Running results in pain

[sunnysan]

Which brings me on to the subject...

Pilates?
I can just picture you - a chubby midlle-aged man going to seed, mincing, poncing and prancing around the gym.

Thanks for the laugh.

Which brings me on to the subject...

WTF to middle aged men think that when they go running they need to dress up in lycra shorts and skin tight tops?

Do they think it makes them look more sporty? Love handles bulging out of a skin tight lycra tops and wobbly white bellies protruding over lycra shorts.

Just becuase you can do the local half marathon does not mean you look good in lycra, a concept many otherwise intelligent middle age men just dont get.

[PM-Junkie]

Fnarr fnarr!!

Seriously, if you need regular massages you are too old. Try walking or swimming instead. Maybe even Pilates.

HTH

Massage keeps muscles loose, prevents cramping and reduces the likelihood of tears and sprains. Whatever your age. Many top flight sportsmen (most famously a certain Swiss tennis player who has a habit of winning everything) have regular massages. Presumably you think he is too old too?

Congratulations on making yourself look an idiot.

[shaunbhoy]

Massage keeps muscles loose, prevents cramping and reduces the likelihood of tears and sprains. Whatever your age. Many top flight sportsmen (most famously a certain Swiss tennis player who has a habit of winning everything) have regular massages. Presumably you think he is too old too?

Congratulations on making yourself look an idiot.

Took your time. Waiting for the steam to stop coming out of your ears were you?

[Spacecadet]

Massage keeps muscles loose, prevents cramping and reduces the likelihood of tears and sprains. Whatever your age. Many top flight sportsmen (most famously a certain Swiss tennis player who has a habit of winning everything) have regular massages. Presumably you think he is too old too?

Congratulations on making yourself look an idiot.

Many top sports cars wear through tires every 30 odd miles and get a new engine every week. Doesn't mean thats what I should be doing for my car.

Similarly with sports, if your exercising to a level where you need regular massages then either you're pushing yourself harder than you should or you're at a very good amateur level and need to keep in top shape for competition. Those massages should be complimented with regular trips to the doctor/physio to make sure your body isn't suffering any long term damage from the intensive training.

[TimberWolf]

Massage keeps muscles loose, prevents cramping and reduces the likelihood of tears and sprains. Whatever your age. Many top flight sportsmen (most famously a certain Swiss tennis player who has a habit of winning everything) have regular massages. Presumably you think he is too old too?

Congratulations on making yourself look an idiot.

Any benefits [from massaging] are likely more psychological than physiological.

It might well stimulate a response in an injured area (given that we do naturally rub injured areas), but in some cases doing so can create longer term damage, and get you locked up for 16 weeks. "muscle loosening" is unlikely to be going on. How the flip do you measure "muscle looseness"? That's one for the quackery books

[Moscow Mule]

How the flip do you measure "muscle looseness"? That's one for the quackery books

A flexibility test is normally a good indicator...

[TimberWolf]

A flexibility test is normally a good indicator...

Hmm, that's true. I was imaging loose muscles. Healthy muscles are taut rather than loose though and the body expends quite a bit of energy, even on inactive muscle, to keep them that way. You need a bit a flexibility in the whole system, but too much is also probably a bad thing, and I doubt massage changes muscle looseness.

[Moscow Mule]

Hmm, that's true. I was imaging loose muscles. Healthy muscle are taut rather than loose though and the body expends quite a bit of energy, even on inactive muscle, to keep them that way. You need a bit a flexibility in the whole system but too much is also probably a bad thing and I doubt massage changes muscle looseness.

When I was playing sport every week it was a good way to get the blood flowing around any knocks & knots in the muscles (from poor warm downs & rubbish stretching) and hence reduce recovery time.

[minestrone]

Massages are just meant to get rid of the acid after a work out where you have been above your lactic threshold for too long.

[Churchill]

Hmm, that's true. I was imaging loose muscles. Healthy muscles are taut rather than loose though and the body expends quite a bit of energy, even on inactive muscle, to keep them that way. You need a bit a flexibility in the whole system, but too much is also probably a bad thing, and I doubt massage changes muscle looseness.

It gives me a hard-on!