<\/p>\n
Nearly two decades after his hit \u201cIf You\u2019re Going Through Hell\u201d jumpstarted his rise to music fame, Rodney Atkins<\/a> is finally going through the pressure-free stage of his career.<\/p>\n Sure, the challenge of making one more great single\u2014followed by another\u2014will always drive the ACM-winning artist. But with a wall decorated in platinum\u2014four singles and a pair of albums\u2014the stress of defending his brand of country storytelling, or his \u201cnon-traditional\u201d attire, no longer looms over his shoulder.<\/p>\n These days, the Tennessee-born former college pitcher steps on stage with the same joy he once felt strumming honky-tonk hits for his Walters State<\/a> teammates on baseball road trips. Music has become a full-blown family affair, with his wife, singer-songwriter Rose Falcon,<\/a> regularly collaborating on both country and even Christmas projects.<\/p>\n The best part, he says, is that stepping up to the microphone still brings a rush of butterflies, just as it did when he opened for stars like Brad Paisley in the mid-2000s. \u201cIt\u2019s more fun, but I still get nervous,\u201d he says. \u201cI think if I didn\u2019t get nervous, I\u2019d probably quit.\u201d<\/p>\n With his recently released \u201cHelluvit,\u201d<\/a> and new music and tour dates planned for 2026, Atkins is now placing even greater emphasis on his fitness. While the struggle to make it in the cutthroat world of country music has eased, new health concerns have surfaced. After his mother\u2019s passing in early 2025, a significant spike in blood pressure served as a wake-up call to recommit to training. Although life\u2019s game has changed, he says, training for longevity in both music and fitness requires the same discipline he once honed while running drills for baseball.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have your health, you don\u2019t think about it,\u201d Atkins says. \u201cBut when something goes sideways like that, you quickly realize it\u2019s everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Doctors have now given the \u201cWatching You\u201d singer a clean bill of health\u2014a blessing for the raspy-voiced vocalist who, even before this recent scare, was considered a \u201cmusic miracle\u201d by specialists. Decades ago, doctors discovered massive amounts of scar tissue on his throat from a childhood respiratory staph infection. \u201cTechnically you shouldn\u2019t be singing, but you can, so obviously it\u2019s not an issue,\u201d Atkins recalls a specialist telling him.<\/p>\n Amazingly, the issue has never forced him to miss a concert in over 20 years\u2014perhaps thanks to his regimented pre-show vocal warmup, which includes 20-plus minutes of training. Offstage, Atkins commits to a strict weight-training routine<\/a> in his fully equipped home gym, ensuring he never skips a workout. That dedication helps him stay sharp onstage throughout his career.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as I keep feeling this fired up for every show, I know I\u2019m right where I\u2019m supposed to be\u2014and the best is still ahead,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n By choosing curveballs before crossing over to country music, Rodney Atkins joined a Nashville pitching fraternity that includes Brian Kelley<\/a> and Brett Young.<\/a> Atkins pitched for eastern Tennessee\u2019s Walters State Community College from 1987 to 1989. Coming out of Powell Valley High as a star athlete, Atkins\u2014who was originally recruited as a catcher thanks to his arm\u2014soon realized how intense the college competition was.<\/p>\n \u201cIn high school, I was a baller,\u201d Atkins says. \u201cBut at that junior college, it was a bunch of kids that were all drafted [by the major leagues]. They were all pro material, and what I came to realize is how good I wasn\u2019t compared to these guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing he\u2019d soon be relying on his voice rather than his pitching arm, Atkins brought his guitar on team road trips. The team bus, especially during long hauls, became his first true live stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s kind of where I first started playing for other people, it was just the dudes on the baseball team,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe\u2019d hang out, singing Hank Williams Jr. or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and that\u2019s where I started playing in front of people and having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n With baseball now on the back burner and his vocal cords becoming his calling card, Atkins quickly learned he couldn\u2019t rely solely on natural talent; he had to train like a true singer.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Atkins never took up drinking, but substances such as caffeine eventually affected his performance. He\u2019s now cut caffeine out entirely on show days. \u201cI have more energy since I stopped\u2014there was a time I was trying to get by on energy drinks,\u201d he says. \u201cNow, I cut out caffeine on show day, and I genuinely feel better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n While the team worked drills on the field, pitchers\u2019 primary workouts revolved around running. \u201cI hated running\u2014that\u2019s your endurance, that\u2019s how you can keep going and going. Your legs are everything.\u201d<\/p>\n As his athletic conditioning improved, Atkins discovered that breathing techniques for sports differed entirely from those needed in singing. After struggling to catch his breath on stage, he sought a coach, who offered a clear diagnosis:<\/p>\n \u201cYou breathe wrong. You breathe completely wrong,\u201d she said. With her help, Atkins developed a warmup routine built around diaphragmatic breathing\u2014deep inhalations from the ribs and abs with controlled exhalations\u2014which became his secret weapon for never missing a concert.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care if I\u2019m singing one song or a 90-minute show, I do my breathing routine for 20 minutes each night,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n When Atkins hits the road in 2026, he can perform knowing his medical team has cleared him. After a severe blood pressure spike led to extensive testing\u2014PET scans, MRIs, echocardiograms\u2014he was relieved to learn everything was in working order.<\/p>\n \u201cI had every test in the world, and I found out that all my parts are good,\u201d he says proudly.<\/p>\n Doctors ultimately attributed the scare to stress, following his mother\u2019s passing. \u201cIt wound up being just stress, some hormones that got out of balance, and lack of sleep\u2014it really came down to the basics, which is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\nFrom Fastballs to Vocal Precision<\/h3>\n
How Rodney Atkins Trains to Go the Distance\u2014On Stage and Off<\/strong><\/h3>\n