Fitness and Tuba

[southtubist]

800? Wow. At least you're doing it under supervision. Stick with the doc's plan and let us know how it goes.

I wouldn't be doing it if a doctor wasn't watching, both because it's risky (but the 800 calorie/day phase only lasts a week) and also because I wouldn't have the discipline to. If I did, I wouldn't be this size to begin with!

That's how you lose weight- I followed that basic concept when I lost over 100 pounds several years back. I was 16/17 when I lost that weight, so it was probably more forgiving for me than most. . . I didn't stunt my growth or anything, and I haven't gained it back, so I guess it was an alright plan. I'm currently trying to cut down from 25% body fat to 15%, so I'm back to staying under 1500 calories. I also have found that adopting a diet with almost no carbohydrate/sugar has been beneficial. The hunger pains/craving are minimal and I don't "crash" when exercising despite the calorie deficit. Basically the induction phase of the Atkins diet, but extended indefinitely with limited carbohydrate refeeds.

Really, successful weight management requires fundamental changes in all aspects of your life. Now I HAVE to exercise at least a few times a week, otherwise I can't sleep. I also can't eat as much as I used to without feeling terrible.

[Kayla]

Anecdotal experience here...

I am 5'7" with a large frame. I weighed close to 325lbs a few years ago, which is what I called "death fat". It took a hard look in the mirror and a tough love conversation with my tuba teacher to realize that something needed to change if I wanted to live long and enjoy life.

Over the course of 18 months I lost about 110lbs and was in the best shape of my life. This was with little exercise, mainly diet change. I found that my tuba playing naturally became easier because I was able to breathe easier. I wasn't having to move layers of fat out of the way in order to take a full breath. It felt like my breathing room moved from a one bedroom apartment to a large house. My endurance got better too.

I changed my lifestyle more to have a longer lifespan and have children; playing tuba better was a happy byproduct.

Now that I have my four month old, time to get back into playing...and fitness!

[William Perez]

I have been doing weightlifting for 5 years now and during all this time I understand that it is very important to constantly improve in order to develop and occupy the highest places in competitions. I see some training partners who are not keen to continually improve their techniques. I've been spending a lot of time lately on how to do clean in the gym and in competition while exercising. To this end, I am taking a 21-day master course, consisting of theoretical and practical parts under the guidance of Oleksiy Torokhtiy.

[TubaBeage]

12.5kg tuba!

[jbaylies]

I briefly got into squatting and deadlifting years ago. I do think it helped with my tuba playing.

[tubeast]

At age 50, 6´4" and 298 pounds, I consider myself overweight, but not obese.
Whenever I manage to weigh 280 pounds rather than 300, I observe improved performance in tying my shoelaces .
It´s just that while bending down, internal body fat and intestines will be pushed towards the diaphragm, blocking its movement and preventing me from breathing.

When standing or sitting upright, it´s not bad at all, but the tendency is noticably there:

When I´m starved, I feel it´s a lot easier to "let air fall way down into my lungs".
Very much more so than after an "All-You-Can-Eat"-meal in my favorite diner.
So yes, I do think less girth (i.e. more fitness) will be good for tuba playing.

Sumo-squats, dumbbell-training, brisk walks and an occasional mountain hike have improved my general health.
It´s a great feeling to take steps down the stairs from stage with confidence rather than fearing for one´s knees.

Edit: I had responded to this thread much earlier, with similar but less specific content.

[circusboy]

Interesting thread on a topic I've been thinking a lot about lately.

To me, the most important aspect is building up core strength. This helps both to support the breath and to lift the beast without throwing out your low back.

I don't think I saw any comments on stretching, though. That's super important to me and my playing. I spend most of the day at a desk job, so stretching the psoas, quads, glutes, neck, and shoulders is critical, both for general health and playing.

Yoga is really good for all of this. I used to attend a class regularly, but now just do it on my own, not so much because of the pandemic, but because of the lack of time in the day, as Rick mentioned.

[iiipopes]

Is the OP familiar with "The Breathing Gym" by Pilafian and Sheridan?
https://www.amazon.com/Breathing-Book-P ... 0965580873" target="_blank

This. ^

[happyroman]

Keep in mind that anything you can do to become more fit can provide benefits, not only to your tuba playing, but also to your life in general. But there are a few caveats, as usual.

