Fitness
Rodney Atkins has Been Cleared to Dominate His Second Act in Music
Dec
Practically 20 years after his hit “If You’re Going By means of Hell” jumpstarted his rise to music fame, Rodney Atkins is lastly going via the pressure-free stage of his profession.
Certain, the problem of creating yet one more nice single—adopted by one other—will at all times drive the ACM-winning artist. However with a wall adorned in platinum—4 singles and a pair of albums—the stress of defending his model of nation storytelling, or his “non-traditional” apparel, not looms over his shoulder.
Today, the Tennessee-born former school pitcher steps on stage with the identical pleasure he as soon as felt strumming honky-tonk hits for his Walters State teammates on baseball highway journeys. Music has develop into a full-blown household affair, together with his spouse, singer-songwriter Rose Falcon, usually collaborating on each nation and even Christmas tasks.
The perfect half, he says, is that stepping as much as the microphone nonetheless brings a rush of butterflies, simply because it did when he opened for stars like Brad Paisley within the mid-2000s. “It’s extra enjoyable, however I nonetheless get nervous,” he says. “I feel if I didn’t get nervous, I’d most likely give up.”
Together with his not too long ago launched “Helluvit,” and new music and tour dates deliberate for 2026, Atkins is now inserting even larger emphasis on his health. Whereas the wrestle to make it within the cutthroat world of nation music has eased, new well being issues have surfaced. After his mom’s passing in early 2025, a big spike in blood stress served as a wake-up name to recommit to coaching. Though life’s recreation has modified, he says, coaching for longevity in each music and health requires the identical self-discipline he as soon as honed whereas operating drills for baseball.
“When you might have your well being, you don’t give it some thought,” Atkins says. “However when one thing goes sideways like that, you shortly notice it’s every little thing.”
Medical doctors have now given the “Watching You” singer a clear invoice of well being—a blessing for the raspy-voiced vocalist who, even earlier than this current scare, was thought-about a “music miracle” by specialists. Many years in the past, docs found large quantities of scar tissue on his throat from a childhood respiratory staph an infection. “Technically you shouldn’t be singing, however you may, so clearly it’s not a difficulty,” Atkins remembers a specialist telling him.
Amazingly, the difficulty has by no means compelled him to overlook a live performance in over 20 years—maybe because of his regimented pre-show vocal warmup, which incorporates 20-plus minutes of coaching. Offstage, Atkins commits to a strict weight-training routine in his absolutely geared up house fitness center, making certain he by no means skips a exercise. That dedication helps him keep sharp onstage all through his profession.
“So long as I maintain feeling this fired up for each present, I do know I’m proper the place I’m alleged to be—and one of the best remains to be forward,” he says.
From Fastballs to Vocal Precision
By selecting curveballs earlier than crossing over to nation music, Rodney Atkins joined a Nashville pitching fraternity that features Brian Kelley and Brett Younger. Atkins pitched for japanese Tennessee’s Walters State Neighborhood School from 1987 to 1989. Popping out of Powell Valley Excessive as a star athlete, Atkins—who was initially recruited as a catcher because of his arm—quickly realized how intense the faculty competitors was.
“In highschool, I used to be a baller,” Atkins says. “However at that junior school, it was a bunch of youngsters that have been all drafted [by the major leagues]. They have been all professional materials, and what I got here to comprehend is how good I wasn’t in comparison with these guys.”
Realizing he’d quickly be counting on his voice fairly than his pitching arm, Atkins introduced his guitar on workforce highway journeys. The workforce bus, particularly throughout lengthy hauls, turned his first true reside stage.
“That’s form of the place I first began enjoying for different folks, it was simply the dudes on the baseball workforce,” he remembers. “We’d hang around, singing Hank Williams Jr. or no matter. It was a variety of enjoyable, and that’s the place I began enjoying in entrance of individuals and having enjoyable.”
With baseball now on the again burner and his vocal cords turning into his calling card, Atkins shortly realized he couldn’t rely solely on pure expertise; he needed to prepare like a real singer.
Luckily, Atkins by no means took up ingesting, however substances similar to caffeine ultimately affected his efficiency. He’s now lower caffeine out completely on present days. “I’ve extra vitality since I ended—there was a time I used to be making an attempt to get by on vitality drinks,” he says. “Now, I lower out caffeine on present day, and I genuinely really feel higher for it.”
Whereas the workforce labored drills on the sector, pitchers’ major exercises revolved round operating. “I hated operating—that’s your endurance, that’s how one can maintain going and going. Your legs are every little thing.”
As his athletic conditioning improved, Atkins found that respiratory strategies for sports activities differed completely from these wanted in singing. After struggling to catch his breath on stage, he sought a coach, who supplied a transparent prognosis:
“You breathe unsuitable. You breathe fully unsuitable,” she stated. Together with her assist, Atkins developed a warmup routine constructed round diaphragmatic respiratory—deep inhalations from the ribs and abs with managed exhalations—which turned his secret weapon for by no means lacking a live performance.
“I don’t care if I’m singing one track or a 90-minute present, I do my respiratory routine for 20 minutes every night time,” he says.
