This program was designed to guide Contemporary Commercial Singers (CCM, anything non-classical), in a safe and healthy way, through an exercise program that will help them train physically as singing athletes, while also strengthening their vocal abilities, and then combining the two. Each physical exercise is partnered with a specific vocal exercise to be done in combination. Musical Theatre and Pop Singers ARE SINGING ATHLETES! The physical and vocal demands placed on them is HUGE! This program will guide you through how to safely train physically, while you are also training vocally.
There are elements of strength training that can pose a danger to singers for many reasons that are covered in the FREE INTRODUCTION CLASS. Most exercise programs that come in a package are not target specific to the needs and concerns of athletic singers. To create this program, I researched elements of strength training, the effects of training on vocal health and function, as well as the fundamentals of Pilates, HIIT, Yoga, and Circuit Training while working closely with a certified personal trainer who is also a Physical Therapist.
Where the goal of many exercise or weight training programs is to provide a path to weight loss or muscle bulk, vocalists need to maintain STRENGTH and FLEXIBILITY. When a muscle is worked and shortened, the result will be muscle growth and definition. Performers need strength, but also should work to stretch and lengthen those muscles, maintaining the control AND flexibility.
Many trainers recommend weight lifting three times per week, allowing for time to let muscles rest and recover. It is also suggested that the exercise routine should change somewhat regularly, up to every three to four weeks, to keep the body from hitting a plateau. This program provides three days of targeted strength training combined with cardio, agility, and pilates and offers multiple options so the program is easy to stick with yet malleable enough to keep the body from plateauing.
Each workout includes a warm up, followed by cards that detail circuit training targeting specific muscles on specific days, as well as stretches and cool downs. Between each strength training circuit day, there is a yoga and pilates-based workout that includes mild cardio. These “Between” workouts are designed to aid in stretching, flexibility, and recovery. Each “Between” workout is set up to counterbalance the work that was done in strength training on the previous day so if you you worked the series that focuses on the legs and back, the “Between” workout will lengthen and stretch those muscles while working the core, balance, and flexibility of opposing muscles. All exercises have a picture or video to show proper form. And all vocal exercises have a written example, as well as an audio file in the treble and changed voice ranges.
Once you have established your current level of fitness using the pre-test, you will be able to determine where you fall on the Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced spectrum(B.I.A.), and what vocal exercises should be partnered with the physical exercises. By partnering the physical training with the vocal training, you will not only be working to get physically stronger, but you will be training your brain and your body to maintain the proper muscle use and alignment needed when you are in a position requiring you to be a physically active singer.