Rock Drummers Considered ‘Top Athletes’

Despite rockers’ (deserved) reputations for late nights, drugs, booze and women, a new study has found that rock drummers require the physical stamina of a (much harder working) top athlete to be able to play all the way through a show. Ninety minutes of drumming could bring a person’s heart rate to a thumping 190 beats-per-minute, and an hour concert can burn between 400 and 600 calories, says the BBC.

From the article:

“Footballers [soccer players] can normally expect to play 40 to 50 games a year – but in one 12 month period, [drummer] Clem played 90-minute sets at 100 concerts,” [says Dr. Marcus Smith, from Chichester University]

“Footballer find playing a Champions League game once every two weeks a drain, but these guys are doing it every day when they are on tour.

“It is clear that their fitness levels need to be outstanding – through monitoring Clem’s performance in controlled conditions, we have been able to map the extraordinary stamina required by professional drummers.”

So if you want the badassness of being in shape without all the stupid training, just pick up a pair of sticks and let ‘er rip.