violin vs gaining upperbody muscle

July 11, 2005 at 07:21 AM · That's not true... I am a big guy... I have quite a muscular upper body and do fairly heavy weights... doesn't affect things too much. However, if you develope your chest muscles a lot (bench press etc..) your shoulders will have a tendancy to slouch, so make sure you compensate with a lot of back strengthening as well.

July 11, 2005 at 07:34 AM · I have found weight training to benefit my playing. By making my back stronger, I have a greater endurance for long rehearsals and practice sessions. I don't get tired nearly as quick as I used to, plus there is no more 'strained' feeling in my back when I am done playing. I also find working out is such a great stress reliever, and it helps me focus on improving my playing by being more aware of my body and what I am doing rather than just being mad at myself for not getting that part right. I do have to practice before I go to the gym, otherwise my arms shake and the violin weighs a LOT to me.... :)

July 11, 2005 at 09:30 AM · make sure however that you don't strain yourself when doing weights. Best to take it slow rather than injure yourself and not be able to practice for a while.

July 11, 2005 at 03:23 PM · I'll agree with Sarah, for a violinist the most beneficial muscles to develop, in my opinion, are the back and abdominal muscles. They are crucial for posture, and if your back hurts during orchestra, this is the solution.

I've also found that having strong shoulders helps a lot.

July 11, 2005 at 06:15 PM · Another benefit to gaining upper body muscles is to avoid/minimize tendinitis. The left arm position is not the most natural, and having good arm and shoulder muscles minimizes the possiblity of straining your arm tendons. I happen to have chronic tendinosis in both elbows, and doing lifting allows me to keep on playing with minimal problems.

July 13, 2005 at 03:28 AM · Most you say that lifting for your back is like the best weight training exercise for violin. But when I lift the only body part I don't exercise is my back and neck. Isn't it bad to exersice your middle/lower back? Won't you pull a disk or something.

July 13, 2005 at 04:22 AM · Thank you very much for all your kind responses.

But as Mr.Brian Sura metioned, you all mostly talked about back muscles.

I am more concerened with tricep and deltoid.

If my shoulder becomes bigger and hilly(?), then isn't it going to really affect my position?

July 13, 2005 at 04:23 AM · I have massive triceps... trust me, it doesn't affect anything negatively.

July 13, 2005 at 04:27 AM · I've been doing weights just to get bigger biceps and I found my arms take longer to get tired than before - so I guess that's a good thing. And it hasn't affected the sound I produce but rather, I can now 'lean' into my arm muslces for a better and rounder sound.

I've been trying to develop stronger triceps, too but I'm not too sure how, any ideas?

Cheers!

July 13, 2005 at 07:47 AM · Muscle growth doesn't happen over night and I imagine whatever changes you put to your body, would be adapted to your violin positon over time as well. Just periodically check in a mirror to see that your violin isn't drifting one way or the other due to the shape of your shoulders changing.

About the back....this is probably the most important set of muscles to keep healthy, and even if you don't directly train it, if you are using free weights at all you are most likely getting some of your back inadvertantly. So this also means to be careful about straining your back while doing other exercises as well.

And as a side note, there is this young guy in the University chamber orchestra I play in and he has lots of arm muscles (like an athelete) and he plays beautifully. He doesn't seem disadvantaged by it in the slightest.

July 13, 2005 at 04:53 PM · Sarah, what kind of exercises do you do for your back? I'd really like to get mine stronger as, like you said, it would mean a better endurance for long rehearsals and practice sessions.

July 13, 2005 at 10:57 PM · Most of the time, a sore back can be solved by doing ab crunches. A few hundred a day will do the trick.

July 13, 2005 at 11:06 PM · What's that?

July 13, 2005 at 11:31 PM · sit ups...

July 14, 2005 at 12:14 AM · An interesting thing happened last winter when I started doing the hand sanding and finish work in my husband's woodworking business: a more confident, smoother, stronger sound with the bow. I'd been daily helping him for about a month of filling lots of orders and hadn't practiced for a couple weeks. I was pleasantly surprised at how much better my bowing was. Worked wonders for arm conditioning. An added benefit is sleeker arms which is a huge plus for a violinist!

