Usher, the acclaimed singer and R&B icon, has captivated audiences for three decades with his soulful vocals, expertly choreographed dance moves, and undeniable stage presence. At 45, he remains a prominent figure in the music industry and continues to build his legacy with the Usher: Past Present Future tour. Maintaining his physical fitness is crucial to his ability to deliver high-energy performances and connect with his fans. This article explores Usher's diet and exercise routine, revealing the practices that keep him in top form.
A Holistic Approach to Wellness
Usher's approach to health is multifaceted, encompassing physical activity, mindful eating, and mental well-being. He prioritizes reflection, mental stimulation, and physical activity to maintain a balanced lifestyle.
"I try to wake up early enough to have a moment of reflection," he noted. "Some days I may grab a book and read to stimulate my mind."
He emphasizes the importance of starting the day with intention, often incorporating yoga into his morning routine.
"One thing that is a frequent practice is yoga. It really does help to activate my organs and get my mind moving in the right direction."
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Usher's Workout Routine
Usher's workout routine is designed to enhance his performance on stage and maintain his overall fitness. He focuses on exercises that improve balance, core strength, and knee stability, essential for his demanding choreography.
"I kind of have a workout routine that I do before I go (on stage), which is band work. I work with medicine balls. I work with light weights. Balance is a major part, balancing my core because I have to skate on stage, so closing my eyes a lot and doing things actively is important," he says.
His routine typically begins with walking or knee activations, including reverse walking, to engage his quads, knees, and glutes.
"Normally, my workout regimen starts either walking or with certain knee activations and reverse walking that I do to really engage my quads, my knees and glutes," he shared.
Swimming and bike riding are also incorporated into his fitness regime.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
"Other than that, swimming is a really good thing to get me going, and bike riding."
Notably, Usher doesn't focus heavily on weightlifting.
"Weight lifting, don't do a lot of that."
Considering the physical demands of his concert choreography "that's enough of a workout," he says with a laugh. "You sweat for two hours straight."
Usher revealed that his workouts tend to focus on strengthening his knees due to a previous injury. "I’ve had minor surgeries on my knee, I had a torn meniscus."
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Usher's physical fitness is just as much about how he looks as it is about how he's able to move. The process works to "keep my body ready for the stage."
Usher's Diet
Usher's diet is a key component of his health regimen. While he enjoys indulging occasionally, he generally follows a balanced eating plan. Amidst rehearsals, Usher munched on "fancy" chicken soup (complete with rice, cilantro, onions and more) and an apple; his dressing room had plenty of fruit to snack on as well.
"On a good day, I'm not supposed to be eating carbs. On a bad day I eat carbs," he says.
He starts his day with either coffee or celery juice and a concoction of lemon, ginger, water and cayenne pepper.
"It all depends on how I ended my night before. Sometimes a coffee martini is appropriate," he said. "No, typically, I wake up and drink celery juice. I’ve been doing this concoction of lemon, ginger, water and cayenne pepper. I drink it hot."
He typically opts for eggs for breakfast, which he usually sits down for after a workout.
"I sometimes eat eggs scrambled with cheese," he said. "For the most part, I like them poached or over easy. But I don’t like to eat breakfast before I’ve worked out or done something physical: taking a walk, stretching or doing yoga, sitting in the sun and raising my body's natural heat levels. Then I eat."
Weekly Fasting
A significant aspect of Usher's diet is his weekly fast.
"I fast, not for religious purposes, but it’s something my grandmother practiced," Usher told WSJ. Magazine in an interview published June 17. "I fast on Wednesdays.
He abstains from food every Wednesday, a practice inspired by his grandmother.
"Yeah, I've made it a thing. I've been doing it for some time now," he says. "It started with my grandmother. My grandmother had a prayer group, and everybody would fast on Wednesdays, and it was kind of like a focus thing and we all did it."
He starts the night before and makes sure he hydrates throughout his fast day.
"I typically try to start around 11 pm the previous day, then go the entire day on Wednesday just drinking water."
Usher says he's "doing it for health, also personal conscience, also (for) my grandmother. Makes me feel more connected to her." He confesses he can "get a little light-headed," but "once the sun is down, I eat. So typically that means for the first half of the day, I guess I'll just be really trying to hone in. (And) I can still have liquid" and he'll "still take my vitamins."
Tour Preparations and Rehearsals
Usher's tour preparations involve rigorous rehearsals and a focus on both physical and technical aspects of the show.
"We rehearse countless amounts of hours," Usher says.
The tour and its dazzling, high-octane choreography mixed with its use of AI visuals to reimagine Usher's life is a technical feat, even for a performer at his level who's been touring since he was 16 years old.
"From the technical side, I feel like that is the future part of it. The fact that I'm using technology to assist me in ways that are reaching past the boundaries that are set for live performance," he says. "If I can find new ways to introduce people to a live experience, where I can take them back in history if I can play with imagery and things like that."
