16 October 2009To YoUr heALThget Fit: A workout plan formusiciansby Douglas Haddad, Ph.DEDITOR?S NOTE: The AFM does not endorse any of the medical advice or health tipsgiven in this article and advises everyone to seek professional medical advice beforebeginning a new exercise routine.Musicians are like athletes and must be in good shape to perform well.They must possess some level of physical and mental stamina for performance.As a musician, it is imperative to feel your best when practicing andperforming. When you are in the public eye, there is also pressure to lookgood and impress your audience.Think Fit, Think healthYour presence on the stage provides incentive and motivation to stay fit.Many musicians want to maintain a highly energetic, charismatic personalityto draw people into their music, while others need spot-on concentrationlevels. Your work schedule may fluctuate day-to-day or week-to-week, butdespite any inconsistencies, there is an equation that working musicianscan use to obtain their best overall health.Exercise Well + Eat Well + Sleep Well + Think Well = SUPER HEALTHThe many muscles in a musician?s body work together to stabilize andmove body parts while playing an instrument. For instance, a guitarist?smuscles actively work in the pectoral region, shoulders, neck, biceps, triceps,forearms, obliques, back region, lower body (hip flexors, lower legs), etc.Pianists regularly utilize flexor and extensor muscles in the hand, forearmmuscles, and lower back muscles. Drummers require a great deal of armand leg strength, while cello players need overall upper body strength.Consistent exercise benefits the human body both physically and mentally.Think about recruiting a like-minded friend to work out with to help youstay motivated and make you accountable. A personal trainer can help youreach physical fitness goals quicker and easier and should be consulted tolearn proper exercise techniques. Schedule your workouts when you havea consistent free hour and your energy level is highest. Afternoon is idealbecause the body?s hormonal response is greater, yielding better results.Balanced healthBecause you are in the limelight, you promote the lifestyle that you practiceand live on a daily basis. Plan ahead to set aside time for family, friends,music, and exercising, which will keep your life in balance.Watch your food intake and moderate your stress levels. Your schedule maybe so jam-packed with places to go and people to meet that you do nothave complete control over when you consume food. Therefore, you maynot be able to eat frequent small meals. The good news is that you do havecontrol of what you put into your body while on the move.The general rule for musicians is to eat downhill?eat smaller meals everythree to four hours after your largest meal, breakfast. Each meal shouldcontain a good proportion of high quality carbohydrates (low GI carbs,fruits, and vegetables) and protein. This will provide a long-lasting steadysource of energy throughout the day to sustain you for performing. Trynot to eat after 8 p.m. Humans are meant to be diurnal?active during theday and getting sleep at night. Also, seven to eight hours of sleep is vitalto overall wellness.?Douglas Haddad, Ph.D. is the author of a health and fitness book Top Ten TipsFor Tip Top Shape and the new parenting/child guidance book Save Your Kids ?now! Visit www.douglashaddad.com for more information.Conditionnement physique pour musiciensDouglas Haddad, docteur en santé naturelleNote de la rédaction : La FAM ne cautionne pas les conseils médicaux ou de santé contenus dans cet article et conseille à tous leslecteurs de consulter un professionnel de la santé avant d?entreprendre une nouvelle routine d?exercices.Les musiciens sont en quelque sorte des athlètes et,pour pouvoir bien exercer leur métier, ils doiventêtre en forme. En effet, leurs prestations exigent dela résistance tant physique que mentale. Commemusiciens, il est essentiel que vous vous sentiez bienlors de vos séances de préparation personnelle et detravail. Le désir de bien paraître et d?impressionnervotre auditoire entre également en jeu.pensez forme, pensez santéC?est le travail sur scène qui donne la motivation degarder la forme. De nombreux musiciens tiennent ày être très énergiques et charismatiques afin d?attirerles gens vers leur musique; d?autres se préoccupentprincipalement de leur capacité de concentration. Ily a une équation qui permet aux musiciens professionnelsd?atteindre une forme optimale, quelles quesoient les fluctuations de leurs horaires.Exercices adaptés + alimentation saine + sommeilsuffisant + attitude positive = SUPER FORMELes nombreux muscles du musicien travaillent ensemblepour stabiliser et mouvoir les parties du corpsauxquelles il fait appel pour le jeu de son instrument.Par exemple, le guitariste fait travailler les muscles dela région pectorale, des épaules, du cou, les biceps, lestriceps, les avant-bras, les muscles obliques, les musclesdorsaux ainsi que les muscles du bas du corps,etc. (fléchisseurs des hanches, bas des jambes), etc.Les pianistes font régulièrement appel aux musclesfléchisseurs et extenseurs des mains, aux muscles desA simple routineThe following workout, ideal for musicians, was designedby Personal Trainer Michael Elliott. It shouldbe done three to four days a week with the exercisesperformed in a circuit, continually moving from oneexercise to the next. Beginners should perform twoor three rounds of the circuit, being conscientiousof technique.As you develop better overall fitness, increase thevolume to four or five rounds. Each exercise shouldbe performed in sets of around 15 repetitions, usinga challenging weight toward the tail end of the finalround. It may take some trial and error to figure outwhat weight is best for each exercise.SQUATS: Feet are a little wider than shoulder-widthand keep your weight on your heels.PUSH-UPS: Position hands so they are in line withthe shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line fromhead to toes.avant-bras et du bas du dos. Quant aux batteurs, ilsdéploient beaucoup de force avec leurs bras et leursjambes, tandis que les violoncellistes sollicitent lehaut de leur corps dans son ensemble.L?exercice régulier est bénéfique sur les plans à lafois physique et mental. Trouvez un ami avec lequelvous entraîner; cela vous permettra de conservervotre motivation, car vous vous sentirez une responsabilitéenvers lui. Faites appel à un entraîneurpersonnel; il vous permettra d?atteindre vos objectifsplus rapidement et plus facilement, et d?apprendre àbien exécuter vos exercices. Prévoyez faire vos séancesd?entraînement à un moment de la journée où vousêtes toujours libre et où vous avez beaucoup d?énergie.L?après-midi est idéal, car la réponse hormonaledu corps est à son sommet, ce qui permet d?obtenirde meilleurs résultats.Bien-être globalDu fait même de vous trouver sous les feux de larampe, vous faites la promotion de votre mode de vie.Pour bien équilibrer ce dernier, prévoyez d?avance letemps que vous souhaitez consacrer à votre famille,à vos amis, à la musique et à l?exercice.Surveillez votre alimentation et évitez de vousexposer à des stress trop intenses. Si votre horaireest trop chargé de déplacements et de rendez-vouspour que vous puissiez toujours manger au momentvoulu, organisez-vous tout de même pour choisir lesaliments que vous consommez.OVERHEAD PRESS: Perform with either dumbbellsor a barbell.SIT-UPS: Folding arms across your chest and bendingyour knees will make this more challenging.PULL-UPS: With an overhand grip (palms facing out)pull yourself up so your chin is over the bar.LEG RAISES: Lie flat on your back with legs straightout and hands down to your side. Raise both legs untilthey are pointing up.Performing this workout routine in a circuit will improveyour strength and muscular stamina and benefitcardiovascular system. You may want to include morecardiovascular training in your fitness routine by adding10 to 20 minutes of running or five to 10 minutesof jumping rope, split into one-minute or two-minuteintervals. Stay light and on the balls of your feet. Theharder your feet hit the ground the more stress youput on joints.
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