team who attended to us vigorously before a race. He would assist the team in getting dressed for the day, bring along warm-ups and appropriate drinks for before the race, have towels and other necessaries for our disposal. As part of the prerace ritual he massage us with Ruud Baker to warm our muscles and applied thick coats of greasy weather sheild if the weather was threatening. He said little before a race, except the occasional comment like, “You feel supple and ready to pedal…”
In between races he was odd and grumpy.
What is your history with massage? Have you ever had one? Do you have them periodically? If so, how frequently and what is the goal of the massage? Relaxation, injury rehab, pain reduction, functional gain, or what? I would say that having a relaxation (Svedish) massage a week out from a competition will not hurt you in any way. You will most likely sleep better that night, so you’ll benefit from the improved recovery that sleep brings. I would not recommend any type of bodywork that has as the intent to bring about a functional change. I would not even recommend a standard sports massage the day of an event if you are not accustomed to them. I would recommend having a good massage on a regular basis (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) as you are able to afford it. If you need to rehab an old injury, or are looking to improve your functioning so that you can take your athleticism to the next level, it would be best to do that in the off-season, as it most likely will affect your biomechanics - thus affecting how you move.
Disclaimer: This 2 cents worth of advice was brought to you by a licensed massage therapist who loves to work on athletes - uni-, bi-, tri-, or even metro!
I’ve had one or two ‘recreational’ massages (swedish) in the past. I haven’t had any while training over the past year. My intent is to sooth my muscles, if possible, before the race. I’m not trying to fix any problems or gain anything specific other than comfort and as a consequence, if my body feels better, I may race better.
for me it’s minimum 2 days out from an event. I get a heavy swedish once every 2-3 weeks usually coinciding with my easy week of a two too three week build cycle. I haven’t been doing this all that long so I don’t have much experience but I generally don’t feel all that great right after the massage, the next day any soreness in my body is way down but I’m a bit sluggish and by day three I’m feeling pretty damn good. Just in time for going hard again!