Lesson 1: 
Pump It Up! 

Welcome to the first step of your guitar practice journey!

Wait, Pump it up what?

Your body of course. 😉

How ? 

By moving it! 🥳

At first glance, it might seem unusual to start a guitar course by focusing on movement. 

However, just as tuning your guitar is essential for producing beautiful music, tuning your brain through a bit movement is important for optimal mental performance and fast learning.

Kickstart Your Guitar Practice with Movement

Engaging in physical activity before you start playing isn’t just about getting fit—it’s about setting up your brain for success.

 A 30-minute session of exercise has been shown to significantly enhance cognitive functions like memory and focus. This is because physical activity increases blood flow in your brain, elevates levels of neurochemicals such as BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), and prepares both your mind and body for the demands of learning and practicing music.

By priming your brain with exercise, you're essentially ensuring that it's ready to absorb new information more effectively and maintain concentration for longer periods. This makes your practice time not only more efficient but also more enjoyable.

Please, check this little video to get a bit deeper on why moving your body is important for making you smarter : 

How Exercise Translates to Better Guitar Practice

Let's break down the benefits:

• Enhanced Blood Flow:
  
  Just like strumming a chord sends vibrations through a guitar, exercise sends waves of oxygen-rich blood to your brain. This increased circulation lights up your brain's activity, helping you nail those complex guitar tabs or remember chord progressions more easily.
  
  
• Boost in Neurochemicals:
  
  BDNF, often referred to as 'fertilizer for the brain,' plays a pivotal role in creating and strengthening neural connections. More BDNF means faster learning and better retention of musical skills.
  
  
• Physical and Mental Preparation:
  
  Exercise not only warms up your muscles, making them more flexible and less prone to injuries, but it also calms your mind, allowing you to focus deeply on your music without the usual distractions.
  
  

By priming your brain with exercise, you're essentially ensuring that it's ready to absorb new information more effectively and maintain concentration for longer periods. 

Optimal Exercise Duration and Types Before Practice: 

             Duration of Exercise:  

• There is no need to exhaust yourself in the gym, in fact way less than that is needed to reap the benefits for learning faster.  Aim for a total of about 30 minutes of exercise, mixing different types to maximize benefits without causing fatigue.
  
  Types of Exercise for a 30 Minute Sample Routine Before Practice : 
  
  
• Cardiovascular Exercises (10-15 minutes): Choose light to moderate activities such as brisk walking or cycling to elevate your heart rate and enhance blood flow.
  
  
• Yoga Routines (10-15 minutes): Focus on poses that improve flexibility and strengthen the muscles used in guitar playing, while also aiding in mental focus and stress reduction.
  
  
• Resistance Training (5-10 minutes): Engage in exercises that build strength in the arms, wrists, and shoulders, key areas for guitarists. You can engage in other body areas too, is not mandatory to focus on specific body parts.
  
  

             Best Exercise Timing : 

• Perform your exercise routine within one to three hours before starting your guitar practice to optimize cognitive functions and muscle memory, crucial for mastering complex guitar skills faster. 
  
  

             Balancing Intensity:

• Ensure the workout is moderate in intensity—energizing but not exhausting. This balance helps maintain mental alertness and physical readiness without leading to fatigue.
  
  

Remember that you are NOT forced to exercise before you play guitar every time, however is always a good idea to add some movement everyday not just for your physical body but for your mental abilities and get primed for learning. 

And if you already have a exercise routine, try experiment doing it before 1-3 hours and see how it works for you.  

Always experiment and find what works best for you! 🎸✨