It’s not unusual for global singer-songwriters to have a team behind the scenes keeping them fit enough for the demands of touring. But for Dermot Kennedy, heavy lifting is now a thing of the past.

The singer from Rathcoole, Ireland, has swapped the weights room for running and is currently training for a marathon, prioritising fitness and on-stage performance over getting bigger and stronger.

Kennedy’s training hasn’t always looked this way. Before his music career took off, he played football until his mid-twenties and spent plenty of time lifting weights.

Speaking to Men’s Health, he shared, ‘I used to be obsessed with going to the gym and lifting a lot of weights. I was obsessed with deadlifting and squatting as much as I could.’

‘When I was playing football, I got really slow because I was too heavy,’ he says. ‘It just wasn’t what I needed to play football.’

Now that his performance goals have changed, so have his priorities.

‘I would much rather be fit and light as opposed to heavy and strong,’ he says. ‘I think I’m potentially less fixated on the vanity aspect. I just like to feel good.’

Why Running Works Better for His Career

Kennedy’s main priority now is improving his performance on stage.

‘My main motivation is having better VO2 max to sing,’ he says. ‘And to have greater lung capacity.’

His shows can last around two hours, making stamina important, but Kennedy says much of his focus on stage is actually on staying relaxed and controlling his breathing.

‘I spend the beginning of the gig to the end thinking about my breath,’ he says.

Rather than creating tension through his neck, where the vocal cords are located, he focuses on breathing deeply through his diaphragm.

‘The note, the power should really come from there and just pass through chest and neck. But I shouldn’t be putting any effort there.’

‘If you’re benching heavy weight, you put huge pressure up here,’ he says, referring to his neck and upper chest. Running, by comparison, ‘feels like it loosens everything’.

Training for a Marathon on Tour

With a marathon on the horizon, Kennedy’s running has become more structured. Rather than simply squeezing in sessions when he can, he’s now working with a running coach and following a dedicated programme.

Surprisingly, he says life on tour can actually make getting those miles in easier rather than harder.

‘It’s funny because you’ve got to ignore people sometimes,’ he says. ‘Sometimes people are kind of like, “Oh, you’re on tour, you’re so tired.” It’s like, yeah, but I also have nothing to do all day. In a way it’s a lot easier to do it on tour than at home.’

Running also gives him an opportunity to explore whichever city he happens to be performing in.

Kennedy isn’t completely rigid with his programme, either. When time is tight, he would rather do something than write the entire session off.

‘If I have like a 10k in my plan, and I only have, say, 40 minutes, it’s far better for me to get out and do a small bit,’ he says, rather than deciding, ‘Oh, I can’t do the 10k.’

‘It is nice to just make yourself go do something. You’ll feel better regardless.’

Touring doesn’t come without its temptations, of course.

‘You’re constantly balancing all these different feelings because if you have a great show and you’re in Texas and someone’s like, “I know this great bar,” you’re not really going to deny yourself that feeling,’ he says. ‘I would say I try and be kind of like 70-30. Good boy on tour.’

Why He Runs Without Headphones

Despite making his living through music, Kennedy deliberately avoids both music and podcasts while clocking up the miles.

‘It’s just some of the only silence I’ve experienced. It’s really kind of an attempt at discipline.’

For Kennedy, that silence also provides space to think creatively.

‘As a songwriter, you’re constantly waiting for unique thoughts to show up, or valuable thoughts,’ he says. ‘We just don’t spend enough time sitting and waiting to get bored, and then thoughts show up.’

Building a Running Community

Kennedy’s growing commitment to the sport has also led to a partnership with Brooks, with the running brand bringing Kennedy and a group of runners together in Dublin for a 5K ahead of our interview.

Part of the appeal for Kennedy is that the partnership gives him something entirely separate from his day job.

‘Firstly, I kind of like that it’s separate from music,’ he says. ‘It’s not necessarily like streetwear or anything like that. It’s just based on performance and the gear is awesome.’

The brand was also already familiar to him through the runners around him.

‘I find any serious runner I know in my life, that’s what they wear,’ he says. ‘Friends of mine that run marathons, that’s what they’re wearing.’

But it’s the social side of running that Kennedy seems particularly keen to embrace.

‘We’re all headfirst into our phones these days,’ he says. ‘We just had an hour of people who don’t know each other all hanging out. To me, that’s cool.’

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Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.