How Rodney Atkins Trains to Go the Distance—On Stage and Off
When Atkins hits the highway in 2026, he can carry out figuring out his medical workforce has cleared him. After a extreme blood stress spike led to in depth testing—PET scans, MRIs, echocardiograms—he was relieved to study every little thing was in working order.
“I had each take a look at on the planet, and I came upon that every one my components are good,” he says proudly.
Medical doctors in the end attributed the scare to emphasize, following his mom’s passing. “It wound up being simply stress, some hormones that bought out of stability, and lack of sleep—it actually got here right down to the fundamentals, which is great.”
The stress—which, based on the Mayo Clinic, is a significant set off for well being points similar to nervousness, despair, digestive points, weight acquire, and reminiscence and focus issues—prompted Atkins to recommit to wholesome routines.
This wasn’t the primary well being hurdle he’d confronted. Earlier than signing his first label contract, Curb Data required Atkins to get a bodily for an insurance coverage coverage. That’s when docs first found the possibly debilitating scar tissue that ought to have made singing inconceivable. Atkins, who was adopted, attributes it to a genetic situation. “The physician requested what occurred, and I recalled that as an toddler, I used to be very sick. He stated, ‘There you go.’”
Neither situation ever stopped him from being energetic. Right this moment, he’s reconnected together with his pitcher’s mindset. At this stage, his exercises are constructed round stamina-building legwork needed for 90-minute units—this time, with out all of the limitless operating required by baseball. “All we did was friggin’ run,” he remembers.
Coaching motivation additionally comes from recommendation given by nation icon Keith City. “We have now to remain match like prime athletes, it doesn’t matter what we’re doing,” he remembers. “Ever since then, I’ve made it some extent to remain match so we will go on the market and crush it each night time. You’ll be able to’t do that for all these years and suck.”
Atkins now prefers the acquainted confines of his house fitness center. The Smith machine anchors his setup, together with a preacher curl bench for biceps, and loads of dumbbells for presses, curls, and squats. His private coach visits a number of instances every week when Atkins isn’t touring, bringing alongside medication balls and extra tools to allow them to work out within the storage or driveway.
Decrease physique and abs are non-negotiables, regardless of how a lot he dreads them. “Core work, plenty of legs—it’s the stuff you hate to do however at all times really feel higher after,” he admits. Paired with portion-controlled vitamin and many water, this routine retains Atkins prepared for showtime.
“It’s vital, particularly for a person my age, to push weight,” he says. “Free weights, core work, legs—it’s the stuff you hate, however afterward you are feeling nice.”
The actual wrestle, Atkins admits, is getting persistently good sleep—virtually inconceivable for an artist continuously on the highway, whose workday doesn’t begin till the music does. “My go time is 9 or 10 o’clock at night time, and generally I’m up at 3 a.m. to catch a flight,” he says. “So I simply attempt to get relaxation after I can. It’s onerous.”
Rodney Atkins on the Secrets and techniques to Longevity in Nation Music
Rodney Atkins considers himself distinctive in each philosophical and bodily methods. The 2006 CMA New Artist of the Yr’s longevity hinges on extra than simply constructing muscle at house—it’s additionally fortified by a never-give-in mindset. Trying again, he admits that a few of his rebellious streak could be thought-about minimal by immediately’s requirements. Atkins first turned heads by being one of many first to ditch conventional nation décor, choosing a baseball hat over a cowboy hat.
“I caught a variety of flak as a result of I wore a ball cap to occasions and on stage,” he remembers. “Again then it was both cowboy hats or no hats, and I bought dangerous seems, particularly on the purple carpet. Now it’s form of in all places, however again then it was form of loopy.”
His non-conformist perspective prolonged to his songwriting. Whereas songs like “Watching You” and “If You’re Going By means of Hell” ultimately turned platinum-selling life track anthems, music executives have been urgent for extra radio-friendly love songs. Atkins refused to develop into a cookie-cutter nation artist.
“At first, my file label was questioning my track style, as a result of they needed me to file love songs,” he remembers. “I’m like, everyone information love songs, so I began going on this course of life songs. They have been first like, ‘Are you positive that is what you’re into? As a result of these should not the best songs to get performed.’”
The danger paid off, as radio stations started enjoying him extra, main to 2 platinum-selling albums and 6 No. 1 hits.
“I needed to put in writing about life—actual issues,” Atkins explains, a trait that’s saved his catalog related for over three many years.
The profitable method for dwelling his finest life post-50 wouldn’t be full with out household. Atkins credit his spouse, Rose, for bringing out one of the best in his music and his life. The 2 in 2021 launched a Christmas single, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” in addition to the love ballad “Marry Me Once more” in 2024. He additionally not too long ago featured his son, Elijah, in an up to date 2025 reboot of “If You’re Going By means of Hell.”
“She’s the key to my drive. I feel I’ve written one of the best songs I’ve ever written are along with her,” he says with unmistakable pleasure.
There can solely be one Rodney Atkins, and that’s the message he hopes resonates with a brand new wave of youthful followers and artists. “Discover your personal voice,” he says. “Don’t attempt to be the following somebody—be the primary you. There’s a Morgan Wallen, and he’s one of the best Morgan Wallen ever. However you bought 30 different dudes which can be simply making an attempt to do what he does, so it’s essential to separate your self by some means, and that takes a minute. That’s the one strategy to final.”
