Ever Wonder Why Olympians Are Covered In Large Red Circles?

#3 Rio Olympics 2016!!

It's that time of the year, something that happens every four years! Its the summer Olympics!

And for those of you who have been following their country's teams in the games you would have noticed that most of the athletes, especially that of the swimmers and gymnasts from Team USA have been sporting large red circles on their bodies.

One popular athlete sporting these marks was our ever favorite Olympic athlete Michael Phelps!
#2 Its called 'Cupping'!

The red circles are a by-product of cupping. Cupping is a centuries old physical therapy where hot cups are placed on the body and it raises the skin. It is a form of acupuncture. The way it works is by lighting a flammable liquid in a glass cup.

When the flame goes out in the cup the temperature drop creating suction which sticks the cups to the body and it suctions the skin away from the body up into the cup. It is said that this promotes blood flow and gets rid of toxins. It is slightly painful though and leaves those red spots for a couple of days.

Athletes are using the ancient physical therapy to ease their aches and pains. Also to help their bodies recover faster from the physical toll their intense constant training and competing is having on them.

But why the red marks you ask? Read on to find the answer!
#1 Not just athletes! Many Celebrities use it as well!

Celebrities that have been photographed with the tell tale red circle marks are Justin Bieber, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, and Gwyneth Paltrow who is known for her love of natural healing methods. It is widely available at a lot of beauty parlours and spas. Cupping is not dangerous, the redness is caused by the blood being drawn to the surface and capillaries bursting.

Cupping is very popular with the USA gymnastics team with Alex Naddour and other members swearing by the method. Naddour told 'USA Today' that cupping was 'Better than any money I've spent on anything else. That's the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy.' He also said that cupping saves his body from a lot of pain.