Massage therapy can be effective for an athlete of any age. It can be a lifesaver for the athlete in training at age forty or older.

The muscles and tendons that are less flexible in older athletes can be made more pliable by a good massage practitioner. Regular massages can help prevent injury and aid recovery from workouts and injuries.

As you train in any of the three sports, your muscles tighten up from the work you are making them do. It's normal. On occasion, perhaps even on a regular basis, you will need help to get them loose again. That's where massage comes in.

Sports massage can alleviate muscle strains and spasms and help flush toxins, primarily lactic acid, from your system. A massage can target a certain area or cover the whole body according to the client's needs. A good massage practitioner gets to know each client's body and can focus efforts where they are needed most.

Many elite athletes are firm believers in the value of massage therapy. During his last run at the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong had a massage every day to loosen his tight calf muscles and quadriceps. Massage helps shorten the recovery time so you can get back to your good workouts in better shape and ready for more work.

Different Strokes

There are two kinds of massage techniques that can be very effective for athletes. First, there is the traditional sports massage that focuses on the muscles and tendons you use in your sport. Another is called Structural Integration (SI), sometimes called Rolfing, after the creator of the technique, Ida P. Rolf.

The basic SI principle is that many problems in the body are caused by misalignment of the muscles and joints. Undergoing SI can be very intense, but many athletes swear by the process and the results of SI therapy.

It could well be worth your while to investigate both disciplines, but it would be a mistake to expect miracles from either, certainly not in one or two sessions. If you train a lot for any sport, it would behoove you to find a good massage therapist and schedule sessions at least once a month. Your body will thank you for it.

In Hot Water

A third way to relax your muscles, especially after a hard workout, is to take an Epsom salts bath. That can be very therapeutic and doesn't entail the expense of massage therapy.

Fill your bathtub with water as hot as you can stand it, then pour in two cups of Epsom salts. Swish it around before you step in to make sure the salts have diluted, then sit with your legs under the water for about twenty minutes.