# weightlifting and playing guitar ?



## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

hi there folks.

just wanted to get peoples opinion on something that ive been thinking about. since half of it has nothing to do with guitar or music,i put it here. sorry if its in the wrong place mods.

as i stated in another thread,i used to practice obssesively. in an effort to find some balance in my life(also had some problems with booze and dope) and im NOT,glorifying it!! sure didnt bring me anything good....

....but i digress....i have been looking for healthier hobbies to balance out my time,as my professional life is only playing and teaching music. ive started lifting weights and getting other exercise for the past month or so. i feel great,and i see the rewards of it. but i was just wondering if anyone else has this as part of their lifestyle(specifically the weightlifting) and what their take is on it,vis a vis playing the guitar.

the long and short of it is,will it affect my playing ya think? i mean im not all muscular and stuff at this point,lol. but ive gained a good 5 or 10 lbs of muscle mass and shed alot of fat.

to give an example,i remember george lynch being REALLY muscular(wow,that sounded gay,lol) for awhile,and he said in an interview later on he cut it down cause it affected his fluidity. i wonder if his extra muscle mass affected his fluidity,or if it just tired his muscles out so he couldnt play as well for awhile after lifting. 

i know john petrucci lifts weights,and kevin eubanks i think does/did too. none of these 3 guys seem at any lack of ability,but i was just wondering what others here think.

just to be clear,i do other exersice for cardio like biking and running. i just like lifting weights cause its a good way i find to vent negative energy. and im not a big guy,so id like to add some more mass,just for the esthetic effect.

so yeah,like i said,was just curious to know what others think,or have experienced of the weightlifting/guitar playing combination.

thx 

Bobby


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

Hey Bobby. Glad you're making some good lifestyle choices! I lift weights, do cardio and all that stuff - wish I had the body to prove it though - gotta work on my diet I guess. In any event, I'm sure if you're a speed demon like Lynch (and no, he doesn't think you are gay now), weight lifting may affect your fluidity but for the average guy like me I only notice a positive difference. Unless of course I try to play immediately after working out. Then my hands and shaking, I can't form chords properly and I short-circuit all of my pedals with my sweat. 

All kidding aside, I find it makes a big difference for me in terms of endurance. I can play much longer when I am working out on a regular basis.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

There was a guy on youtube that was so big he could not see his shoes or touch his elbows together..think about that!
Not an ounce of fat on him.
He was a shred master, his vids were awsome.

Now for you, are you going to play for a living or be on stage for thousands of people?
If not your playing for fun and with the guys, maybe even a band, you have a long way to go before it becomes an issue.

Also building muscle at that level takes so much time, food and energy that you won't have time to play guitar.
Get down to a decent body weight, lift for fun and health and play your guitar. This is healthy for body and mind, enjoy the training and how your body feels!


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I do lift weights as a part of a healthy lifstyle. I also do cardio but I find one of the best ways to shed body fat and keep it off is weight training. Cardio will burn calories while you are working out and maybe for a little while after the work out. weight training will burn calories while you work out and in between workouts as your body repairs muscle tissue. Just having more muscle mass witll burn fat. 
I don't find that weight training takes anything away from guitar other than some time that I could be practicing. but its well worth it. I decided I'd change my lifestyle almost 2 years ago and shed 35 pounds. It definitely feels great.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Thats the weirdest thing. In my previous post On the line "Cardio will burn calories" "Calories" appears twice. But that is not the way I typed it. When I try to edit the post to remove one of the "calories" its not there in the edit window. If I remove the word that is there then "calories" doesn't appear at all.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I used to lift a lot (not really bodybuilding a lot, just general fitness a lot - 4-5 times a week) and it never hindered me at all. Not that I was anything within 1000% of Lynch, mind you. But I can't imagine it being harmfull, and if you are a pro making lotsa $$ at it, you will know yourself soon enough if it is having negative consequences.


