Review: The Musician's Essential Exercises by Angela McCuiston
by H. Murray. May 8, 2020.
Angela McCuiston is a regular collaborator with corpSonore. She wrote a fantastic article “Debunking Weight Lifting Myths for Musicians” and was a recent guest on our podcast. McCuiston knows her stuff and has proven herself a trusted and reliable resource in the field of strength training and musician’s health and wellness. She recently released the revised copy of her book, The Musician’s Essential Exercises, and I was fortunate enough to receive a copy for review.
McCuiston speaks in real talk to her audience. She explains that this book is not intended as a scholarly work but as a resource for the living, working, moving musician. The WHY of this book is related as if she is speaking to a friend. It is easy to understand, funny, engaging and applicable, and full of optimism and enthusiasm for the material. I like that she says that this is a book to fix yourself, but that you don't have to be dealing with an injury or playing related issues to reap the benefits of this information. McCuiston also says, "this is not the be all end all of fitness for musicians…but what it is, are just the essentials." (15). She runs through some terminology, form, muscle groups, body awareness, and more in the first chapter in an easy to comprehend way.
This book covers everything from the basics of self-myofascial release, the equipment you’ll need, and where to get it. The pros and cons of different foam rollers and how to use Lacrosse balls to release tight muscles to stretching: How to stretch, when to stretch, how long to stretch, etc. and finally, “Activation, Correction, and Core exercises.” McCuiston’s approach to stretching is pragmatic and common sense: "If it doesn't feel tight, don't stretch it" (35). She also provides further reading sources, should you want to pursue thoughts on stretching for musicians more thoroughly. I’m a big fan of reading lists, so I appreciated this. I did all of the listed stretches, and they felt great. They are simple, easy, and require next to no equipment (a door frame, if you're near one).
In “Activation, Correction, and Core exercises,” the pictures and cues are so clear. My favorite exercises are the “Prone T’s and Y’s” and the “No Money Drills.” These exercises quickly uncovered some of my shoulder weaknesses. While filming Prone T's, I was shocked to see that my shoulders look wildly different even when they feel the same. The cues for squats were also beneficial. I might have done my first proper, well-aligned squats ever after reading this book. They were certainly more difficult than when I had done them mindlessly and with poor form.
The last chapter includes the “workouts” or how to sequence these moves on your own. I was so relieved to see this component included in the book! I was beginning to worry that I would be responsible for creating my movement diet, but McCuiston combines these movements into workouts that are clear and applicable to a variety of situations and outcomes.
Many of these exercises have been recommended to me in the past by physical therapists, my sports chiropractor, yoga instructors, and other movement specialists. I know the benefit of these moves and their importance for my health, especially for my musical career. What Angela has done so effectively is to compile them in an easy to access and understand format to use and reference, AND she has gone a step further and sequenced them. I like her tone, her cues, and her approach. It is not everything, but it is the essentials. You need this book if:
you are a musician who wants a long and healthy performance career.
you are someone who struggles with pain and discomfort and is looking for a way to manage or mitigate these sensations.
or you want to feel good every day.
The Musician’s Essential Exercises is available in print or ebook form from http://www.musicstrong.com/product-category/book/