Self-Massage for Athletes   

A Revolutionary Approach to Improved Fitness and Health

 

Self-Massage for Cyclists

Massage may be the most powerful medicine cyclists can get without a prescription. It relieves sore muscles, speeds recovery, prevents injury, and helps you feel better fast. Few activities demand more from your body than cycling, and few athletes benefit more from massage than cyclists.


Who

If you ride hard, you probably need a massage after every workout. But unless you do it yourself, it’s not getting done. The purpose of this page is to help you do just that by describing a basic massage routine for cyclists.  In this routine we’ll massage: quads, hamstrings, glutes, and neck.


Why

After riding, sore muscles are evidence of a need for massage. By improving circulation, massage feeds and cleans the cells that got hungriest and dirtiest during your ride. By squeezing, pressing, and drumming--you direct your blood to the muscles that need it.


Massage releases trigger points, those tiny knots that form in muscles and reduce strength and range of motion. Most bicyclists have been told to stretch but that rarely gets out the knots. By pressing directly on a muscle, massage stretches it, releasing the trigger points that are impairing performance. Ironically, massage delivers a more precise effective stretch than traditional stretching.   


7 Massage Strokes

Glide your hand over your skin to warm it up.

Squeeze a muscle to warm it and improve circulation.

Squeeze & Roll: while squeezing a muscle roll or pull the muscle to improve circulation.

Press a muscle by pushing your hand, or massage tool into it to release trigger points.

Press & Roll: While pressing a muscle, roll your hand or fist into it in small circles for an even deeper more effective massage.

Drum the side of your hand, fist, or palm into a muscle to wake it up.

Rock & Roll: Dance massages your internal organs, put on some music and try it.


Massage Routine for Cyclists

  1. Bullet Quads

  2. ✓ You better be seated for this or lying on your back, whatever works. Relax your quads throughout the massage and breathe into your belly.

  3. ✓ Warm your leg of choice with gliding strokes.

  4. ✓ These monsters are too big to do one handed, so work your quads by pressing your knuckles into the four big muscles that give them their name. Start at your knee move towards your hip, use both hands. Repeat the process 3 or 4 times, use the heels of your hands if you like.

  5. ✓ Then press & roll your fists into your quad, one hand on either side. Pay special attention to the muscles just above your knee. Work your way up your thigh a few times.

  6. ✓ Try interlacing your fingers and press your palms into both sides of your quads simultaneously, like in the picture, and work your way up toward your hips.

  7. ✓ If you want to go deeper you’ll need a massage tool. I like the Knobble II for this. Press with both hands, holding the tool in one hand and making a fist with the other. Try pressing & rolling both hands into your quads in concert. Feels pretty good doesn’t it?

  8. ✓ Once you feel the need to move onto your other leg, do it.

  9. ✓ After massaging both legs move onto your:


  1. Bullet Hamstrings

  2. ✓ Sit down, or better yet lie down on your back, roll up your right pant leg, and cross your right leg over your left knee or make it accessible to both hands in whatever way feels comfortable and relaxing.

  3. ✓ Hamstrings are large muscles so they’ll require some muscle to muscle in on them. Relax by breathing into your hamstrings. Sounds weird but do it.

  4. ✓Glide your hands up the back of your right leg between your knee and your glutes. Continue gliding until the area is warm and ready.

  5. ✓ Press your fingers into your hamstrings beginning at your knee and moving towards your glutes. Repeat 2 or 3 times.

  6. ✓ Then press & roll your fingers into your hamstrings using either one or two hands.

  7. ✓ If you have a Backnobber II and want to go deeper this is the time to whip it out. Seated on the floor. Press the knob into your hamstrings working up from your knee about an inch at a time and towards your butt. As you move towards your glutes you’re likely to find some profound meaning in all this at the muscle attachment. You’ll know it when you find it.

  8. ✓ When you’re ready move onto your other leg.

