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Thread: Exercising for Drumming

  1. #1

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    Default Exercising for Drumming

    I recently have started working out more, and I got to thinking "what kind of exercises could I do that would benefit my drumming?".

    I've heard running works well for fluidity on footwork, playing drums for also getting more fluid at drums (most obvious), and a few others I forgot about.

    What tips do you have, and any other great exercises you can recommend to help with wrists, ankles, forearms, etc?

    I'm also curious to know if and what kind of weight lifting works well.
    I was wondering how weighted jump ropes, and any other kind of tool can help too.

    Any good tips you find or know would likely be beneficial to all of us.
    Thanks!
    -DrumRookie

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  2. #2

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    I've found that the lifting of a glass of scotch combined with the continued use of several remote controls have done wonders for me.

    Watching anything with Jessica Alba or Charlize Theron gives you a good cardio work-out.

    Walking to and from my car allows me to breathe the wonderful air of New Jersey. When I move to North Carolina, I don't know how I going to deal with air I can't see.

    On a serious note. I'm not sure that heavy lifting will help anything. You want to be, IMO, loose and nimble for playing.

    I lifted back in my younger days, doing tri-sets, and whatever else. At that time I could bench press my weight, which was around 170 lbs at that time, lat pull downs, curls, leg extensions etc. I didn't notice any increase in my playing ability.

    I still exercise, but with light weights, more for stamina than anything else. I'm not going to say exercise is bad, but I don't think it helps with drumming past the stamina it will give you. I doubt it will make you faster or better.

  3. #3

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    Walking and cycling. Walking's much easier on your knees than jogging. I agree with Rick, you need to loose and nimble. Bulking up muscle is not necessarily going to make you a stronger or faster drummer. Actually, if you're looking at another activity that will do wonders for your back, I hear there's a few drummers that do yoga. You don't have to go nuts with it, but some forms of it, such as Iyengar Yoga, do produce excellent results in keeping muscles and joints in proper alignment, as well as helping to correct blood pressure, insomnia and other aspects of your health.
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

  4. #4

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    I say a lot of swimming is really good exercise all around but it seems lately my back goes out more than I do.

  5. #5

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    jump rope , its good for your timing, your arms and legs ... bulking up with weights is not what you need . you need to be lean and mean .
    Tamaholic

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Olimpass View Post
    I say a lot of swimming is really good exercise all around but it seems lately my back goes out more than I do.

    If you have a compression problem, get a inversion table.

    10 minutes 3 times a week. Worked wonders for my back.

    Check with your doctor first.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    If you have a compression problem, get a inversion table.

    10 minutes 3 times a week. Worked wonders for my back.

    Check with your doctor first.
    Good advice. I fell 6 feet, no it's not a big fall, off a platform I was working on and ended up fracturing a disc in my lower back 5 years ago.


    But to the original poster, you need stamina (good cardio) and you need to be flexible. Toning up while increasing your cardio and staying flexible is best for drumming, IMO.
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  8. #8

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    In regards to weight lifting; a muscle hypertrophy routine which I'm pretty sure is what you're all thinking of when you hear weight lifting (basically body building type routines that focus on muscle size over strength) won't have that much crossover benefit for drumming.

    On the other hand a strength training routine (focusing on the functional power output of muscles rather than size, and focuses on training the Central nervous system) can have many benefits for drumming as well as everyday fitness and life. This is why many athletes incorporate some form a strength conditioning into their training. Increased strength, endurance, improved bone density/injury prevention/better posture, better recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres (explosive speed) etc etc. The list goes on!

  9. #9

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    lift beers. It excercises the elbows.

    all the best...

  10. #10

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    Jogging, jumprope, any stretching. Really when you think about it, any exercise you do will improve you in the long run. I think those first two choices are the most effective though.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
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    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

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  11. #11

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    I take boxing cardio classes. That works you like no tomorrow without the heavy weights. It also works on the core a lot.

  12. #12

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    Anything cardio is a help, walking, running, biking, swimming. Anything that will build your stamina. weight lifting is a no no. You don't want to bulk up and get your muscles all tight. You want to stay loose.

