The lead singer of US rock band Papa Roach is a self-confessed fitness fanatic, using fitness to stay clean, build an on-tour body and mental resilience

Jacoby Shaddix is the lead singer of US rock band Papa Roach. A self-confessed fitness fanatic, he’s been sober since 2012 using fitness to stay clean, build an on-tour body and mental resilience.

Were you into any sports when you were younger?

I met my drummer who I started Papa Roach with on the football field. We both played on the same high school team. We went to ‘hell week’ (an intense pre-season training period) and both had diarrhoea; we came back from that week and told the coach we were quitting to focus on the band. Everyone laughed at us – and rightly so – because the band sounded terrible at the time. But sport taught us that if you put the work in, you see the results. We used that with Papa Roach to build the right work ethic.

Has physical fitness always been part of your life?

For 10 years, physical fitness was nowhere on the spectrum. I just got on stage and ripped it, drank and smoked weed with the ‘homies’. But fast-forward to 2004, I was reintroduced to the physical fitness element of my life. It was my first attempt at getting clean and sober and I had to refocus my life. I knew I had to find some new hobbies, so I started hitting the gym. It was a slow progression: I could see the results and now it’s just mandatory.

My relationship with fitness has evolved. In 2008, I got into running – my wife was training for marathons. The first time out was horrific but I got the bug and ran my first marathon with my wife on Route 66. Running is the centrepiece of my fitness.

You’re preparing for a new tour. How do you get in shape for this?

I normally run four-five days a week – anything from 3-10 miles. For this latest tour, I started my fitness programme six weeks out. So, two weeks before, typically I’d be running 8-9 miles twice a week. If I know I’m running 90-100 minutes continuously and I’m feeling good, that’s when I know I’m ready for a show.

How to you maintain your fitness during a demanding tour schedule?

I’m usually pretty-well cardio ready before a tour. While I’m out on the road, I’ll switch my training up: I always like doing something new and different. When I was on the most recent tour, I got back into boxing. I hung a heavy bag in the back of tour bus, used a jump rope and did boxing-type intervals with a timer. It’s fairly disciplined but it’s always evolving and changing.

Do you need that discipline for both mental and physical health?

I have to do something each day that sucks! Something that I don’t want to do – and it’s usually the fitness element. Once I’d done it, I always know that the result is I’ll feel better afterwards. There’s definitely a huge mental health benefit for me: it sparks the dopamine, the serotonin and it gets me out into nature. It helps me with me my balance in life.

What do you miss most when on tour?

Thing I miss most when I’m on the road is my gym. It’s my space, it’s got the sauna and all the other elements: it’s my routine and I enjoy that. As I’ve become more consistent, wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I’ve got to sweat. That discipline is paying off for me in spades. It’s created a dynamic in my family where we all go to the gym together.

What would your best fitness advice be?

You gotta go out and do something that sucks every day. When you do something that you don’t want to do, there’s a strengthening in your mind and your physical being. Do something that you don’t want to do and you’ll absolutely benefit.

• Papa Roach will be touring in Europe this summer. Visit paparoachmerch.com/pages/tour