Alissa White-Gluz shares her fitness routine on & off tour and her new career direction

Summary

Alissa White-Gluz discusses how she stays fit and protects her voice while balancing life as a touring musician with creative work for her new band, Blue Medusa.

Training and fitness

White-Gluz’s favorite exercise is the lat pulldown, which makes her feel strong and gives her a satisfying full-range stretch. Deadlifts are more challenging because her quads and hamstrings tend to take over. One variation that sometimes helps her engage her glutes is a single-leg Romanian deadlift from a Bulgarian split-squat stance, focusing on bringing her glutes toward the bench.

At home, she uses adjustable dumbbells, a pull-up bar, a dip bar, an exercise bike, a treadmill, resistance bands, and other basic equipment. She likes circuit-style workouts and has learned to train with minimal equipment, including backstage or in hotel rooms.

Before a tour, she increases her cardio and trains harder while she can, knowing it may be difficult to maintain a regular schedule on the road. She sometimes jogs while quietly rehearsing lyrics, which helps her remember songs and think about where to breathe.

On tour, she usually does a circuit workout lasting about 45 minutes. She avoids especially intense HIIT sessions so she does not wear herself out before performing. She follows workouts from Fitness Blender or Sydney Cummings but substitutes exercises she does not enjoy. She prefers doing movements separately rather than combining them—for example, a squat with an overhead press—because each movement may call for a different weight.

She feels strength training improves her stamina, confidence, body awareness, and ability to move naturally on stage. Running also supports her cardiovascular fitness and mental wellbeing.

Other activities and recovery

White-Gluz enjoys volleyball, soccer, basketball, badminton, surfing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, jogging, hiking, and cycling. She would like to snowboard, but plans were interrupted after she broke a rib slipping on snow and ice.

Her tour essentials include protein powder, creatine, chamomile tea, and good running shoes. She uses tea to wind down after shows and enjoys exploring cities on foot during days off. Between shows, she prioritizes vocal rest, time outdoors, solitude, and contacting family. She says creatine has helped her recovery and sometimes sees a physiotherapist for her jaw and neck.

Food and hydration on tour

White-Gluz describes herself as vegan and generally prefers simple, whole-food, plant-based meals. On tour, she often has a protein shake made with water, creatine, protein powder, and ice, along with fruit. Sometimes she eats rice cakes with almond butter or rice and vegetables.

She keeps meals light before performing to avoid feeling full or nauseous, or experiencing reflux. She finds it difficult to fit a full meal into the touring schedule.

Preparing to perform and protecting her voice

Before a show, she does a flexible vocal warm-up of about 15 minutes, adjusting it to how her voice feels that day. She also stretches, gets changed, and mentally prepares. To raise her heart rate, she may do high kicks, squats, and push-ups.

White-Gluz says she does not drink, smoke, or use drugs. She sees protecting her voice and being rested as part of her responsibility to audiences. Touring while hungover, she notes, would be difficult to sustain, and she emphasizes the importance of sleep.

Creative work and Blue Medusa

White-Gluz wants to keep making art for the joy of it, rather than letting music or painting become only a job. She describes her Patreon as a place to share a range of creative projects.

Blue Medusa’s debut song, “Checkmate,” has a chess-themed video that White-Gluz co-directed with Vicente Cordero. The visual concept uses chess imagery and moves to reflect the lyrics.

Overall health message

White-Gluz describes health as encompassing nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, and emotional health. She encourages people to treat their bodies kindly and respect the importance of each area.

Notable locations, products, and speakers

• Speaker: Alissa White-Gluz; interviewer from Gym Rock Crew
• Locations mentioned: Montreal, Portugal, Denver, Mexico City, Bolivia, and Peru
• Products and resources: PowerBlocks adjustable dumbbells, creatine, protein powder, chamomile tea, Fitness Blender, Sydney Cummings workouts, and Mr. Ballen’s podcast
• Music project: Blue Medusa; debut single and video, “Checkmate,” co-directed with Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films