My arms are burning!!

[YamaMaya]

How do you cope with tired arms while braiding? When I see a braid style I want to recreate I always get discouraged because my arms seem to turn into limp noodles about halfway through the braid. I can braid just fine, but I usually pull my hair to the front to do it. French braiding tends to be especially difficult. Share with me your tips and tricks for styling the back of your head :D

[akilina]

Idk....when I blow dry my clients my arms get so sore. Blow drying probably takes alot more work than braiding but my biggest helper is do daily stretching and lifting weights. It's gotten way better.

[Vrindi]

How do you cope with tired arms while braiding? When I see a braid style I want to recreate I always get discouraged because my arms seem to turn into limp noodles about halfway through the braid. I can braid just fine, but I usually pull my hair to the front to do it. French braiding tends to be especially difficult. Share with me your tips and tricks for styling the back of your head :D

Pushups. Pullups. Lifting things. Keep braiding— you'll build up strength. Hold the braid with one hand and shake out your arm, then switch and keep going.

[YamaMaya]

Idk....when I blow dry my clients my arms get so sore. Blow drying probably takes alot more work than braiding but my biggest helper is do daily stretching and lifting weights. It's gotten way better.

Exercise would probably be a good place to start for me :p

[sisi33]

Until you build up the strength in your arms, shake them out every time they start to get a little achy, one at a time, whilst the other hand holds the braid. It'll lessen the lactic acid build up in your arms, for the time being.

[spidermom]

I agree - building upper arm strength is useful in so many other ways than braiding. It's worth the effort! Keep practicing the braiding; that's one way to build the strength. Vrindi has good suggestions, also sisi33.

Good luck!

[summergreen]

I hold onto the braid but fold my elbows inwards and lean forward from the waist with my head down for a few seconds (I sit on my bed to braid), it seems to rest the arms. I'm not explaining it very well, sorry!

[stinkyfeet]

I have to say "exercise" too. When I was younger, washing my hair used to tire my arms. Strengthening exercises help a lot. Good Luck!!

[browneyedsusan]

Exercise.
It's miserable (there aren't enough endorphins in the world to make it "fun"), but necessary.

Extend your arms straight out in front of you, turn up the radio, and move them around in time to the music. How you move them isn't important, (you can clap, move them in little circles, rotate your hands--like you're tuning the radio in the car, or pat them up and down...) just keep your arms extended and keep it up until you're tired. Don't overdo, or you risk injury (ask me how I know this!). Rest. Then do a few pushups.
Do it every other day and you'll get stronger. I'm 47 and notice a difference in about a week. You're probably young and strong, and will improve a lot faster.

[YamaMaya]

Exercise.
It's miserable (there aren't enough endorphins in the world to make it "fun"), but necessary.

Extend your arms straight out in front of you, turn up the radio, and move them around in time to the music. How you move them isn't important, (you can clap, move them in little circles, rotate your hands--like you're tuning the radio in the car, or pat them up and down...) just keep your arms extended and keep it up until you're tired. Don't overdo, or you risk injury (ask me how I know this!). Rest. Then do a few pushups.
Do it every other day and you'll get stronger. I'm 47 and notice a difference in about a week. You're probably young and strong, and will improve a lot faster.

Go on then, how do you know this? :p

[Leeloo]

Have you tried to take breaks with one hand while holding the hair with other? Maybe just practicing will strengthen your arms enough to be able to braid all the way through in a few months. Maybe weight lifting? :p

[YamaMaya]

Have you tried to take breaks with one hand while holding the hair with other? Maybe just practicing will strengthen your arms enough to be able to braid all the way through in a few months. Maybe weight lifting? :p

I have got some weights gathering dust in the corner :p. I suppose like many have said, I just have to be patient to get stronger.

[browneyedsusan]

Go on then, how do you know this? :p

Tendonitis in a shoulder that took a month to heal up. I keep forgetting how old I am. *sheesh* :doh:

[Melika]

Having long hair makes you work out regularly? Someone should share this secret with the world. ;)

Muscle contractions require a fairly complex chemical reaction, but I'll simplify- because one simply doesn't need to know every little reaction- and say calcium is released to flood the fibres and trigger the muscle contraction through a cascade of chemical reactions. The calcium gets sent back to it's home in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the muscle contractions end. Your muscle will sustain a contraction until it's out of it's chemical fuel created by the cascade. It will re-trigger the cascade before the muscle has completely relaxed to attempt continuing the contraction. The more a muscle is used (e.g. strength training, exercise), the more chemicals, or fuel, it will store for it's contractions allowing for a longer sustained contraction, as basically it won't have to 'restart' so often.

