Certainly, the challenge of creating another great single, followed by another, will always drive the ACM-winning artist. But with a wall adorned with platinum – four singles and a few albums – the stress of defending his brand of country storytelling or his “non-traditional” clothing no longer hangs over his shoulder.
Today, the Tennessee-born former college pitcher steps onto the stage with the same joy he once felt strumming honky-tonk hits for his Walters State teammates on baseball road trips. Music has become a full-fledged family affair, together with his singer-songwriter wife Roos Valk, regularly collaborate on both country and even Christmas projects.
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. “It’s more fun, but I still get nervous,” he says. “I think if I didn’t get nervous, I would probably quit.”
With his recently released “Helluvit,” and new music and tour dates planned for 2026, Atkins is now placing even more emphasis on his fitness. As the struggle to make it in the cutthroat world of country music has waned, new health concerns have emerged. After his mother passed away in early 2025, a significant increase in blood pressure prompted him to start training again. Although the game of life has changed, he says, training for longevity in both music and fitness requires the same discipline he once honed while performing drills for baseball.
“When you’re healthy, you don’t think about it,” says Atkins. “But when something like that goes sideways, you quickly realize that it’s all there is to it.”
Doctors have now declared the ‘Watching You’ singer healthy – a boon for the raspy singer who, even before this recent scare, was considered a ‘music prodigy’ by specialists. Decades ago, doctors discovered massive amounts of scar tissue on his throat from a childhood staph infection. “Technically you shouldn’t sing, but you can, so it’s obviously not a problem,” Atkins remembers a specialist telling him.
Amazingly, this problem has never forced him to miss a concert in more than twenty years – perhaps thanks to his disciplined pre-show vocal warm-up, which includes more than twenty minutes of training. Offstage, Atkins follows a strict strength training routine in his fully equipped home gym, ensuring he never misses a workout. That dedication helps him stay sharp on stage throughout his career.
“As long as I feel excited at every show, I know I’m exactly where I need to be – and the best is still ahead of us,” he says.
From Fastballs to vocal precision
Choosing curveballs before making the transition to country music, Rodney Atkins joined a Nashville pitching fraternity that also includes Brian Kelley and Brett Young. Atkins pitched for Walters State Community College in eastern Tennessee from 1987 to 1989. Coming out of Powell Valley High as a star athlete, Atkins — who was originally recruited as a catcher thanks to his arm — quickly realized how intense college competition was.
“I was a baller in high school,” Atkins says. ‘But at that primary school there were a number of children who were all drafted [by the major leagues]. It was all professional stuff, and I realized how good I wasn’t compared to these guys.”
Knowing he would soon be relying on his voice instead of his throwing arm, Atkins took his guitar with him on team road trips. The team bus became his first real live stage, especially during long journeys.
“That’s about where I first started playing for other people, it was just the guys on the baseball team,” he recalls. “We would hang out and sing to Hank Williams Jr. or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and then I started playing for people and having fun.”
With baseball on the back burner and his vocal cords becoming his calling card, Atkins soon discovers that he cannot rely solely on natural talent; he had to train as a real singer.
Fortunately, Atkins never started drinking, but substances like caffeine eventually affected his performance. He now cuts out caffeine completely on show days. “I have more energy since I quit. There was a time when I tried to get by on energy drinks,” he says. “Now I haven’t had any caffeine on show day, and it really makes me feel better.”
While the team did drills on the field, the throwers’ primary training revolved around running. “I hated running; that’s your endurance, you can go on and on. Your legs are everything.”
As his athletic fitness improved, Atkins discovered that the breathing techniques for sports were completely different from those for singing. After struggling to catch his breath on stage, he sought out a coach, who made a clear diagnosis:
“You’re breathing wrong. You’re breathing all wrong,” she said. With her help, Atkins developed a warm-up routine built around diaphragmatic breathing – deep inhales from the ribs and abdominal muscles with controlled exhalations – which became his secret weapon to never missing a concert again.
“I don’t care if I sing one song or a 90-minute show, I do my breathing routine for 20 minutes every night,” he says.
How Rodney Atkins trains to go the distance, both on and off stage
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 – PET scans, MRIs, echocardiograms – he was relieved to hear that everything was fine.
“I’ve had every test in the world and found out that all my parts are good,” he says proudly.
