building strength for a HH shoot

[Ian Coad]

in 5 weeks i'll be operating/dping my 9 day thesis shoot. the camera will be split between hand held, steadicam and a few locked down shots. the primary camera will be a GII, lenses will be primos. this will not be light, so i've been hitting the gym harder than my usual routine, eating more protein, etc.

 

my question is - for those who operate w/ bigger cameras - what are some pointers to get myself primed to the best extent possible. is it core strength, or a strong lower back? should i simply weigh down a 2x4 on my shoulder - maybe attach a lazer pointer on it and try to keep it on a dot on the wall. i guess i'd just like to know what works well for others.

 

thanks a lot.

 

- ian.

[WaiHoong]

in 5 weeks i'll be operating/dping my 9 day thesis shoot. the camera will be split between hand held, steadicam and a few locked down shots. the primary camera will be a GII, lenses will be primos. this will not be light, so i've been hitting the gym harder than my usual routine, eating more protein, etc.

 

my question is - for those who operate w/ bigger cameras - what are some pointers to get myself primed to the best extent possible. is it core strength, or a strong lower back? should i simply weigh down a 2x4 on my shoulder - maybe attach a lazer pointer on it and try to keep it on a dot on the wall. i guess i'd just like to know what works well for others.

 

thanks a lot.

 

- ian.

 

I'm a student and also a bodybuilder... used to think like you...doing workouts to improve for handling heavy camera..in my opinion workout do help but you don't have to make those workouts bodybuilding-like....

all you have to do is to load weights heavy enough to a barbell...load it behind your neck and walk back and forth for stamina...also..do some squats ....better than just training your lower back alone for the benefit of your leg...

for shoulder, pick a good weight...for couple of sets with 5 slow repetitons and 2 power-pauses( for about 10 sec each, complete the pause by lifting weights up)...

 

The last...is to be accustomed...i handled small and big cams b4 ...honestly, even a small one can be tiring if you are carrying it for a whole day or extended hours...however, after 2 to 3 days, you will be quite steady...

my first and second days of big cam were shaky...

[Brian Drysdale]

My understanding is body building and fitness are two different work outs. The former being large weights with fewer repetitions whilst fitness is more repetitions with smaller weight (not to say they can't be pretty heavy).

 

I've a feeling that regular hill walking for a few miles with a back pack would be good exercise for a lot of camera work.

[WaiHoong]

My understanding is body building and fitness are two different work outs. The former being large weights with fewer repetitions whilst fitness is more repetitions with smaller weight (not to say they can't be pretty heavy).

 

I've a feeling that regular hill walking for a few miles with a back pack would be good exercise for a lot of camera work.

 

Brian is right too...bodybuilders do combine both bodybuilding and fitness...to be big and ripped...however, a good cameraperson doesn't need to be ripped..haha..backpack running can be effective according to Brian.. so train smart and also adaptation is important as well..

[Chad Stockfleth]

Another thing you might want to try is making what I believe is commonly called a "Buddha Belly". You can see Chris Doyle using one at the 4:15 mark in this video:

 

Seems easy enough to make.