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## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

here's a tip: get a Les Paul Custom and you can lift weights and play guitar at the same time!
it works for me. I have a couple of them.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

hey guys,thanks for your responses and encouragement,i appreciate it 

ill try to address what yall said,in reverse order,lol 

the les paul suggestion was funny,you must be one strong m-f,lol,i actually thought of that.but i think im better off playing my lighter guitars(7-8 lbs). i hurt my back pretty bad when i played a lot of sports way back when i was 15. so i dont wanna tempt fate,lol.

i suppose if it does become harmful,ill notice then i can lay off,which is what Lynch wound up doing in my example anyway.hes still in great shape,but he doesnt have the ridiculous mass he did a few years back.

there is absolutely 0 danger of me becoming the guy whos too muscle bound though. i mean for one thing,playing guitar is my life. exercise is just a hobby to keep me away from the bad stuff when i get stressed. i mean im noticing a difference,but im an ectomorph,for those of you who dont know the basic body types,that means skinny guy,lol. so its a trade off,like anything. i can burn fat almost by thinking about it,but adding mass takes real work for me(not that it doesnt for everyone,but you know what i mean). i dont have a big build. i am 5'8'' and was about 160 before i started,and i had a gut.i bassically have no fat that is visible now and am starting to get abs more defined,as well as other muscle groups. i try to keep my workouts balanced. and i weigh 170 now. but if you looked at me,youd still classify me as a skinny guy,probably. i work out usually 3 times a day,30-40 mins each time.i still practice about 8 hours,but i used to practice 14--18. so im trying to be more balanced,or at least compulse in more positive things,lol. better to lift weights 2 hours a day and practice 8 hours focused, then to be drinking myself to death while practicing mindlessly 18 hours and burning bridges left and right. thats how i see it anyway.

ok well ive rambled on long enough,lol thanks again for your replies and opinions guys!!

Bobby


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

I saw Alice Cooper in the late 80s, and this was his guitarist.
He seemed to do alright.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

puckhead said:


> I saw Alice Cooper in the late 80s, and this was his guitarist.
> He seemed to do alright.


Kane Roberts.

There was also the pseudo-thrash band ManOWar that all looked like they lifted a lot of weight.
Pretty sure Zakk Wylde lifts as well.

Funny I'd heard Lynch talk about body building a lot, but he always just looked fit to me, not pumped or anything.

I dont personally think lifting weights is likely to have much effect on your playing either way. Unless you're lifting heavy weights with your fingers or something?!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Last year I hit the gym 5 days a week and jammed 1-2 days a week. I was fine.

There's no problem with working out and playing guitar - just ask beartrucci (john petrucci)


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Diablo said:


> Kane Roberts.
> 
> There was also the pseudo-thrash band ManOWar that all looked like they lifted a lot of weight.
> Pretty sure Zakk Wylde lifts as well.
> ...


lol nah,i use my arms,im not quite THAT stupid 
i slightly remember manowar...more pseudo,then thrash,as i recall,lol.

but yeah i wasnt really worried about it. just making conversation really. as i said,im not the type of guy whos going to get as muscular as the guy puckhead posted and you identified,even. i think thats the only danger as far as playing goes,when you get so built that it really limits your movement,i think it can affect your fluidity then.

i had heard something about Wylde lifting weights,as well,i had forgotten about him in my original post. as for Lynch yeah,if you see him now he looks just like a guy whos in shape and relatively muscular. but there is a video of him,during a NAMM show i think,forget the year,where he is doing his clinic and hes not wearing a shirt,and he is really muscular. i remember thinking it was a bit cheesy of him to be like the only guy there without a shirt,as if he wanted to show off how built he was,lol. and there was an interview with him in one of the guitar mags during the 2000's where in the pic i remember thinking he didnt look like a guitar player so much as a bodybuilder. but yeah,i guess that was a phase he went through and he toned it down.

@budda: yeah,Petrucci certainly doesnt seem to have any technical problems on the guitar cause of it ! 

i guess it comes down to,as so many things in life,moderation.being kind of a compulsive person,i just have to not go overboard and im sure ill be fine.

thx guys 

Bobby


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

This guy likes to pump the iron and it hasn't seemed to hurt his playing.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Interesting thread.

In April I started doing cardio (treadmill) to both lose weight and inprove my health. Then, about a month ago, I bought a membership at a local fitness center. I've just started doing weight training as well. I'm easing in to it because I really have zero knowledge of such things. I have a coworker who works out at the same place and he's kindly shown me some basics to do.

I'm enjoying it so far and recognize that you get out what you put in. So far I've dropped ten pounds without worrying about dieting at all. My diet seems to be evolving on its own. I may never be a real healthy eater but I'm eating much less fried and greasy foods, definitely less junk food.

