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What Are the Red Dots on Olympians? Learn About Cupping!

Something that you might have noticed while watching the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics coverage is that several athletes have large red dots on their bodies.

U.S. stars like Michael Phelps and gymnast Alex Naddour have both been seen during competition with the marks on their bodies and it’s from cupping.

The cupping process uses suction cups that pull the skin away from the muscles for a few minutes to let capillaries just under the skin rupture, which creates the bruise-like marks. Cupping will bring blood to sore areas of the body and make the healing process work faster.

“Because this particular recovery modality shows blemishes on his skin, he walks around and looks like a Dalmation or a really bad tattoo sleeve,” Michael‘s trainer Keenan Robinson told the New York Times. “It’s just another recovery modality. There’s nothing really particularly special about it.”

“I’ve done it before meets, pretty much every meet I go to,” Michael told the paper. “So I asked for a little cupping yesterday because I was sore and the trainer hit me pretty hard and left a couple of bruises.”

See a photo of Michael getting the procedure done below!

A photo posted by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on

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U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team 2016 - Meet the Olympic Hotties!

The U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Team is set to start their competitions at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics today (August 6), so let’s take a moment to meet the five hotties on the squad!

The team this year is made up of 24-year-old Jake Dalton, 23-year-old Sam Mikulak, 24-year-old Danell Leyva, 29-year-old Chris Brooks, and 25-year-old Alex Naddour.

It looks like the two athletes who will get a shot at competing for the coveted all-around Olympic gold are Sam and Chris. The athletes have to be chosen by their team coach to compete in all six events that comprise the all-around in order to qualify.

Click inside our slideshow now to meet the guys…

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Meet The Women's & Men's Team USA Gymnastics Teams Ahead of Rio Summer Olympic Games!

The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics are just a few weeks away and the athletes are on their way to South America.

The Women’s and Men’s Gymnastics Teams are ten of the most talked about people in the games and we’ll be rooting for them!

Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, and Madison Kocian will try to repeat the Fierce Five’s performance from London for the games.

The men — Sam Mikulak, Danell Leyva, Chris Brooks, Alex Naddour, and Jake Dalton — are also looking to medal in Rio.

Want to meet the teams? We’ve gathered up some of the gymnasts’ best quotes and hopes for the games in our fun slideshow.

Click inside our slideshow now!