Drummers Get a Great Workout!

Rock drummers, some claim, are finely tuned athletes, as fit as any long-distance runner. But to get your head around that idea, you'll have to put aside all sorts of assumptions and stereotypes.


First, forget “Spinal Tap,” that hilarious mockumentary in which all of the band's besotted drummers perished mysteriously, such as in a gardening accident or by spontaneous combustion.
Forget, too, '70s icons John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of the Who, whose extended drum solos were seemingly fueled not by a well-developed cardiovascular system so much as by, well, pharmaceuticals.
Consider instead: A recent study by two British sports scientists measured the heart rate, oxygen consumption, lactic acid buildup and peak endurance of Blondie drummer Clem Burke over a 10-year period ending in 2007 to find out just how much energy he used in a gig.
The researchers from the University of Chichester and the University of Gloucestershire found that Burke's exertion rate during a 1½-hour concert equaled that of a 10K runner or a professional soccer player. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, reaching as high as 190 beats. He burned an average of 600 calories per performance and averaged about 2 quarts in lost fluids.
In short, banging on the skins is quite a workout. “Live rock drumming performance relies heavily upon the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,” Smith wrote on the researchers' Web site, www.clemburkedrummingproject.com.
By Sam McManis • McClatchy Newspapers • November 26, 2009