Basics of fitness whip for the elderly

The core foundation of the fitness whip for the elderly is not about swinging loudly or being good at doing tricks, but about giving priority to safety, adapting the movements to one's own physical ability, and exerting force in accordance with the laws of muscle movement. The ultimate goal is to move the shoulder circumference, lumbar spine, and improve limb coordination. Any exercise that violates this principle is a blind exercise.

In the southeast corner of the small community park where I often go, there are seven or eight old guys who have been playing with fitness whips all year round. Some of them have been playing for five or six years, and those who have just started playing have only been in the game for ten days. There are many examples of people who have fallen into the trap - one who just started playing for a week until his calf became swollen, one who twisted his waist and lay down for half a month in order to learn the trick of "turning back the whip", and one who followed the trend and bought a three-pound heavy whip that hurt his arm and couldn't lift it after swinging it twice. They all followed the trend without understanding the basics.

Let’s talk about the equipment first. There is actually a bit of controversy in this industry. Many veteran players who have been playing for four or five years will advise novices to directly use a nylon whip of about 2 pounds, saying that it is heavy and can produce power quickly. There are also objections, saying that novices have poor muscle control and cannot hold back the whip when it is thrown out, and it is easy to hurt themselves or others. I personally recommend to get your own experience first. If you are a man who usually does housework and can walk two or three kilometers without breathing, an entry-level model of about 1.5 pounds is enough. If you are a woman or your shoulders and wrists are a little strained, you can choose a soft whip with a PU edge of 8 2 to 1 pounds. Don't listen to others who fool you into buying a collection of hundreds of dollars. Oh, by the way, it’s best to prepare wrist and elbow pads. Don’t worry about it. I saw an old guy before who didn’t wear wrist pads. His wrists were swollen like steamed buns after three days of throwing, and he didn’t dare to touch the whip for half a month. And most importantly, when looking for a venue, you must find an open space with no one around, at least twenty or thirty meters away from residential roads and children's play areas. The whip tip is thrown out very fast, and it is not a trivial matter if it actually hits someone. Previously, a novice whip whip hit a passing child in a neighboring neighborhood and paid tens of thousands in compensation, which was not worth the loss.

Let’s talk about exerting force. Many novices hold the handle of the whip and swing their arms until their faces turn red. They can’t make a sound for a long time and make their arms sore for several days. This is because they have not found the right logic for exerting force. To be honest, the power of the fitness whip does not come from the arms at all. When the feet push on the ground, they twist the waist and abdomen first, then turn with the shoulders, then bring the upper arms and forearms, and finally send the force out with a slight shake of the wrist. The crisp sound is the sound of the tip of the whip breaking the sound barrier. If you use the force smoothly, it will sound without much effort. Uncle Li in our park used to weigh 180 pounds and had high blood pressure. At first he was sweating all over his body and making no sound. Later, he followed others and changed his waist and abdomen strength, and he was shaking loudly in less than a week. Now after practicing for three months, the frozen shoulder that he had before had difficulty lifting his arms has not hurt in a long time.

As for how long to practice, there is no exact number. Some people say that you need to practice for more than half an hour every day to be effective, and some say that it only takes ten minutes. I think there is really no need to waste time. If your waist is not very good and it gets sore after standing for a long time, then stop practicing for 10 to 15 minutes. After that, rub your waist twice and turn your neck. If you have a good physical condition, it should not exceed 40 minutes at most. After all, repeating an action all the time will make your muscles tired easily, so don't try hard just to save time. For newbies, don’t just follow the trend and learn tricks such as “serial ringing” and “crotch whipping”. First, practice the most basic forehand swing until you can ring every time. Your arms and waist won’t feel sore when exerting force, and it’s not too late to move on to other moves.

In fact, playing with fitness whips is just for fun after retirement. There is no need to compete with others about whose whip is more expensive, who can swing it louder, and who can do more work. In order to win over Lao Chen from the opposite community, Uncle Zhang from our kindergarten specially changed to a 3-pound heavy whip with a metal whip tip. As a result, he lost control of the whip when he whipped it, and his waist was bent and he lay down for half a month. The gain was not worth the loss. Just do it at your own pace. After each exercise, your whole body will feel comfortable, your shoulders and neck will no longer be stiff, and your meals will taste delicious. This is better than anything else. This is the most basic mentality you should have when playing with fitness whips.