Big guys

This hunk of a guy came to see me in Highbury this week – he said he used to be a boxer but that now he worked as a model. He looked ready for both.

I used to do a lot of boxers (I was working next to a boxing gym). Then one day I decided that if I wanted to last as a therapist I was going to have to stop doing them. There are two problems with boxers. First, they weigh a ton (even the lighter ones feel as if they do). Second, they refuse to show when they're in pain. That makes giving them a massage feel like going 8 rounds with Mike Tyson. Now I steer clear of super middleweight and heavier.

As it turned out, massaging this boxer/model guy was a pleasure because since giving up the boxing, he'd turned his body into something much more supple. He still had impressive strength and power but he also had good range of movement, flexibility, 'give'. I'm always a bit in awe of those who can combine these qualities. 

Sometimes a pumped-up guy will walk through my door and I'll ask him: 'How big do your pecs have to be before you're satisfied?' Judging by the freakish results of professional bodybuilders, the answer sometimes is 'no such thing as too big'.

My usual advice to those who are heading towards muscle gigantism is to suggest they take up reading or chess. Anything to keep them away from the gym.