Sports Massage Before or After Training? When Should You Actually Book?

If you train regularly, you’ve probably heard conflicting advice about sports massage.

Get one before a race.

Never get one before a race.

Book straight after hard training.

Wait until the soreness settles.

Have one every week.

Only book when something hurts.

The problem is that “When should I get a sports massage?” doesn’t have one answer.

A cyclist coming off a long ride has very different needs from someone preparing to race tomorrow. A runner increasing mileage needs something different from a golfer dealing with repeated rotational loading or somebody midway through a heavy strength-training block.

So instead of asking whether sports massage is simply “good for recovery”, the more useful question is:

What have you just asked your body to do — and what does it need to do next?

What Is Sports Massage Actually For?

Sports massage is best thought of as one tool within a wider training and recovery strategy.

It is not a shortcut to fitness, and there is no good evidence that a massage suddenly makes you stronger, faster or fitter.

A large systematic review examining 29 studies involving more than 1,000 participants found no meaningful improvement in strength, sprint, jump or endurance performance after sports massage. It did, however, find small improvements in flexibility and delayed-onset muscle soreness.

That is an important distinction.

Sports massage may be useful for things such as:

• muscular soreness after training

• areas that repeatedly feel tight or overloaded

• maintaining comfortable movement

• managing the physical demands of repeated training

• helping you feel more comfortable between sessions

It should complement sensible programming, sleep, nutrition, hydration and appropriate recovery — not replace them.

Should You Get a Sports Massage After Training?

For many people, this is where sports massage fits most naturally.

Hard training can leave muscles feeling heavy, sore or restricted, particularly when you have increased:

• training volume

• intensity

• distance

• resistance or load

• frequency

• a movement your body isn’t used to

You may notice it after a long run, a hard leg session, repeated hill work, a demanding ride or a weekend of competition.

Post-exercise massage has been associated with a modest reduction in delayed-onset muscle soreness, commonly known as DOMS.

That doesn’t mean massage “repairs” the muscle instantly or flushes toxins from the body.

It simply means some people may feel less sore and more comfortable afterwards.

What About a Sports Massage Before Training or a Race?

This is where timing and treatment style matter.

A sports massage before an event should not automatically look like the deep, focused treatment you might choose when you have several recovery days available.

Research has not shown pre-performance massage to improve maximal strength, sprint or jump performance. Some evidence also suggests that longer, more intensive massage immediately before performance may temporarily reduce certain measures of lower-limb performance. PubMed

So the night before your biggest race of the year is probably not the moment to decide:

“Give me the deepest massage you can.”

If you have an event coming up, Charlton needs to know.

Tell him:

• what you are competing in

• when it is

• what training you have just completed

• what still needs to happen before the event

• which areas feel tight or uncomfortable

• whether you have had sports massage before

Treatment can then be adapted around what your body needs to do next.

Sports Massage During a Training Block

You don’t have to wait until something hurts.

One of the more useful times to consider sports massage is while repeated training is creating a recognisable pattern of tightness or soreness.

That might be:

• calves that repeatedly tighten during running

• quads and hips feeling loaded after cycling

• shoulders and upper back becoming tight during longer rides

• glutes and legs feeling heavy during a strength block

• forearms or shoulders becoming tight after repetitive sport

• certain areas consistently feeling more restricted than others

This doesn't automatically mean something is damaged.

Repeated movement simply creates repeated demand.

And that is useful information for the therapist.

A Very Pretoria East Example: Cycling

You don’t have to look far from Silverwoods to see why training context matters.

Hazeldean Valley Trails in Pretoria East currently offers mountain-bike, running and hiking routes ranging from 2 km to 49 km, with options for different ability levels. Hazeldean Valley

Pretoria East also has an established cycling community. Velo Cycling Club runs weekly road and mountain-bike rides locally, with road groups covering approximately 70–100 km depending on the group. Their MTB rides start from the Silver Lakes area. Velo

Think about what that means physically.

During a long ride, the legs repeat the same movement thousands of times while the upper body remains in a comparatively fixed position.

Depending on the rider, areas that may become tight or uncomfortable include:

• quadriceps

• hamstrings

• glutes

• calves

• hips

• lower back

• upper back

• neck and shoulders

That is why saying “I cycle” tells Charlton much more than simply saying “my legs feel tight.”

How far are you riding?

Road or MTB?

Has your distance recently increased?

Are you climbing more?

What feels different after 20 km compared with 50 km?

And what training have you got coming up next?

Those answers help determine how the session should be approached.

What About Sports Massage for Runners?

Running creates a different pattern.

The calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and hips repeatedly absorb and generate force with every stride.

But the legs are not the whole story.

