blam,
-
Glucosamine/MSM use for prehab is an excellent strategy for many people. I think most of the over thirty crowd would receive some benefit. Anyone with a history of disc or joint injury would be well off to use it, whether or not they are symptomatic or not. The only caution would be in people with insulin resistance problems. While some studies have shown some negative correlation of glucosamine on blood sugar, the research is not conclusive and has not been seen in most studies.
-
The post deep tissue massage ‘sickness’ you speak of is probably mediated through a couple different mechanisms. Usually deep tissue massage is painful, and I think that the pain response has an effect on the nervous sysmtem that can cause some of the symptoms. The other factor is probably metabolic, due to the increased production/release of metabolic byproducts as a result of the massage and the influence on increasing lymphatic drainage, etc.
-
Regarding back off weeks, they can be restorative from both a physical and mental standpoint. Check out the Back Off and Grow article by Jack Reape. It contains some excellent insights on this very issue.
Take care,
Ryan