The massage protocol was deep massage applied to the
exercised quadriceps muscle mass. This consisted of a combination
of deep effleurage and pe´trissage. Two 6-min bouts
of massage were applied, separated by a 1-min rest. The
same chartered physiotherapist was used in order to control
the application and the amount of pressure directed to the
quadriceps musculature. Stroke rate was 60 min1 for effleurage
and 50–60 min1 for pe´trissage. Effleurage massage
consisted of rhythmic pressures along the longitudinal
axis of the muscle group. Pe´trissage consisted of kneading
and squeezing motions over the muscle mass. The two
massage techniques were alternated every 30 s. The massage
protocol was chosen to represent a commonly used
postevent recovery massage and is similar to techniques
used in previous massage research (5,22,25). Hypoallergenic
skin oil (The Boots Company PLC, Nottingham, UK)
was used to reduce friction between the therapist’s hands
and the subject’s skin. The control treatment subjects refrained
from activity immediately after the exercise and
remained resting in the semirecumbent position until completion
of the test. This position was controlled between
trials.