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Hello,

I am studying to be a classical/operatic type singer. My voice type is Tenor. That is the male high voice (Like Mario Lanza, Luciano Pavarotti etc)

I would like to get into the whole Gym thing. I am just over 30 years old.

I just have a few questions, if someone can help elaborate.

1: Will gym training change my vocal range (make it deeper?) - I assume it wont unless I take it to the 'extreme' where Gym becomes my life. Only reason I ask this is because every 'huge' lifter I know has deep/hoarse/airy, whatever you wanna call it voices. Just look at Wrestlers, almost none of them can speak properly.

Not sure is that "You have to be on steroids for this to happen" or is that the nature of Gym regardless.

2: I read the problem for singing and Gym is that gym makes chest muscles stiff, and neck muscles get too big, which impacts the vocal folds inside, which then does not allow one to sing on the breath as fluently as everything is tight/stiff around the places where vocal production needs to be made. Is that due to 'strength' or 'size'?

3: I am generally more interested in strength building than size building. 2 types of routines one can do is Powerlifting or Olympic Weightlifting.

Given the 2... which one produces a better rounded person? Like very strong, but also flexible/movable etc, no stiff chest/neck etc which would impede the whole vocal production side of things?

I know most of this is probably going to be like "Well you are not gonna wake up 1 day and realise you are too big" etc etc... but I mean, as a long term plan...

I want to buy a home gym... and I figured better to know what routine I am going to undergo so that I know what equipment I need to buy to fit the program I use. No sense buying a incline/decline bench as an example if powerlifters/weightlifters don't use the incline or decline position (and so forth).

Just trying to work out overall, what will be best suited to have a nice built size, huge amounts of strength, so that as a singer on stage, I can look 'better' without it affecting my high range tonal production.

Lastly, so I do not create a whole new thread for it:

I am trying to understand the whole breathing part.

As a Singer, I must inhale air... stomach etc (feels like) all inflates. Air goes down, you can physically see a balloon through the shirt. So its very deep breathing, intercostal muscles are felt expand, lower back region supports it and it just feels like an open bag, like everything moves out of the way.

In weight lifting, is this the same type of breathing? I would assume that would give one a hernia. From past gym experience (perhaps I had wrong posture I do not know) it is like you tuck the belly in, and cut off that 'lower' support a singer needs, because if its all 'sticking out' down there, not good for gym and could lead to injury. I only ask this as I had read that singers and weightlifters use entirely different breathing/support.

Blowing air out as a weightlifter, sure, teh abs etc get tight, so do singers... but its that internal feeling that it feels like im filling my stomache up with air (as a singer) vs chest only (as a lifter). Hope that makes sense.

If I can get some feedback on this, would be truly appreciated. I am looking forward to getting started!

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Immediately after training your voice might sound a little strained due to the physical stress that you have just put the body through. Apart from that its not going to make any difference. I wouldn't be worried about having an overly thick neck, that takes years and years of hardcore training to develop with possible supplementation of Vitamin T.

I think if you treasure your joints than power lifting > olympic weightlifting but try it out and see what you like. The best program for you is one that you like and can stick to consistently over a long term.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

That covers my 1st question and sorta the 2nd.

Jungnaut - what did you mean by "I think if you treasure your joins than power lifting > Olympic weightlifting" - Are you saying Weightlifting going to wreck the Joints? I don't want bone damage so when Im older I end up with arthritis and other issues...

Well just question 3 and 4 left if someone can help me make some decisions.

3: I am generally more interested in strength building than size building. 2 types of routines one can do is Powerlifting or Olympic Weightlifting.

Given the 2... which one produces a better rounded person? Like very strong, but also flexible/movable etc, no stiff chest/neck etc which would impede the whole vocal production side of things?

And last was about the whole breathing part in gym.

Thanks :)
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