Energy Expenditure in Rock/Pop Drumming

Abstract

Despite the vigorous nature of rock/pop drumming, there are no precise data on the energy expenditure of this activity. The aim of this study was to quantify the energy cost of rock/pop drumming. Fourteen male drummers (mean?SD; age 27?8 yrs.) completed an incremental drumming test to establish the relationship between energy expenditure and heart rate for this activity and a ramped cycle ergometer test to exhaustion as a criterion measure for peak values (oxygen uptake and heart rate). During live concert performance heart rate was continuously measured and used to estimate energy expenditure (from the energy expenditure vs. heart rate data derived from the drumming test). During concert performance, estimated energy expenditure (mean?SD) was 623?168?kcal.h?1 (8.1?2.2 METs) during performances of 38.6?15.6?min, and drummers achieved a peak heart rate of 186?16 b.min?1 During the drumming test participants attained 78.7?8.3% of the cycle ergometer peak oxygen uptake. Rock/pop drumming represents a relatively high-intensity form of physical activity and as such involves significant energy expenditure. Rock/pop drumming should be considered as a viable alternative to more traditional forms of physical activity.

Metabolic Demands of Heavy Metal Drumming

“…Calories expended were shown to have a mean of 518 kcal·hr -1 . This was lower compared to the rock/pop drum study, which reported an estimated 600 kcal·hr -1 (De La Rue et al, 2013). By comparison, a study which investigated the performance on of various styles of piano playing, found a mean VO2 of 8.65 ± 2.55 ml·kg·min -1 and 55% of the heart rate age predicted max reached.…”

“…Musicians generally possess athletic similarities, with repetitive movements and high oxygen consumption (VO2) demands. Oftentimes they require a high metabolic demand in order to perform their specific instruments in a fast-paced, long duration, and intermittent environment (De La Rue, Draper, Potter, & Smith, 2013;Holmes & Redding, 2001;Iñesta, Terrados, Garia, & Perez, 2008;Mulcahy et al, 1990;Nietzsche, Stutzig, Walther, & Siebert, 2015;Robertson, Federoff, & Eisensmith, 2010;Salvalaio, Silva, Pinho, & Pohlmann, 2011;Smith, Burke, Draper, & Potter, 2008). Due to the increased beats·min -1 of their genre's songs, a heavy metal musician must presumably sustain a particularly high metabolic rate when playing.…”

“…Due to the increased beats·min -1 of their genre's songs, a heavy metal musician must presumably sustain a particularly high metabolic rate when playing. Drummers require stamina, speed, and quickness within varying bouts of time with simultaneous use of the arms and legs (De La Rue et al, 2013, Salvalaio et al, 2011, Smith et al, 2008. Drumming has been classified as an intermittent movement activity with varying bouts of intensity (De La Rue et al, 2013;Tigerstedt & Olin, 1924).…”

“…These studies only looked at using one drum or cymbal and the results were later used to encompass the entire drum set. A later study looked more specifically at the oxygen cost (VO2) of Rock/Pop drumming and the energy expended while performing on a drum set (De La Rue, et al, 2013). They reported a large percentage of VO2 peak was reached while playing rock/pop music.…”

Real‐time biofeedback integrated into neuromuscular training reduces high‐risk knee biomechanics and increases functional brain connectivity: A preliminary longitudinal investigation

“…Another study (Amad et al, ) found significant functional connectivity changes following 24 sessions of drum training (three sessions per week for 8 weeks) with an n of 31 ( n = 15 training, n = 16 controls). As drumming is a cardiovascular‐demanding bilateral coordinative exercise (De La Rue, Draper, Potter, & Smith, ) (comparable to NMT more generally) and the study by Demirakca et al () was multimodal (i.e., cognitive, visual, and coordinative demands akin to aNMT), we aimed to enroll a similar number of participants in this preliminary investigation ( n ~ 30).…”