16 October 2009
To YoUr heALTh
get Fit: A workout plan for
musicians
by Douglas Haddad, Ph.D
EDITOR?S NOTE: The AFM does not endorse any of the medical advice or health tips
given in this article and advises everyone to seek professional medical advice before
beginning 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 and
performing. When you are in the public eye, there is also pressure to look
good and impress your audience.
Think Fit, Think health
Your presence on the stage provides incentive and motivation to stay fit.
Many musicians want to maintain a highly energetic, charismatic personality
to draw people into their music, while others need spot-on concentration
levels. Your work schedule may fluctuate day-to-day or week-to-week, but
despite any inconsistencies, there is an equation that working musicians
can use to obtain their best overall health.
Exercise Well + Eat Well + Sleep Well + Think Well = SUPER HEALTH
The many muscles in a musician?s body work together to stabilize and
move body parts while playing an instrument. For instance, a guitarist?s
muscles 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, forearm
muscles, and lower back muscles. Drummers require a great deal of arm
and 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 you
stay motivated and make you accountable. A personal trainer can help you
reach physical fitness goals quicker and easier and should be consulted to
learn proper exercise techniques. Schedule your workouts when you have
a consistent free hour and your energy level is highest. Afternoon is ideal
because the body?s hormonal response is greater, yielding better results.
Balanced health
Because you are in the limelight, you promote the lifestyle that you practice
and 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 may
be so jam-packed with places to go and people to meet that you do not
have complete control over when you consume food. Therefore, you may
not be able to eat frequent small meals. The good news is that you do have
control of what you put into your body while on the move.
The general rule for musicians is to eat downhill?eat smaller meals every
three to four hours after your largest meal, breakfast. Each meal should
contain a good proportion of high quality carbohydrates (low GI carbs,
fruits, and vegetables) and protein. This will provide a long-lasting steady
source of energy throughout the day to sustain you for performing. Try
not to eat after 8 p.m. Humans are meant to be diurnal?active during the
day and getting sleep at night. Also, seven to eight hours of sleep is vital
to overall wellness.
?Douglas Haddad, Ph.D. is the author of a health and fitness book Top Ten Tips
For Tip Top Shape and the new parenting/child guidance book Save Your Kids ?
now! Visit www.douglashaddad.com for more information.
Conditionnement physique pour musiciens
Douglas Haddad, docteur en santé naturelle
Note de la rédaction : La FAM ne cautionne pas les conseils médicaux ou de santé contenus dans cet article et conseille à tous les
lecteurs 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 doivent
être en forme. En effet, leurs prestations exigent de
la résistance tant physique que mentale. Comme
musiciens, il est essentiel que vous vous sentiez bien
lors de vos séances de préparation personnelle et de
travail. Le désir de bien paraître et d?impressionner
votre auditoire entre également en jeu.
pensez forme, pensez santé
C?est le travail sur scène qui donne la motivation de
garder la forme. De nombreux musiciens tiennent à
y être très énergiques et charismatiques afin d?attirer
les gens vers leur musique; d?autres se préoccupent
principalement de leur capacité de concentration. Il
y a une équation qui permet aux musiciens professionnels
d?atteindre une forme optimale, quelles que
soient les fluctuations de leurs horaires.
Exercices adaptés + alimentation saine + sommeil
suffisant + attitude positive = SUPER FORME
Les nombreux muscles du musicien travaillent ensemble
pour stabiliser et mouvoir les parties du corps
auxquelles il fait appel pour le jeu de son instrument.
Par exemple, le guitariste fait travailler les muscles de
la région pectorale, des épaules, du cou, les biceps, les
triceps, les avant-bras, les muscles obliques, les muscles
dorsaux ainsi que les muscles du bas du corps,
etc. (fléchisseurs des hanches, bas des jambes), etc.
Les pianistes font régulièrement appel aux muscles
fléchisseurs et extenseurs des mains, aux muscles des
A simple routine
The following workout, ideal for musicians, was designed
by Personal Trainer Michael Elliott. It should
be done three to four days a week with the exercises
performed in a circuit, continually moving from one
exercise to the next. Beginners should perform two
or three rounds of the circuit, being conscientious
of technique.
As you develop better overall fitness, increase the
volume to four or five rounds. Each exercise should
be performed in sets of around 15 repetitions, using
a challenging weight toward the tail end of the final
round. It may take some trial and error to figure out
what weight is best for each exercise.
SQUATS: Feet are a little wider than shoulder-width
and keep your weight on your heels.
PUSH-UPS: Position hands so they are in line with
the shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line from
head to toes.
avant-bras et du bas du dos. Quant aux batteurs, ils
déploient beaucoup de force avec leurs bras et leurs
jambes, tandis que les violoncellistes sollicitent le
haut de leur corps dans son ensemble.
L?exercice régulier est bénéfique sur les plans à la
fois physique et mental. Trouvez un ami avec lequel
vous entraîner; cela vous permettra de conserver
votre motivation, car vous vous sentirez une responsabilité
envers lui. Faites appel à un entraîneur
personnel; il vous permettra d?atteindre vos objectifs
plus rapidement et plus facilement, et d?apprendre à
bien exécuter vos exercices. Prévoyez faire vos séances
d?entraînement à un moment de la journée où vous
êtes toujours libre et où vous avez beaucoup d?énergie.
L?après-midi est idéal, car la réponse hormonale
du corps est à son sommet, ce qui permet d?obtenir
de meilleurs résultats.
Bien-être global
Du fait même de vous trouver sous les feux de la
rampe, vous faites la promotion de votre mode de vie.
Pour bien équilibrer ce dernier, prévoyez d?avance le
temps que vous souhaitez consacrer à votre famille,
à vos amis, à la musique et à l?exercice.
Surveillez votre alimentation et évitez de vous
exposer à des stress trop intenses. Si votre horaire
est trop chargé de déplacements et de rendez-vous
pour que vous puissiez toujours manger au moment
voulu, organisez-vous tout de même pour choisir les
aliments que vous consommez.
OVERHEAD PRESS: Perform with either dumbbells
or a barbell.
SIT-UPS: Folding arms across your chest and bending
your 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 straight
out and hands down to your side. Raise both legs until
they are pointing up.
Performing this workout routine in a circuit will improve
your strength and muscular stamina and benefit
cardiovascular system. You may want to include more
cardiovascular training in your fitness routine by adding
10 to 20 minutes of running or five to 10 minutes
of jumping rope, split into one-minute or two-minute
intervals. Stay light and on the balls of your feet. The
harder your feet hit the ground the more stress you
put on joints.