Page 41 - Muscle & Fitness (February 2020)

By Matt Juul

me look into the future.”
Not wanting to miss out on
seeing his children grow up
and have families of their
own, McGraw decided to
make some life changes. He
cut out drinking, started to
eat healthy, and began work-
ing out every day. Slowly but

surely, he shed the pounds,
and now, at age 52, he has a
physique most men half his
age would kill for.
“I wanted to get control of
my life,” McGraw says. “What
was the one thing that I could
do? Well, I could control how I
treated myself.”

ROAD WARRIOR McGraw has
encouraged
“Professional athleticism is in
his band-
my DNA,” the “Live Like You mates to join
Were Dying” singer says, and him during
workouts.
now it shows in his workout
regimen, especially when he’s
on tour. On a typical day, the arena stairs, or the grass find that flow, “boy, those are
McGraw starts his mornings on an amphitheater,” McGraw special nights,” he says.
with “a lot of stretching and says. “We’ll do bear crawls To prepare before a con-
some yoga, maybe some and all kinds of stuff for about cert, it takes some backstage
S H U T T E R S T O C K ; B E C K Y F L U K E power walk that gradually concert workout isn’t enough, sold-out crowds, McGraw says.
solitude and meditation to get
an hour.”
body-weight exercises,” as
As if one exhilarating pre-
ready to put on a show for the
well as a 30-minute treadmill
“When you have those kinds
inclines. From there, McGraw—
McGraw and his crew will add
an afternoon program using
of nights,” he says, “those will
along with his band—will
battle ropes, sledgehammers,
sneak in a workout at that
keep you doing this.”
night’s concert venue.
tractor tires, and kettlebells
stored in the gym trailer that
“We’ll run the stadium stairs,
travels with them on tour. C O U N T RY S H R E D
“We’ll do two hours of fuction- T I M M C G R AW
al fitness,” McGraw says.
O N -T O U R W O R K O U T
SHOWTIME
DIRECTIONS: See how many
Although some people might rounds you can finish in 15 minutes
think he’s crazy for working in this four-move workout, and get
out so much before doing a yourself stage-ready.
two-hour “full-throttle, wide- E X E R C I S E R E P S
open physical show,” McGraw 5
believes this new routine has
helped contribute to some of
his best recent performances. LOADED SPLIT SQUAT* 5
“On the days we don’t have
those opportunities, our
shows aren’t as good,” he DOUBLE UNDER 40

admits. But when he does *Hold 25% of body weight in each hand.

3 9
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S