Cupping guides
Stiff body: why you get stiff, when it should be investigated, and stretching and mobility training that actually help
Stiffness in the body is usually due to too little varied movement, not muscles that are too short: the tissue adapts to the position it spends most time in. Here are the causes, the warning signs (morning stiffness over an hour, stiffness with swelling or fever), the difference between stretching and mobility training, a daily 10-minute whole-body programme and how cupping is used to soften.
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Shoulder impingement: why lifting the arm hurts, the exercises that help and cupping around the shoulder
Shoulder impingement means the rotator cuff tendons and bursa are pinched under the shoulder blade's bony arch when the arm is lifted, giving pain between 60 and 120 degrees of lift, an ache on the outside of the upper arm and pain lying on your side. Here is why it happens, the warning signs, the exercises with the best evidence (rotator cuff, shoulder blade, posture), what to avoid and how to cup the muscles around the shoulder.
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Hallux valgus (bunions): why they appear, what helps the pain, exercises, shoes and cupping of the foot
Hallux valgus is a crooked big toe with a bump at the toe joint on the inside of the foot, usually hereditary and worsened by tight shoes. The deformity cannot be exercised away, but the pain, stiffness and progression can be influenced. Here are the causes, what helps (shoes, insoles, toe spacers, foot exercises), when surgery is relevant and how to cup and massage the foot.
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Trochanteric bursitis: pain on the outside of the hip, why lying on your side hurts, the exercises that help and cupping of the hip and thigh
Trochanteric bursitis is pain on the outside of the hip, over the bony bump you feel when lying on your side. Usually it is not the bursa but the gluteal tendon attachments that are overloaded. Here is why it hurts, the warning signs, the exercises with the best evidence, what to avoid (crossing your legs, side-lying without a pillow) and how to cup the outside of the hip and thigh.
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Forward head posture and better posture: why the head ends up in front of the body, exercises that help and cupping of the neck and upper back
Forward head posture is a head held in front of the body with rounded shoulders and a bent upper back, almost always from screens, phones and sitting. Every centimetre forward increases the load on the neck, giving tension pain, headaches and stiff shoulders. Here is the self-test, six exercises that actually correct the posture, the ergonomics that stop it coming back, and how cupping of the neck and upper back softens what has tightened.
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Home workout without equipment: a 20-minute whole-body programme in three levels, and the recovery that keeps you going
Strength training at home without equipment works if the programme is simple, covers the whole body and can be made harder. Here is a 20-minute programme with seven exercises in three levels, how often to train, how to progress, the most common mistakes and the recovery, sleep, movement and cupping, that keeps you going.
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Balance exercises at home: 8 exercises after a sprain, for runners and for older people, in three difficulty levels
Balance is a skill that disappears when unused and comes back when trained, at any age. Here are eight balance exercises at home in three levels, for the ankle after a sprain, for runners and for older people who want to prevent falls, how often to do them and how to make them harder safely.
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Core exercises at home: 10 exercises for a strong trunk that protects the back, in the right order from beginner to advanced
Core is not a six-pack but the muscle cylinder around the trunk that stabilises the spine in every lift, step and twist. Here are ten exercises without equipment, ordered from beginner to advanced, how often to do them, the most common mistakes and what applies with back pain, after pregnancy and in combination with cupping.
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Neck exercises: 8 exercises for a stiff neck, tight shoulders and neck-related dizziness, and how cupping prepares them
A stiff neck does best with small, frequent movements and strength for the deep neck muscles, not with being held still. Here are eight neck exercises for mobility, strength and posture, adapted for a stiff neck after screen days, tight shoulders and neck-related dizziness, plus how cupping the trapezius prepares them.
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