that’s funny, I’ve found the opposite. tight muscles go purple, healthy muscles stay pink.
I agree that it’s not a cure all, but it seems to get pretty good results when other methods fail. for me it has proved to be extremely effective, so perhaps there’s something about my body that responds well. I often find that I react negatively to massage. if it’s anything more than very gentle I end up worse than when I started…
Yes - a lot of massage people try to do too much in the time allotted. A good massage, i find, fixes one problem before moving to the next. Sometimes, this might mean, staying say on one area eg hips, and working on that area for a solid 30min before even looking at a different area. Otherwise, like you said, it’s like they bruise the muscle and it’s worse.
Perhaps because i’m, and the people i’ve been using the cups on so far, are used to foamrolling - so the muscles are used to therapy already.
But, i find, once a muscle lets go, the blood is released and fills the area in the cup (once so, i remove the cup)
If the muscle doesn’t let go, there is no blood flow, no blood flow = no change in cup color, no blood flow = muscle is still tight.
I always give the muscle a rub 1st to find the sore n tight area - use the cup, then re-test with fingers and give the area a slight massage. That i way i can tell if the cups worked.
I have crazy sensitive feel (stems from being my Fitter apprenticeship - we had to file things dead square with only hand tools, developed a great sence of feel)
If something works - i can feel it almost instantly with my hands.
It’s deff a great tool - and for the price of a kit, wow - outstanding value.
Oh yeah, i have tried it on a few tendons also - NICE.
Also - i find, if it takes ages for the cup to change color, then once it does, remove the cup, massage etc, but, that area will stay “bruised” for potentially a few days. A quick change of color = skin returns to normal within minutes = good muscle
How long are you leaving them on for??
Until the cup area turns red from the blood.
So, anywhere from 30sec to 5min
Thurs p.m.
20min jog - avg HR 135
then 20min easy running around with a very slow client
Hammies still rather tight - but a lot better than early in the day
Fri a.m.
Foamrolling - hips, lats and hammies
25min slow jog - avg hr 132
Hammies still tight/sore but a lot better
Fri P.m.
40min of high end aerobic work)
200m work
100m jog
repeat 10 x
Avg running speed - 39sec (last time was 41-43sec)
Avg jog speed - 31sec (last time was 32-34sec)
Max Hr - 162 (last time was 165)
Also found it hard going up the slight hill at half way (and going down) as the left hammie still isn’t right
Sat - Sun - Mon
Off
Plenty of therapy on the hammie, glutes and back
The main problem is the hammie tightness is very deep. At least we are unlocking a ton of excess tension in the mean time
Still have an issue with hammie - it’s biggest area of bother is as pace gets faster and faster.
So i plan on doing more of a base week this week - more volume but less intensity - typically i’m doing a weekly total of 4hrs. So this week, i’ll up to around 5hrs
Tue
10 x laps around a park (a few very tight and slow corners, almost to a stop twice each lap)
70sec recoverys
48sec avg laps
The last two laps were down to around 45sec - which rose the Heart rate up from 159 to 169 on the last rep.
Left hammie still giving grief - so couldn’t really open up any strong speed - but the short recovery’s sure got the heart ticking over nicely
Will get stuck into the hammie/hips area later today
Wed
Tue night, really got stuck into the Cupping, thighs, hip flexors, hammies and glutes.
Hammie issue feeling much better - but, still there.
65min session
10 x 300’s (on a grass paddock…)
Extreme wind
Done in 2 sets of 5
Avg recovery for the 1st 5 was around 65sec
50
52
51
52
49
Break for 10min - feeling rather La+
49
49
55 - I died badly
27 - 150m destroyed
28 - 150m
Just didn’t have it today - the wind was super strong
Then did 12min of throwing a mediball around
Thurs
Recovery Jog
37min run
7.3km
Avg hr 137
Hammies felt like lumps of cement as i took off - and though they improved, they felt more like wet concrete slurry … Both of them.
So, it’s 3 weeks till Pan Pacs - I feel i still need another SPP phase to really hit my straps.
I really feel under prepared to race my best. Sure, I’ll hit season bests - but, i feel there is still sooooo much more improvement just waiting to come out.
Fri A.m.
50min of easy running circuits - very stiff everywhere
Fri - P.m.
Big tempo workout - total 37min including warm up
Sat - off
Sun
Cupping - thighs, lower legs and hammies
Did the cupping on the lower legs and hammies by Sliding the cup along once it was ready (full of blood)
Worked a treat, esp on the hammies - removed hard knotts that have been there for, well, like ever…
Could touch my toes with Both hands with knee flat on the floor (1st time ever) - I also have very long legs.
Also at lunch time, i tested my PH levels, which is only a new thing, and they were way down, around 6.2. Should be around 7.3 - but the best over the last two weeks since started with the testing is 7.1 / 2
Ended up drinking 700ml water with 16grames of sodium bicarb.
1hr later - PH was back up to 7.3
End of day - ended up running a decent workout
55min
10 x 300’s with recoverys based on HR - once it fell to around 135-140 - started at 48sec recovery, and by the last one, was 1min20sec
51 was perhaps the avg fastest time
a couple 52 and one 54
The last one, i took my JOGGERS off and ran 48 (such crap grass though, not doing that again there)
So, a pretty good session considering i was wearing heavy joggers instead of flats or spikes.
Sliding is a common technique with cupping, but I haven’t got it to work with the pump variety. It is especially good for scar tissue.
How fast did you do it??
(double post)
where did you guys get the cupping sets from?
I ordered mine online for about $80. they are pretty common…
ebay - i paid less than $30 including delivery…
Sliding
1 - Lube up the muscle
2 - excess lube the front area of the cup (the area you’re going to be pushing towards)
3 - wait for the cup area to fill full of blood (oh, and take out that magnetic point if it’s in there)
4 - Once full of blood - very slowly, push - it could be as slow as 1minute to cover 1inch. - and hold on sorer spots or if blood flow stops.
