Alright bass folks. Anyone here do fitness or weight training with their bass playing in mind? Thinking training for posture, neck and shoulder mobility and strength.
I have a 20-year old shoulder injury and am having a hard time with pretty much every strap I’ve tried. I play an Aria Pro II STB-JB/B. Considered a short scale but they feel too short if that makes any sense… I end up playing sitting down and though that’s fine, it means when I do stand I can’t manage for long.
Is it the right or the left shoulder? I guess it’s the left, since normal basses have their strap on the left shoulder. Just to be honest: IS your shoulder itself capable of carrying a bass?
If not, you can think about a left-handed bass, where you play the Bass on the other side. It would be a rational solution including rather than excluding your shoulder issue.
I do some back training because playing Bass for 8-14 hours requires a solid back to carry it. Depending on the type of injury, I’d recommend you to take your Bass and yourself to a specialized doctor and show him your problem directly, so that he can figure out what specific training you need for your shoulder.
I was having another issue: My left pinky finger got an injury 10 years ago, and it was a pain to me when I started playing Bass until I got to an Orthopedist, with my Bass in my hands: I showed him where fretting is getting painful in my pinky finger. He then prescribed me a special training with an occupational therapist moving my fingers and training the pinky finger, and it got damn better. Had I not visited the doctor first, my finger’s damaged joint would have taken more damage because of not getting professional help.
End of the line: Before asking us non-medical staff, I’d recommend you to visit your doctor (who probably cared for your shoulder) because doing the wrong muscles with an injured shoulder can go TOTALLY wrong.
You need to talk to a healthcare professional who can check FIRST before recommending you individual, professional exercises.
This is Paul McCartney playing a left-handed bass. It CAN be a good solution to your shoulder issue and gives the fun you wanna have playing Bass IN HARMONY with your shoulder/your body.
There’s ALWAYS a solution to a problem, and I believe in you that you’re gonna find a solution to your shoulder.
Agree with @DLiqacy about seeking some professional advice. My right shoulder hasn’t been happy for about 8 months and initially I didn’t do anything other than try to rest it, but that didn’t help. I went through multiple treaters and fairly recently found an osteopath that has at least given me a better understanding and the reassurance of some exercises I can do. I don’t have full mobility, but pain is almost non existent most of the time now and it feels stronger.
Don’t know exactly what upset mine to begin with but I know too much computer time certainly didn’t help and may have been the cause. The lack of mobility meant it was difficult to play bass and basically impossible to play guitar as I couldn’t position my plucking / picking hand.
Like everything else, you’d start with your core. Usually, when I have a long session my back would feel a bit sore. A few sets of sit-up would do wonders.
The good thing about a TRX: it’s not only a very efficient & simple training method, but you can take it everywhere, which is great for travelling / touring…
A TRX-knock-off costs about 10-20€. Amazon is your friend (look for “suspension trainer”).
I do a combo of suspension type training for back, shoulders, core, and arms and kettlebell training for chest, legs, arms. The thing I like about suspension training is the dynamic movement involved, it’s great for working support muscles.
@Al1885 Got that and use it all the time while I’m working with a fidget spinner for my right hand.
I lift weights 3 days a week because I’m turning 52 this year, not because I play bass. I’m using muscles I wouldn’t be using otherwise and those muscles are the ones I’ll be relying on in future years. I don’t want to be that old guy with a walking frame!! Whether or not lifting weights has helped me with hanging a 4kg bass off my shoulder for hours, I wouldnt know. Just like putting savings in the bank for future years, I think of lifting weights as putting savings into my body for future years.
But that means that you might need quite a lot of space, right?
I’ll stick to TRX. It’s not only great for core exercices on the road (you can work almost any muscle - for strength and/or endurance) and you can make it as hard as you want to.
There are quite some excercises I had trouble with when I was very fit, and now I’m old and fat I can start slowly again. It really is suitable for all fifty shades of Chris-fitness!
