Carrying a heavy camera over a long period of time can seriously damage the back

These days it is pretty rare that we, as Cameramen, have any spare time on our assignments to squeeze in a workout. If we get any down time at all we generally just need to catch up on our sleep. But once in a while we find ourselves with an afternoon or evening to kill, maybe you’re waiting for a flight back home or have a gap between working on two different stories. On these occasions I usually reflect on how bad my diet has been for the last few days and suddenly realize that my back is aching after twelve hours hunched over a laptop, curled up like a pretzel. When that happens it’s time for a workout. I find it’s important to keep the back strong and the muscles stretched. As a breed Cameraman suffer a disproportionately high amount of bad backs. Since the age of twenty-three I’ve been fighting with recurring back pains that often mean I have to pop anti-inflammatory drugs just to get through the day. I’ve got a slightly bulging disc in my lower back and often have problems sleeping as the muscles spasm and go rigid when I lay down. I’ve found the best way to fight the pain and lose the dependence on drugs has been exercise.

At present I’m training four times a week following a system known as P90x. It is a tough workout and I’m really seeing results. For it to work though you need either weights or rubber resistance bands and a pull-up bar – items that aren’t high on the Cameraman’s packing list when going away. It’s because of this that I’ve decided to put together a routine that can be done in a hotel room or an edit suite just using your own body weight or items that are to hand. There is no point putting together a complicated “split routine” as when you are working away your training is going to be infrequent and you need to be able to do it in a hurry. I’ve tried to include video clips of most of exercises to demonstrate exactly how they should be done.

The warm-up:

It is important to always warm up. Never stretch a cold body.

- Jog on the spot for one minute

- Twenty Jumping Jacks

- Ten front lunges on each leg – do these gently and at medium pace

- Arm circles – medium size – thirty seconds in each direction. This should be done slowly and with control. You should really feel the burn in the shoulders.

The Stretch:

Ok, now you’re warm it’s time to stretch. It’s important to feel these stretches without over reaching and pulling a muscle.

- Shoulders, pull them across your chest – ten seconds on each arm

- Triceps stretch, like you’re trying to scratch your back – ten seconds on each arm

- Quadriceps stretch – fifteen seconds on each leg – stand straight, keep your hips square

- “The cat to Dog pose” – This Yoga stretch is great for the back, aim to do five breaths in and five out switching between cat and dog

- “Upward Dog to Downward Dog” – three times holding for ten in each position. Another important Yoga stretch that really helps the back.

- Basic hamstring stretch – stand up straight with feet more than shoulder width apart. Gently bend over and reach down until you can touch your toes. Feel it in the hamstrings but don’t push too far. Let your lower back relax. Hold for ten to twenty. Come up and then repeat the stretch trying to go a little further.

The Workout:

Ok now we are ready get busy. You need to push yourself to get the best from this workout and keep your transitions between exercises short so that you are keeping your heart rate high.

Free Squats – Deep and slow. As many as possible. If you are beginning aim for twenty. If you are already working out then you should aim for between thirty and forty.

Press Up’s – Good old fashioned basic exercise. Do them slow and aim to touch your chest to the floor on each rep. Beginners should do ten, the rest of us should be looking to do twenty or thirty here.

Superman’s – This exercise strengthens your lower back. You need to lie on your front and reach out ahead of you like Superman. Your hips should also be off the ground so that you can feel your lower back. Hold this for ten seconds, relax for five and then repeat. Aim to do four ten count holds with five seconds between each one.

Front Lunges – alternate legs – This is similar to the exercise you did in the warm up but this time try and explode up from the lunge back to the start position making this more of a plyometric exercise. Aim for ten on each leg building up to twenty as you get stronger.

Side Tri Rise – Roll onto your left side and place one hand under your armpit and push up as many times as possible using that arm. This is an awesome triceps exercise. Aim for ten if you are just beginning otherwise you should be doing twenty here. Once you’ve maxed out then roll over and swap arms.

Crunches – classic abdominal exercise. Aim for twenty, rest for five seconds and repeat. Keep them slow and controlled.

Pike Shoulder Press – Assume the “Downward Dog” Yoga position and then use your shoulders to push up and down like a press-up. This is a good exercise for strengthening the shoulders. Aim for ten.

You’ve now finished Round One. At this stage you have a choice depending on how much time you have or how hard you want to push yourself. You can either repeat the pre workout stretch and go and call it a day or you can do Round Two which is just another cycle through of the Routine. You can do as many Rounds as you like, just be sure to finish off with the stretch and to drink plenty of water.

This routine is only a guide, I hope that after reading it and learning the exercises you will feel free to change them and incorporate other exercises that work for you. It is so important in our job that we keep fit and make sure that our backs and shoulders are capable of the dealing with the intense strain that we place on them every day.

I’m not a personal trainer and this routine has been put together purely from experience. I welcome any feedback. Please be aware that I cannot accept any liability for injuries caused after reading this article.