Pete Webber talks lifting, resistance bands, mass gainer shakes and more

Summary

Training and fitness

• 00:00 — Introduction: Pete Webber, drummer for Fear Factory and Havok, joins the Gym Rock Crew host to discuss staying fit while playing heavy music and touring.
• 00:29 — Music and gym habits: At home, Webber usually lifts four or five days a week. He has stopped listening to music during workouts because it distracts him. Quiet, relatively empty gym visits around noon or 1 p.m. let him finish in 45 minutes to an hour.
• 02:24 — Favorite exercises: He gravitates toward upper-body work, especially pull-ups, curls, and triceps exercises. Leg days leave him more worn out; afterward, even driving his manual car can be uncomfortable. He dislikes running, though he counts drumming and walking as sources of cardio.
• 06:08 — Training routine: At home, he splits workouts by muscle group—chest and triceps or shoulders, arms, legs, and back—and adds core work about twice a week. He sometimes takes rest days, but says simply getting to the gym helps his stress and confidence.
• 09:36 — Turning point: After the pandemic, Webber was bartending and felt stuck without regular playing. Getting the Fear Factory gig gave him renewed purpose: the precise, demanding drumming pushed him to take fitness and nutrition more seriously. He says lifting and better recovery have eased his shoulder pain and made playing feel smoother.
• 39:14 — Motivation: Webber grew up admiring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and action movies, though he did not initially train seriously. Eventually, he wanted to feel better. The challenge of gradually pushing himself became motivating, and he noticed that lifting helped his drumming.

Touring, performance, and recovery

• 03:31 — Walking and touring: When touring, he likes to explore on foot, particularly in Europe, where he enjoys the architecture and historic sites. In U.S. cities, an electric scooter helps him get to nearby gyms, meals, and errands.
• 10:49 — Balancing lifting and drumming: He tries to train earlier in the day, leaving time to eat and recover before performing. On tour, a nap around dinner can help him feel ready for the show.
• 14:08 — Tour fitness essentials: Webber packs resistance bands, often using a heavy, stretchy band for exercise and mobility work. He may keep it with him and stretch throughout the day. Because it can cover much of his training needs without taking up much space, he calls it his main fitness essential. Hydration, electrolytes, food, and stretching also matter, especially on runs where the band plays six nights a week.
• 14:56 — Pre-show routine: Before performing, he repeatedly pours water over his head, saying the cold water helps switch him into performance mode. If tired, he may have a sugar-free Red Bull. He carries his sticks, listens to music, air-drums, and loosens up his feet for double-bass playing.
• 17:19 — Focus and warm-ups: In the hour or two before a set, Webber tends to keep to himself and concentrate. If the backstage room gets loud, he leaves to pace in a hallway or go outside, using music and quiet to shut out distractions. He sometimes used ankle weights early in rehearsals, but after several shows his body generally adapts, and he relies more on stretching and hydration.
• 19:59 — Recovery work: Webber has used sports massage for about six years to address tight shoulders and back muscles, and sometimes books a therapist during long tours. He also uses a lacrosse ball against a wall to work on sore spots. He describes chiropractic care and cupping as other options he has tried through touring therapists, while noting that professional treatment can be expensive.
• 37:16 — Advice to his younger self: He would have started strength training and using resistance bands sooner, but points out that early van tours left little time between driving, arriving, and setting up drums. Bus tours now give him more time to exercise and recover.

Nutrition and alcohol

• 25:27 — Eating at home: He typically has eggs with ham and cheese, fruit, then a protein shake after the gym. Lunch may be tuna, deli meat, or a sandwich; dinner is often meat or shrimp with salad, vegetables, rice, or pasta. He does not formally track food, but estimates he needs around 100 grams of protein a day. He also admits to snacking on dry cereal.
• 32:29 — Food on tour: With limited chances to cook, he relies more on cereal, bananas, and deli meat, with dinners from venues or restaurants and occasional post-show pizza. To avoid losing weight from the physical demands of drumming, he has two mass-gainer shakes daily—one in the morning and one after playing. He says the two provide roughly 800 calories and more than 50 grams of protein combined. On an eight-week tour, he gained a couple of pounds rather than losing weight.
• 34:25 — Alcohol: He drank more when younger, but now usually avoids alcohol on tour because he wants to feel and perform well. He says he can tell when he is not at his best and would rather not add fatigue or poor recovery to the demands of a show.
• 36:09 — Pressure to drink: Webber says he does not feel pressured by bandmates or crew. On one European tour, he went four or five weeks without drinking, and he feels others understand that he has a performance to deliver.

Training inspiration and close

• 41:52 — Training inspiration and close: Asked who he would train with, he names childhood idols such as Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He closes by mentioning upcoming music and touring from Fear Factory and Havok, including plans to be in Europe in September.

Presenters and sources: Gym Rock Crew host (name not stated); Pete Webber.