Kennedy’s training hasn’t always looked this way. Before his music career took off, he played football until his mid-twenties and spent plenty of time lifting weights.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Men’s Health, he shared, ‘I used to be obsessed with going to the gym and lifting a lot of weights. I was obsessed with deadlifting and squatting as much as I could.’<\/p>\n
‘When I was playing football, I got really slow because I was too heavy,’ he says. ‘It just wasn’t what I needed to play football.’<\/p>\n
Now that his performance goals have changed, so have his priorities.<\/p>\n
‘I would much rather be fit and light as opposed to heavy and strong,’ he says. ‘I think I’m potentially less fixated on the vanity aspect. I just like to feel good.’<\/p>\n
Why Running Works Better for His Career<\/p>\n
Kennedy’s main priority now is improving his performance on stage.<\/p>\n
‘My main motivation is having better VO2 max<\/a> to sing,’ he says. ‘And to have greater lung capacity.’<\/p>\n His shows can last around two hours, making stamina important, but Kennedy says much of his focus on stage is actually on staying relaxed and controlling his breathing.<\/p>\n ‘I spend the beginning of the gig to the end thinking about my breath,’ he says.<\/p>\n Rather than creating tension through his neck, where the vocal cords are located, he focuses on breathing deeply through his diaphragm.<\/p>\n ‘The note, the power should really come from there and just pass through chest and neck. But I shouldn’t be putting any effort there.’<\/p>\n ‘If you’re benching heavy weight, you put huge pressure up here,’ he says, referring to his neck and upper chest. Running, by comparison, ‘feels like it loosens everything’.<\/p>\n Training for a Marathon on Tour<\/p>\n With a marathon on the horizon, Kennedy’s running has become more structured. Rather than simply squeezing in sessions when he can, he’s now working with a running coach and following a dedicated programme.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, he says life on tour can actually make getting those miles in easier rather than harder.<\/p>\n ‘It’s funny because you’ve got to ignore people sometimes,’ he says. ‘Sometimes people are kind of like, “Oh, you’re on tour, you’re so tired.” It’s like, yeah, but I also have nothing to do all day. In a way it’s a lot easier to do it on tour than at home.’<\/p>\n Running also gives him an opportunity to explore whichever city he happens to be performing in.<\/p>\n Kennedy isn’t completely rigid with his programme, either. When time is tight, he would rather do something than write the entire session off.<\/p>\n ‘If I have like a 10k<\/a> in my plan, and I only have, say, 40 minutes, it’s far better for me to get out and do a small bit,’ he says, rather than deciding, ‘Oh, I can’t do the 10k.’<\/p>\n ‘It is nice to just make yourself go do something. You’ll feel better regardless.’<\/p>\n Touring doesn’t come without its temptations, of course.<\/p>\n ‘You’re constantly balancing all these different feelings because if you have a great show and you’re in Texas and someone’s like, “I know this great bar,” you’re not really going to deny yourself that feeling,’ he says. ‘I would say I try and be kind of like 70-30. Good boy on tour.’<\/p>\n Why He Runs Without Headphones<\/p>\n Despite making his living through music, Kennedy deliberately avoids both music and podcasts while clocking up the miles.<\/p>\n ‘It’s just some of the only silence I’ve experienced. It’s really kind of an attempt at discipline.’<\/p>\n For Kennedy, that silence also provides space to think creatively.<\/p>\n ‘As a songwriter, you’re constantly waiting for unique thoughts to show up, or valuable thoughts,’ he says. ‘We just don’t spend enough time sitting and waiting to get bored, and then thoughts show up.’<\/p>\n![\"dermot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0d70c704-c91e-4fee-b0ce-80798371e0a9.png\" "\\"dermot")
Building a Running Community<\/p>\n
![\"kori](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a0458edc-7621-4ee9-b810-f61ea8e958c2.jpg\" "\\"kori")
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786853902_253_c22e28ba-9876-4154-858b-a75026daf497_1685109453.file.png\" "\\"Headshot")
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