Doctors eventually attributed the anxiety to stress after the death of his mother. “In the end it was just stress, some hormones out of balance and lack of sleep – it really came down to the basics, and that’s great.”
The stress – which according to the Mayo Clinic, is a major trigger for health problems such as anxiety, depression, digestive problems, weight gain, and memory and focus problems – prompting Atkins to rededicate to healthy routines.
This wasn’t the first health hurdle he faced. Before signing his first label contract, Curb Records required Atkins to apply for a physical insurance policy. That’s when doctors first discovered the potentially disabling scar tissue that should have made singing impossible. Atkins, who was adopted, attributes it to a genetic condition. “The doctor asked what happened and I remembered being very sick as a baby. He said, ‘Please.'”
Neither problem has ever stopped him from being active. Today he reconnected with his pitcher’s mentality. At this stage, his workouts are built around building the endurance leg work required for 90-minute sets – this time without all the endless running that baseball requires. “All we did was run,” he remembers.
The training motivation also comes from the advice of country icon Keith Urban. “We have to stay fit as top athletes, whatever we do,” he recalls. “Since then I’ve made it a point to stay fit so we can go out and crush it every night. You can’t do this all these years and it sucks.”
Atkins now prefers the familiar confines of his home gym. The Smith machine anchors his setup, along with a preacher curl bench for biceps and plenty of dumbbells for presses, curls and squats. His personal trainer comes by several times a week when Atkins isn’t on tour, bringing medicine balls and extra equipment so they can train in the garage or driveway.
Lower body and abs are non-negotiable, despite how much he dreads it. “Core work, lots of legs: they’re the things you don’t like to do, but they always make you feel better afterwards,” he admits. Combined with portion-controlled nutrition and plenty of water, this routine will get Atkins ready for the show.
“It’s important, especially for a man my age, to maintain weight,” he says. “Free weights, core work, legs: they’re the things you hate, but you feel great afterwards.”
The real struggle, Atkins admits, is consistently getting good sleep—nearly impossible for an artist who’s constantly on the road, whose workday doesn’t start until the music does. “My departure time is nine to ten at night, and sometimes I get up at three in the morning to catch a flight,” he says. “So I just try to rest when I can. It’s hard.”
Rodney Atkins on the secrets of longevity in country music
Rodney Atkins considers himself unique both philosophically and physically. The 2006 CMA New Artist of the Year’s longevity depends on more than just building muscle at home; it is also reinforced by a ‘never give in’ mentality. Looking back, he admits that some of his rebellious nature would be considered minimal by today’s standards. Atkins first attracted attention by being one of the first to abandon the traditional country decor and opt for a baseball hat instead of a cowboy hat.
“I was criticized a lot for wearing a cap at events and on stage,” he recalls. “Back then it was cowboy hats or no hats, and I got bad looks, especially on the red carpet. Now it’s everywhere, but back then it was kind of crazy.”
His nonconformist attitude extended to his songwriting. While songs like “Watching You” and “If You’re Going Through Hell” eventually became platinum-selling anthems, music executives pushed for more radio-friendly love songs. Atkins refused to become a country artist.
“At first my record label questioned my taste in songs because they wanted me to record love songs,” he recalls. “I think everyone records love songs, so I started going in this direction of life songs. At first they said, ‘Are you sure this is what you like? Because these aren’t the easiest songs to get played.'”
The risk paid off as radio stations started playing him more, leading to two platinum-selling albums and six No. 1 hits.
“I wanted to write about life – real things,” Atkins explains, a trait that has kept his catalog relevant for more than thirty years.
The winning formula for living your best life after 50 wouldn’t be complete without family. Atkins credits his wife, Rose, for bringing out the best in his music and his life. The two released a Christmas single, “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” in 2021, as well as the love ballad ‘Marry me again’ in 2024. He also recently played his son Elijah in an updated 2025 reboot of ‘If You’re Going Through Hell’.
“She is the secret of my drive. I think I wrote the best songs I’ve ever written with her,” he says with undeniable pride.
There can only be one, Rodney Atkins, and that’s the message he hopes resonates with a new wave of younger fans and artists. “Find your own voice,” he says. “Don’t try to be the next – be the first you. There’s a Morgan Wallen, and he’s the best Morgan Wallen ever. But you’ve got 30 other guys just trying to do what he does, so it’s really important to differentiate yourself somehow, and that takes a minute. That’s the only way to keep it going.”
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