Sports massage: getting ready for spring

Spring in Perth has a way of restarting everyone's training at once: the running groups reappear along the coast, weekend sport ramps up, and gym routines that hibernated through July suddenly matter again. Late winter is exactly the right time to get your body ready for that, and it's when sports massage starts earning its keep.

What sports massage is

Sports massage is a firm, purposeful treatment focused on the muscles you load through training. It borrows from deep tissue and trigger point work, but the framing is different: rather than chasing general tension, the session is shaped around what you do, whether that's running, lifting, cycling or team sport, and the areas that work hardest when you do it.

Before training vs after

Where the session sits in your week changes what it looks like. Booked after a heavy session or event, the work is about supporting recovery, with slower, broader strokes through the muscles you've just loaded. Booked ahead of a big block or event, it's more about mobility: freeing up tight areas so you move well going in. Neither replaces a warm-up or cool-down; think of it as maintenance in between.

What a session involves

We'll start by talking about what you train, how often, and what's been feeling tight or restricted. From there your therapist works firmly and specifically: calves and hamstrings for runners, shoulders and forearms for lifters, hips and glutes for almost everyone. Pressure is tailored as always: firm enough to be effective, never past what you're comfortable with.

You don't have to be an athlete

Plenty of people who book sports massage wouldn't call themselves sporty. They're walkers, casual gym-goers, weekend netballers, or people whose work is physical enough to count as training. If your body works hard, it qualifies. And if you're not sure whether sports or remedial massage is the better fit, mention it when you arrive and we'll tailor the session either way.

Cups are worth asking about too, since myofascial cupping and massage pairs well with a training load. And if you are wondering where sessions should sit in your week, our notes on how often to get a massage cover it.

And if the load comes from work as much as from training, massage for tradies and physical work covers the areas a physical job tends to leave behind.

If spring is the season you're building towards, a bit of maintenance now beats a seized-up September. Check availability online and pick a time that fits around your training.