Acupressure pads | What are they good for and how to use them?

Acupressure pads are one of those pieces of equipment that receive almost no popularity. What's more, many athletes don't even know about them at all. Yet they can help with recovery much more than some supplements, and literally for a few pennies. So in our article today, we'll take a closer look at acupressure pads, tell you why to try them, what to expect from them and how they can help you with your strength training.

Article content:

• What are acupressure pads?
• What can you expect from them? And who are they for?
• How to use an acupressure pad?
• Which ones are recommended for beginners? And what do advanced practitioners appreciate?
• What to take away from today's article?

What are acupressure pads?

Since acupressure pads are still a big unknown for a lot of athletes, it is more than appropriate to introduce them a bit more at the beginning of the article. As you may have guessed from the name, it is a certain type of pad that has massage spikes placed on its surface. Their shape, placement and size are based on the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been known for thousands of years. Unlike acupuncture, acupressure with these pads does not involve needles going under the skin, but only applying pressure to specific points. And this is what can bring you a variety of different benefits, which we'll talk about in the next part of our article.

Acupressure pads put constant pressure on the points in question, helping blood circulation and regeneration.

What can you expect from them? And who are they for?

Acupressure pads are based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, so you can read a lot of information about improving energy flow, optimising the functioning of various organs and many other benefits that many of you will be sceptical about. And of course we understand. But even if you abandon these rather philosophical ideas, it can still offer you a whole range of benefits.

In fact, thanks to the practically spaced spikes, it will definitely improve blood circulation and massage muscles that may be stiff as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and a hard workout in the gym. If you get used to using it in the long term, it will be a great way of active recovery and will rank alongside the foam roller or static stretching outside of training. It can also contribute to endorphin release and relief from a stiff back or cervical spine.

This is perhaps enough to indicate for whom acupressure pads may be intended. The following three groups of people in particular will appreciate them:

• People with sedentary jobs - an acupressure mat does not require too much time, and therefore a few minutes of activity on the mat is all you need after a hard day at work behind a monitor. You may be surprised how effective the acupressure mat can be in relieving back pain or a blocked cervical spine.
• Athletes undergoing regular strength training - just like a foam roller, acupressure pads will promote blood flow, helping you to relax strained muscles and achieve better recovery. For these purposes, it is ideal to use the pad during non-workout periods, i.e. morning or evening (or both).
• People with problematic feet - if you have flat feet, you should spend plenty of time doing various exercises that activate the transverse and longitudinal arches of the foot, Achilles tendon, plantarflexion and other parts of the foot. And while the acupressure mat is not the universal and only tool needed in this case, we would definitely not be afraid to incorporate it from time to time along with other exercises.

How to use the acupressure pad?

The great thing about the acupressure pad is that you can use it on any part of the body, at any time of the day, and at de facto any intensity you are comfortable with. In fact, you can use the acupressure pad sitting or standing, on your feet, back, neck, butt and any other area. And since the only additional equipment is your own weight, you determine the intensity yourself. For starters, we definitely recommend massaging over your clothes and only certain parts of your body (i.e. foot massage with socks and while seated), but later on you can also stand up to the movements and use more weight to achieve higher intensity. And of course, the pad is intuitive for anyone to use - you can sit on it, lie on it, stretch on it in various ways and some versions can even be used to attach it to an office chair or armchair.

If you would like some specific inspiration, we recommend watching the following video, which is simple, concise and explains everything you need to know:

What do we recommend for beginners? And what do advanced users appreciate?

For beginners, it is important to know that using acupressure points is a matter of habit and can be painfully uncomfortable for the first few days. However, if you can overcome these beginnings and spend at least 10 minutes on the pad every day, you will definitely get used to it and build up a nice routine that will even relax you over time. If you already have some experience with acupressure pads, you will definitely last longer, and you can use the pad for up to 20 minutes and not mind a massage twice a day.

Otherwise, the choice of pad is up to you, but whatever number of spikes the pads have, they will usually do a similarly good job when positioned appropriately. So it depends more on the other parameters. In our shop you will find the following 4 variants:

• HMS AKM10 Acupressure Pad - This rectangular pad has 6930 plastic spikes on one side only - the other side is smooth. And since it weighs less than half a kilo, it's suitable for carrying to work where you can use it on an office chair, for example.
• HMS AKM09 acupressure pad - Similar specifications as the previous one apply to this pad, the main difference is the 8640 spikes - massage with more spikes doesn't make a major difference, but it can still be slightly more intense (especially when it comes to feet, for example), so we would recommend it more to those of you who have some experience.
• HMS Premium Acupressure Kit AKM01 - This kit comes with both a pad and a cushion, and together these components have 11,088 plastic needles right off the bat. Thanks to the cushion, the set is especially suitable for those who suffer from neck or back pain, as it's made for lying down - although of course you can also exercise your feet and other areas on it.
• HMS Premium Acupressure Set AKM04 - This long pad and cushion set is designed exactly so that you can effectively exercise your entire body on it. It takes care of 15,444 massage points that perfectly massage your back, neck, feet, hands and legs.

Over time, the acupressure mat will become a great way for you to relax.

What to take away from today's article?

The main thing you should take away from today's article is that acupressure pads are a great tool that should not be missing from any strength athlete's repertoire on our behalf. And in this day and age, when most of us are sitting almost constantly from a computer monitor or phone, you will appreciate it even more. But it's no good relying on the mat as some kind of miracle tool that will rid you of all your problems. It is always a good idea to exercise as comprehensively as possible and compensate for both sedentary jobs and hard workouts with walking, good nutrition, quality supplementation, adequate sleep and other factors. Still, an acupressure mat can help very effectively.