Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RachaelRoo]

So I see Koreans hitting themselves when they are hiking or at the gym. I was told that this is to loosen the muscles.....wtf? Does this work and have any real value?
Also, at my gym, they have this vibrating machine that shakes the body's midsection (no jokes please ). Is this machine also supposed to 'loosen muscles'? Seems pretty stupid to me, so I'm just wondering what the logic behind this is.

[chiaa]

[Hollywoodaction]

Obviously, it's a massage. Why don't you try it?

[DirtySanchez]

Those mid-section gliggly thingies were all the rage in the u.s. in the 50s. They thought that you could lose weight, or at least displace some cellulite. In reality, they do nothing, and you will never see one in a reputable north-american gym.
"Stretching" your muscles after a workout will break down the lactic acid, whereas "hitting" your muscles is just nonsensicle. Korea is still about 50 years behind in several areas. This being one of them, women's rights being another, and in some cities, clothing fashions being yet another. But I digress...
Basically, hitting your muscles makes about as much sense as turning off your headlights and putting on your parking break at a red light.

[joe_doufu]

It's fun to watch the young ladies on the jiggly machine, though.

[RachaelRoo]

What's lactic acid and what does it do?

[joe_doufu]

[chiaa]

Wonder why Olympic sprinters always shake their muscles after a heat....

To lose weight those machines are just plain silly, but after a run I always use it and if you paid atttention to the people in your gym 90% of the time you will see someone use it after they hit the tread mill.

[sparkx]

[chiaa]

[sparkx]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I see Koreans hitting themselves all the time, not just after exercising. As I understand it, it is just a variant of a massage. Muscles get tense and you hit them to make them contract, then relax. It works.

[BbBbRocks]

Just a few points...

Despite what most people will have you believe, the product of anaerobic respiration that plays havoc with muscular performance is lactate, not lactic acid, though it is acidic.

It affects the pH of the working muscle and the enzymes that regulate contraction.

Rather than dissapate it, stretching (or using the 'muscle pump') and massage move it elsewhere where it is more easily broken down.

As for beating yourself, this is a very common technique in Western (Swedish/Russian) massage. I've used it in hundreds of treatment situations. The classically stereotyped edge-of-hand chopping or 'hacking' along with 'beating' 'slapping' and 'cupping' make up the group of percussive techniques known as tapotment. Done properly it increases bloodflow in the treated area and stimulates the local peripheral nerve endings. That said, the technique has it's place in a properly administered massage. The art of whacking yourself on the the shoulders or quads in isolation, however, is questionable.

[tacon101]

stretching (holding stretching, not bouncy stretching), gentle knocking, circular rubbing, and gentle shaking loosens muscles that have become cramped from overexertion...

this clapping and deep tissue stuff feels great, but not if your muscles are actually tight...intense beating and massaging can actually do more damage to the already torn muscle fibers...anything too intense will most likely just cause bruising and extended soreness since the fibers will take even longer to heal

[joe_doufu]

I also wonder about the "revolving disc" devices that ladies stand on and twist back and forth on. And the men who will take a sort of long wooden stick behind their shoulders (like a coolie carrying a load) and twist left and right.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume they don't do anything, though. If it makes you feel good, whatever the ritual, I'm not going to stop you. Even Western athletes have their little pre-race rituals or whatever.