Fatigue, running posture and arm movement can also leave some runners noticing tension through the shoulders, neck or back.

Again, treatment should not be based on a generic template called “runner’s massage.”

Your mileage, terrain, pace, training history and current symptoms matter.

And What About the Gym?

A heavy strength session creates yet another situation.

Someone coming in after squats, lunges and Romanian deadlifts may require a completely different treatment from someone whose week has been dominated by pulling, pressing and upper-body work.

That is one reason Revive Your Body Method does not use exactly the same sports massage routine for everybody.

Charlton asks what you’ve actually been doing.

Because your training programme is part of the assessment.

Does Sports Massage Need to Hurt to Be Effective?

No.

Sports massage has somehow acquired a reputation that the therapist needs to hurt you for the session to count.

That makes little sense.

Some focused techniques can feel intense, particularly over sensitive or heavily worked areas, but pain is not a measure of treatment quality.

More pressure is not automatically better.

The appropriate pressure depends on:

• why you have booked

• the area being treated

• how you respond

• whether you are already sore

• your tolerance

• what you need to do afterwards

A good sports massage is targeted.

It isn't an endurance test.

How Soon After a Sports Massage Can You Train?

There is no universal rule that everybody must wait exactly 24 or 48 hours.

It depends partly on how intensive the treatment was and why you booked it.

A relatively light treatment around an event is different from focused work on an area that has been bothering you for weeks.

That is why your next training session should be part of the conversation before treatment begins.

If you need to perform tomorrow, say so.

If tomorrow is a recovery day, say so.

If you are halfway through a hard training week, say so.

Charlton can then adapt the session accordingly.

When Should You NOT Simply Book a Sports Massage?

Not every sports-related pain should be massaged.

Seek appropriate medical or sports-health assessment if you are dealing with symptoms such as:

• significant new injury

• suspected fracture

• severe or worsening pain

• unexplained swelling

• numbness or neurological symptoms

• substantial loss of strength

• an injury that is not improving as expected

Sports massage can be useful around training and muscular soreness.

It is not a substitute for diagnosis when something may genuinely be injured.

So When Is the Best Time to Book a Sports Massage?

There isn't one perfect day.

A better rule is:

Book according to what you have just done and what you need to do next.

If you are recovering from a heavy training load, the session can be adapted around soreness and muscular tightness.

If you have an event approaching, the treatment should take account of how soon you need to perform.

If you are midway through regular training, the session can focus on areas that repeatedly become tight or restricted.

And if you're unsure, tell Charlton what you're training for before you book.

Sports Massage in Pretoria East

Revive Your Body Method provides one-to-one sports massage in Pretoria East from a private treatment room in Silverwoods Country Estate.

Every appointment is personally delivered by Charlton Botha, an ITEC-qualified massage therapist with more than 16 years of hands-on experience.

Charlton works with runners, cyclists, gym-goers, golfers, rugby players, combat-sport athletes and active people who want treatment adapted around how they actually train.

R350 for 60 minutes

Silverwoods Country Estate, Pretoria East

Training around Hazeldean, Silver Lakes or Pretoria East?

Your appointment can be planned around your current training load, areas of muscular tightness or soreness and what you need your body to do next.

Book Sports Massage in Pretoria East

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sports massage better before or after exercise?

Neither is automatically better. It depends on why you are having the massage and what training or competition you have planned. Post-exercise massage may modestly reduce muscle soreness, while intensive massage immediately before maximal performance has not been shown to improve strength, sprinting or jumping.

Can I have a sports massage if I'm not an athlete?

Yes. Sports massage is not restricted to competitive athletes. It can be relevant to runners, cyclists, gym-goers, recreational sports players and other physically active people.

Should I have a sports massage the day before a race?

Avoid assuming that a very deep treatment the day before competition will improve your performance. If you are booking close to an event, tell the therapist exactly when you are competing so the treatment can be adapted accordingly.

Can sports massage help DOMS?

Research suggests massage may produce a modest reduction in delayed-onset muscle soreness after strenuous exercise. It should not be described as an instant method of repairing muscle or boosting athletic performance.

Where can I book sports massage in Pretoria East?

Revive Your Body Method is based in Silverwoods Country Estate, Pretoria East, convenient for Silver Lakes, Hazeldean, Wapadrand, Tyger Valley and surrounding areas. Sessions with Charlton Botha are R350 for 60 minutes.

References

Davis HL, Alabed S, Chico TJA. Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2020;6:e000614.

Mine K, Lei D, Nakayama T. Is Pre-Performance Massage Effective to Improve Maximal Muscle Strength and Functional Performance? A Systematic Review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. 2018;13(5):789–799.

Konrad A et al. The Effects of Massage Therapy on Sport and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review. Sports. 2023.