Fitness and Physical Health for Musicians

I find it really

interesting because like you said our job is a very physical one and I do find it odd that we don't take care of our health as much as say a ballet dancer would.

I was

at this amazing summit in Vienna in March, all about injury prevention and health, both physical and mental for musicians.

I learned so much.

It was great.

But there was a pianist who came and she said, oh yeah, isn't working out bad for you? Doesn't working out ruin your ability to play the piano? And I've heard several things like that from violinists.

And I just think this myth has to stop.

I mean, we're putting ourselves through a lot physically.

And I sometimes think people don't make the connection in that In a way we are athletes, but on a minute scale, we work on the same muscle groups for hours and hours a day.

It's very, very small muscles as well.

So I do think it's a bit crazy that we don't emphasize taking care of our physical health in 2026.

I

also just think it's so shocking and a little bit sad.

I'm assuming that the pianist you were saying that was asking about working out being bad, she was a woman.

I'm assuming.

Yeah, exactly.

I also think that's just speaking to a greater issue in terms of women's relationship with working out, though, because I don't know why it's 2026 and still so many people think that you're going to bulk if you lift weights.

Do you know how much weight you have to be lifting consistently in order to actually bulk? so much weight and the benefits of lifting a little bit of weight are still very great and but you have to be so consistent in the gym to actually look like a gym and i don't think people understand that

no we want strong healthy bones and to be able to do everything we want to do without hurting ourselves but to go back to your comment I have actually heard this from old male violinists as well that it ruins your flexibility or whatever you get too stiff which is just total nonsense anyway I remember I got to the point in my undergrad where I realized I think I was playing Dvorak I was just like I am going to have to start strength training if I am going to get through this in one piece and in a safe way way for those people who don't know Dvorak cello concerto is about 40 minutes long and very technically demanding same goes for Prokofiev

Sinfonia Concertante

and the Shostakovich concertos I actually remember Key and Soltani cellist saying that his teacher franz helmussen told him to prep for shostakovich one by running every other day or something like that and he has a point there's a certain stamina you have to also have built up in order to be able to play these concertos both having played them through and then just also general aerobic fitness and i just feel like that's totally overlooked

That's also just so funny to me, your point about Kian running physically multiple times a week while he's also running through Shostakovich concerto, because I also think in addition to the obvious cardiovascular and healthy benefits that you can get from that.