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strength and Conditioning advice


Cathal Mac Reamoinn

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Hi all, 

Long-time reader, first time writer. 

I've been working now in the camera department for the last eight, maybe nine years and looking to progress into Steadicam. I'm currently waiting for courses to come on stream as it seems to be an invaluable experience before even thinking of buying a rig. My main concern is strength and conditioning and making sure I'm physically ready for it when courses come back in Europe. I'm a slight enough man, 5'10" , 72KG ( 10 stone) ,28 inch waist. Going to the gym and running coming back to regular as well as Pilates as was recommended by a Steadicam operator. Previously I flew a very light zephyr rig. Recently an operator let me practise with his ultra 2 rig. Still not anywhere near what many of you fly but I'd guess around the 20-24 kilo mark and I think my ability would have been hampered by my strength if I was to fly it for a long period. If anyone had any advice on exercises or rough indicators of what weights I should be comfortable squatting, running, tread milling backwards, etc I would appreciate it greatly. I've also seen some recommendations for judo and any sports and exercise that makes you conscious of masses attached to yourself. Any and all advice gratefully received. 


Le Meas
Cathal Mac Réamoinn

Ireland
 

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  • 1 month later...

Making sure the vest is fitted with proper posture is key! 

When I first started considering Steadicam, I was concerned I wasn't "fit enough", but once you get your first rig, the key is to simply spend time in it practicing. Start light and work your way up in weight. Repeat a shot for a min or two and then put it down. Then try doing the shot for longer, and slowly start doing longer and longer shots. Going from flying relative "lightweight" cameras on a Zephyr to larger builds on a big rig doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. Don't get discouraged! You know your body best, if you start to feel that your legs or core or whatever isn't as strong as you like, work out there. Personally I love cycling, so that's my exercise of choice! Drink plenty of water and stretch. Listen to your body and take breaks. Before you know it, you'll be flying big builds! 

 

Best of luck!

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/14/2021 at 4:12 PM, William L Christensen said:

A properly fitted vest and strict posture will get you further then you might think. Truly. That being said, cardio and core training will do wonders for your stamina.

Thanks William for taking the time to reply. From scouring the forum a properly fitted vest ( and high quality )  is what has been flagged all over. Would you have any suggestions for  what vest to get? 

From my going through the topics the DSD vest soons to be a lot of people's favourite. I'm a slight guy so I'm planning on going for a back mount. But if you have any thoughts or add on's I'd love to hear! 

 

On 10/26/2021 at 12:33 AM, Kevin Kisling said:

Making sure the vest is fitted with proper posture is key! 

When I first started considering Steadicam, I was concerned I wasn't "fit enough", but once you get your first rig, the key is to simply spend time in it practicing. Start light and work your way up in weight. Repeat a shot for a min or two and then put it down. Then try doing the shot for longer, and slowly start doing longer and longer shots. Going from flying relative "lightweight" cameras on a Zephyr to larger builds on a big rig doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. Don't get discouraged! You know your body best, if you start to feel that your legs or core or whatever isn't as strong as you like, work out there. Personally I love cycling, so that's my exercise of choice! Drink plenty of water and stretch. Listen to your body and take breaks. Before you know it, you'll be flying big builds! 

 

Best of luck!

Hi Kevin, 

Thanks for replying and giving such a breath of good advice! Cycling is a great idea that I hadn't really thought of ( I was imagining working the exact muscles) but I used to cycle a fair amount and it'd be lower impact on the knees! 

Thanks again to you both for taking the time out of your days to reply and give the advice to a newbie before I go and hurt myself. Have a fantastic 2022 

Le Meas, ( With respect in Irish)

Cathal Mac Réamoinn

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