Massage Your Pectoral Muscles for 1 Minute Every Day! Necessary Stretches for Every Guitarist Part 5: What Guitarists Need to Know About Their Bodies

Hello!
I’m Takuto Fujioka, a chiropractor specializing in Guitarists.
Thank you for your hard work as always!

Today, I want to introduce stretches guitarists need to know that you won't regret taking the time to learn about!
This time, we're focusing on the "pectoralis muscles."
As it's quite well-known, it's one of the muscles that's frequently used in daily life. The fact that it's used so often means it’s prone to fatigue.

But have you ever thought, “I worked really hard today, and my pectorals are sore”? Probably not, right?
That's because the pectoralis muscles are large and designed in such a way that it’s difficult to feel the fatigue.

So, if we can’t feel the fatigue, does that mean we should just ignore it?
Unfortunately, no. Even though the pectoralis muscles don't show fatigue easily, if they get fatigued and stiff, they become less able to stretch and contract. In other words, their length shortens.

Imagine a stiff and short rubber band that has difficulty stretching. Now, if you hook it between two points far apart, the rubber band will want to return to its original shape, causing tension. As a result, the two points will be pulled apart, right?

The same thing happens with muscles.
Let's return to the pectoralis muscles. The pectoralis muscles are attached to the clavicle, sternum, and ribs to the humerus. If the flexibility of these pectoralis muscles is lost and they become stiff, the humerus will be pulled inward. This causes what is commonly referred to as "rounded shoulders."

When you have rounded shoulders, not only do your shoulders suffer, but your neck and lower back muscles can also be affected, leading to fatigue and pain. If left unaddressed, the muscles will continue to stiffen, and the range of motion in your body will become more and more limited.

I’m not trying to scare you, but in order to play the guitar as much as possible while staying healthy, I want you to pay attention to these body issues as well.

However, stretching every night or constantly worrying about your posture can feel like a hassle. So, today, I want to introduce a super simple way to massage and stretch that you can do in just one minute. Please try it after playing guitar, after desk work, or before going to bed at the end of the day!

Now, let's quickly review where the pectoralis muscles are located.

The blue area in the image is the pectoralis muscle. As you can see, the pectoralis is closely connected to the neck and chest muscles, and it also extends towards the arms. If there is an issue in this area, it's easy to imagine that it could lead to various negative effects.
Now, let's begin with the massage!

When performing the massage, we will divide the pectoralis muscle roughly into two parts.
First, start below the clavicle. Use your thumb to massage gently along the area beneath the clavicle. Be careful not to overdo it and avoid applying too much pressure. Try to adjust the force within a range that doesn’t cause pain.

Next, move on to the chest area. Since it's a wide area, lightly bend your fingers and use the protruding bones as leverage. Massage from the center of the chest outward. The chest area contains many lymph nodes, so be mindful of the pressure you apply. Even a light stroke is just enough to move the skin and will still be effective, so you don’t need to apply much force.
From there, continue down to the bottom of the ribcage.
Just doing this should give you a sense of relief around your neck, shoulders, and chest.

Finally, let’s do some stretching to lengthen the pectoralis muscles that may have contracted!
Clasp your hands behind your back.
Then, slowly move your hands away from your back, opening up your chest and bringing your shoulder blades together.
During this stretch, make sure to breathe deeply and slowly. It's important to take your time with your breath and movement. If you do it too quickly, you could risk injuring the muscles, so proceed slowly.

Once you get used to this routine, I think it will take less than a minute. If you make this massage and stretch part of your daily routine, you will definitely be able to maintain a body that doesn’t accumulate muscle fatigue. Please give it a try!

Also, if you are experiencing any pain or symptoms related to playing the guitar, feel free to contact me through my official LINE（https://lin.ee/6AGJ9JX）. I'll answer to the best of my ability, so don’t hesitate to reach out! (^ω^)

See you next time!

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