Lindsay and Nick Bodkin are the Official Massage Therapist of the Adirondack Thunder. We have years of experience working with professional athletes to achieve their dreams. Whether you are a professional or a weekend warrior, you push yourself to the limits.
Sports massage is focused on those specific areas of the body that are effected the most. Your massage therapist uses specific massage therapy techniques to prevent and treat injury. In this massage, we focus on injury prevention and injury recovery. Range of motion (ROM) is extremely important when working with athletes. We recommend that you bring along some loose comfortable clothing.
Some stretching techniques that we use would not be possible without being properly clothed. Remember to always communicate with your therapist. If we are stretching you to far or if we are going to deep, tell us! The old saying “NO PAIN, NO GAIN” does not apply.
During this massage we may cause some discomfort. On a pain scale of 1 to 10, ten being the most painful, we generally do not want to work above a 6 on your pain scale. Always remember our goal is to decrease pain, increase ROM, prevent injury and improve your performance.
We have been the official massage therapist for professional sports teams such as the Adirondack Frost Bite, Adirondack Ice Hawks, Adirondack Phantoms (AHL), Adirondack Flames (AHL) and the Adirondack Wild Cats.
Testimonial’s
As a cyclist that races at the professional and international level, I place unnatural demands on my body day after day with an intense training and racing schedule. Through Nick Bodkin’s massage therapy, I have been able to decrease my recovery time and increase my muscle efficiency. Sports massage aids in repairing my muscles from strenuous workouts by removing the built-up toxins, releasing the muscles, and increasing the blood flow so that my muscles are provided with vital nutrients. In addition, increased blood flow ensures that my musculature is receiving optimal oxygen delivery. With tight, ‘knotted’ muscles, your muscles become shut off from normal blood supply and the nutrients and oxygen delivery is reduced, which ultimately compromises performance, as your muscles cannot provide you with maximal power. Regular massages ensure that my body is recovered, thereby allowing me to enter my workouts or races feeling rested and strong, while simultaneously giving me the peace of mind that my muscles are receiving proper blood flow.
Nick Bodkin takes a unique approach to sports massage that I have found to be most helpful in my recovery and preparation for big events. In addition to working on the muscle itself, Nick pays specific attention to the attachment sites of muscles. In allowing the site of muscle attachment to relax, the entire muscle releases – this unique strategy to massage therapy has been crucial in releasing and loosening my tight, “knotted” leg muscles. Such release also increases flexibility which is vital for increasing power and preventing injury. The first time I had the muscle attachment sites worked on, I was amazed at the amount of tightness found within these specific areas; the release of such tension left my body feeling rejuvenated. The muscle attachment sites are not a place I previously thought of as a crucial aspect to my performances, however after working with Nick, I have realized that this approach to sports massage is essential to improved performance. I also find Nick’s incorporation of stretching into the massage sessions to be complimentary to my daily stretching routine, as I seek to maintain a considerable range of motion in my joints which can easily be lost with muscle development.
Nick Bodkin not only has years of massage experience, but is an athlete himself. Nick understands exactly how it feels to complete a week, a day, or a month of constant strenuous training, and he knows how to remedy the aches and pains that such intensity produces. I firmly believe that the best massage therapists have themselves been serious athletes. Massage therapists with a history of athleticism have experienced the toll of daily vigorous training, and have a superior ability to identify the areas of the body that are most strongly tied to physical performance and how to release the tension and pain built up in the crucial areas. Although massage schools teach sports massage, an athletic background provides the massage therapist with another level of understanding on how to best treat muscle tightness and restriction in the client athlete’s body.
Having regular sports massages with Nick has enhanced my cycling performance as well as increased my peace of mind. After massages, I am left feeling invigorated: not only is my body at ease, but my mind is as well because I know I have taken care of my body after the strain of training. Realizing that how I care for my body off the bike is equally as important as the hours and intervals on it has dramatically changed the way I approach cycling, and has ultimately aided in improving my performance. Recovery is the most important aspect of training. If you do not allow your body to heal from the exertion of training, subsequent training sessions will be compromised and you are unable reach your full potential. Nick Bodkin not only understands these principles, but also practices them in such a way that makes him one of the most effective sports therapists to help you reach your full potential.
– Megan Guarnier 
You can visit Megan’s blog @ meganguarnier.blogspot.com/