I'll let you know if it helps my guitar playing. I can't imagine how it could hurt.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

ill assume your being facetious,because thats lynch,and ive talked so much about him on this thread people are gonna think im in man-love with him.

and im not.........really.......i swear......i mean really.

i wish i knew how to do emotes on here,id make that uneasy, unsure of himself face,lol.

Bobby


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

thanks Milkman  

i also find that my diet seems to evolve kind of naturally. maybe just because its hard to eat hamburgers and fries and gravy and all that then work out alot. i make sure to get alot of protein,but i try as much as possible to get it from healthier sources like fish,nuts and legumes,white meat,etc rather then red meat and other fried meat,which were probably my primary source of protein before.

i also quit smoking. ray charles once said quitting smoking is harder then quitting smack......well,i agree with him :S also harder then quitting drinking.to me,anyway.

but yeah,i just couldnt keep up the bad diet,and all the crap that comes from smoking,and still work out. i find that the body basically gives you an ultimatum at some point. and since ive allready been on the heroin-smirnoff-6 hamburgers-after-4-days-without-eating-then-wind up in jail-not-remembering-why diet,i figure it a good idea to go the other way,lol. and i suppose after 15 or so years of hurting my body,it just doesnt wanna accept it anymore,thank god.

Bobby


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

last year i just up and went healthy, it was great. then i fell off that wagon, it got worse (more drinking), and sloowly getting back on but its tough stuff.

If you want to do it, you can do it!


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

what about this virtuoso...johnny hiland...


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

anyone remember "thor"...the legendary rock warrior...???...









[video=youtube;OlEGORSKXDE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlEGORSKXDE&feature=related[/video]


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

that video almost makes me want to quit working out,lol. that was pretty bad....it was good for a laugh,anyway

and why did you post the pic of johnny hiland,Jimi? i agree hes a virtuoso,but as far as i know,and i really dont want to sound mean here,he is not into weightlifting,hes just fat. so was just wondering why you put his pic there,unless you were taking the piss. or maybe he does lift weights,and i didnt know.

Bobby


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Budda said:


> last year i just up and went healthy, it was great. then i fell off that wagon, it got worse (more drinking), and sloowly getting back on but its tough stuff.
> 
> If you want to do it, you can do it!


thanks Budda, and yeah i agree that if the will is there it is defenitely doable. ive stopped so many times(drinking and drugs) and started up again,each time getting worse,liver problems,burnt bridges as far as my career goes,legal problems,depression,etc..... that i dont actually find it hard not to drink. its really close to a choice of drink,or stay alive at this point for me. im much happier staying alive. sucks that it had to get to that point,but in a way its good. i went so far out with substance abuse that just thinking of going back to it makes me feel sick. i know it will get tougher after its been a year,2,3, etc when things get rough,but ill cross that bridge when i get to it. 24 hours(sometimes 24 seconds,lol) at a time is how im living nowadays.

Bobby


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

Bobby said:


> that video almost makes me want to quit working out,lol. that was pretty bad....it was good for a laugh,anyway
> 
> and why did you post the pic of johnny hiland,Jimi? i agree hes a virtuoso,but as far as i know,and i really dont want to sound mean here,he is not into weightlifting,hes just fat. so was just wondering why you put his pic there,unless you were taking the piss. or maybe he does lift weights,and i didnt know.
> 
> Bobby


i posted his pic just to show that there is no correlation between playing ability and being fit...


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

i don't think the "bowling for soup" guitarist lives a healthy lifestyle either...


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

jimihendrix said:


> i posted his pic just to show that there is no correlation between playing ability and being fit...


well thats not why i started the thread. i wanted to know if there was a negative correlation between weightlifting and playing,as far as the fluidity of motion,dexterity goes. 

and of course theres a negative correlation between a bad lifestyle and playing. i mean guys burn out,or they die. not right away,but there are tons of examples of guys who either died from bad health brought on by lifestyle,or guys who just seemed to burn out there creativity.

will having a beer gut stop you from being a wicked guitar player? no. but dying of heart failure will. or killing off enough brain cells will as well.

Bobby

EDIT: and just to be clear,when i talk about bad health choices and eventual worsening,or lack of musical production/ability,i am talking about Parker,Bolin,Hendrix,Young,Lane etc....that kind of bad lifestyle. id even argue EVH burnt out his creativity a good while ago,and hes one of my idols(as are the other people i listed anyway). 

but im not talking about the guy who likes to eat some pizza and go out for a few beers.who might indulge in some less then healthy pursuits but doesnt do it to the point of real huge self-destruction.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Found him..

YouTube - JacksonUSA0683's Channel


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

As long as you give your body time to recover you probably won't notice any change in your fluidity or speed. Do your exercises right, don't hurt yourself, and don't try and play 20 minutes after a big set and you'll be fine. At one point I was doing steel stud construction 9hrs a day, then going to the gym, then coming home and trying to practice and let me tell you I was slow as shit! You just gotta know when to rest it a bit.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I think that it will actually help you in many ways. I really can't speak to the endurance part and blah blah blah but in terms of focus and clarity of thought and the tendency to sleep much deeper when working out. All of those things will likely benefit your playing.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Bevo said:


> Found him..
> 
> YouTube - JacksonUSA0683's Channel


hes defenitely got some impressive right hand technique. i didnt find his playing on the whole interesting in the least though. i didnt hear him play anything the least bit melodic.which to me is kinda the whole point of playing.even when im playing fast.and ill rarely say i dont like a genre of music,but i really dont like anything in the "death" metal sphere.

of course,the guys hand looks like its bigger then my head so i wouldnt say any of that to his face,im a wuss that way 

thanks for posting it nonetheless  even though it isnt my bag,it shows that lifting is not getting in the way of his own technique.

Bobby


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Peter said:


> As long as you give your body time to recover you probably won't notice any change in your fluidity or speed. Do your exercises right, don't hurt yourself, and don't try and play 20 minutes after a big set and you'll be fine. At one point I was doing steel stud construction 9hrs a day, then going to the gym, then coming home and trying to practice and let me tell you I was slow as shit! You just gotta know when to rest it a bit.


cant really respond with "x2" as i started the thread so it would look stupid,but everything you say here makes alot of sense,and is what i try to put into practice(the leaving time to rest part).

Bobby


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

smorgdonkey said:


> I think that it will actually help you in many ways. I really can't speak to the endurance part and blah blah blah but in terms of focus and clarity of thought and the tendency to sleep much deeper when working out. All of those things will likely benefit your playing.


thx,i do believe you are right  i do allready notice alot of what your talking about.i do seem to have more clarity in the ideas i want to execute,and i defenitely sleep better.

Bobby


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

on a side note...you can actually meet petrucci...ask him in person...here...

Long & McQuade - News


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

thanks for posting that Jimi  i may just be in T.O. around that time,if it works out id defenitely like to meet him. 

Bobby


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Bobby, the point of my link was not really the music but the ability to be huge and not slow you down.
Slower and melodic would be cake if you can move your hands and fingers that fast at that size.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

Bevo said:


> Bobby, the point of my link was not really the music but the ability to be huge and not slow you down.
> Slower and melodic would be cake if you can move your hands and fingers that fast at that size.


i got that Bevo.....thats why i thanked you for posting it showing that even though it wasnt my style of music,his muscle build doesnt get in the way of his technical ability.

Bobby


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Gotcha!!

On the muscle thing, do you ever get that muscle on the side of your bicept on the picking side pumped playing?
Push the heel of your hand into your guitar while holding your upper arm, thats the muscle!
It happens on fast playing with lots of palm mutes.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

yeah,it does do that. i never noticed that before,lol.

Bobby


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Bobby said:


> thx,i do believe you are right  i do allready notice alot of what your talking about.i do seem to have more clarity in the ideas i want to execute,and i defenitely sleep better.
> 
> Bobby


Yes, the whole concept really is based upon the fact that 'we' creatures (who just happen to be animals with very well-developed brains) are designed by nature to work physically and prior to formulating plans and strategies & developing weapons to hunt animals for food we were foraging for extended periods of time. 'We' were likely very active for 10 hours per day. Compare that to the average person today and see how much physical activity that they are lacking in.

It's part of a very complex equation but it is a very important part of it.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

there are various gadgets on the market to keep your fingers/wrists/forearms limber...even after a strenuous workout...

[video=youtube;UOC393bTY-A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOC393bTY-A&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;gdlt01rhRHk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdlt01rhRHk&NR=1[/video]


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