The Fist Test

1. Make a fist.
2. Squeeze the fist tight, as tight as you can until you can feel your nails digging in.
3. Hold for as long as it becomes uncomfortable without letting go of the strength.
4. Keep holding, keep squeezing tighter until you can no longer hold your fist tight.
5. Stop.

What Happened?

Your hand is still in a fist shape when you stop. Why? Because you did not perform the necessary counter moves to bring it back to its neutral shape. In order for the hand to regain its normal shape you have to consciously open your fingers and flatten your whole hand. In other words, you must tell your muscles to do two things. You must tell them to:

6. Stop making a fist, i.e. stop the contraction. But that is not enough to bring your hand back to normal. For that to happen, you need to

7. Make a counter move, a conscious action with a movement that goes in the opposite direction to the fist clench, i.e. open your hand fully flat, spread the fingers out into a fan shape.

Now imagine having all those clenched muscles all over your body because you forgot to tell them to let go and go the opposite way. No wonder you’re feeling stiff!