Bored of the gym? Go to a gig instead

PureGym sports club chain has estimated how physically demanding it would be for a fan to attend a live show by one of the world's top 30 music stars

By AFPRelaxnews

Published: Jun 23, 2023 01:06:26 PM IST

Updated: Jun 23, 2023 01:07:39 PM IST

Image: Shutterstock

Many a music lover will know what it's like to leave a concert feeling as if they've run a marathon. It can be easy to work up a sweat by singing at the top of your lungs and dancing to your favorite artist's songs. But some singers could make us sweat more than others when they're performing on stage.

The PureGym sports club chain has estimated how physically demanding it would be for a fan to attend a live show by one of the world's top 30 music stars. To do this, the company used the setlist of songs performed by these artists during their most recent shows, and calculated the duration and BPM (beats per minute) of each song. This enabled the firm to assign a theoretical "exhaustion score" to the 30 artists selected for the research.

Taylor Swift takes the prize with an exhaustion score of 91 out of 100. The American singer's concerts lasted an average of 2 hours and 57 minutes on her sixth and latest world tour, "The Eras Tour," which began in the USA in March. The average tempo of the setlist she performs is a very high 122 beats per minute. Any fan attending one of these performances would quickly run out of breath if they danced to the rhythm of the music without a break.

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The Latino trap icon Bad Bunny and British band The Cure come in second and third places, respectively, with scores of 89 and 88 out of 100. Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs the longest shows in the survey, with an average duration of 3 hours for performances on his latest world tour, modestly named "The World's Hottest Tour."

Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and 50 Cent also stand out for their energetic concerts, which, thanks to their length and intensity, can turn out to be a good workout. However, the same cannot be said of Muse's recent performances: they only achieved an exhaustion score of 70 out of 100, one point less than Drake and Paul McCartney's gigs, which rank with Muse at the bottom of the pack.

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In any case, going to a gig is still a good form of exercise, especially if you're dancing or moving around the whole time. In fact, dancing involves many of the body's muscles, which is why it is increasingly being incorporated into workout routines. Several studies have shown that dancing can be just as -- or even more -- effective than certain sports when it comes to burning calories. Researchers at the University of Brighton claim that dancing for around 30 minutes can burn 300 calories. That's as much as jogging, swimming or cycling. All the more reason to dance your heart out the next time you go to a show.