Brian Kelley Shares His 'Tennessee Truths' About Fitness and Happiness

Love, heartbreak, and the search for happiness are typical inspirations for creating the perfect country song. Brian Kelley checked all of those boxes on his path to becoming a multi-platinum country superstar, but maybe not for the typical country music reasons.

Instead of putting lyrics to music about a heartbroken breakup, a redshirt designation as a freshman pitcher at Florida State began to bring the lefty closer to music while his Seminole teammates were on the road chasing their dreams. of baseball.

“I couldn't travel with the team, so that left me plenty of time to sulk in my apartment and write songs about it,” Kelley recalls, laughing. “I just made the most of that time: I wasn't partying, I was in my room writing songs.”

Kelley says the disappointment didn't totally deter him from giving up his childhood dreams of the big leagues. However, his passion for acting was putting both talents on a collision course, requiring athlete and artist to remain mentally focused and physically fit. “I didn't care if it was the last election, I would go and at least try,” he says. “But if they didn't say my name, that would be the sign that music was going to be my path.”

Moving forward required a move to Nashville, where Kelley transferred from FSU to small Belmont University, where he was able to pitch and earn a music degree. It's where she met Tyler Hubbard, the other half of chart-topping Florida Georgia Line. The duo recorded 19 number one hits in their career, including the 2012 diamond-selling hit “Cruise” and “Meant to Be.”

Now, following the group's highly publicized split in 2022, Kelley continues to write about heartbreak and happiness (and fishing), this time as a solo artist. She just released her new solo album, “The Tennessee Truth” and his new success, Kiss my boots, It is an ode to being wronged. The change in record-making routine has revitalized the creative process, allowing Kelley to write in her own voice. “They're both great,” she says. “I love collaborating, but it's cool to be able to get closer to who I am and share it with people who are like, 'oh, that.' only him. I think that's great.”

Most importantly, Belmont was also where Brian Kelley met his wife, Brittney. When he's not performing around the world, the two are enjoying life and pursuing what he calls the “beach cowboy” life. They travel together, they cook together and, perhaps most importantly, he says, they often train together, feeding each other's energy or pushing each other. Staying in shape has been part of Brian Kelley's routine since his playing days, and it's what keeps him in shape at 38 years old.

Kelley's keys to maintaining country muscle It doesn't always involve heavy weight room, baseball specific sessions, now it varies with cardio work, some deep sea fishing and even the occasional “country cold plunge.”

And when the motivation isn't always there, Brittney is, making sure the couple breaks a little sweat before hitting up any kind of beachside relaxation. “I'm grateful to be married to her because she's a cop,” she says. “She says, you better come here and work out with me. And I said, yeah, (let's go).”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ksj45sbqZY

Brian Kelley continues to seek success

So what really is a beach jean? In the Ormond Beach native's words, it's having the mentality to work hard, play hard and enjoy life to the fullest. “I love the barefoot/booted lifestyle,” he says. “It's important to me to be able to connect with nature, whether I'm hunting or spending a day at the beach with Brittney. I love every aspect of both lifestyles. But at the end of the day, it's just that head space.”

For Brian Kelley, paradise means having a bass on the tip of a fishing rod. The “See You Next Summer” singer says casting a line is often the hat trick of training: Fishing can target both physical and mental health, in addition to improving nutrition. Whether fishing for Gulf swordfish or playing catch-and-release on the lake in the backyard of his 18-acre cabin outside of Nashville, for Kelley, no time is a bad time for a little rod-and-reel therapy. “I'll sneak around our house for about 30 minutes and say, 'Honey, I'm running down to the dock to see if something bites me,'” he says. “Even if I'm really busy, I prefer to skip lunch and go fishing for a while.”

Kelley says he's growing his bass population at home, which he says is modest compared to other local country superstars. “I'm trying to keep up with Jake Owen; he's got a nice bass-heavy property,” he says. “I'm trying to get to his size, so I'm not going to eat them.”

Fishing not only helps fuel the body, it can also help boost creativity. One song she refers to was her 2021 hit “Sunshine State of Mind.” She says both the best and worst moments of being on the water can inspire song lyrics.

“I had a really bad bird's nest on my reel,” he recalls. It was horrible. She was trying to untangle it. She wasn't supposed to write a song. But he was already thinking of some lyrics about this situation… that's country music.”

