Drummers 'Play As Hard As Premiership Footballers'

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A drummer is put through a workout which is the equivalent to playing a 90-minute premiership football match during a single concert, a new study has found.

The Study, carried out by Chichester and Gloucestershire Universities, measured former Blondie drummer, Chem Burke, during a 90-minute set.

It found that his heart rate climbed to the level of a professional footballer, and stayed there throughout the test.

Burke's heart rate averaged 140-150 beats per minute – but reached a peak of 190, scientists said. The drummer also burned an average of 600 calories per hour during the test.

'Extraordinary Stamina'

"If you looked at the heart rates of a Premiership footballer and Clem over 90 minutes, you wouldn't know which was which,” Dr Marcus Smith of the University of Chichester said.

"Footballers can normally expect to play 40 to 50 games a year. But in one 12-month period, Clem played 90-minute sets at 100 concerts."

He added that the test showed that drummers require an “outstanding” fitness level and “extraordinary stamina”.

The research will be used by the universities as a tool to help overweight youngsters improve their fitness.

Check out our gallery of the Great Drummers of All Time HERE.