Training for Corps

[drummer5485]

If you're interested in doing Cavaliers just chill out, take long water breaks, and practice your comedy chops.

[TRacer]

I was a cross county/track and soccer athlete in both junior high school and had been in marching band since 7th grade so my conditioning was okay before I started. As I got older (19-20-21) I added the following routines in addition to running 10K races and so on:

-- Bench pressing & push ups

-- Tricep dips (the ones you can do using two benches)

-- Inverted butterflies using those special boots you can put on so you hang upside down from a pull up bar. Began with two sets each at 20 pounds with weights in each hand, and repeated the same exercise up to 35 and sometimes 40 pounds on my good days. Remember, that's inverted.

-- In SCV one of their marching block exercises was marking time 101 counts & halting, and if you effed up everyone did it all over again. I took this a step further and would hold a barbell in front of me (I unfortunately played a DEG baritone every year I marched) with the barbell in the same orientation as a horn in playing position. Back up against a wall or wall mirror to check posture...step forward 4 steps at 8 to 5...mark time 101 counts & halt..."flip" weight down...back up to wall...put down weight and rest 5 minutes...increase barbell weight 5 lbs. & repeat. I did this over and over again and at my peak I was up to doing the 101 count MT using a 40-lb dumbell; after that holding a baritone wasn't so bad.

I also ran a lot on tour before lights out or before rehearsal....I remember in 1983 getting up at 4 AM, and running to our rehearsal site then back to my housing buddy's place; total round trip was 17 miles and I then went to our 9-9 rehearsal after that. I also got chased by a pack of a half dozen dogs while on a 5 mile run when SCV was in PA for Allentown '84; that was a scare I haven't forgotten.

Edited March 28, 2013 by TRacer

[Dan-Z]

I was a cross county/track and soccer athlete in both junior high school and had been in marching band since 7th grade so my conditioning was okay before I started. As I got older (19-20-21) I added the following routines in addition to running 10K races and so on:

-- Bench pressing & push ups

-- Tricep dips (the ones you can do using two benches)

-- Inverted butterflies using those special boots you can put on so you hang upside down from a pull up bar. Began with two sets each at 20 pounds with weights in each hand, and repeated the same exercise up to 35 and sometimes 40 pounds on my good days. Remember, that's inverted.

-- In SCV one of their marching block exercises was marking time 101 counts & halting, and if you effed up everyone did it all over again. I took this a step further and would hold a barbell in front of me (I unfortunately played a DEG baritone every year I marched) with the barbell in the same orientation as a horn in playing position. Back up against a wall or wall mirror to check posture...step forward 4 steps at 8 to 5...mark time 101 counts & halt..."flip" weight down...back up to wall...put down weight and rest 5 minutes...increase barbell weight 5 lbs. & repeat. I did this over and over again and at my peak I was up to doing the 101 count MT using a 40-lb dumbell; after that holding a baritone wasn't so bad.

I also ran a lot on tour before lights out or before rehearsal....I remember in 1983 getting up at 4 AM, and running to our rehearsal site then back to my housing buddy's place; total round trip was 17 miles and I then went to our 9-9 rehearsal after that. I also got chased by a pack of a half dozen dogs while on a 5 mile run when SCV was in PA for Allentown '84; that was a scare I haven't forgotten.

Thanks for the tips! Elaborate on the dog story? That must have been one heck of a day.