Are you someone who exercises regularly, but if possible you rarely massage? If so, you are doing your body a bad job. Anyone who exercises four or more times a week should have a deep tissue massage every two weeks. Otherwise, your muscles will tense and your workouts will suffer.

In addition to losing the benefits of regular massage, most people do not devote enough time to each massage, especially when it comes to deep tissue massage.  A deep tissue massage is a longer process of getting the muscles to relax so the massage therapist can get to the lower layer of connective tissue.  It involves applying sustained pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of your muscles and connective tissues. This helps to break up scar tissue that forms following an injury, and reduce muscle tension. Your bi-weekly massage really should be 75 to 90 minutes long. 

The top five benefits of a deep tissue massage include:

#1Better workouts. Relaxed, less tense muscles give you more range of motion during your workout. Your body will be more efficient at building muscle and burning calories.

# 2 Relaxing state of mind. Research has shown that massage can help reduce stress hormones while increasing the "well-being" of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

# 3 Sleep better. Not only will regular massage help you feel better, but thanks to less pain and increased serotonin, you will also sleep better.

# 4 Eliminate the pain. Deep tissue massage heals joints from stress, overworked muscles and connective tissue (fascia) to reduce immediate pain as well as constant joint and muscle pain. It also promotes faster healing by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation.

# 5 Improving overall health. In addition to the health and tissue health benefits, deep tissue massage can have a positive effect on your overall health by lowering blood pressure and improving lung function.