Drummers as Top Athletes: Exude Energy by Joining a Band

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Drummer Clem Burke from the popular band Blondie, says that drumming gives you not only the ultimate thrill, but the ultimate workout. While drumming, his heart rate gets raised to about 190 beats per minute, calling for an extraordinary stamina.

Clem Burke was asked to be a part of an experiment by Dr. Smith – Dr. and fan of the band Blondie. The project was aimed at helping overweight children with an outreach program that gives them alternative methods to lose weight than sport.

Burke was connected to equipment that monitored his heart rate, oxygen levels, as well as the amount of lactic acid in his blood. During a single performance, he found that Burke’s heart rate averaged between 140 to150 beats per minute, reaching its highest at 190 beats -equivalent to that of a professional athlete’s.

The difference is, says Dr. Smith, that even top football players are only expected to play once or twice a week, whereas with a band on tour, drummers are playing their hearts out every night at a different venue for months on end. For example, in a twelve month period, Clem played 90 minute sets at over 100 concerts. Football players on the other hand, only play about 40-50 games a year. And, they find it draining enough with the 2 times they have to play in one week.

It is fairly evident that drummers need to have extreme stamina, and that their fitness levels need to be extraordinarily outstanding. While monitoring Clem’s performance in controlled conditions, this led us to believe this statement to be true.

The project was conducted in conjunction with the University of Gloucestershire, and the University of Chichester. A drumming laboratory has now been established at the University of Gloucester, in hopes that more professional drummers will be tested. It is the first kind of facility ever built in the world.

Professor Edward Winter, a specialist in physiology proclaims that the physical challenge of playing the drums should not be underestimated. A man of Clem’s age probably exceeds the maximum heart rate predicted.

Rock drummers put out the most physical strength and energy, and it is usually apparent by the amount of sweat dripping down from their foreheads on stage.