  13. #13

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    12 oz. curl repetitions. Alternating arms each set of 10.

  14. #14

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    I fly off the handle, jump to conclusions and leap before i look...does this count?

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by funkyruss View Post
    I fly off the handle, jump to conclusions and leap before i look...does this count?

    I see no reason why it shouldn't.

  16. #16

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    After beating the crap out of my drums for about 1 hour I reach for that bottle of Scotch drink it down and pass out. Is that considered working out. LOL Cheers Rick.

  17. #17

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    One advantage to working out are long term payoffs in energy! I noticed when I used to be real into exercise that I had more stamina/endurance as a result. I could see this coming in real handy for those times I feel sluggish, running on empty, or overall having a case of the blahs as Sarah Silverman would put it. I wish I could go a bit longer and get more done, but I feel like being out of shape hinders me somewhat.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    After beating the crap out of my drums for about 1 hour I reach for that bottle of Scotch drink it down and pass out. Is that considered working out. LOL Cheers Rick.

    I didn't think that anyone saw that particular video.

    After you finish that bottle of scotch, that battle with gravity pulling you down is a work out by itself.

    Once I got to the halfway point of the bottle, I sat down. This way I didn't have far to go.

    Just make sure to hit the can first.

  19. #19
    doctor dirt Guest

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    What he said except I used V.O and sipped it on the rocks until the middle of the night then got in a hurry!!! Straight was fine by then, about 25 years of that is why I need help to the stand now!!! Nothing like being Young & Dumb.
    Doc

  20. #20

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    Alcohol is terrible for exercise, and counteractive to most any diet out there. So is smoking. Poison and nutrition/exercise don't mix.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  21. #21

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    I play with ankle and wrist weights.

    My Kit:
    Mapex Horizon HZB in Transparrent Cherry.
    Consisting of 10" and 16" Toms.
    14" Snare and 22" Bass.
    Toms have Aquarian Perfomance II, snare has ambassador coated.

    Cymbal Array:
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    20" Paiste 400 Power Ride.
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  22. #22

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    I smoke and drink. Sometimes I even smoke and drink at the same time. I play drums. I play drums in bars that allow smoking and drinking. Sometimes I smoke and drink in bars where I am playing drums. I don't drink and drive,ever! But my odds of getting killed by a drunk driver while driving home from a late night gig seem to be higher than the average person because at that time of night is when most drunk drivers are out on the road. Oh, by the way, I do stretching exercises every day before starting work, playing golf or playing drums. At least 15 minutes worth. For the last 3 years. It does wonders.
    "You can never legislate stupidity, because there is no power in this world that can prevent it."-My Dad after watching his golf partner trying to hit a ball through a grove of trees.

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    Alcohol is terrible for exercise, and counteractive to most any diet out there. So is smoking. Poison and nutrition/exercise don't mix.

    "Alcohol is terrible"

    Russ, how do you think I got through 2 marriages and working with musicians all my life.

    Mountain Dew can't do it all by itself.

  24. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    "Alcohol is terrible"

    Russ, how do you think I got through 2 marriages and working with musicians all my life.

    Mountain Dew can't do it all by itself.
    +1 Rick....have to cut loose once in awhile to maintain your sanity....at least it works for me.

  25. #25

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    Lol, yeah I know what you mean Russ, although I still have the occasional cig and still would class myself as a social drinker. Not bad considering I used to go through packs and packs of cigarettes (especially when I was in a high-stress job) and when much younger, at the age of 19, 20 or so I did have a pretty bad drinking problem. Nope, I never was on on any reform program or anything, just woke up one day and realised that if I wanted to keep my level of playing up, that I had to cut back a lot on these habits and get more into eating well and keep some level of fitness up. Still, for me, the best exercise for playing drums is playing drums (not to mention hauling all that gear in and out of the car every week, that's my gym workout, lol).
    "...it's the Paradigm Of The Cosmos!" Stewart Copeland on Youtube

    668: The Number Of The Guy Next Door To The Beast.

    "A random act of kindness; it keeps my heart in shape!" - Late8

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