  9. ✓ After massaging both legs let’s go to your:


  1. Bullet Glutes

  2. ✓ These beasts are the largest and most neglected muscles in your body. Let’s give them something to feel good about. 

  3. ✓ Stand up and warm your glutes by gliding your hands over them. 

  4. ✓ Then dig in. These babies may be too big to squeeze with one hand or even two but do your best. Try pressing and rolling all five fingers on each hand into them, alternately flexing and relaxing the muscles. Cover both sides to get a feel for what works. If you’re like me it won’t be that effective.

  5. ✓ You’ll have to use a massage tool if you want to go deeper and give your glutes the relief they deserve. 

  6. ✓ Put 3 tennis balls in a sock, place the sockball on the floor and your butt on the sockball. Hold yourself up by placing your hands on the floor in back of you. Then roll your glutes over the sockball making sure to massage every muscle in your butt, especially on the sides where you’ll get the most sensation. It’s easier than it sounds, inexpensive, and effective. Try it.

  7. ✓ The tool of choice for my glutes is the Backnobber II. If you have one get it out. Place the little knob between the floor and your glutes and have at it.

  8. ✓ Lie on your back, relax, breathe into it, and press the hand that is holding the top of the tool slowly toward the floor. The knob will press into your muscles which releases trigger points, acupoints, and endorphin cocktails. Once you’ve found a sensitive point work it. Then move to another and another, until you’ve had enough.

  9. ✓ Then turn to the other cheek and do it again. If this doesn’t help your glutes, you need new glutes. 

  10. ✓ After massaging both sides of your rear let’s move on to that pain in your


  1. Bullet Neck

  2. ✓ You can sit, you can stand, you can lie on your back.

  3. ✓ Glide your hands over your neck until it’s warm. 

  4. ✓ Press all five fingers from both hands into opposite sides of your neck, continue pressing while slightly varying the location of the press until you’ve covered both sides and the back of your neck.

  5. ✓ Then place your knuckles on opposite sides of your neck and roll your fists slightly varying intensity and speed. Vary location until you’ve again covered your entire neck.

  6. ✓ Experiment with alternately stretching and relaxing the muscle in your neck while massaging them, continue to do what feels good until your neck can’t feel any better.

  7. ✓ Then move your chin toward your chest and drum the back of your neck with your fingertips or knuckles experimenting with intensity and speed.


  1. Bullet Finishing Touches

  2. ✓ Two final strokes to apply: drumming and rock & roll.

  3. ✓ Drum or tap your hands against your body, begin with your feet and work your way up to your head, play your body like a drum. This stimulating stroke can be done with open hands, fists or the side of your hands in the familiar karate chop style.

  4. ✓ Rock & Roll is an even more stimulating stroke and a great way to get ready for your next activity unless it’s napping. Just put on some music and go to it.

  5. ✓ Dancing  gets your blood moving and massages your internal organs.

  6. ✓ Most cyclists spend about 10 minutes on this whole routine, but you should take as long as you need.

  7. ✓ That’s all there is to it, all you have to do is do it.


  1. Bullet The Whole Enchilada

  2. ✓ Cycling involves more than upper legs, glutes, and neck. It uses pretty much every muscle in your body.

  3. ✓ Pay attention to what other parts of you are calling out for a massage and answer their call.

  4. ✓ Check out the routines for other sports to experiment with massages for your feet, calfs, back, shoulders, abs, hips, face, and any other part of you that needs it.


Conclusion

After you’ve massaged your legs, butt, and neck a few times using the above routine, you’ll realize: There’s no one-size-fits-all, single, best, all time, every time, perfect massage routine. Each massage you perform will be an improvisation. Your body changes after every ride, and your massage routine should change as well. Your muscles will learn to direct your hands and your fingers will learn to listen. Practice massage regularly and you’ll feel a big improvement in your cycling.


Feedback

Please let me know how I can make this page even more helpful.







Every Good Workout Deserves a Massage

To get comfortable with the strokes and routine, first practice them with this  page in view.

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