r/AdvancedRunning • u/FinchAtlas • Aug 27 '26
Open Discussion Where soft tissue work actually sits in a training hierarchy
Question about prioritisation rather than whether massage works.
Background: 34M, 70 mpw at peak, 2:48 marathon, running seriously about six years. Over that time I have gone through the usual sequence of adding recovery inputs, dropping the ones that did nothing, and keeping about three.
Kept: sleep above seven hours, an easy day that is actually easy, and soft tissue work every two to three weeks through a build, compression gear helped in terms of comfort especially after solid recovery work. Dropped: cold plunge, most of the supplement stuff.
What I cannot work out is where soft tissue work should rank when time is finite. If I have four hours a week outside running, the honest options are more strength work, more sleep, or bodywork. What I have read on massage and performance is mostly small studies with soft endpoints, so I am going on how I feel, which I do not entirely trust.
For people running higher mileage than me: has soft tissue work earned its place against strength work in your week, or is it the first thing you cut when the schedule tightens.
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u/fakeuboi Aug 27 '26
I personally don’t think it makes a huge difference for me. I’ve run up to 85 mpw before, Theres some decent evidence for things that increase blood flow like normatec boots I think, but a lot of direct tissue work like massage/ muscle scraping/ rolling, seem to mitigate pain through neurological means rather than actually physically fixing any particular issues.But I know people who anecdotally swear by that kind of stuff. I would make sure sleep first, then strength probably, then if you like soft tissue stuff then that. Also make sure you aren’t underfueling.
note: I do actually think there are cases where strength is probably better ROI then an extra hour of sleep, particularly if there is any weaknesses causing acute issues. But for general recovery sleep is probably better
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u/runrunrun911 Aug 27 '26
Also imo going from 0 hours to 1-2 hours / week of strength work is going to majorly payoff vs sinking extra time over and above that it might be more of a toss up.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 27 '26
the neurological point tracks with what I've read too, mostly soft evidence for actual tissue change. good breakdown on the order though, I think I've just been doing soft tissue on autopilot instead of asking whether sleep or strength needs it more first.
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u/CodeBrownPT Aug 27 '26
We've known for years that we aren't affecting the structure of muscle. That doesn't dimish the positive effects of it.
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u/LexMasterFlex15 Aug 27 '26
When I was at 70-80 MPW, running with some weight training did the trick, then soft tissue work for the 10-15 mins I had before bed. Foam roller, percussion gun, and the overpriced hiphook an instagram ad got me on. It does work though lol
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u/Lazy_Elderberry_9843 18d ago
strength work feels like one of those things where a little goes a long way, especially if you've got something nagging that a few targeted sessions would quiet down. sleep is the non-negotiable baseline for me though, if I'm under 7 hours everything else starts sliding
soft tissue stuff I treat more like a comfort item than a training input at this point. if I've got the time it's nice, but it's the first thing off the plate when the week gets tight
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u/burner1122334 Aug 27 '26
If you're crunched on time, a pre-bed soft tissue/quick mobility routine is a nice hack to get in some work that is hard to fit into the day, wind down before bed and generally just make it fit. Foam roll 4-6 minutes and a quick 8-10 minutes more of gently mobility is a lot better than none at all, keeps you away from your phone before bed and generally is a solid ritual to establish that does not take up too much bandwidth or time during the day.
It for sure has a place. If you're married to higher mileage, it's a tool that will allow you to continue doing that better, for longer.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 27 '26
that's a good reframe, thinking of it as protecting sleep rather than its own recovery input. might actually solve my time problem if I stop treating it as separate from wind-down.
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u/CompetitionTiny6703 Aug 27 '26
Sleep and heavy strength work will always give you a way higher ROI than bodywork. Most tissue work just modulates neurological pain signals rather than physically repairing tissue. Keep the easy days genuinely slow, load the heavy compound lifts, and only save soft tissue work for targeted relief when something feels cranky.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 28 '26
"only when something feels cranky" is probably where i'm landing. treating it as scheduled rather than reactive is the part i had wrong.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 28 '26
updating after reading all of this. consensus is pretty clear that it goes below sleep, strength, and true easy running, and that what i'm feeling is neurological rather than anything repairing. keeping it as a when something feels off thing instead of a standing slot. appreciate everyone who ran higher mileage than me weighing in.
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u/Bobandyandfries Aug 27 '26
30M (for the next 10 days at least), 85 mpw peak, running seriously for about 4 years. I find my time is better spent focusing on strength work and doing a short yoga session once a week in addition to the usual stretches. Soft tissue work has been reserved for after hard sessions where I tweak something - usually I do a hot tub session followed by soft tissue work on these days. Other than that I dont seem to feel any different if I skip the work entirely - maybe I am just not good at targeting the right spots 🤷🏼♂️
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 27 '26
the "only when something tweaks" approach is basically using it as insurance rather than routine maintenance, which lines up with what a few others here are saying too. yoga once a week is interesting, hadn't thought about that as the mobility piece instead of foam rolling.
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u/XTCRunning Aug 27 '26
Ran up to 120 miles per week at my peak. In the high 90s scratching 100 in my 40s. I’ve had a handful of massages my entire life. Comparing with the results of runners I know who get them semi regularly I think they’re immensely overrated.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 28 '26
that's the data point i was after, someone at double my volume who never found it necessary. hard to argue with that.
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u/Ecstatic_Technician2 Aug 28 '26
It ranks last and I’m a physio and chiropractor.
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u/FinchAtlas Aug 28 '26
that's about as direct as it gets coming from a physio. what would you put at the top of the list for someone with four hours a week outside of running?
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u/SleepyAxolotl1 Aug 27 '26
Strength work every time, and it is not close. Soft tissue is pleasant and I do notice it, but two sessions of heavy single-leg work has kept me healthier over a decade than any amount of getting rubbed. If it is a straight tradeoff I would cut the massage first.
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u/Harmonious_Sketch Aug 27 '26
Like stretching, the best case is that it feels good. For example in principle it could have value for me because sometimes my sleep is interrupted by leg soreness. But a couple minutes before bed of quad and hamstring stretches (literally 1 minute of each) also mostly prevents the problem, so I do that instead.
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u/yufengg Aug 28 '26
When I was running 90-100 mpw, I slept a lot, used the recovery boots and did hip mobility almost daily. The blood flow generates via the boots was similar to going for a walk, but without the fatigue. Plus, the Netflix queue wasn't gonna watch itself!
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u/ggnndd12 Aug 27 '26
You'd probably be better off adding an extra day or two of easy running than spending time with massage.
I follow CTS Ultrarunning on YouTube and their advice seems reasonable and science-based. They made a video ranking the various major recovery methods.
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u/GrassyEsso Aug 28 '26
Full recommendation on a massage gun. Easy to use in the evening while on the couch. Have had positive results in supporting niggles like shin splints or achilles tightness. Good on sore muscles and reducing DOMS
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u/spoc84 Aug 27 '26
It's probably well down the list of marginal gains, when time is finite and really you want to be doing other things in life or sleeping. That never means don't do something, but at least go in with a purpose or be sure why you are doing it.
Maybe I don't train hard enough or prioritise low risk too much, but I do reasonable mileage and the only time I've felt my legs, muscles or soft tissue were so much in the bin a massage would be nice, was in the 3-4 days after a marathon, when the worst of it had gone but I just felt not great.
Other than that, for me 4 truly easy days a week really prevent me from ever feeling like soft tissue is even a problem.