Drumming away the calories

About ten years ago I had visited my doctor for an annual check-up.  Being a guy that has always fought weight issues, he decided to perform a bunch of exams to see how bad my "obesity" was affecting my health. He ordered blood tests, checked my thyroid, blood pressure, heart. You name it, and he checked it to prove just how unhealthy I was.

I returned for a follow-up to hear his prognosis, which I am sure he was looking forward to relaying to me. He flipped through my tests, and with each page turn I watched more confusion hit his eyes.

"OK, Mr. Larochelle. You don't have a thyroid problem, and your blood pressure is perfect, in fact it's better than mine. What are you doing?"

"I drum."

"No that can't be it" He responded as he flipped to the next page "and your cholesterol is lower than mine. How can that be?"

"I'm telling you Doc. I drum an hour every day."

"No, drumming isn't exercise. It can't be you are sitting down" he replied.

"Have you ever drummed before?"

"No"

"Then you don't know how much you move, how much you sweat, how high your heart rate goes" I replied.

Then I showed him what it's like to drum. I started to tap my feat (both of them) and move from left to right as though I was jamming around the kit.

"Do that for an hour every single day and see how good you feel."

"Well, you keep on drumming, because it seems to be working."

Many non-drummers would never guess just how many calories we burn while we bang on the tubs. For giggles I have been wearing a heart rate monitor and calorie counter for my past week of in home practices.  At times my heart rate hit 160% of my resting rate and I burn around 400 calories per hour doing what I love. And a 2008 study by Dr.  Marcus Smith of Chichester University in England proved that I am not the only one.

Smith found that during a performance, [a drummer's] heart averages between 140 and 150 beats a minute, peaking at 190. Levels comparable to other top athletes. But unlike top athletes who compete at this level for an hour three times a week, he found touring drummers are required to perform at these levels for up to two hours every single night. His conclusion after studying drummers such as veteran tub basher Clem Burke of Blondie "a drummer's fitness level needs to be outstanding."

Check out the full article here.

Now, I am not saying you should ditch your regular work-out routines. In fact the more exercise we do in our lives the better chances we will have at a longer healthier existence. What I am saying, is that when combined with your regular exercise regimens, drumming can really help you continue to burn calories. It should also remind us that what we do is a sport and properly warming up, drinking lots of water, and stretching will make our time on the kit that much better and more enjoyable.


*Jeremy is not a doctor. He doesn't even play one on TV. All workouts should be discussed with your health care professional. Even if they don't realize drumming is exercise.