Physical fitness doesn't "look" artistic

[rolandm]

At the peak of GNR's existence, Duff wasn't in great shape like he is now.

To be sure, at the peek of their existence, he was almost dead.

 

[Gopherbassist]

Glenn Danzig
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Duff McKagan
Matt Sorum

All great musicians, who have also made a point of being physically fit.

Add George Lynch to that list. And all of Manowar. Tim Commerford was pretty fit in the 90's as well.

 

[FretNoMore]

I would think with the current health and fitness trend the audience would appreciate musicians who make the effort to be fit. I don't see a connection at all between being artistic and being unhealthy, quite the contrary really. Maybe it's some old myth about the struggling artist, but in reality your mind works better in a sound body and you have more energy for your artistry. A lot of the biggest touring artists are serious about working out and being in shape, just to cope with the physical effort of performing night after night.

 

[duff beer]

~Rock!

Hat's off to you, sir. Very impressive. Crossfit?

Mostly. I used to just lift "normally" and run for the longest time, but it's been a lot of Crossfit lately. It began one day when my workout buddy showed up (I have a basement gym) and couldn't stay long, so we knocked off 100 chin-ups and 200 pushups in 20 minutes and were hooked.

Now, we normally do about 2-3 Crossfit workouts a week which rarely take more than 30 minutes. I used to run half marathons, but now I just run a 5k loop in my neighborhood 2 or 3 times a week.

I'm also a big fan of World's Strongest Man and found an old tractor tire to flip around the yard, and will do Farmer's Walk up and down the stairs with 80 - 100 pound dumbbells.

 

[songwriter21]

I often wonder how many people on this site are weaklings when there is a new "I need a better strap" thread started every single week.

Hit the gym...a 10 pound bass is NOT too heavy if you're fit.

A-MEN.

 

[kedo]

For a small touring band, with no roadie support, some level of fitness is imperative. Amps, guitars, drums, cables, and effects aren't going to load themselves in and out night after night on 4 hours sleep. Being fit also means that your body recovers efficiently, leaving you able to do it all over again tomorrow.

 

[tbz]

The thing I find odd about this post is that, of the working musicians I've encountered, outside of a few folks that seem like exceptions, all of them are in better shape than your average office worker at a minimum.

Could just be because Los Angeles is really competitive and incredibly image conscious, but at least 80% of the folks I played with that were professionals worked out 2-3 times a week, spent a lot of money on clothing and haircuts, etc.

Personally, as others have mentioned, my bass related back and shoulder problems stopped entirely once I started working out myself. It's much easier to move cabs, etc.

 

[AMp'D.2play]

Surprised nobody's mentioned Trent Reznor yet.

 

[Mike11121]

Glenn Danzig
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Duff McKagan
Matt Sorum

All great musicians, who have also made a point of being physically fit.

Doyle - Physically fit? Without doubt! Great musician? Puleaase . . By his own admission he knows 3 chords, and has the notes taped to the back of his neck so he can find 'em.

Even he doesn't rate himself - check

Sorry - just noticed that Marco already said this . . .