For triceps I stand holding weights (I use milk jugs filled with water) in each hand down near my legs, arms slightly up and away from my sides with bent elbows. I lift both weights, palms facing back/behind using the elbow as the pivot. My upper arm doesn't move, as I lift the hands up and away from the body until my arm is almost straight & horizontal to the floor. (Don't straighten arm totally as that can put too much strain on the elbow joint.) I can feel the the isolation of the triceps as they do the lifting. You should start with light weights doing several sets of repetitions: 3 sets of 8 arm lifts with 3lb weights in each hand. WJ

July 14, 2005 at 07:09 AM · Candace, for my back I do several things.

Well, first I work out three times a week for an hour to an hour and a half each session, starting with 30-40 minutes cardio. Sometimes I use the rowing machine for cardio, and that gets muscles right under your shoulderblades on your back (as well as other muscles.) Then for my back specifically, I do reverse crunches (lay flat on the floor and dead lift legs up 90 degrees); I sometimes do back sit-ups (lay either on the floor face down or in the contraption that holds your feet, and bend upwards, using the muscles in the 'small' of your back to pull you up); I use hand held free weights and lift my arms from my sides (one at a time) stright up in front of me to shoulder height. I also lift the weights together to the side (so you look like the letter "T")...this gets your shoulders. I also take the free weights and start with them held up by my face off to the side (inside of your wrists pointing ahead the same direction as your face) and pres them upwards until my arms are straight..not locking elbows at the top of course. And lastly, there is this nautalis machine that I use where you pull a bar towards your chest (like a backwards bench press) and this is good for the large muscle groups in your back.

I am aware I didn't use the technical term for any of these exercises, but I tried to describe them so you would know what I meant. I usually do three sets of 10-12 reps each.

Keeping your abdominals in shape is a must if you are strengthening the back...they are the yin and yang of your body so you can't really have one without the other.

I hope this was helpful.

July 14, 2005 at 04:51 PM · Ok, thanks Sarah! I'll look into that.

July 18, 2005 at 06:05 PM · I can't believe no one has mentioned swimming! It's one of the best things a musician can do for him/herself. It not only strengthens you, it's also good for endurance, good for your joints, good cardio work out, and it can be relaxing at the same time. I'm not talking about hardcore freestyle swimming, just the simple, slow breast stroke. I think you're much less likely to injure yourself swimming than lifting weights.

July 18, 2005 at 09:13 PM · Swimming is one of my favorite activities. If I hadn't been in competitive music growing up, I would have done competitive swimming I think. However, I would rate it more on the side of a cardio activity. Very good for the heart and lungs. As for muscle buidling, it will only take you so far.

July 23, 2005 at 09:29 AM · Sarah, or anyone else thats interested, i do personal training so if you would like some help with a routine let me know and we can figure out what will work for your level of fitness and strength.

Let me know

Jim

July 23, 2005 at 09:42 AM · Jim, sure anything you have to suggest would be great.

I used to date a body builder and have spent 10 years of my life going to such gyms as World Gym. I watch the other women who are preping for pagents do their exercises and have learned most of my stuff from them. And I used to read those fitness magazines, but I created my own routine so any imput would be great.

My full routine is this: 30-40 cardio (incl. stair master, eliptical, rowing); hip abductor and flexor, seated leg press, leg curl and extension, bicep curl, side raises, forward arm raises, butterfly raises, tricep (pull down on weight tower), shoulder press, bench press, back row with weights, sets of crunches and Pilates ab routine. I do this twice a week but try and aim for 3 times if I can. I ususally do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. I don't completely exhaust my arms everytime because I have to play violin the next day but I do take my legs to exhaustion. I think my lifting weight limits need to be re-examined, but most recently I have been going for weight loss and overall toning rather than trying to build muscles.

July 27, 2005 at 02:00 PM · Yo Sarah and anyone else who wants to be fit and strong for violin purposes only. You should try swimming for 20 minutes, NON-STOP. You can switch your strock and find which one is easiest for you, or alternate strokes. When you swim you get cardio, you work your muscles, and it works. Yesterday I did my first 40 minute non-stop swim, and my back and arms are so sore now. Give swimming a chance, try it!

July 28, 2005 at 03:19 AM · The problem with specifically targeting your upper body muscles in aerobic activity or weight training is that if you are doing it properly to increase your muscle mass, you will feel fatigued from it. If you work too hard, you may find playing the violin more difficult. So, make sure not to overdo it, and plan easy days and days off.

Muscles are best developed slowly and consistently. And once you have the strength there, you should find that it gives you more control of your body and more endurance, not bulk and stiffness. Keep stretching, just to make sure, though!