It’s March Madness season, so there’s no better time to get out on the court. However, high-performance training demands high-performance recovery. Massage guns can help basketball athletes feel their best on and off the court, delivering elevated performance, enhanced recovery, and many other benefits. Here’s how massage guns can upgrade your game this season!
Better Warm-up
Warm-ups are essential for any exercise routine — they help prepare your body for more intense physical activity, reducing the chance of injury. While massage guns are often used to reduce soreness after a workout, they’re also a great tool to use before any form of physical activity. Use a massage gun on the areas you intend to target during your workout to increase blood flow and loosen the muscles in those parts of the body — thereby enhancing your mobility and flexibility (Fit Body Factory, 2022).
When using a massage gun before a workout, apply it to the main muscle groups you’ll be targeting, massaging each for about 30 seconds to a minute. Move the gun in slow circles, adjusting the intensity as needed. In doing so, you can maximize your workout while avoiding injury (Pulseroll, n.d.; Weiss, 2022).
Improved Athletic Performance
Many professional athletes have integrated massage gun therapy into their fitness regimen, and it’s no surprise why. Massage guns use percussive therapy to strengthen your joints and relax your muscles, resulting in overall improved movement during workouts (Fit Body Factory, 2022; Pulseroll, n.d.). Massage guns have also been proven to improve both muscle strength and muscle mass in older adults. They can also elevate power, range of motion, endurance, circulation, and kinesthetic awareness (Petersen, 2023).
When you warm up properly, you can avoid injury during intense physical activity; similarly, when you cool down well, you can recover faster and implement a consistent exercise routine. The warm-up and cool-down techniques you use directly affect your performance on the court, so using a massage gun before and after workouts can help you elevate your game and achieve your performance goals (Peterson, 2023).
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Massage guns play an essential role in helping athletes prevent injury. A massage gun pre-workout can help loosen up the muscles and stimulate blood flow, priming your body for more intense movement to reduce the risk of injury. Likewise, using a massage gun post-workout can help reduce inflammation and aid in ridding the body of toxins, helping prevent future injury (Pulseroll, n.d.). Massage gun therapy also boosts your muscles' flexibility by increasing muscle temperature and accelerating warm-up and recovery speeds.
Additionally, massage gun therapy can also help to heal existing injuries. Since percussive therapy improves circulation, it works to quicken the healing process and lower the chance of re-injury. Several health conditions are increasingly treated through massage gun therapy, including shin splints, sciatica, muscle cramps and spasms, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) syndrome, and more (Petersen, 2023).
Consult your doctor before using a massage gun on the site of an injury.
Enhanced Recovery
Massage guns are also a great tool for post-workout recovery. In particular, using a massage gun can help accelerate muscle recovery, reducing the feeling of soreness and stiffness after a challenging workout.
Furthermore, massage guns can aid in relieving muscle tension and managing pain, symptoms that can delay the natural recovery process. Studies have demonstrated the merits of percussive therapy when it comes to recovery and healing, illuminating why so many athletes rely on massage therapy as a part of their recuperation process.
Overall, massage gun therapy helps to speed up post-workout recovery time, allowing you to develop a more regular training regimen. Massage gun therapy can also help you recover from injuries faster, getting you back to training more quickly (Pulseroll, n.d.; Fit Body Factory, 2022).
Decreased DOMS
As your athletic performance increases and your performance goals rise, your workouts are bound to become more intense, necessitating augmented recovery practices. After a particularly intense workout, we often experience muscle aches and pains known as delayed muscle onset soreness (DOMS). Following a strenuous workout, DOMS can last for up to three days, leaving you with discomfort during exercise and everyday activities.
Massage guns have been shown to reduce DOMS, alleviating pain and soreness in tight muscles post-workout. Not only does massage gun therapy help relieve real-time muscle pain after intense workouts, but it can also help reduce the occurrence of DOMS overall by improving muscular power and endurance. Thus, percussive therapy is an essential addition to any post-exercise routine, especially on days when your workouts are extra challenging (Petersen, 2023; Weiss, 2022).
As percussive therapy becomes increasingly widespread, more athletes are turning to massage guns to supplement their high-performance workout routines. If you’ve been looking to elevate your game, now’s the time. Try an Ekrin massage gun today and see for yourself how percussive therapy can support your performance goals on and off the court.
Recover Better. Recover Faster.
Ekrin Athletics leverages cutting-edge science and technology to help you move better, prevent injury, accelerate recovery, and maximize your performance potential. Trusted by professional athletes, doctors, and physical therapists, Ekrin’s wellness products utilize innovative percussive technology to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
For more information on Ekrin’s game-changing massage guns, visit our website.
Resources:
11 Benefits of Massage Guns: Pros and Cons
Are Massage Guns Good for You? A PT Explains
Guide To The Best Massage Guns For NBA Athletes
How Massage Guns Can Boost Your Athletic Performance
Should I Use A Massage Gun Before Or After a Workout?
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for use as medical or health advice. For any health concerns or conditions, please talk to your doctor.
Written by Lauren Nee for Ekrin.com