Rock ‘N’ Roll Gym Rats: 10 Musicians Who Are Fitness Buffs

When you're a rock star, it sure helps to look good. There's photo shoots, videos and album covers to consider after all. Not to mention the practical side of being fit while rocking out: putting on a live rock show is serious cardio.

Today, Noisecreep has compiled a list of rockers who love to work out.

Phil Collen, guitarist for Def Leppard

Collen is probably best known for two things: being a guitarist in legendary, mega-selling rock act Def Leppard and for performing live shirtless. In fact, we can't recall the last time Collen actually performed a Def Lep show while wearing something covering his abs. Collen keeps his core trim thanks to mixed martial arts. Awhile back, Collen let us film him during one of his serious sweat sessions.

Bruce Dickinson, singer for Iron Maiden

Dickinson can do no wrong in the collective eyes of the Noisecreep staff. But imagine our surprise when we learned he's an expert at fencing! What could be more metal than that? Dickinson took up fencing when he was a young teen and his been with the sport ever since. He was highly ranked in Great Britain during the '80s and still fences several times a week. He says the sport keeps both his body and mind in shape.

John Joseph

Flea, bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers

Lots of people take up distance running because the sport doesn't require a lot of gear, produces great results and provides ample time to clear the mind. Flea took up running after reading the book Born to Run. He decided to run to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, based in Los Angeles, Calif. Flea raised the cash during the L.A. Marathon. Flea founded the school in 2001, which teaches around 700 students a year. At least 200 study for free each year, so Flea spends a lot of time raising money to keep the music-focused institution going.

Manowar

Alice Cooper, singer

No article about rockers and fitness is complete without mention of Alice Cooper. These days everyone knows Alice Cooper as much for his golf prowess as they do his shock-rock sensibilities. Cooper is a scratch golfer and plays as much as possible, including while on tour. Cooper credits golf with helping him overcome an alcohol addiction. Turning his passion into profits, Cooper cashed in on his love of golf by becoming a celebrity spokesperson for golf brand Callaway.

John Mikl Thor

Bret Michaels, singer for Poison

No genre of metal puts more emphasis on looks than glam. It makes sense then that Bret Michaels, singer of Poison, works hard to keep his body in top form. Michaels keeps his washboard stomach in check by weight training. He even takes a gym with him while touring! He also does sit-ups during downtime, runs and bikes. It isn't all cosmetic, though. Michaels has suffered from juvenile diabetes for most of his life. Working out help keeps his diabetes in check. Still, diabetes or not, there's a reason Michaels posed for Playgirl all those years ago.

John Petrucci

Ray Cappo