Best Exercises for Cameramen

Best Exercises for Cameramen

You can do simple workouts for your flexibility and strength, even in the smallest of hotel rooms. I do these every morning and do every exercise for thirty seconds, as I don't have the patience to do them for longer. If you find that you are getting frequent stiffness, aches, and general discomfort in your back, shoulders, hips, or legs, try a series of deep tissue massages with a good physiotherapist who should be able to pinpoint the areas that need work. He will also correct any bad posture problems that you are developing from shooting. Tell him what you do and how you stand and work throughout the day. He will pinpoint the areas of your body that need work done to them. A key problem for cameramen is that they lean over the camera all day as well as supporting the camera on their shoulder for hand held work. It's this combination that can affect your posture and lead to back problems.

Kneel on the floor with your arms supporting you and your back flat. Then simply push your back upward so there is an arch in your spine. Hold for 30 seconds.

A good one to help relieve a day of filming and any stiffness in your lower back. Lie on the floor and twist your left leg over to the right-hand side of your body while your left arm remains pointed out to the left side. Do the same for your other side; 30 seconds on each side should do it.

Stand upright with your legs slightly apart. Slide your left hand and arm down your left side to around the knee area, lifting your right arm up as you go. Hold for 20 seconds, then breathe out and push down a bit fur- there for the next 10 seconds. Repeat for the other side. This is very good to increase your flexibility.

Leaning over cameras all day combined with handheld shooting will do nothing for your posture. And bad posture can lead to back problems. This exercise helps correct round shoulders and pulls them back into line. Stand upright, place your hands on the back of your hips, and push your shoulder blades backward. Hold for 30 seconds.

Stand up straight, hand on right hip, and lean your neck across to the right. Hold for 30 seconds, come back to the upright position, and do the same for the other side.

Oana is an active user of Lacartes.com - a business network for people looking to connect with friends and meet people with similar interests and share photos, updates, reviews and more.


Cameraman