Artist Jon Batiste Trains Like an Athlete for Tours

Jon Batiste strives to offer his all to others, both as a performer and in his personal life. He’s focusing on his mind, body, and spirit as he prepares to embark on a massive global tour in 2024. In a new episode of Gym & Fridge, the Grammy and Oscar winner discusses his “athletic” exercise program and dietary philosophy, which begins with a good meal.

“If I had my druthers, I would cook all the time,” Jon Batiste says. “It’s one of those things that gives me a sense of therapy and self-care.” While not entirely vegan, he believes that a low-meat diet is beneficial to his health, and he prefers to use lean proteins while preparing “healthier versions” of the New Orleans food he grew up with. “It creates a sense of nostalgia and home, but it also fits my lifestyle now better.”

Most days, Jon Batiste begins his day with something that will give him the most “bang for his buck” and keep him full, generally a probiotic-rich breakfast of yogurt, berries, and honey or overnight oats. “It’s a good thing to set your stomach off in the morning, you know, get yourself settled on a nice baseline.”

He loves to workout on the beach since the sand makes every activity that much more difficult. “It’s kind of like life,” he explains. “There’s a lot of resistance, a lot of pushback, but that’s why I like it.”

Most of the time, he prefers cardio to weight training and supplements his workouts with yoga, stretching, and planks (one of his favorite exercises). When he’s getting ready to go on tour, he’ll boost the ante by adding a weighted vest to his bodyweight program.

“Tour prep is like going into an athletic zone,” he says with a laugh. “It’s like you’re in an NBA season or something.” For example, his favored way of getting ready to go on stage every night is to conduct vocal warmups while holding a plank.

This very well sums up Batiste’s major fitness aim for the foreseeable future: to be able to perform for two or three hours at a time without tiring or being out of breath. However, he is aware of the hazards of overtraining and changes the intensity of his exercises according on how he feels that day. And he’ll keep listening to his body while on tour next year.

“It’s all about knowing where you’re at,” he goes on to add, “and curating the playlist accordingly.”