Focus on Deadlifts (quickly trains explosive power), curls (the most important exercise ever invented😤), and pinky press (what you’ll be doing to lift your piano). Do those every day and you’ll be able pinky press your piano over your head with ease. You got this bro - keep grinding
I’m a climber and a pianist.. I always thought they were counter productive. But getting strong climbing fingers has actually helped me in playing piano! I’m worried about injuries though, since that would shut down both activities.
I got back into music (violin) while I was rehabilitating a torn tendon that I got while climbing. The major injuries are rare but regular flappers and worn out skin really don't help with the violin!
As a lifter as well it’s so awesome to see this video!💪 Definitely agree that powerlifting and strength training is so beneficial for pianists as we’re often sitting for long periods of time
I literally just got back from gym. This has been one of my biggest questions since I started playing about 3 months ago. This channel is a game changer💯💯💯
Rachmaninoff said to Horowitz: "if you don't walk, your fingers will not run." I love that quote. I practice Yoga for a decade now... if you should get stiff muscles because of too much growth, you can use gentle daily stretches to increase flexibility again. Stretching decreases strength again. That's why too much stretching of the fingers will decrease finger strength so the fingers can just collapse because the muscles slimmed down. Interesting, is it not? Overstretching can cause harm, too little leads to stiffness while working a lot with specific muscles. Love your Liszt Paganini Etude 6 recording, it's wonderful - one of my favourite performances of the piece.
Here’s the thing, weightlifting by injury rate is the most safe form of exercise that we currently have. Pretty much everyone should lift if they have access. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just do some compound barbell lifts and don’t overdo it and injure yourself.
Man thank you 🙏 this has been so helpful…I have been playing guitar for over 10 years now and just started working out about 6 months ago, so I had some problems with my wrist and my finger movement but this is actually life changing…thank you again ❤
This video was actually one year ago the motivation for me to start working out. Back in the days I always thought working out would be counter productive and if I have pain in shoulders or arms after practicing too much, Gym would make it worse. But the opposite was the case. Hitting the Gym let's pain disapear and it relaxes and enhances bloodflow. And it just feels super nice. So now, I love it.
Thank you for finally answering my email with this video. I hope this is just the beginning of many others that approach this important topic for us musicians. Ballet, Pilates, yoga, swimming and so many other physical activities could also help widely in keeping us safe and healthy...
In my opinion with a floor and a pull up bar you can do great workouts. Even if you can't do a single pull up. Just do negative pull ups! Great video, thank you Josh and Ricky!
Very thankful for this interview, was always kind of hesitant about lifting and music. The combination seems a recipe for disaster but the benefits are amazing.
Oh wow, this was very interesting so thank you for the interview. Former competitive gymnast here who now works out regularly but I'm also a pianist and I've often wondered about a lot the areas discussed in the interview. It was great to see a dialogue on this topic!
This was such an interesting listen. Thank you! I've been on a body calisthenics journey for the past few months and I've noticed some big advantages in my posture and overall energy.
I would be very careful about any stretching related to the hand. Most of the musculature that controls the hand is in the forearm. The hand itself is mostly tendons and ligaments. So massaging the muscles of the forearm and shoulders/upper back with something like a massage gun or lacrosse ball would be beneficial for post-practice recovery. Just don't take any modality to the point of actual pain.
I have done several sports while still playing the piano and going to school. I have played tennis, martial arts and practice calisthenics. Tennis sometimes made your arms especially forearm and wrist sore. Martial arts makes your hand tremble after a session of throwing punches. Calisthenics can hurt your wrist and shoulders and uses your forearm in many exercises. Hanging on a pull up bar will also put stress on the inner side of the hand and fingers. So none of these are ideal for a piano lifestyle. Volleyball in school and basketball can cause your hands/ fingers to hurt. Which leads to my conclusion. I think the most beneficial sports for pianists is running. Due to the pianists lifestyle you always sit and are indoors. Now with jogging, you go outside and move your every muscle of your body. Before and ideally also after jogging you should stretch a bit. So you work on your flexibility too! Running also almost does not utilize your hands. Your entire body will obviously be tired afterwards but for the purpose of being healthy it seems to be the best option. To build strength, calisthenics is more suitable due to the fact that you move your body and it makes you somehow mobile(especially shoulder mobility is trained). To do the exercises as the L sit you also need basic flexibility. Meanwhile when lifting weights or using machines, your body almost always stays at the same spot. So no mobility gets trained for your body and no flexibility is needed. And you already have that too much when sitting in front of the piano or in school.
