Frank Sinatra did it his way, taking to the pool to boost his vocal prowess, and it seems Rod Stewart is singing from the same songsheet. Now scientists say the approach might not be somethin’ stupid.
Stewart, 80, is still entertaining fans with his raspy vocals and energetic stage performances and earlier this month he revealed that as well as running and playing some football, swimming also played a key part in his campaign to stay forever young.
He is due to play the legends slot at Glastonbury next Sunday and has more than 40 other shows lined up in Europe and America this year, and he incorporated swimming into his fitness regime to help keep his vocals fine-tuned.
“We do a lot of underwater training, where the trainer throws a brick into the pool and I have to dive in, push the brick to the end of the pool and come up,” Stewart told the AARP magazine.
Stewart said the advice came from Sinatra himself, who told him: “Rod, the secret to being a great singer is having powerful lungs. Do lots of underwater swimming, where you hold your breath.”
Dr Rebecca Moseley-Morgan, the chair of research at the British Voice Association, said respiratory function was one of the main areas to suffer due to age-related changes, leading to problems including having insufficient breath for long musical phrases.
But she noted it could be maintained through cardio exercise of any sort, including swimming, while breath management exercises could also help.
Stewart said: “I keep myself very fit. I played soccer all my life – don’t so much any more, because I had a knee replacement. And I’ve always had a trainer – same guy for 38 years.”
He has also taken up running 100 metres on a private track at his huge estate to keep himself “very fit”, he said, and is now working on his speed, aiming to break a world record.
“I got it down to 19 seconds by learning how to push off,” he told AARP magazine. “I’m going to try and do 17 seconds, which I think is a world record for an 80-year-old.”
Moseley-Morgan said: “Thinking of Rod Stewart … he will be feeling the age-related changes and sensibly, in my opinion, is trying to rectify matters. The breath is the power source of the voice, so without it singing is not possible.”
Prof Monica McHenry, the director of the speech and voice physiology lab at New York Medical College, said underwater swimming may help people hold their breath, which could help them tolerate the drop in oxygen in the body that occurs when singing – potentially helping them sing long phrases or hold on to a note for a long time.
“The basis for holding a note is having enough air to keep the vocal folds vibrating as you sustain the note,” she said. “Holding your breath will not help you get more air … but it will help you feel less breathless as you do it.”
Dr Keir Philip, of Imperial College London, who specialises in respiratory medicine, said professional singers and swimmers had been found to have better lung function than the general public, with larger lung volumes and stronger respiratory muscles.
While Philip said it could be that people who are genetically predisposed to have better lung function are more likely to be swimmers or singers, it was possible such activities boosted lung function. As a result, swimming may be beneficial for singers.
“[Stewart] is a very active performer, and that goes beyond just your breath control. It’s the cardiovascular fitness, the strength, stamina and flexibility to be a performer,” Philip said, noting that swimming is a low-impact form of exercise that is good for older people and those, like Stewart, who have had knee replacements.
“I also think that if Rod Stewart and Frank Sinatra think it has helped them then it probably has. Their lived experience and expertise is valuable on a topic currently lacking in large [randomised control trials],” he said.
But Philip cautioned that the general public should consult with their doctor before trying underwater swimming and breath-holding, noting it would not be a good idea for people with certain conditions.
“Although there is reason to [think] these approaches might help, there is definitely not sufficient evidence to advise people in general to use this approach,” he said.
“If people would like to improve their general lung health, they should prioritise not smoking or vaping, avoiding indoor and outdoor air pollution, regular exercise, eating well, sleeping well and building good social networks.”
Not all singers swear by swimming. David Alacey, a renowned Sinatra tribute performer, said: “I did try the underwater method but it didn’t work for me as I felt it distracted from the whole idea of singing. Far be it for me to disagree with Mr Sinatra’s methods but I found working on the diaphragm far more effective.”
Indeed, when it comes to performing, it seems anything goes. “Sinatra also developed a little cheat method where he would grab an extra breath out of the corner of his mouth while singing,” Alacey said. “That’s also great tool for singers.”