Olympic athletes from all backgrounds, alongside various Hollywood A-List celebrities, are using cupping as a means of relaxing tight muscles and initiate healing. For some, they’ve claimed it a key focus of their athletic success even citing performance improvements as evidence. As an athlete, will it work for you – let’s look at the facts. Cupping first hit the mainstream’s attention when American swimmer Michael Phelps attended the Olympics with purple marks on his back which some interpreted as large, purple bruises. Investigations by the media into what was going on led them to discover the Chinese art of cupping. Also used in Egyptian culture, cupping involves placing cups on the skin for a short amount of time and using these to create a vacuum. Sometimes, suction is created using flammable substances or a rubber pump. If it’s silicone cups, they can also be suctioned using hands. Cupping works because as the suction applies, blood vessels in these localized areas are expanded and blood circulates more rapidly towards these areas. It is thought by increasing blood flow, tense muscles are relieved and the body’s natural cell repair processes are initiated. Swimmers and athletes of all varieties have used cupping post-exertion to help improve performance and their muscles recover. Many athletes are using cupping alongside acupuncture and chiropractic to much success. Although there’s not much scientific research examining the effectiveness of cupping therapy among athletes, there’s clearly something to it if it’s being used by all these different athletes. When you have gold-medal Olympic athletes using it as a form of massage therapy, that puts significant attention on something that’s too oftentimes dismissed as an ‘alternative treatment’. There’s no disputing the impact that it’s had, particularly among swimmers. As an athlete, if you’re thinking about cupping therapy, we recommend going in with reasonable expectations for what it can accomplish. Sure, it’s helped some athletes with their performance. For others however, it’s simply a way to relax and relieve tension in their muscles. Choosing your own silicone cupping sets, you can even do it at home and it costs less than massage therapy. Athletes from all backgrounds are recommended to give it a try to see what they feel from it.
Browse cupping sets in Canada at Lierre.ca in silicone, glass, and plastic. Detoxify the body, release those tense muscles, and give your athletic performance something extra. Cupping’s effective at getting the blood flowing, treating pain, and helping the body gain strength. Lierre.ca’s cupping sets range from full-body to even facial massage sets. Everything you need, all in one place, shop Lierre.ca today.