{"id":20445,"date":"2026-05-18T22:21:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20445"},"modified":"2026-05-18T22:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:21:41","slug":"beyond-the-fairway-indie-music-star-michael-marcagi-on-balancing-tour-life-and-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20445","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Fairway: Indie Music Star Michael Marcagi on Balancing Tour Life and Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After breaking out with his emotionally driven folk-rock sound and viral success on songs like \u201cScared to Start<\/a>,\u201d rising singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi has quickly become one of music\u2019s most talked-about new artists. But while his career is accelerating fast, Marcagi is learning that life on the road requires the same discipline and endurance as any athlete.<\/p>\n

For Marcagi, touring life looks a lot different these days than it did growing up in Ohio. Now based in Boulder, the Midwest native says the move has completely reshaped the way he approaches health, fitness, and recovery while balancing a demanding performance schedule.<\/p>\n

Between hiking, running, and spending more time outdoors, Colorado\u2019s lifestyle has been a welcome adjustment.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing from the Midwest, where winters are cold and gray, I\u2019m just having a good time being outside almost every day,\u201d Marcagi tells Muscle & Fitness.<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s been really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before music became his full-time career, Marcagi was a competitive golfer in college, and while touring has limited his time on the course, he\u2019s still playing at an elite level.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy handicap has probably gone up a tiny bit,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cBut I\u2019m probably still around scratch, which I\u2019ll take.\u201d<\/p>\n

That competitive background, however, still shapes the way he prepares for performances today.<\/p>\n

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Michael Micagi.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Touring Is \u2018Hard on the Body\u2019<\/h2>\n

Marcagi says one of the biggest misconceptions about touring is how physically demanding it can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t talk about it, but being on tour is hard on the body,\u201d he explains. \u201cEspecially for me, I have to sing every night. You have to find ways to take care of your voice, whether that\u2019s what you eat or how much sleep you\u2019re getting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marcagi admits it can be easy for artists to fall into unhealthy routines while traveling. Especially when your \u201cworkday\u201d doesn\u2019t really begin until the afternoon and adrenaline keeps you awake long after a show ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very easy to fall into the \u20182 a.m. Uber Eats\u2019 cycle,\u201d he says. \u201cYour whole schedule gets thrown off because your day starts later than most people\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, the singer has become increasingly intentional about creating structure while on the road. That includes being selective about backstage catering requests, prioritizing real meals over snack food, and trying not to let his sleep schedule completely spiral while touring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only so many nights in a row you can eat potato chips,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n

The physical preparation also extends to protecting his voice, something he says has become a major priority over the last year and a half. Marcagi revealed he no longer drinks while touring and instead focuses on routines that help him stay consistent from show to show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just try to eat normal meals and take care of myself,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce you start taking care of your voice like that, the anxiety of the show actually goes down.\u201d<\/p>\n

That preparation has helped him mentally settle into performing night after night, especially as his audiences continue growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou realize you\u2019re never going to be perfect on stage,\u201d Marcagi says. \u201cMistakes happen, and sometimes those become the most memorable parts of a show.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Music<\/div>
Michael Micagi.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Full Swing with a Healthy Community<\/h2>\n

Long before life as an artist, Michael Marcagi was competing on the golf course for the University of Cincinnati, where he played collegiate golf before ultimately pursuing music full-time.<\/p>\n

Even now, with a rapidly growing touring schedule, the sport remains a major part of his lifestyle. The singer is already eyeing plenty of future rounds during his upcoming tour with Noah Kahan, who Marcagi says has recently become obsessed with the sport himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe texted me already and was like, \u2018We need to play golf every day on tour,\u2019\u201d Marcagi says.<\/p>\n

Marcagi has also spent time golfing with Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, describing the rounds as laid-back and easygoing, exactly the kind of environment he enjoys now that golf is no longer tied to competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s super mellow, and we always have a really good time out there,\u201d Marcagi says.<\/p>\n

When asked to build his dream golf foursome, Marcagi didn\u2019t hesitate. Alongside Kahan and Schultz, he says professional golfer Jason Day would complete the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to play with Jason Day,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel like he\u2019d have some incredible tour stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, golf represents something much different for Marcagi than it once did. What used to be an intensely individual sport has become more about connection, conversation, and community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely more extroverted,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to motivate yourself and enjoy it more when you\u2019ve got people around you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Music<\/div>
Michael Micagi.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Running Became Essential for His Mental Health<\/h2>\n

While golf remains a passion, running has quietly become Michael Marcagi\u2019s biggest wellness outlet on tour, something he says was heavily inspired by his girlfriend, Gabbi Jennings<\/a>, who is a professional runner. What initially started as a way to stay active quickly evolved into an important mental reset during the chaos of touring life.<\/p>\n

During a six-week European run earlier this year, Marcagi and his tour manager built a consistent morning routine centered around getting outside before the day became consumed by venues, buses, and performance prep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d try to run three to five miles every day,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re touring, you\u2019re either on a bus, in a green room, or on stage. You\u2019re not always hanging out in the most beautiful indoor places in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Marcagi, the runs became less about training and more about creating balance. Touring can often leave artists isolated indoors for hours at a time, operating on irregular schedules while carrying the mental pressure of nightly performances. The morning runs helped create structure in a lifestyle that rarely feels predictable.<\/p>\n

He admits there was a period when the anxiety surrounding a performance would consume his entire day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to spend the whole day thinking about the show,\u201d he says. \u201cThe entire day felt like work because I was solely focused on performing later that night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, he approaches touring differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can get out and run, grab lunch, and clear my head a little bit, I feel way better mentally and physically,\u201d Marcagi explains. \u201cIt helps me compartmentalize things instead of letting the show take over every thought all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The routine has also helped him manage the emotional swings that naturally come with performing in front of thousands of people night after night. Marcagi says the adrenaline spike before walking on stage is real, and the crash afterward can be just as intense.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou walk off stage completely amped up,\u201d he explains. \u201cYour body doesn\u2019t really know how to process that adrenaline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of staying overstimulated after shows, Marcagi and his crew have developed smaller ways to decompress and return to normalcy once the performance ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfterward, we\u2019ll play video games, watch a movie, or just do something to calm ourselves back down,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have to find ways to bring yourself back down to earth because you\u2019re going to wake up and do it all over again the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n

That balance between movement, routine, and recovery has become one of the biggest reasons Marcagi feels more grounded on tour now than he did earlier in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives me a better mental space,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel like I have more energy and I\u2019m not so one-track minded all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Rocks Is Still the Dream<\/h2>\n

After performing at stadiums, including his hometown NFL venue for the Cincinnati Bengals, Marcagi says one bucket-list venue still stands above the rest: Red Rocks Amphitheatre.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m living in Colorado, getting to play Red Rocks would be incredible,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s definitely the dream venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until then, Marcagi continues balancing touring life with hiking trips, road adventures, and outdoor recovery whenever possible. Places like Rocky Mountain National Park and the Grand Teton National Park remain high on his list.<\/p>\n

But beyond the music, fitness, or travel, Marcagi says his motivation always comes back to the fans showing up night after night.<\/p>\n

\u201cTickets are expensive. People get babysitters. People have work the next day,\u201d he says. \u201cI never take for granted that people are putting effort into coming to a show.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset, he says, is what keeps him disciplined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want people to leave feeling like it was worth their time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n