No, playing drums does not help you to build your muscles. However, it does help you to strengthen the muscles you already have while also improving their endurance. The better your muscle strength and endurance, the longer you can play the drums without having to stop!
First up, we’ll go over the muscles that you use each time you play the drums. Then we’ll see how different playing styles affect how those muscles are used. Finally, we’ll explore how working out or playing certain sports can help you develop your drum-playing muscles even further.
Which Muscles Are Strengthened By Playing Drums?
The muscles you use while playing the drums include your shoulder muscles, the ones in your upper arm, forearm, wrist, and fingers. As you might imagine, all of these muscles are connected and work very closely with one another. You’ll also activate your calf and shin muscles to step on the bass drum and hi-hat pedals as well.
For example, the muscles in your upper arm are responsible for lifting and lowering your arm while you play drums. On the other hand, your forearm muscles help to move your wrists to wherever they need to be.
Each muscle group flexes and stretch differently depending on the kind of music you’re playing. High-tempo music, for instance, will require your muscles to move around more intensely.
That can be very tiring for newbies, though drummers with more experience would have already developed the muscle endurance to go for longer without stopping.
Does Playing Drums Strengthen Any Lower-Body Muscles?
Yes! Firstly, your core (the muscles around your stomach) is also activated while playing the drums. Besides that, you’re also using your calf muscles and the muscles on the front of your shin (tibialis anterior).
Your core muscles are activated whenever you hunch or straighten your back. As you might imagine, that could happen several times while you’re playing the drums, which means they get flexed more often than you might realize.
The muscles in your leg, such as your calf muscles and the tibialis anterior, are also being continually used to step on the bass drum and hi-hat pedals. Yet, one is used more than the other, depending on your playing style.
Suppose you were stepping on those pedals with a flat foot. If that’s the case, then you’re activating the tibialis anterior more than your calf muscle. However, some people step on those pedals with their heels up, which would do the complete opposite and stress the calf muscle much more.
Do Drumming Styles Affect Your Muscles Differently?
Different drumming styles will affect your muscles in different ways. High-tempo drumming will demand more endurance from your muscles because the movements are rapid and with little chance for them to rest. That’s also true for drummers who like making larger, more exaggerated movements as they play.
Slower and gentler drumming styles, on the other hand, place less of a demand on the upper- and lower-body muscles. Plus, it also gives those muscles a chance to rest and recover as you play, allowing you to go for much longer without stopping.
The same is also true for the muscles in your legs which you use to step on pedals. As mentioned earlier, stepping on pedals with your heel up will place more stress on your calf muscles. Doing the same with your whole foot flat on the pedal will use your shin muscles more, instead.
Anyone can work out in their apartment, but can you practice your drums in an apartment? For info, tips, and tricks on this check out this article: Can You Have A Drum Set In An Apartment?
What Type of Workouts Help Improve Your Drum Playing Muscles?
To be a better drummer, you should focus on workouts that improve your muscle endurance and your overall stamina.
Strength training will help you improve muscle endurance.
For this, you’ll want to lift lighter weights but with many more repetitions. Cardio workouts like running will improve your overall stamina, so you don’t run out of breath so fast when drumming.
As a drummer, you can continue lifting heavy weights if you’d like. Even though that will make you look much better, it won’t contribute directly to being a better drum player.
Does Muscle Mass Help When Drumming?
No, there is no relationship between muscle mass and being a better drummer. That works both ways: playing the drums won’t increase your muscle mass, and working out in the gym for more mass will not make you a better drummer.
Remember, when it comes to muscles and playing the drums, it’s all about endurance. Sure, there’s a bit of flexibility involved in it as well. But playing the drums increases muscle endurance, and better muscle endurance improves your drum playing.
Is Muscle Flexibility Important For Playing Drums?
Yes, muscle flexibility is crucial when it comes to playing the drums. There are two reasons for this. First, muscle flexibility will reduce the risk of injuries like pulled muscles and strains while playing the drums. Besides that, having flexible muscles will also ensure that you’re able to move your arms around freely without any discomfort.
The act of playing drums will naturally help your muscles become more flexible as a side benefit. However, you can also work to improve your flexibility on your own, and that will also help you improve your drum playing.
How Can You Build More Muscle Flexibility For Playing Drums?
You can gain more flexibility by stretching your muscles before and after playing drums.
Start by shaking all of your muscles to loosen them up. Focus on shaking your hands, arms, and wrists in particular. You can also do the same for your leg muscles which will be stepping on pedals as you play.
Once you’re all loosened up, here are some very basic stretches you can start with:
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Stretch your fingers out as far as they’ll comfortably go.
- Keep your palms flat and rotate them 45 degrees in both directions to stretch your wrist.
- For your leg muscles, stretch your hip flexors by lifting a leg and placing the outside ankle on the opposite knee. Keep your back straight, and don’t forget to repeat it for the other leg as well.
For all of these stretches, do them for 10 seconds at a time and repeat 3-4 times. It’s good to push yourself a little but never stretch beyond the point where it starts to hurt.
To keep your muscles flexible, perform these stretches as part of your warmup and cool-down.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, playing drums does not help you to build muscle. However, it does help you strengthen the muscles you already have and increase their endurance. Besides that, playing drums also contributes to making your muscles more flexible.
Still, it’s important to remember that all of this involves a feedback loop. Yes, playing drums increases muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. However, working out and stretching to increase muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility will also contribute to being able to better play the drums.
So, what’s the bottom line? Well, playing drums and working out both complement each other. If you’re a drummer, you now know how to work out to improve your drum playing. However, if you’re considering drumming as a way to build muscle, you might not get the results you’re looking for.