I’m not a pianist, but a cellist. I did Krav Maga for a bit, and when I became more serious with cello I decided to stop taking Krav. All of the groundwork, kickboxing, and self defense could be pretty hard on my hands - and my body in general, but I was mostly worried about my hands. I just decided it wasn’t worth the risk for me. If the kind of martial arts you’re doing doesn’t put your hands at risk, though, I’d say go for it!
Hey Josh, I have a question, does working out using weights affect the muscle memory that you build up in piano playing? If it does, what are the ways to deal with that? Thanks.
The biggest thing is just to be smart. I always sparred with full gloves as a kid so as not to jam my fingers. And I never did any board or brick breaking with my hands.
I used a Captain crush hand strengthener but noticed it made my fine motoric finger movements cruder the stronger i got. Havent noticed anything like this from doing pull ups or deadlifts, wich also challenge the grip. I Wonder if those extreme grip trainers over long time transform your hands into mainly gross movement oattern tools. Most bissare side effect was that i often unintentionally squezed peoples hands to hard when shaking hands.
I was always worried about the tendons in my hand getting to tight when working out, if that does make any sense. I guess i was worried about nothing, after all. Thank you for the Information!
Well.. I injured my hand a little bit while doing cable rows because squeezing it a little bit much i guess. Now for two days im struggling with czerny etudes. Because i got slower after the injury i will do some forearm streches for a while. Hope i can fix this
I've been working out and playing piano seriously for the past 7 years and only very recently started feeling this strong uncomfortable pain at my left elbow in deeper/outer muscles around the joint when I work out. To my understanding it's a lack of stretching of all the muscles that reach till the palm/fingers that are kept tense very often as a pianist + weight lifter. Any suggestions as to what stretches I should do? Any advice would be appreciated!
It sounds like lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow. It's a pain in one of the muscles (extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor digitorum communis, or extensor carpi ulnaris) that attach at the lateral epicondyle. It could also be pain from the brachialis where it attaches into the coronoid process and the tuberosity of the ulna. Stretching can certainly help but identifying the exact location of the pain and what is causing it is how you'll fix it. Without seeing you in person I'm not much help. But look into the two things I mentioned and some simple treatments. And especially try to figure out what is causing the problem to begin with and fix that. Good luck.
@Safak435 Having a pump may reduce mobility acutely. Meaning, immediately after a workout. But as soon as the pump goes away (15-45 minutes) you shouldn't have any issues.
I really admire someone that has brute strength to lift and also the finesse to play piano. It’s quite awesome to excel at both ends of the spectrum.
I practice an hour and a half every day and still can't lift my piano D:
Focus on Deadlifts (quickly trains explosive power), curls (the most important exercise ever invented😤), and pinky press (what you’ll be doing to lift your piano). Do those every day and you’ll be able pinky press your piano over your head with ease.
You got this bro - keep grinding
Try the piano bench press
This is amazing, my two passions are powerlifting and piano. It’s almost as if this video was made for me!
I also think it’s a great video and very informative!
Yes! I didn't know there was anyone else out there lol
Omg same! I usually don't comment but I just had to!
While I'm here- Josh you're an amazing teacher and you're very fit too. You drive home a good point!
Same! There are dozens of us! Dozens!
I’m a climber and a pianist.. I always thought they were counter productive. But getting strong climbing fingers has actually helped me in playing piano! I’m worried about injuries though, since that would shut down both activities.
I got back into music (violin) while I was rehabilitating a torn tendon that I got while climbing. The major injuries are rare but regular flappers and worn out skin really don't help with the violin!
As a lifter as well it’s so awesome to see this video!💪 Definitely agree that powerlifting and strength training is so beneficial for pianists as we’re often sitting for long periods of time
I literally just got back from gym. This has been one of my biggest questions since I started playing about 3 months ago. This channel is a game changer💯💯💯
Rachmaninoff said to Horowitz: "if you don't walk, your fingers will not run." I love that quote.