For tuba playing, you want to be able to move the air freely in and out. In order to do this, the torso muscles can't be rigid. As Jake used to teach, we were not born to be brass players, but to exist on this planet as human beings. In life, there are three different things that the respiratory muscles are used for: 1) breathing in and out, 2) stabilization of the abdominal muscles to prevent injury to the internal organs (as if you were going to take a punch in the stomach), 3) and bearing down (as in defecation or childbirth). The second and third of these utilize what is known as the Valsalva Maneuver, where the throat closes, preventing the air from moving in or out, resulting in the inability of the diaphragm from moving up and down, combined with the abdominal muscles contract isometrically. When either the second or third situation occurs, we cannot move air in and out. However, too often, brass players fall into the habit of allowing the muscles to contract while playing, as if they were doing either of the last two maneuvers. When working on fitness, especially core fitness, it would be a good idea to offset this tendency by doing some very deep breathing exercises with a breathing bag.

When we breathe in, the diaphragm lowers, lengthening the lungs, causing the stomach to protrude (more so for some of us than others. LOL). Then when we exhale (and empty the lungs) the diaphragm raises and the stomach pulls in. This action of the diaphragm accounts for up to 45% of our total vital capacity. Jake used to have his students do exercises designed to separate shades of gray into black and white. When we would take in a breath, he would say that we should look like we're pregnant and when we blow out, we should look skinny (I think he used another word, but it isn't very PC). Anyway, doing this exercise with a breathing bag should help to offset any rigidity that may develop through exercise.

The other point to consider is controlling our weight. As we age, we tend to put on weight (fat) around our middles (especially men). Not only does this have severely negative health implications, it significantly limits our air capacity. As fat accumulates in the abdominal cavity, there is less and less room for the diaphragm to lower, reducing the amount of air we can take in.

One rule of thumb to know if you have too much belly fat is to compare the circumference of your waist to your height. And by waist, I don't mean where you wear your belt, but around the largest part of your belly. If you are like me. there is a significant difference! Anyway, your height (in inches) should be more than twice your waist size. If not, we have some work to do.

Late in his career, Jake was ill (I can't remember if it was cancer or a heart attack), and his doctor made him go on a diet and lose weight. He lost quite a bit and a lot of it was belly fat. Anyway, before he lost the weight, his air capacity was about 2.5 L, just barely enough to play professionally. After he lost the weight, he found he had gained more than a half liter of additional capacity and his playing in the CSO became MUCH more comfortable.

So, for the TLDR gang, make sure you keep the flexibility in your abdominal muscles and lose some weight. You will feel better, you will look better, and (hopefully) you will play better.

[weops]

Attached is the cover to Jack Robinson's Advanced Conditioning Studies for Tuba (Not sure if it's still available)
I got this copy in the early '80's.

It has a lot of original Tuba studies/routines/scales/arpeggios etc. And also studies by Don Harry and Bill Bell and others.
Jack was (is) involved in Physical Conditioning and Weight Lifting (strength training). He discusses it at length as it relates to Tuba playing.

At any rate, the exercises are very good as is the discussion on the challenges of playing the Tuba.


Robinson - Advanced Conditioning Studies - May 15 2021 - 11-00 AM.jpg

[Ann Reid]

I can’t think why I haven’t added to this post previously, but mostly to be a better, stronger, healthier grandparent, I lost 110 pounds some 8 years ago and it has not returned.

I do Intermittent fasting and low carb, moderately healthy fat.

At age 75, one of my grandchildren asked “Do you play a meuphonium?” and I responded “No, why? Do you want me to?” and a few weeks later I had a plastic euphonium and time to practice.

NOW, 2 years in, I’m a Covid survivor working on the Horovitz Euphonium Concerto. I FIRMLY BELIEVE that my weight loss AND VERY IMPORTANTLY the work I’ve done on breathing while playing a low brass instrument have improved and LENGTHENED my life.

Presently searching for a front four euphonium that I can get my hand around and playing a great Conn Connstellation (24i) that I wish was just a little bigger bore.

[2ba4t]

This thread has certainly hit a soft spot. Nearly twice as many replies than any other over the past months!!!
The question is are tuba players, as such, more prone to obesity and lack of fitness?

The 'big kid' is often chosen to play the tuba.
The image is of a large confident presence - paralleling the player's own wished-for self-image.
I am meant to be big - I play the tuba - so I am not dieting/exercising.
Choosing the tuba is choosing the big guy normally left out. Again a reflected self-image question.
95% of the parts are steady, simple and not 'athletic'.
The 'artistic' personality is often one of extremes - including eating - and compensatory eating.
With notable exceptions then it does seem that we do have a disproportionately large percentage of unfit, obese players.
We also are very often the 'really nice guy' because many of the above factors also contribute to genuine but compensatory consideration for others.

On a practical point, the need for fitness is central - as well as for all the obvious reasons discussed - because obesity and a lack of fitness directly impair breath-control and cause breathlessness. Secondly, to produce the highest notes so that they sound natural and non-falsetto - you need - besides an excellent set of facial muscles that can press the lips together tightly, an excellent abdominal and diaphragmic muscular 'punch' to produce a fast enough air stream.

