At 58, John Rzeznik has no time to relax, on stage or in the gym. The Goo Goo Dolls frontman still has a lot of music to make and thousands of fans to show up for almost. Most importantly, he has to be the best version of himself for his young daughter who will need her father to walk her to school every morning.
And in terms of looks, watching him onstage rocking a fancy while belting out dozens of rock classics the band has delivered since the ’80s, Rzeznik’s still-shredded biceps at this age are the antithesis of the fathers of similar age who choose to cover up their father’s body. And the best is yet to come, says the ageless artist. By his own admission, Rzeznik is leaner, stronger and PRing in the gym today, a feat his 25-year-old self could never accomplish.
He’s also cleaner, giving up alcohol and drugs and opting for Whole Foods over some RedCon1 MREs while on the road.
“I mean, I stopped drinking and smoking, I even stopped eating a lot of crap,” he says. “I’ve just gotten a lot more experience with how to take care of my body and exercise and diet and I’m trying to do a little bit of stress relief and trying to get my head together like that. But the most important thing is the training because I’m 58 now, in my 30s it was much easier to recover.”
More than 25 years since the Buffalo-based alt rockers tore up the charts with their classic album ‘Dizzy Up the Girl’, Rzeznik is still rocking top tunes like ‘Slide’ and ‘Iris’ and has plenty planned world tours in February in Australia and New Zealand. To perform at his best the night after requires a consistent workout schedule every day, regardless of city, keeping his diet relatively clean and keeping his voice in tip-top shape.
And as one of rock’s greatest politicians, Rzeznik looks to other icons as motivation to stay in shape and play as long as fans keep packing the venues.
“I mean, we got to tour with the Stones [in 1989]”, he remembers. “I was watching [Mick] one night and this guy pulled his shirt up, and I was like, How do you do that? Then it was just crazy. But I don’t understand why I can’t go to 70.”
It’s all in Routine
Before a pair of platinum albums, “A Boy Named Goo” and “Dizzy Up the Girl,” turned them into global superstars, Rzeznik and the rest of the band were a bunch of twentysomethings from Buffalo driving from gig to gig in an old used car. van. Despite the less-than-ideal surroundings back then, Rzeznik would still make it a priority to find a gym—preferably free—when he went to any college town and get in a good workout, as well as a bathroom.
“We were young, then it looked like we were going to college there,” Rzeznik recalls. “So we would literally go to a college campus. get in and go use the gym. Then we took a shower there because we were driving around in a truck, we were stinking most of the time.”
Now, when he travels in the band’s upgraded mode of transportation, Rzeznik brings along the essentials for the trip: PowerBlock dumbbells, a pull-up bar. Despite maintaining his ripped physique, eating right is a challenge, he says his staple on the road is usually a roast chicken and microwaved sweet potatoes (he also brings a chef’s knife to help carve the bird) . “The hard part is eating while on the road,” he admits.
Although Rzeznik can afford 5-star luxury and amenities, his first choice remains old school. “I’m a total fan of the meathead gym because you always have a squat rack,” he says, “and they’ll always have a place to just lift big.” His travel workout routine is simple and non-negotiable: Pick up his rental car, find a Whole Foods to stock up on chicken (with a steak thrown in every now and then), then Google the best local gyms in the area and Do It training. It is not only to get his body in order, but also to get his head right before the execution.
“I’ll eat something, go to the gym and then shake it off—that workout usually gets the blood moving as well as knowing I kept the commitment to myself,” she says. “That usually gets me out of it and then come show time, it’s a lot easier.”
When it comes to training, Rzenik still sticks to the classic one body part per workout routine. Sometimes he’ll create a workout based on one of his favorite online fitness personalities. “I love Jeff Cavaliere and AthleanX, he says. “I like to sometimes do like hybrids of his workouts.”
More often than not, though, he’s created his own version of high-volume training—100 reps per exercise. Whether it’s bicep curls or dumbbell rows, according to Rzeznik, the goal is to reach the century mark with as little rest as possible. It may take a few breaks and a few breaths, but the singer hits the mark and feels the burn.
Doing 100 reps is an acquired workout, he says, but the results speak for themselves. For a singer pushing 60, he’s putting up numbers the 30-year-old Goo Good Dolls singer could never achieve. His proudest achievement so far is hitting double-digit pullups after 50.
