Have you ever seen a show where the singer gives a high energy performance and come back in after a solo completely out of breath? Panting, they make their way through the rest of the song and seem to have a lot of difficulty with their vocals. Maybe they tone it down for the rest of the set, maybe they keep it up and give an extremely good stage performance but a poor vocal performance, either way there is one problem that dogs them and it could have been avoided and can be fixed.

A high energy show requires high energy.

The fact is, these singers, and most musicians really, need to hit a gym on a regular basis and improve their diets. While not out of shape, per say, they are lacking the stamina to perform at that level without getting winded. The rock n’ roll lifestyle may not be conducive to the health and fitness lifestyle, but it can help on two fronts:

• Improved stamina on stage
• Offsetting the unhealthy habits that often come with the musician’s lifestyle.

The other part of the stamina equation is pacing. If you can improve your stamina, you can give more to your performance, but if you give 100% right off the bat you’ll burn out just as fast. While it’s admirable to give your all to a performance, you only have a limited amount of steam before you run out. The rule of thumb is to “end big” or save your best for last. That’s the formula for success in this business and the reason why you need to save something for the end.

Putting these two factors together should net excellent results. Improving your physical condition can reduce the impact of what might have been your best, allowing you to perform and maintain at that level and still have something left for the end; in other words, what might have been you at 100% might now be you at 60%.

Performers of all stripes make their health and fitness a high priority for just this reason. Henry Rollins is known for recounting how hard he trains for tours and important shows, and as a result he has been able perform shows with very high energy levels while most of the musicians that were his hardcore peers have gotten out of the business for milder lives.

In short, keep in shape to keep from burning out. It’ll improve your stage presence more than you’d expect.