Essential Hand exercises

Nuff Said · #1 01-22-2012, 11:27 AM

To avoid hand problems, I personally think it is essential to have a good warm up exercise for your hands before playing your guitar.

YouTube Video

Essential Hand Stretches For Guitarists | GuitarLessons365

This could save a lot of pain.
Nuff

coolvinny · #2 01-22-2012, 05:10 PM

Indeed one should always 'warm up' an area before stretching it, but the way to warm up is to use those muscles/tendons gently (make a fist, release, flex your wrist upwards, release, move your fingers around, etc) for a minute or two, not to do a self massage in a half-assed attempt to 'get blood into' the area...

The self-massage thing probably prepares the other hand/arm for stretching more than the arm that is supposedly being prepared...

steev · #3 01-22-2012, 06:59 PM

I tried these exercises, they are good. But one word of caution, dont try to strech as far as this guy. He has obviously been doing it for years and worked up to this level, I went too far and couldnt play for a week!!

coolvinny · #4 01-23-2012, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steev

I tried these exercises, they are good. But one word of caution, dont try to strech as far as this guy. He has obviously been doing it for years and worked up to this level, I went too far and couldnt play for a week!!

This is exactly what I'm talking about... (though stretching too far in and of itself is also a problem)

SeedsOfMusic · #5 01-26-2012, 03:08 PM

Just like in athletics I know it's important to warm a muscle up for stretching, but I feel like an -extensive- stretching routine for your hands...I'm not convinced it's really that necessary, especially for people who have limited time to practice.

I watched a stretching routine with John Petrucci. The guy was doing tricep stretches and massaging his pectorals. At that point you might as well hop on a flat bench press and start busting out reps.

I took lessons briefly from a professional musician and he doesn't bother with stretching in this way, more in the fashion of stretch warm-ups while playing the guitar and not pulling fingers.

I've settled on the in-between. I transcribe for television so that has me typing 8 hours a day. I come home and play guitar for the rest so I'm REALLY interested in keeping my hands healthy. I do some brief, gentle pulling and that's it.
You'll warm up with guitar exercises but you should stretch to prevent Carpal Tunnel. Here is a real simple way of doing it - first link in Google search - and it's doctor research. Hope this helps!

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises