Warming up

Warming up, why should I?

When performing as a musician or singer, you are using your muscles in quite an intensive way. In order to do this, your muscles need plenty of fuel.

Your muscles run on two types of fuel. The first is stored in the muscle itself and is immediately available. But it runs out very quickly: in a few seconds! This is the short lasting fuel. The second type, the long lasting fuel, is stored further away and needs to be transported to your muscles before it can be used. This happens through the bloodstream. Your body has a large reserve of this long lasting fuel, but it needs some time and a good blood flow in order to become available to your muscles. This is why it’s so important to do a warming up!

During your warming up exercises your body has time to send the long lasting fuel to your playing muscles. Pay attention to loosening the movements you make and lowering tension in your muscles. This will guarantee the best effect of your warm up: optimal relaxedness and a healthy fuel supply in your muscles. Tight muscles means a lower energy supply can reach your muscles and this means they will fatigue easy. Playing with fatigued muscles will cause more tightness and you will end up in a vicious circle that can lead to injury.

On this site you can try a warm-up film, which is an example of a number of exercises you can use to warm up. This film and this text were created by Ida Wakely, physiotherapist of the Geldersorkest and Charlotte van der Burgh, Mensendieck teacher at conservatories ArtEZ.

Try the Warming Up Film

Other options: Read more about how to take care of yourself as a professional musician in the section Body maintenance for performing artists.
More warm-ups?: Further in the site are other films to warm up the connection between body and mind, under the heading Orientation in the Flashcard section. You can try different films, which have different purposes and effects.