5 - If you went slow enough, you should find, on 2nd passing, there is little resistance to pushing through, you can push the cup 1 inch in about 2-5sec or so now (which is good)
6 - from the bottom of the cup, push, not the top - though balance the top with a slight pressure. Push towards where you want to go, not downwards in an arc
7 - it’s interesting going over very hard knotts, or even going from say the calf muscle group into the Tendon
This is now my newest most favorite therapy 
It’ll be interesting to check with the Jade stone also - it’s magic, pics up any small pieces of scar tissue, easily.
Mon
no training
Tue
45min session
Running circuits - Aerobic
Wed
6 x 200’s - Jog back recovery (kk’s 200 plan)
Such a Crap paddock - the more it doesn’t rain, the crappier it gets… And the little hill at half way slows things down also.
27.5
26.7
27.3
27.8
27.5
28.2
Really, could only hit decent speed after half way (after the little hill) - Felt more like Tempo for the 1st half, then when the grass felt smoother = a noticeable speed improvement
Last time i did this session, La+ was screaming at me for ages afterwards.
This time, not too bad. Might have something to do with the 1st 100m of each rep being slowed down due to conditions hey…
Thurs
6km run - 26min
Avg HR, 147, so mostly pretty easy
Fri a.m.
50min of running circuits
Fri p.m.
All up, 70min of training
1 x 280m Time trial (tis the biggest Flatest part of the park i could make)
The turn was ok during warm up speeds - but crazy tight at speed
And the grass is getting more torn up every week due to lack of rain.
Plus, hammie - nearly better, but still perhaps 95%
Time - 36;85 - which is a grass season best - and equal fast as Tartan best. (based on tartan 300m time)
Then ran some running circuits and tempo
Sat
off
Sun
Plenty of cupping therapy / massage and stretching
Then in the arvo
3km in 50min…
but, it was nearly all Drills and sprint type technical work
Mon
1hr track workout
3 x 400m (on tartan) - this is my 800m readiness program.
Was freaking out for about 1hr before this - and for just about every minute during… It’s been 12yrs since i last done this workout (visions of being very La+ sick still firmly in place)
Some pretty strong head winds along the back straight - and by the GPS - i slowed 5km/hr during those sections (on every rep, and some reps it lasted longer due to guts on the curve…
1 - 57.38
17min recovery
2 - 56.71
21min recovery
3 - 55.99
I feel - give me 6 weeks on working on these, i could drop 5 sec on each. Going on these times - I am not ready to race 800m…
And time has run out… 2 weeks to go before Pan Pac masters.
Hi Bold,
Are you suggesting that your 280m grass time correlates fairly accurately with your 300m tartan track time? This is interesting information. Sometimes when doing 5x200 on grass I have trouble knowing whether I should shorten the distance based on number of strides, or to back off on the time expectation.
Fastest season best for 300m = 39.29 4/9/12
Fastest season best for 280m = 36.85
36.85 divide by 280 and times by 300 = 39.48
I’m ready to knock my Tartan 300m time down a couple of seconds…
Got it! Thanks Bold!
Tue
45min of running circuits
Wed
I had a solid workout planned, but the park was taken over, and only had a small section to work with,
so,
30min of running circuits
Thurs
600m time trial
Warm up included a 200m to find my rhythm pace
Was just behind pace that i wanted at 400m - but at 400m, i was already feeling the effects of La+…
At 480m, the La+ had become unbearable… so pulled up at 500m
Not very happy
Due to the hammie issue - the only real La+ work i have done has been slower reps / short recovery. Or faster reps with longer recovery which don’t produce the required La+ buffering.
Found the times
200 - 28.34
400 - 30.05
100 - 15.66
My La+ tolerances at speed OVER 40sec in duration is almost non existent.
Hammie is about 98% better now.
I have time to knock out another 3 La+ sessions before Pan Pac Masters.
Fitness is there, speed is there - just no La+ tolerance
Fri am.
40min of running circuits
Sadly - i also thought i had 2 more weeks from today - but, it’s only 1 week away… (pan pacs)
Fri - pm.
vo2max workout
Found a new park, it wasn’t flat, not by a long shot, but, it did have a cement walking path that was a large circle, around 220m around (no straights)
43min all up workout, then abs and stretches
5 laps, then 2laps recovery. Lap times - 37, 40, 39, 40, 41
4 laps, then 1.5laps recovery. Lap times - 37, 40, 42, 43,
3 laps, then 1 lap recovery. Lap times - 37, 37, 39
2 laps, then 1 lap recovery. Lap times - 37, 37
1 lap. Lap time - 33
Often during, as there was 6 of doing this, plus an old couple walking, plus a guy with a dog on a 2m long leach… I would have to run extra wide, typically twice on each lap, sometimes very wide (hence why the laps are fairly inconsistent)
Sat and Sun
Off
Weekly total - 4hrs and 1minute
Mon
300m time trial (on tartan)
Very windy day
39.08
According to GPS - which averages speed over what appears to be 5sec
I hit a max speed of 35.35km/hr
The problem being, i hit that speed in the 1st 150m, then died badly in the last 100m. Real badly…
Just need to get my pacing over these distances and i’ll be sweet.
Tue
10 x 40sec tempo runs (not sure of distance, there were two sharp 100deg turns which slows things down to a slow jog…
with around 60-90sec recoverys.
Pretty easy tempo, no drama
Pan pacific Races start
Sat = 800m
Sun = 4km cross country
Mon = 1500m a.m. - 60m lunch - 400m about 2pm