Watching him move around the stage for more than two hours, at 83 years old, seems to defy logic. But behind the Rolling Stones frontman’s inexhaustible energy is physical work that has little to envy from that of a professional athlete. Mick Jagger himself revealed what the routine is that keeps him fit, a combination of gym, dance, runs, and a careful diet.
Mick Jagger’s training routine
In an interview with Q magazine, Jagger summed up his philosophy in one sentence: “I train five or six days a week, but I don’t go crazy.” Far from obsession, he described a varied routine: “I alternate between the gym and dancing, then I do sprints and things like that.” And he made it clear what the goal behind all that effort is: “I train to build endurance.”
That focus on endurance has a concrete explanation. During a typical concert, the singer covers more than 12 kilometers on stage between trips back and forth, jumps, and his signature dancing, so his preparation is aimed above all at enduring that exertion without running out of breath.
Ballet, his secret weapon
One of the most striking aspects of his preparation is the emphasis he gives classical dance. Jagger “swears by” ballet for maintaining balance, a detail that explains much of his agility and coordination on stage at an age when most people have already slowed down. It is a central part of how he maintains the precision of his movements show after show.
How he takes care of his diet
Training goes hand in hand with diet. Jagger favors organic foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta, as well as chicken and fish, and avoids red meat and ultra-processed products. On a common myth that he eats very little, he himself denied it: “I have to eat a lot”, he clarified, in response to those who think he barely takes a bite.