Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee opened up about why he has never gained weight since high school. He shared his surprising discovery in an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Lee explained that after years of eating freely without any strict diet, he decided to find out exactly how much physical activity he was putting in during live performances — and the results were eye-opening.
“I was like, ‘how come I’ve weighed the same weight since f*cking high school until today. That’s f*cking weird,'” Lee said. “And I eat kind of whatever the f*ck I wanna eat. I don’t diet or have some strict regimented food program. I was, like, ‘I gotta see.’ I got like a pedometer you clip on to your shoe, like joggers would use.”
Lee then described what happened when he put the device to the test during a two-hour show.
“You just clipped it on your shoe, and it told you how many miles you did,” he continued. “So I get one, I clip it on. I’m, like, ‘I wonder how many miles I’m doing after a two-hour show.’ I know I’m sweaty as f*ck, and after the show, all I hear is ringing in my ear, and I’m wrecked; I’m done. And I took it off after the show, and I looked down, and it said 13.3 miles. And I was, like, ‘so that’s why I’m a skinny f*ck.'”
Beyond the physical toll, Lee also reflected on the broader responsibility that comes with being a drummer and the unique role it plays in driving a live performance.
“And you’re the f*cking heartbeat, man. People say your band’s only as good as your drummer, and that’s really true,” he said. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m a drummer. But a drummer has a lot of responsibility. Everybody, all the people that you see out there that are moving. I’m responsible for a lot of that.”
“And I’m not saying for all of it, but you sort of set the pace and you’re making people physically move,” Lee continued. “That takes a lot of work. The amount of energy you’re putting out you’re getting back, and you’re seeing it. And you’re, like, ‘F*ck, I’m driving here.’ And that’s a cool place to be. But it is a responsibility, and it is physical, and it’s draining. But it’s f*cking rad. I live for it.”
The comments were made during Joe Rogan Experience #2520 featuring Tommy Lee.
What Lee’s pedometer experiment revealed is not just a personal curiosity — it underscores a physical reality that has defined his entire career. At 63, the Mötley Crüe drummer has maintained the same trim physique he had in high school. The numbers behind that consistency are staggering.
The 13.3 miles Lee clocked during a single two-hour show is not equivalent to a casual jog. The mechanics of drumming — explosive arm movements, constant foot pedal work, and full-body engagement — make the physical output more comparable to shadow boxing or an intense sport than a steady-state run. Lee himself has described the caloric burn as “off the charts,” while acknowledging that the movement patterns differ significantly from traditional cardio.
The physical demands of drumming at the level Lee performs are further amplified by the spectacle Mötley Crüe is known for. Lee has long been famous for his rotating drum cage, a signature element of the band’s live show. It requires him to play while suspended and inverted — a feat that places extraordinary strain on the core and demands exceptional body control. The upside-down drumming alone adds a layer of physical intensity that few performers in any genre can match.
What is less widely known is that Lee’s physical command of the instrument traces back to an unlikely source. As a youth, he took tap and ballet classes for several years — a fact he kept hidden from peers at the time. That early training laid the foundation for the rhythm, syncopation, and full-body coordination that would later define his style behind the kit. “One hundred percent,” Lee has said when asked whether those years of dance helped shape his drumming. “It’s all counting, rhythm, delivery, syncopation.”
The result is a career built on a form of athleticism that rarely gets framed as such. Drumming in a rock band at the scale of Mötley Crüe is, by any physical measure, a sport — and Lee has been competing at the highest level of it for over four decades.