Hopefully, fans will be fascinated by the way that I've chosen to use technology."
Inspiration from K-pop and Beyond
Usher draws inspiration from various sources, including K-pop artists, to enhance his live performances.
"I was inspired by some of the artists that are touring right now. It gave me some new ideas. Made me feel really good about investing in my show, and the type of technology that I see people using," he says. "It just made me think outside the box to see how artists that come from the K-pop world choose to do things. It has definitely been an inspiration."
But Usher notes "oddly enough, I feel like we fueled that inspiration because if you go back to like the '90s, or better yet the late '80s, shows felt like that.
The Vegan Myth
People often assume Usher consumes loads of meat and carbs to achieve the ideal look of a fit superstar. Yet, to clear these things out. Usher is a vegan. The vegan diet proves to be successful.
“If you eat clean, you get better results. It seems that there’s no turning back for Usher. “If you take care of your body, it’ll take care of you. The benefit obviously is that I’m protecting my body from being harmed. I did my best to prepare and condition my body over time. If I didn’t do this, I’d look a mess because of the lifestyle I live. I mean, the moment you go off, you notice the difference.
Additional Fitness Tips from Other Celebrities
Many other celebrities prioritize fitness and healthy habits. Here are a few examples:
- Becky G: Becky revealed how fitness played a major role after having a transformative year in 2023. "I know at the end of the day who benefits from a healthier me the most-myself," she told E! News. "Eventually, if you dedicate yourself to it, you will have lived your life longer with this habit than you ever did without it. Her go-to workouts? "If it's a home work out, if it's stretch, if it's going outside for a walk-I try to be as consistent as I can be."
- Kelly Clarkson: The Grammy winner explained how moving to New York City helped kickstart her health and fitness journey. "Walking in the city is quite the workout," Kelly told People in an interview published Jan. 3. "And I'm really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down."
- Julianne Hough: Julianne told E! "I know that I can walk around the hills with my dog," the Dancing With the Stars said. "That's key because I have to get her out, too. And when she has more time to break a sweat, she added, "Whether it's a Kinrgy class or doing Pilates or yoga, the fact that we get to combine all of those modalities is my favorite because I love versatility."
- Kate Hudson: "I always move, even for a few minutes each day. Sometimes I'll go into a room, turn up the music and just dance. 20. "It's so much [more] pleasurable, meaning [being around] the nature, the sun. It cleanses me."
- Lana Condor: "Honestly, my favorite way to break a sweat right now is playing VR. We got a virtual reality headset right as everything was shutting down and it's been AMAZING during quarantine. There are so many games that make you work up a sweat and it's so awesome. I am genuinely so sore after I play."
- Padma Lakshmi: "Under normal circumstances it's going to the gym, but right now I'm taking online classes with my Pilates instructor Britni Lariviere. I'm also trying to jump rope-2,000 strokes each day."
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher: "Family bike rides are big for us right now and I always try to carve out thirty minutes for pilates with Andrea Rodgers and foam rolling with Lauren Roxburgh."
- Janel Parrish: "Running and listening to music. The best outlet I've found these last few months being stuck in the house! I feel so great and pumped up after."
- Dascha Polanco: "My favorite way to break a sweat is mix of sex, PRx Performance, hiking, biking."
- Brooke Burke: "By connecting with my audience and motivating them through my Brooke Burke Body fitness app! I've been live streaming on the app as well as on my Instagram since the beginning of quarantine in an effort to make fitness fun and innovative. I especially love walking my viewers through total body cardio parties, which is when I crank up the music, let them find their rhythm and let the booty burn. Cardio kicks up your heart rate, so if you're not sweating, you're not working out hard enough!"
- Whitney Port: "I have been doing a lot of Sculpt, Cardio Boxing and Yoga Classes on the obé Fitness App and virtual classes with Pilates By Amanda. If I don't have a lot of time, I will do Lauren Gores' express workouts on her Instagram."
- Maggie Q: "During lockdown it's yoga under my own direction. I can go onto so many different tangents and by the time I am done it is often two hours."
- Merle Dandridge: "My trainer, Amoila Cesar, gets lots of results out of me by appealing to my 'no quit,' competitive side. He yells and I love it. During quarantine, I got my fix by doing his 6 Weeks of THE WORK on Beachbody on Demand. I also love a rigorous barre class and need daily yoga."
- Rachel Naomi Hilson: "I've been doing a lot of dancing in my apartment. I'll turn on some music and just go. Sometimes it's more structured, sometimes it's interpretive, sometimes I twerk. Also hiking!"
- Paige DeSorbo: "My go-to work out is P.Volve, I've gone to their classes for years and now I stream them at home. I try and workout at least 3 to 4 times a week even if its for 30 minutes. Its all about strengthening and elongating your muscles. It's my favorite!"