🎙️ The voice is a muscular art ~Lady Gaga and a 92-year-old tenor prove the truth about "inner muscle vocalization"~
- vocolab2023
- Jan 23
- 4 min read
💬 Introduction: "Will training my throat not improve my singing?"
In Hollywood and many other vocal methods, vocal techniques that directly train the vocal cords (throat muscles) are common. For example, pitch control and vibrato practice are certainly close to "throat manipulation."
However, no matter how much you train your vocal cords, your voice will not be stable if you cannot use the muscles that support breathing, i.e., your core (inner muscles).
The throat is a place that produces sound, not a place that supports the voice.
🧠 The "invisible muscles = inner muscles" that support your voice
The following muscle groups form the foundation of singing:
📊 Major Respiratory Muscles and Their Functions
Muscle Name | Main Role | Work in singing |
Transverse abdominis (Transversus Abdominis) | The deepest layer of the abdomen. It wraps around the internal organs like a corset and stabilizes the expiratory pressure. | The contraction is strongest when singing high notes, supporting the breath without holding it too tightly. |
Internal and external oblique muscles (Obliques) | Fine-tuning your exhalation and stabilizing your core | "Exhalation brake" to adjust voice volume and intonation |
diaphragm (Diaphragm) | Descends during inspiration to expand the lungs | Maintain a certain amount of tension even after inhaling, providing support in opposition to the abdominal muscles |
When these muscles work in coordination, they create "breath support" - the foundation for your voice .
Scientific evidence has shown that the transversus abdominis muscle is the most important muscle for controlling exhalation during phonation (Misuri et al., 1997) , (Cresswell et al., 1992) .
🎥 [Video Comparison] What it means to sing using your core muscles
🎬 Lady Gaga
If you watch Gaga. you can see that her voice remains steady even during intense training. The reason for this is that her abdominal and back muscles are constantly working steadily .
✨ Gaga's vocal characteristics
When you inhale, your chest doesn't rise, but your lower abdomen expands (diaphragmatic breathing)
🎵 When you sing high notes, your abdomen naturally tightens and your throat relaxes.
⚖️ A form in which the center of gravity of the whole body falls on the lower abdomen, and the body "supports the sound"
In other words, Gaga controls her voice mainly through her respiratory muscles , and her vocal cords are simply "resonating" without exerting any force.
🎬 Angelo Loforese
On the other hand, in the video of the 92-year-old tenor Loforese, we can see that his entire body remains perfectly stable, with only movement of his abdomen.
Like Gaga, he controls his breathing by subtly contracting his transverse abdominal muscles without pressing on his throat. This breathing control is based on "muscle memory," a testament to the skill that comes from years of training.
🧩 Finding common ground
Gaga (dynamic support) + Loforese (static support) = "trunk-led vocalization"
🏋️♀️ Why vocal muscle training alone isn't enough
A common misconception among many people is that "if you train your throat, you can make your voice grow."
❌ Even if you strengthen only your vocal muscles...
😰 Unstable breathing pressure causes sound to waver
😣 High notes make my throat choke
😩 My throat gets tired when I sing for a long time
We face limitations such as:
🔑 Why?
This is because the vocal cords are passive organs and cannot vibrate without the energy of breath.
In other words, without the support of breath (i.e., the power of your inner muscles) , no matter how much you train your vocal cords, they will not be able to perform at their best.
💪 VOCOLAB "VOCALFIT™︎" Proposes a New Standard
VOCOLAB uses the "VOCALFIT" program, which combines vocal training with muscle training. This training actively trains the respiratory muscles (transverse abdominis and oblique abdominal muscles) while linking these sensations to vocalization.
📚 Scientific evidence
Research also shows that:
✅ Expiratory muscle training improves transversus abdominis reactivity (Sugimoto et al., 2018)
✅ Respiratory muscle thickness and strength improve vocal stability (Ishida et al., 2017)
It's a truly scientifically-backed approach.
🌬️ Voice is the "art of designing the atmosphere"
🎨 Three Elements of Vocalization
🎤The throat "makes sounds"
💨Respiratory muscles "support sound"
🧘 Posture and core "stabilize the sound"
In other words, vocalization is the art of breathing through the respiratory muscles .
Lady Gaga practices the "art of breathing through inner muscles" through dancer-like full-body movements, while Loforese practices static muscle control.
🎯 Summary: What is true vocal training?
🔄 Two approaches
Vocal muscle training (Hollywood style) = "Manipulating sound"
Inner muscle training (VOCALFIT style) = "Supporting sound"
Both are important, but without support the operation is meaningless .
Just as you need to stabilize the piano before hitting the keys, your voice will not resonate without the ``foundation muscles.''
💎That's why──
🎵"Singing is not just training your throat, it's re-educating your body"
This is a truth shared by Gaga, Loforese, and VOCALFIT.
Please come andexperience VOCALFIT !
