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Topic: Exercises for psg? |
Peter Storms
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2024 2:52 pm |
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Are there any hand and ankle exercises for steel guitarists? Especially for us players with arthritis?
Thanks;
Pete. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 26 Feb 2024 3:29 pm
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| Kettlebell swings and primal squats! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 26 Feb 2024 8:06 pm
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IMHO, the best exercise for playing...is lots of playing!  If you have arthritis, just do some mild stretches with your fingers and ankles before you start. NSAID pain relievers may also help if you're not already taking something, but check with your doctor for a specific type and dosage. |
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Dave Stagner
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2024 7:46 am
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Ankle exercises... start by standing on your toes. Slowly lift yourself up, then slowly let yourself back down (don't just jump up and drop down). Try doing this ten times, rest a minute, and repeating. Put your hands on a countertop for balance if needed. If ten reps is too hard, do fewer reps.
This is a SUPER helpful and simple exercise that you can and should do every day! I often do it while standing in line or stuff like that.
A variation on this is to put your back to a wall, put your feet out some distance in front of you (a foot or two, depending on your strength), and raise your toes. It should lift your body a couple of inches. These two exercises together will strengthen calf and shin muscles and improve flexibility.
Next up, squats! You should do these every day. Again, use a table or chair for stability if needed. Squat as deeply as you can, and try to hold it a few seconds at the bottom - don't just bounce up and down. If you're stronger, you add some weight (goblet squats). You don't need weights for this... a gallon jug of water or milk is plenty of weight. Squats improve strength and flexibility from your ankles, through your knees, your hips, and your lower back.
A couple of years ago, I saw a video by this hiker-exercise guru on YouTube who said that most people's knee pain isn't actually knee problems, but rather ankle and hip strength and flexiblity issues. Your knees wind up doing the work that your ankles and hips should do, so they hurt. I thought I had arthritis issues with my knees (technically, I do), but strengthening my ankles and flexing my hips cleared it right up! My knees don't hurt anymore like they used do.
Weakness and inflexibility cause more lower-body pain and complications than arthritis. The stronger and more flexible you become, the less pain you'll experience!
_________________
I don’t believe in pixie dust, but I believe in magic.
1967 ZB D-10
1990 OMI Dobro
Recording King lap steel with Certano benders |
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Markus Mayerhofer
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 29 Feb 2024 11:46 pm
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| Besides all the other videos, which enlighten all the bacic movements required for playing the steel guitar, Joe Wright has an superb video on that topic in his Analog Years section! |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Markus Mayerhofer
From:
Vienna, Austria
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