Your muscles are not one solid mass, they're made up of, among other things, many fibres. A fibre is the muscle cell and stretches the length of the muscle, and they are bundled in groups. The body is one smart critter, and will only trigger as many muscle fibres as it thinks you need. That is why sometimes you pick up something you thought was heavy and nearly throw it over your head- your brain sent signals to many more fibres than you needed.

So in short, for a sustained contraction like holding your arms up, only so many fibres are engaged and there's only so much fuel for the muscle. Training can increase the stored fuel and enlarge fibres, resulting in an easier time sustaining a contraction, but eventually the muscle will fatigue because it doesn't fully get to reset. Stretching your arm out or letting it down (letting it relax) sort of allows a real reset. The muscle will still get tired eventually, but this is why strengthening helps.

Now that I've written all that, I suppose it isn't really necessary to know, but it always seems easier to make yourself do something when you understand WHY it is beneficial. Exercise is great for your whole body. Dietary calcium is important because your body will rob your bones and teeth- it believes muscle contractions like for your heart and buffering acidity in your body is more important. I use bone broths/stocks for my calcium, which also has food for my muscles. :D Here's a fantastic article on broths and why they're so good: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

Again, not really important to know all that to answer your question- but isn't the body COOL?!?

Except I get dizzy and almost pass out if my arms are above my head for too long... basically an anatomical anomaly. I'll do my french braid vicariously through you once you get your strength up. :)

[jacqueline101]

I agree exercise or keep braiding to build up strength.

[YamaMaya]

Having long hair makes you work out regularly? Someone should share this secret with the world. ;)

Muscle contractions require a fairly complex chemical reaction, but I'll simplify- because one simply doesn't need to know every little reaction- and say calcium is released to flood the fibres and trigger the muscle contraction through a cascade of chemical reactions. The calcium gets sent back to it's home in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the muscle contractions end. Your muscle will sustain a contraction until it's out of it's chemical fuel created by the cascade. It will re-trigger the cascade before the muscle has completely relaxed to attempt continuing the contraction. The more a muscle is used (e.g. strength training, exercise), the more chemicals, or fuel, it will store for it's contractions allowing for a longer sustained contraction, as basically it won't have to 'restart' so often.

Your muscles are not one solid mass, they're made up of, among other things, many fibres. A fibre is the muscle cell and stretches the length of the muscle, and they are bundled in groups. The body is one smart critter, and will only trigger as many muscle fibres as it thinks you need. That is why sometimes you pick up something you thought was heavy and nearly throw it over your head- your brain sent signals to many more fibres than you needed.

So in short, for a sustained contraction like holding your arms up, only so many fibres are engaged and there's only so much fuel for the muscle. Training can increase the stored fuel and enlarge fibres, resulting in an easier time sustaining a contraction, but eventually the muscle will fatigue because it doesn't fully get to reset. Stretching your arm out or letting it down (letting it relax) sort of allows a real reset. The muscle will still get tired eventually, but this is why strengthening helps.

Now that I've written all that, I suppose it isn't really necessary to know, but it always seems easier to make yourself do something when you understand WHY it is beneficial. Exercise is great for your whole body. Dietary calcium is important because your body will rob your bones and teeth- it believes muscle contractions like for your heart and buffering acidity in your body is more important. I use bone broths/stocks for my calcium, which also has food for my muscles. :D Here's a fantastic article on broths and why they're so good: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

Again, not really important to know all that to answer your question- but isn't the body COOL?!?

Except I get dizzy and almost pass out if my arms are above my head for too long... basically an anatomical anomaly. I'll do my french braid vicariously through you once you get your strength up. :)

Oh cool, I knew calcium was important to maintain bones but I didn't realize it was THAT important. I boil chicken carcasses to make stock that I later freeze, would that help preserve the calcium or just destory it?