If there’s one thing that trained athletes, bodybuilders, and people who visit the gym only once or twice a week have in common, it’s that they feel soreness in their muscles after a long workout. This feeling, called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by health professionals, is a condition that affects every human being on earth. This particular feeling of pain is believed to be caused by microscopic tears on the muscles which appear when the body is pushed to do more physical work than what it is normally used to i.e. working out in the gym. When these tiny muscle damages heal, our muscles get stronger. It is a perfectly normal phenomenon that gym-goers experience and has to learn to overcome if they want to get positive results from their workout, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look for ways to make this period of recovery more bearable, especially if we don’t want it to become disruptive to our regular routine.
Many experts agree that massage therapy is one of the best ways to soothe the pain caused by DOMS because it improves blood circulation and releases muscle tension all around the body. It is undoubtedly a perfect supplement to a visit to the gym but it is simply not a luxury that everybody can afford, what with the amount of time and money needed to book an appointment to a massage parlor regularly. Thankfully, we have massage chairs for that very reason.
Enhances Your Warm Ups and Cool Downs
Everybody knows that warming up is important before you do any form of exercise or strenuous physical activity. It increases the temperature of the body and significantly boosts blood circulation, giving your muscle cells greater access to the oxygen they need to work. Most importantly, it makes the transition of the body from the rest state to the exercise state much smoother thereby reducing the stress on the body that eventually manifests into the pain that accompanies DOMS. The AmaMedic Hilux 4D massage chair is a fantastic example of a massage chair that promotes blood flow using its heated back rollers to open up blood vessels and dynamic airbags to knead the muscles on different areas of the body to prepare it for an intense workout. For the very same reasons, massage chairs can also help the body transition from the exercise state to the resting state. Alongside other low-intensity activities, this part of a complete workout session is called a cool down.
DISCLAIMER: Although a massage therapy session can indeed improve the warm-up and cool-down process, they should never be used as an alternative for them. No massage chair is advanced enough to substitute the benefits from a proper warm-up and cool down.
Makes Your Bones And Muscle More Flexible
DOMS can also be caused and intensified by joints that were not fully prepared for the twists and turn that it needs to do during a workout. Flexible bones and muscles are less susceptible to the stiffness that DOMS cause, and are also likely to get injured while working out due to their increased range of motion. In fact, this goes not just for exercising, but for much of the regular activities we do. Stretching is the simplest way of making our body more flexible and it’s something massage chairs can help you with as well. The trademarked bendable HybriFlex massage track of the Daiwa Supreme Hybrid is specifically designed to provide a deep muscle stretch that feels much more natural compared to its contemporaries. Coupled with the essential stretch routines, you won’t have to worry about cramps and sprains during and after your workout.
Assisting the Recovery Period
As we previously discussed, the recovery period is the time when the body will experience DOMS as muscle cells heal the microtears that the exercise caused. A person eating a healthy diet and active lifestyle will experience this for at least a day which will result in the muscles becoming slightly stronger than they once were before the workout. This process can be accelerated by using a massage chair during some of the times when a person would otherwise be laying down to rest. The massage therapy they provide can relax the muscles and allow blood to flow more efficiently across the body. The cells in our muscle tissues produce a lot of waste as they use up a lot more energy and resources during high-intensity physical activities. When waste builds up, it can cause muscle tensions and spasms. Our blood cells are primarily responsible for carrying those molecules of wastes out the muscles and into organs that will eventually excrete it out of the body. In addition to the heated rollers we mentioned before, most modern-day massage chairs like the Osaki Maestro LE have the feature to recline in zero-gravity, which positions the body in such a way that the heart can pump blood across the body more efficiently.
Conclusion
For anybody looking for a more comprehensive workout regimen, we highly encourage the use of a massage chair before and after each session. It helps prepare the body by putting it into the ideal state of performance and cushions it from the physical stress afterward by relaxing the muscles. It also promotes blood circulation and reduces the pain felt due to DOMS. Effective, convenient, and one of the easiest ways to take exercising to a whole new level!
The Modern Back is a fantastic place to look for massage chairs near Boca Raton, Florida, with their extensive list of choices. Check out our website for more information about the latest massage chairs, or visit us in our live showrooms in Sarasota or Boynton Beach.