I seem to remember that 'Double High C in 26 weeks' required alternate days of running 5 miles. I was vain enough to do it and it worked - but that was a century ago. The altissimo training method I now use does not - but I am certain that weight loss and fitness change your life.

Yep, you cannot escape, it is just will-power or externally imposed will-power. So plan to be distracted from eating, eat a small amount every 3 hours, sleep enough, move enough, drink enough. Build up plenty of exercise very gradually. No sugar (Read 'Pure, white and deadly' - the sugar and soft drinks industries literally hounded the author to death in the 1970s) and - most important - do what I say, not what I do.

Inertia, procrastination, indecision can all be cured in a moment - the moment you actually acted. Oops, missed it again.

[Renodoc]

So I'm a family med doc who got back into playing tuba a few years ago. Along with doing normal family medicine, I also do a lot of sports med and work with some of the crazy endurance athletes doing things like 100 or 200 mile runs. When I'm not working or playing the tuba, I do a lot of xc skiing, ultrarunning, cycling and tennis.

As someone who was not fit when I was in high school and college and playing my tuba then, I do think my fitness now helps me a bit. I also have noticed that some of the things I've learned from sports (mainly your strength comes from your core) really apply a lot to tuba. Sometimes if I feel like I'm not playing particularly well, I go back and try to focus on the sound coming from my core and not my lips. Also, as things get harder with sports, the more you tighen up, the harder it gets. I think tuba playing is similar in many ways.

It does seem like fitness is more a part of playing these days. Ooystein Baadsvik does yoga poses in some of his master classes and Steve Rosse is often posting things about his workouts. And if anyone is familiar with Archangelo Fiorello, he probably wins for the fittest tuba player in the world right now.

[tubaphillips]

There are a lot of posts here about abdominal and cardiovascular muscle training, but I don’t see anyone mentioning any muscles in your head and neck. Laurie Frink said that musicians are athletes of the small muscles. I highly suggest working out of her book Flexus if you’re interested in strengthening and gaining fine control over the muscles required to play brass. It’s a very popular book in professional circles in NYC.

[royjohn]

I know this is a thread about fitness and tuba playing...I know this is a thread about fitness and tuba playing. However, I notice that the issue of weight has crept in for many. In the past year or two I have lost 80 lbs...and gained 60 back...I researched diet and exercise and determined that diet has very little to do with weight loss compared to diet. I also found that the most healthy diet was a whole foods, plant based diet, so that's what I started on. It is detailed in Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live. On this type of eating, I had no trouble losing 8 to 10 lbs per month. When I stopped doing it and returned to recreational drinking, the pound piled back on. So I am now looking to get back on the horse to lose the weight and keep it off.

The biggest problem with weight loss in this lifestyle is that healthy food is not that easy to come by, so there is some prep and planning required. Once that is done, you can eat all you want of the recommended foods and you don't get hungry. You can even have a little meat or cheese once in a while without worries. In fact, I call it the "no worries' diet because you are not eating anything unhealthy, so you have no worries about your health. My resting heart rate went down to the mid forties and my blood pressure quickly became normal...that is, 110/70.

Exercise is great to feel good, improve cardio fitness and breathing and prolong life. However, it is diet that is the magic key to weight control and health. At least that is how I see it. It's all at <nutritionfacts.org>.

[iiipopes]

Last week I received an email that the regional community band I have played with on-and-off for the last (mumble) years is starting back up. So I got out my tuba to start practicing. Oh, the bad breathing habits I have gotten into having been tied to a desk with no consistent outlet or reason to practice. Time to get back to fundamentals.

[hockeyched]

Friends, do any of you do weightlifting?

Yes, well...sort of. Depends on your definition of "weightlifting." I am a competitive powerlifter, and I lift weights, but in the fitness world "weightlifting" usually refers to olympic weighlifting (snatch, and clean and jerk).

In response to this post, I find that being physically fit makes me 1) feel generally better 2) makes carrying the horn around alot easier 3) decreases my resting heart rate making breathing under stress (auditions, recitals) a lot easier, and 4) allows me to deal with stress. Now, I felt all of those things were better when I did more cardio. As I have gotten more and more into powerlifting I find that 1, 2, and 4 are still intact, but my heartrate is not as low as when I am doing a lot of cardio. It also tires me out so it helps me sleep better as well and just gives me a healthy hobby. I am 35 years old so I still feel I have plenty of time to get stronger, but I do plan to pivot to some other kind of fitness goals eventually, one I have satisfied my powerlifting goals. Squatting 500 lbs doesn't help my tuba playing but its cool to see people react to it, and it keeps me from slapping that out of tune clarinetist!