There's also the physical element, especially when you're caught reeling in a long, grueling deep-water session. Kelley says the pulling and stabilizing required during some intense fishing moments mimicked some of the most intense weight training he's ever done. “A few years ago we fought a white marlin for probably 40 minutes. I was exhausted. “I didn’t even need to exercise that day, because I only had one.”

After training, when it's time to fire up the Green Egg, Kelley appreciates the effort put into making dinner. “When you can go shopping in the Gulf of Mexico or Choctawhatchee Bay. That's all it is. “While he can navigate the grill, he leaves the main course to Brittney, who he says puts her own spin on that day's catch, whether it's red snapper or mahi mahi.” “I love her creations,” she says. “She has a little taste for food inside her. She can take me to Flavortown and I love it.”

Breathwork to make music work for Brian Kelley

At Florida State, Brian Kelley developed a love-hate relationship with squatters. “We were demanding a lot of weight back then,” he says. “He hated it but he enjoyed it because he was pretty good at it.” What he remembers fearing most was the post-stage day conditioning: running the steps of FSU's 80,000-seat Doak Campbell Stadium. Each session was a grueling test of physical and mental strength.

“We were like, are you kidding me?” he says. “I could barely lift my legs, but we did it. You can always do more than you think you can do. It's great cardio for your legs. When we were exhausted, we either concentrated or tripped on those steps.”

Because of its effectiveness, Kelley is willing to give that type of training another try. “Maybe the places I'm in don't have those kinds of steps,” she says. “But the next time I see a series of steps, I will take them.”

Today, conditioning and flexibility are essential for music. Kelley often goes for a quick run while traveling. And in order not to tear a hamstring during one of her high-level concerts, she sometimes adds some stretching and mobility work.

But the most important thing for a singer is to sing. And that requires an emphasis on cardio and conditioning.

“It's not easy to sing, run and get excited,” he says. “There is a lot to do at this level and for the shows I want to produce. Therefore, keeping the cardio intact is important because breathing is everything when it comes to singing.”

To achieve this night after night, turn to the training of famous breath specialist Wim Hof. “I did that quite a bit over the last two years. I think it's great. “He has also resorted to his ice bath at home in Nashville. In Florida, he created what he calls a “hillbilly fall.” “It's basically just a big watering hole, and I've got a little ice machine down there, so I've got something really important here. And I read it in Florida, put it out there and did it.

A few minutes in the ice bath, he says, makes all the difference when it comes to a stage performance. “That will take your breath away,” she says. “You have to find your breathing when you get into water that cold, but I was just trying to concentrate hard when I was working out.”

Have the perfect training partner

For anyone following the same path as Brian Kelley, his advice is simple: follow your dreams and stand by your decisions. He says that, although he may have turned down offers to play at bigger schools, his move to Belmont has shaped his entire life.

“I'm a big fan of people who follow their dreams and go after them,” he says. “I can't imagine a life where, if I had never moved to Nashville, I wouldn't be married to Britney. I wouldn't be in this world. I would be thinking, well, I wonder what it would be like if I had moved to Nashville? I never would have known. That's why I encourage people to go and discover it.”

Now married for more than a decade, the couple has built their own version of happiness, which includes building a modest home gym to stay together and in shape. At the couple's Nashville residence, the couple maintains a modest home gym, filled with weights, kettlebells, and medicine balls. “It's pretty simple, nothing too crazy,” she says. “But it's good enough to get a good sweat and exercise.”

The couple also shares Peloton sessions. “We have a really good routine: going upstairs and watching the peloton on TV,” Kelley says. “We will achieve it together and we will do the same. We found a couple of good instructors who are awesome and we like them. It motivates us and it has been a lot of fun.

While on tour, as show time approaches, Kelley says the pair will venture into their own training territory. He says that while Brittney can opt for a scheduled workout, he prefers to go rogue and hit the weights hard. “The day of the show. “I like being in the gym and going old school,” he says. “I feel like I'm in the high school football weight class. It makes me go back. “I put on the headphones and I become a different human being.”

It may not be the fitness formula for everyone, but the extra time the two spend training together has become a healthy marital bonus. “We love working together and it's just another 30 to 45 minutes we can spend together,” she says. “It's great to watch and see her work, hear her breathe and know that she is working alongside me. She pushes me.”

What can other couples do to incorporate fitness into their beach cowboy lifestyle? Kelley offers some advice: “I would say try a guided workout, whether it's someone on YouTube or a subscription like Peloton,” suggests Brian Kelley. “Try something where you both have a trainer present the workout. Have fun, enjoy it, and push each other.