"At Mizzou we are strong believers in the use and benefits of the MuscleTrac. This tool has become a very integral part in the development and maintenance of our athletes. Pre-competition, post competition and even during competition are very important times we stress for our athletes to take advantage of this tool.
The primary purpose we use the MuscleTrac for is to try and eliminate tightness & soreness by targeting inhibitory factors lying within the muscle’s fascia. The MuscleTrac helps us to alleviate many of these inhibitory problems by loosening the restricted muscles to regain proper elasticity and movement. This is essential in all aspects of our training as well as during competition. All of our athletes are educated on the purpose and benefits of this tool and know the basic functions on how to use it. This allows them the option to either work alone or with a partner.
Pre-competition is an important time for us to work on our athletes. We will use it sometimes hours before an event and also even right before leading up to the start of a competition depending on what the athlete prefers. The average time frame we generally work on an athlete can vary anywhere from 2-3 minutes up to 8 minutes or so depending on the issues with that individual.
We also find that during competition is also a time where our athletes want and need to be worked on. Breaks in play during an event such as halftime are a great time to take advantage of. During these times we will briefly try and work out some of the more troubled areas where athletes typically begin to tighten during a game. The great thing we find in the MuscleTrac is its convenience. The device being small makes it very accessible when traveling and also to carry around during a competition for some of those game time issues as just mentioned, as well as prior to.
The day after competition our athletes are generally brought in for them to begin the recovery process. As a part of that recovery process we highly encourage our athletes to also use the MuscleTrac as a part of this process. Not only does the MuscleTrac help us to alleviate our tightness and soreness, but it also aids in helping with the regeneration of our bodies muscular metabolism. Improvements in our bodies function to deliver oxygen and nutrients back to the damaged muscle to rid them of harmful wasteful products and to help them recovery faster is imperative to our athlete’s recovery.
By educating our athletes about what the MuscleTrac is and its purposes, it gives them a better understanding for how to use this device correctly. The thing our athlete’s really like about the MuscleTrac is that it’s easy to understand and not very complex in administering. This allows our athletes more availability to use the device when they are capable of using it on themselves and each other.
The MuscleTrac can be a very highly effective and beneficial tool if implemented properly within any type of program for athletes of any age. The most important factor in why we use this device is simply because we have personally seen the benefits to our athletes and above all, they believe and see the benefits as well."
University of Missouri Strength and Conditioning
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