I practice Yoga for a decade now... if you should get stiff muscles because of too much growth, you can use gentle daily stretches to increase flexibility again. Stretching decreases strength again. That's why too much stretching of the fingers will decrease finger strength so the fingers can just collapse because the muscles slimmed down. Interesting, is it not? Overstretching can cause harm, too little leads to stiffness while working a lot with specific muscles.
Love your Liszt Paganini Etude 6 recording, it's wonderful - one of my favourite performances of the piece.
Here’s the thing, weightlifting by injury rate is the most safe form of exercise that we currently have. Pretty much everyone should lift if they have access. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just do some compound barbell lifts and don’t overdo it and injure yourself.
Oh i actually totally agree!
Man thank you 🙏 this has been so helpful…I have been playing guitar for over 10 years now and just started working out about 6 months ago, so I had some problems with my wrist and my finger movement but this is actually life changing…thank you again ❤
This video was actually one year ago the motivation for me to start working out. Back in the days I always thought working out would be counter productive and if I have pain in shoulders or arms after practicing too much, Gym would make it worse. But the opposite was the case. Hitting the Gym let's pain disapear and it relaxes and enhances bloodflow. And it just feels super nice. So now, I love it.
Piano and exercise are my two favorite activities and this conversation helped me so much! Thank you!
What an wonderful guest. I’m moving to Southern Nevada soon, I’ll look him up. Thank you for featuring Ricky.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for finally answering my email with this video. I hope this is just the beginning of many others that approach this important topic for us musicians. Ballet, Pilates, yoga, swimming and so many other physical activities could also help widely in keeping us safe and healthy...
Yes, that would be great!
I’d also be interested in recovery/stretching AFTER performance and/or practice sessions! ☺️
In my opinion with a floor and a pull up bar you can do great workouts. Even if you can't do a single pull up. Just do negative pull ups!
Great video, thank you Josh and Ricky!
Very thankful for this interview, was always kind of hesitant about lifting and music. The combination seems a recipe for disaster but the benefits are amazing.
Oh wow, this was very interesting so thank you for the interview. Former competitive gymnast here who now works out regularly but I'm also a pianist and I've often wondered about a lot the areas discussed in the interview. It was great to see a dialogue on this topic!
This was such an interesting listen. Thank you! I've been on a body calisthenics journey for the past few months and I've noticed some big advantages in my posture and overall energy.
Thanks so much for this! This answered a question I had asked on a previous video relating to back pain.
Great episode!
Thank you for approaching this topic!
thanks Josh this is the content I have been looking forward to for so long.
How about a video on recovery/stretching after performance or practice sessions?
I would be very careful about any stretching related to the hand. Most of the musculature that controls the hand is in the forearm. The hand itself is mostly tendons and ligaments. So massaging the muscles of the forearm and shoulders/upper back with something like a massage gun or lacrosse ball would be beneficial for post-practice recovery. Just don't take any modality to the point of actual pain.
@@rickyrhinehart6498 Thank you!
Wow - great information. Thanks very much for sharing this Josh.
Thank you both so much for this special video. It was very informative :)
Thank you for this video. It cleared most of my doubts :-D
I really want to hear him play the piano!
czcams.com/video/LOa_BJ6M2lw/video.html
Here's just a little snippet of some Liszt.
Thank you i love your videos, they isnpired me a lot.
Amazing… this so helpful
I have done several sports while still playing the piano and going to school. I have played tennis, martial arts and practice calisthenics.
Tennis sometimes made your arms especially forearm and wrist sore. Martial arts makes your hand tremble after a session of throwing punches. Calisthenics can hurt your wrist and shoulders and uses your forearm in many exercises. Hanging on a pull up bar will also put stress on the inner side of the hand and fingers. So none of these are ideal for a piano lifestyle. Volleyball in school and basketball can cause your hands/ fingers to hurt. Which leads to my conclusion.
