So I'm 40 and I play les Pauls, and yes, theyre generally heavy as hell. I play in a punk band that gigs at least once a week and rehearses twice a week, and a cover band that does about the same, so I play standing up 35-40 hours a week minimum counting that stuff and my home practice standing up.
Just so it's on the table, I had my C3 and C4 vertebra fused when I was 20, and went through physical therapy for 3-4 years.
My secret is really simple
1. everyone constantly slouches and has terrible posture - if you start standing up straight (legitimately) and get yourself in the habit of proper posture, it's going to strengthen your muscles for bearing weight when playing. People slouch when they're playing too, but the trick is stopping slouching period
2. CBD menthol roll on. I prefer the black Dragon Balm, but there's a bunch of different brands. I use it religiously, 4-5 times a week.
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