I must get asked this question at least once a day, and based on the above pics, it's a legit question. I mean, for realz. I'm using my hands A LOT during my day. None of those pics (courtesy of ABMP) are me, BTW, but I do DO those things. I press in on trigger points, I glide along tight muscles, I "chop" (lightly of course!) on big muscles that need it and I sometimes indulge in a paraffin wax dip. (Not very often, but dear lard cheesus does it feel heavenly when I do!) So, yep! I use ma hands quite a bit, but the funny thing is . . .
THEY DON'T GET TIRED.
Say what? It's true, it's not my hands that get tired. Not really, anyway, at least not in the way you'd think. Massage is like a workout, but it uses my whole body. I was taught proper form to help prevent injury and fatigue, unlike your significant other when they attempt to give you a neck massage and stop after about 5 seconds. Their hands got tired because they were using their hands, relying on tiny muscles to do a bunch of work. It doesn't matter how many of those hand crunchy thingies you do with those hand exercisers, Suzanne Sommers, your hands alone can't last for a 60-minute massage session!
I use my body weight and momentum, and my hands are like skis or a sled - they just glide along! My momentum comes from my feet, and the pressure you feel is from my body weight. I do a lot of yoga-type stances, including warriors, during a session. So in reality, it's my legs and whole body that get tired after a day of massage. Typically, if I'm using good body mechanics, my hands are spared. This does mean, though, that massage is a workout. I may have up to 5, one-hour sessions in a day (I try not to do more, to prevent injury), which means I can come home super tired. My boyfriend, when his back hurts, ends up with only a 5-second massage! Poor guy.
Have a question? I (may) have an answer! Feel free to ask!
THEY DON'T GET TIRED.
Say what? It's true, it's not my hands that get tired. Not really, anyway, at least not in the way you'd think. Massage is like a workout, but it uses my whole body. I was taught proper form to help prevent injury and fatigue, unlike your significant other when they attempt to give you a neck massage and stop after about 5 seconds. Their hands got tired because they were using their hands, relying on tiny muscles to do a bunch of work. It doesn't matter how many of those hand crunchy thingies you do with those hand exercisers, Suzanne Sommers, your hands alone can't last for a 60-minute massage session!
I use my body weight and momentum, and my hands are like skis or a sled - they just glide along! My momentum comes from my feet, and the pressure you feel is from my body weight. I do a lot of yoga-type stances, including warriors, during a session. So in reality, it's my legs and whole body that get tired after a day of massage. Typically, if I'm using good body mechanics, my hands are spared. This does mean, though, that massage is a workout. I may have up to 5, one-hour sessions in a day (I try not to do more, to prevent injury), which means I can come home super tired. My boyfriend, when his back hurts, ends up with only a 5-second massage! Poor guy.
Have a question? I (may) have an answer! Feel free to ask!