I think the most beneficial sports for pianists is running. Due to the pianists lifestyle you always sit and are indoors. Now with jogging, you go outside and move your every muscle of your body. Before and ideally also after jogging you should stretch a bit. So you work on your flexibility too! Running also almost does not utilize your hands. Your entire body will obviously be tired afterwards but for the purpose of being healthy it seems to be the best option.
To build strength, calisthenics is more suitable due to the fact that you move your body and it makes you somehow mobile(especially shoulder mobility is trained). To do the exercises as the L sit you also need basic flexibility. Meanwhile when lifting weights or using machines, your body almost always stays at the same spot. So no mobility gets trained for your body and no flexibility is needed. And you already have that too much when sitting in front of the piano or in school.
Running is great and certainly beneficial to pianists but so is weight lifting, but you do need to perform the exercises correctly.
@@francissquire9910 that is right. Form is the key to strength
Great Video!! Super interesting.
What about martial arts? Are there any specific one a pianist should avoid if not all?
I’m not a pianist, but a cellist. I did Krav Maga for a bit, and when I became more serious with cello I decided to stop taking Krav. All of the groundwork, kickboxing, and self defense could be pretty hard on my hands - and my body in general, but I was mostly worried about my hands. I just decided it wasn’t worth the risk for me.
If the kind of martial arts you’re doing doesn’t put your hands at risk, though, I’d say go for it!
My technique got better since I workout especially, my octave skill and big jump
Omg this is SOO necessary! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💯
Alright, so I'll take preworkout before my recitals, got it 👍
Thank you so much! This was very helpful
Thanks for sharing this
Thank you!!
Hey Josh, I have a question, does working out using weights affect the muscle memory that you build up in piano playing? If it does, what are the ways to deal with that? Thanks.
Awesome!
Great topic! What about which martial arts are least likely to destroy your hands?
The biggest thing is just to be smart. I always sparred with full gloves as a kid so as not to jam my fingers. And I never did any board or brick breaking with my hands.
I would avoid Aikido and Jujitsu (maybe Judo) and any others that focus on joint locks.
I used a Captain crush hand strengthener but noticed it made my fine motoric finger movements cruder the stronger i got.
Havent noticed anything like this from doing pull ups or deadlifts, wich also challenge the grip.
I Wonder if those extreme grip trainers over long time transform your hands into mainly gross movement oattern tools.
Most bissare side effect was that i often unintentionally squezed peoples hands to hard when shaking hands.
I began on calisthenics and even when my body became more capable of things, my hand became tense. how can we contact him for routines?
I was always worried about the tendons in my hand getting to tight when working out, if that does make any sense. I guess i was worried about nothing, after all. Thank you for the Information!
Well.. I injured my hand a little bit while doing cable rows because squeezing it a little bit much i guess. Now for two days im struggling with czerny etudes. Because i got slower after the injury i will do some forearm streches for a while. Hope i can fix this
I've been working out and playing piano seriously for the past 7 years and only very recently started feeling this strong uncomfortable pain at my left elbow in deeper/outer muscles around the joint when I work out. To my understanding it's a lack of stretching of all the muscles that reach till the palm/fingers that are kept tense very often as a pianist + weight lifter. Any suggestions as to what stretches I should do? Any advice would be appreciated!
It sounds like lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow. It's a pain in one of the muscles (extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor digitorum communis, or extensor carpi ulnaris) that attach at the lateral epicondyle. It could also be pain from the brachialis where it attaches into the coronoid process and the tuberosity of the ulna. Stretching can certainly help but identifying the exact location of the pain and what is causing it is how you'll fix it. Without seeing you in person I'm not much help. But look into the two things I mentioned and some simple treatments. And especially try to figure out what is causing the problem to begin with and fix that. Good luck.
@@rickyrhinehart6498I feel like having forearm pumps reduces my finger mobility at piano. Can you give any advices to balance it?
@Safak435 Having a pump may reduce mobility acutely. Meaning, immediately after a workout. But as soon as the pump goes away (15-45 minutes) you shouldn't have any issues.
Could working out the forearms make it so you can play alot longer and not have tendon issues which I currently have?
Well im also having a forearm issue. I injured my hand while doing cable rows. I will try some forearm streches to fix it
Try combining rock climbing with piano and violin. My poor fingers!