I read many scientific publications in my role as Chief of Infectious Diseases at Virginia Commonwealth University, as an epidemiologist, and as Editor in Chief of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology, but this article, on the energy expenditure during rock and roll drumming, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, was particularly intriguing to me and definitely caught my attention.
Bottom line: Drumming is a physical activity and can burn up to 600+ calories per hour during a performance.
I will keep this in mind and turn on the exercise calorie counter on my iWatch the next time I perform with Vagabond Dandies.
This publication confirms what we drummers already know, that a proper gig is physically draining.
