Your Body is Your Instrument.

Keeping in great physical shape is not a vanity activity for the singer. It is a professional necessity. But where are you going to find the time and energy? After going crazy at your day job then gobbling a fast bite on the way to a night rehearsal, you’re squeezed at both ends. But you’ve got to carve time out somewhere! Sacrifice 30 minutes of rehearsal for a few laps around the park to make the rest of the rehearsal a killer. Let the musicians tighten up their parts with a run-through before you show up. In my experience, the singer has to do too much work at a rehearsal, singing over and over again just for the instrumentalist to get it right, while you wear out your voice.

Exercise improves singing by increasing your cardiovascular strength and breath stamina. A good sweat stimulates your endorphins and strengthens overall muscle tone. Sports can help you sing higher, clearer, with less strain, and more energy and emotion. If you chose the right kind of exercise at the right time of day, you will feel relaxed, clearheaded, invigorated, and more capable of facing the pressures of your overloaded schedule. Plus I guarantee you will definitely sing better.

Protect your throat in extreme weather.

When exercising outdoors, avoid working out in very cold climates on the same day as a performance because the chilly air will dry out your lungs and throat. In desert climates, winter or summer, drink an extra 2 glasses of water a day, to total 80 oz. per day. In most climates, drink 64 oz. to keep your voice fit. In any climate avoid heavy activity outdoors when it is hot. It will dehydrate your voice. Running on roadways with steady traffic is a bad idea for your voice. If running on urban streets, wait until the pollution is at it’s lowest: in the misty morning or in the cool sundown.

Exercise vigorously for 30 minutes on the days that you sing.

Choose an activity you enjoy that gets you breathing hard and starts your heart pumping. Whether you exercise in a health club or at home to a favorite DVD, out on a hiking trail or bike ride, its all good! Keep it simple!  Stick to your routine, choose activities that suit your lifestyle, climate and geography.

• Keep it affordable! Mix it up with Power Walks. Don’t skip a workout if your gym is closed.

Team and Solo Sports

Try Bicycling, running, hiking, brisk walks, skating, basketball or aerobic machines like the elliptical cross trainer. Note: Don’t hunch your shoulders on the Stair Master!

Sports ” Red Flags” for Singers

Weight Training and Power Lifting

Excessive weight training is a drawback for male singers because it develops the posture incorrectly. Male weight lifters develop rounded backs, necks that slope forward, tense shoulders, inflexible abs and rigid ribs. The result is limited range, decreased lung capacity and decreased resonance. Men should keep their weight training to a balanced workout that creates muscle tone, not mass in the neck and shoulders. However for female singers, moderate weight training is a good idea, because female singers tend to have looser abs from all the breathing expansion. A little tightening up will help.

Cheerleading

Cheerleaders gain confidence for performing in crowds but often damage their voices unless they lipsync the cheers.Forcing the cheer voice at the volumes required also causes a poor singing tone, and may shorten your career – if you attain one at all.

Advanced Ballet

Training in dance has a mixed bag of benefits and drawbacks. The biggest problems come for decreased body weight, smoking, short breaths and  contracted ribs.

High Impact Aerobics  Instructor

I have been vocal coach to many professional trainers and class instructors : all of them had decreased resonance and range due to yelling over the music. Avoid training the core muscles into a rock hard body if you want a fluid range and melodic voice.