Drummers as fit as elite athletes

A sports science report has shown drummers to be comparable in physical fitness to elite athletes, perhaps explaining why they favour the shirts-off look. The eight-year study honed in on Blondie skinsman Clem Burke, a personal favourite of Dr Marcus Smith from University of Chinchester. According to The Australian, Smith and a colleague Dr Steve Draper monitored Burke’s “oxygen uptake, blood lactate and heart rate in rehearsals and live performances”.

“For me, as a sports scientist, he is no different to the Olympic athletes I have worked with,” the doctor deduced. “He loses up to two litres of fluid in a performance, which is similar to a runner going out and doing 10,000m.” Burke’s heart-rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, though it could rise as high as 190 beats – which is the same level of exertion Cristiano Ronaldo reaches in a Premier League football game.

The moral of the story: if your parents hadn’t said no to that drum kit, you might now have abs. Time for them to pay.

These drums, however, do not count.

You need to be logged in to add comments... Login Now

There are 0 user comments