When I was in grad school and struggling with my chronic pain, a teacher suggested that I needed to get stronger.
I’m sure he meant to be helpful. Physical conditioning, of course, is an important part of musicians’ wellness. And strength training in particular has become more widely accepted by classical musicians in recent years.
But at the time, that advice felt vague and frustrating. Throughout college, I swam pretty regularly and did freestyle cross-country skiing in the winter with minimal discomfort. The fact that my arm and shoulder pain always presented while practicing and performing, but not in other activities, was clueing me in that violin-playing itself was the issue.
Now to be fair, it probably was a bit of column A and a bit of column B. The nervous system and muscular system work together and affect each other–a less efficient movement pattern can lead to muscle imbalances and vice-versa.
Since my shoulder and back muscles were affected by my injuries, I likely would benefit from strength training.
But if there is anything I’ve learned from my Franklin Method training, it’s that we have to be intentional about what we’re strengthening.
And that’s how I ended up failing at weightlifting...
During my DMA, I started lifting under the supervision of an experienced powerlifter.
Twice a week, I would bench-press, squat, and deadlift, working my way up from dumbbells to a barbell, and gradually adding weights. (And to not neglect my cross-training, I also did resistance band work or machine exercises depending on the equipment I had available.)
I was so excited the first time I was able to add 45 lb weights to the barbell and successfully do a deadlift—but it turned out to be my last and only attempt.
You see, at the same time I was progressing with my deadlift, I couldn’t complete sets of kettlebell or even bodyweight squats without feeling pain in my lower back and pelvis.
Zero weight involved, and I’m hurting.
If you weren’t trained to observe subtle shifts in posture and alignment like my movement teacher, Sharin, you probably wouldn’t have noticed anything was wrong with my form.
But it turns out that I had some pre-existing issues with my hip and sacro-iliac joints, which affect my movement patterns while going into hip flexion.
What are squats and deadlifts all about? Hip flexion, of course!
Eric Franklin loves to say that we get stronger at the things we practice.
Every time I did my squats, I reinforced those problematic movement patterns and muscle imbalances.
Because the pelvis, spine, and shoulders are all related through the musculoskeletal and fascia systems, the issues with my pelvis directly contributed to my chronic shoulder pain.
And that was the end of my weightlifting experiment.
Fortunately, there are lots of different ways to build strength. If you have a set routine or activity that works for you, great! I find I do really well with yoga, Franklin Method ball and band work, and Gyrotonic and Pilates classes.
But if it’s physically painful to move, or you’re pushing your body past its limits to achieve an aesthetic or outcome goal, it may be helpful to do somatic “cross-training” or work with a physical therapist or movement expert.
Somatic movement approaches focus on improving physical coordination through building body awareness and retraining movement patterns.
Combining mindful movement, biomechanics, and somatic tools with regular exercise or musical practices is a great way to improve your physical well-being.
(It’s not just musicians who benefit from somatic cross-training… professional golfers, soccer and tennis players, and figure skaters regularly use movement modalities like Pilates and the Gyrotonic Method for conditioning and injury rehabilitation!)
If you’ve never tried a somatic movement method or modality before, click the button below to check out my musicians’ wellness resource page!
I recommend trying multiple disciplines if they’re available in your area or look for an online class. It can take time to find one that resonates with you personally, so don’t be put off by somatic work as a whole if you don’t like one method in particular.
And by the way, it’s totally fine if you love weight-lifting! The goal is to find practices that complement each other and support your overall health and musical performance. That’s going to look different for each of us.
But what we can all work on is the quality of our movement in everything we do.
If this is the first time we’re meeting virtually, hello! My name is Erika, and I’m a violinist, teacher, and certified Franklin Method Educator. My mission is to rethink traditional teaching approaches to help musicians play with confidence and ease. If this resonates with you, here’s how you can connect with me:
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Take a Franklin Method class with me. Learn to release tension, play with more ease, and practice injury prevention techniques. The Franklin Method uses mind-body tools and anatomical embodiments to help you improve the way you move in daily life. If you’ve never experienced the Franklin Method before, an online or in-person workshop is a great introduction! Institutional presentations are also available for arts organizations and schools.
Try a Franklin Method private session. Are you an instrumental musician struggling with pain, stiffness, or sore muscles from playing? In a Franklin Method private session, we analyze your movement while playing and explore different ways to move with more freedom. You’ll learn exercises to improve body awareness, release excess tension, and retrain movement patterns
Explore my Resource Pages! I’m sharing some of my favorite pedagogy and musicians’ wellness resources for musicians. Learn more about different somatic movement methods, wellness platforms and practitioners, and helpful books. You can also check out new resources based on my doctoral research into integrating pedagogical approaches from the world of sports into music-teaching.
Read the At the Balance Point blog. Check out articles on holistic and research-based pedagogy approaches and musicians’ wellness.
Take a violin lesson with me! I teach lessons in-person in the greater Seattle area and online via Zoom.
Want to contact me directly? Email me at erika@erikaburnsviolin.com or DM me on Instagram.