“I’m stronger than ever,” he boasts, “I couldn’t do a pullup then, now, 25 years later, I can knock out 10.”
Jenn Curtis / IG: @jenncurtisphotography
According to John Rzeznik, a good singer requires a good set of glutes
If you’ve seen a Goo Goo Dolls concert recently, you may have noticed that Rzeznik has barely lost a step in his high-energy musical rhythm, though he admits the band needs a day off after three straight days of shows. He usually uses a heart rate monitor to track his progress on stage, which sometimes doubles as not just a concert for thousands of fans, but a physical and cardiovascular workout.
“For most of the show, I’m kind of up, at about 70% max heart rate, so I’m really doing cardio while I’m singing,” she says.
Despite the high-intensity performance he brings, his training is a little different from your average athlete. However, a musician does occasionally experience wear and tear injuries. For Rzeznik, he’ll normally check in with a physical therapist to deal with the occasional tennis elbow he’s developed from years of playing guitar that might flare up, or some knee pain from the constant stage running back and forth. Nothing out of the ordinary.
However, one element of fitness that is unique to musicians—especially singers—is keeping the vocal cords healthy. It’s another level of training that Rzeznik had to master in order to continue to perform at a high level. Although for the average douche-singer, a few octave exercises may seem like enough, Rzeznik works nearly an hour a day keeping his voice strong with both vocal exercises.
To maintain the musical prowess he has possessed for almost five decades, Rzeznik must train his vocal chords, with the help of vocal coach Eric Vetro. “He’s incredible,” she says. “I learned to do all these crazy core workouts, you know, because it’s like when you sing, you use diaphragmatic breathing and you have to have a strong core.”
Surprisingly, voice training for Rzeznik is more than voice work. A strong singer requires a strong back. Yes, the glutes and core work. “Have you ever watched a concert film?” Rzeznik asks. “There are a lot of guys who just stand there and sing and start sweating. And you say, Why is this guy sweating like that? “It’s because they work their core. It’s basically like an isometric exercise.”
In addition to abs work, Rzeznik adds squats and deadlifts not only for strength and size, but to maintain the singing style he can wear during an extensive world tour.
“It’s important to be physically fit to sing because you engage your glutes and lower abdominal muscles to create the support to get the pitch right,” she says.
Amber Patrick / IG: @aterrormusical
John Rzeznik is nowhere near the Encore final
Now nine years sober, Rzeznik is part of rock ‘n’ roll culture. Although the party like rock star mantra will never completely go away, Rzeznik sees himself and artists like Chris Daughtry as the new norm as a christened musician playing today. More and more artists, he says, are noticing the obvious correlation between a well-maintained physique and a long and successful career.
“I think the older you get, the better you get your ass in shape because nobody really wants to see an old fat dude on stage,” he says.
He points to ageless rock stars—singers like Bret Michaels, Billy Idol, Sting, Def Leppard’s Phil Collen maintain almost the same tktk post 50s and 60s as they did in their 20s. features one of his mentors, legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff, now in his 70s and going stronger than ever, as the poster child of the modern musician. “He hits the drums like he’s still in his 20s,” says Rzeznik. “He still enjoys his wine, but he makes sure to fulfill the commitment to himself.”
How long will Rzeznik continue to perform worldwide as he is set to embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in February. As long as he likes to play. “I don’t understand why I can’t continue to do well into my 70s. If it doesn’t make me upset, then I’m not going to do it.”
Judging by his training and physique, there are no signs of Rzeznik or the band slowing down, with fans still packing arenas nearly five decades after the Goo Goo Dolls’ debut album. It’s something he’ll always be grateful for. “They paid a lot of money to come see you—you have to deliver,” he says. “I’m grateful that people still come to our shows and I can support my family by playing music. Who would have guessed, some punk rock kid from Buffalo?’
And now as a father, staying in shape means more to Rzeznik than expanding his stage career, his wellness critical to being the best version of himself for his 7-year-old daughter, Liliana. “I have to be physically prepared,” he says. “I decided it was time to be a dad at 50. I take her to school and all the dads are 20 or 25 years younger than me. So I have to be in good shape because he’s counting on me.”
