American DJ Cross-Fit Training:
American DJ Cross-fit Training:
You may not understand how being a DJ or a Musician can keep you in shape. Usually fitness and entertainment are rarely seen in the same light. It is a shame. Not everyone working in the entertainment industry is pampered with Limousines and Lear Jets. I have told people that it is a workout to load up a bunch of equipment and be on your feet all day. So to get myself ready, I developed American DJ Cross-Fit training. If you have minute, read on.
Before you can DJ an Event, some has to setup a bunch of sound and lighting equipment. Now unless you want to rent the equipment and pay someone to set it up, this task will fall to the DJ. This usually means you want to get there early, get everything set up, and then get cleaned up and change into some clean clothes. I did a quick search. I have DJ speakers that run 30 pounds, 45 pounds and 50 pounds each. Power amps can run 50 pounds or more. Add in mixers, lights and speaker stands and you have a full array of weights to lift while loading up, transporting, setting up, tearing down and putting everything back in to storage.
OK, enough sob story, what is American DJ Cross Fit Training. Well, to get myself into shape I decided to go to my storage locker, take out 2 Speakers that weigh 30 pounds each, and one that weighs 45 pounds, put them on a cart with a speaker stand and wheel them down to the loading dock. I then set up the speaker stand to its Highest Setting – 6 Notches and placed the 45 Pound Speaker on the Top of the Speaker Stand. The Speaker looked a little high off the ground for my taste, but this was about fitness first. I then loaded the two 30 Pounds Speakers into my car. I then took the 30 pound speakers out of the car and put them back on the cart, and then took the 45 pound speaker off the stand and put it back on the cart also. I then lowered the Speaker Stand down to 5 Notches and repeated the process. The 45 pound Speaker still looked too tall on the stand, so after loading and unloading the speakers on the stand and in the car, I lowered the speaker stand down to 4 notches.
Needless to say I was beginning to sweat, which was the whole point. Get myself into shape using my new found American DJ Cross-fit training. After loading the speakers into the car and onto the stand, the 45 pound speaker still looked too high off the ground. So, I took it down, and unloaded the car and put the speakers back on the cart. Lifting, bending, twisting and turning to load and unload speakers stepping down off the dock and then back up to load and unload the cart, and lifting the speaker over shoulder level to put them up on the stand. Then sizing up the speakers and doing it all over again. 4 notches still seemed too high off the ground for the 45 pound speaker. One more set at 3 notches then.
Step Up, Step down, Twist Turn, Lift and set down, all in the name of being a good DJ and Host for a wedding or a corporate event. Trust me, when the days are hot and long before you even get started, you want to be in good shape for the job ahead. Sometimes it means being on your feet for 8 hours while dressed in a Tuxedo, so you want to stay cool and dry. At the 3 notch-height looked just about right on the stand, so I repeated the process 5 more times; load two 30 pound speakers into the car and raise the 45 pound speaker up on the stand, take the 45 pounds speaker down and put it back on the cart, and then unload the car and put the 30 pound speakers back on the cart. Step up and Step down off the dock each time. Start sweating, take a deep breath and then back at it
To successfully complete a gig you have to load up your car fist, which is like a 30 minute workout in itself. Speakers, Amps, Lights, Stands, Cables, Mixer, Backup equipment all need to get loaded into your car or truck like solving a three dimensional Cube Puzzle. Then you have to transport your equipment to the location. This means avoiding traffic and construction zones so to be safe you always, always, always leave early. Then you have to unload and set up your equipment and test it all out. This is usually another 45 minutes to an hour of exercise. You then get to breath a sign of relief, freshen up and change clothes and be the ready to go before the 1st guests arrive. You then have to make those opening announcements, and hopefully get a chance to eat and then be on your feet for 4 to 6 hours throughout the event. When everyone else is leaving, you have to tear down and load up your car before you drive home. Then you are faced with the choice of loading everything back into storage that night or the next day. So all in all, you are talking (4) four 30 to 60 minute workouts and 6 to 8 hours on your feet.
OK, OK enough whining and back to the loading dock. After my sets of loading the 30 pounds weights, I mean 30 pound speakers into the car and putting the 45 pound speaker on the stand while adjusting the height between each set. And the repeating the process until I was happy, and then 4 or 5 more times for good measure; I reset the speaker stand to the original height of 6 notches. You see, I usually load the smaller speakers on the stand. So for my encore, I decided to load the 45 pound speaker into the car, and then put the 30 pounds speakers up on the stand (one at a time of course.) So now it was step down, load the car with the 45 pound speaker, step up, put one speaker on the stand, take it off, and switch to the other speaker, then reload the cart with the 30 pounds speakers and then step down and take the 45 pound speaker out of the car. Hey this is American DJ Cross Fit Training.
I remember talking to a drummer who told me he plays his drums for free, but he needs to get paid to move them around. I almost feel the same way. I DJ for free, but I get paid to put in the prep work. The setup and tear down and maintain all the equipment and making sure I have all the music ready to go and maintaining backups for the CD’s the Laptop and all the other stuff like amps and speakers.
So here I am on a lazy weekend afternoon in 80 degree heat loading and unloading my car with speakers and putting speakers up on a stand to take them back down. I would stop for a minute when I worked up a sweat and then right back at it. Phase One: Put the 45 Pound Speaker on the Stand and load the two 30 pounds speakers into the car; was done about 10 times. Then I switched it up and did Phase Two 5 times for good measure. Loading the 45 pounds speaker into the car and put the 30 pounds speakers up on the stand – one at a time, each time loading and unloading the cart. Yeah, it took about a solid hour but I wanted to over load the hour with more lifting than I would do in a weekend. Needless to say I was pretty tired and fairly sore for a couple of days after, but it is what it takes. Some weekends I may DJ two times from Friday to Sunday. So I might as well find a way to make getting ready fun.
American DJ Cross-fit Training: Let the games begin.
Homework!
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