Def Leppard’s Phil Collen Pumps

Metal Up to Rock Harder Than Ever at 52

ef Leppard. You know it—the multiplatinum rock band that has been a pre-eminent music power for more than 30 years. It’s one of only five bands in Dhistory with two original studio albums that have sold more than 10 million cop- ies in the United States. Def Leppard albums have sold some 65 million copies, and the group is still one of the top tour- ing bands in the world. Def Leppard is legendary, and one reason for that is lead guitarist and vocalist Phil Collen. We all have our imaginary ideas of what it’s like to be a rock star—the lim- ousines, the parties, the hard living and fast lifestyle. Phil Collen, however, has a lifestyle that’s hard and fast in other ways. Phil lives a life of health and fitness, lift- Story and Photography ing weights, eating healthfully and train- by Ian Sitren ing in muay Thai kickboxing as if he were always getting ready for a fight. Whether

126 JANUARY 2011 \ www.ironmanmagazine.comHeavy www.ironmanmagazine.com \ JANUARY 2011 127 Phil lives a life of health and fitness, lifting weights, eating healthfully and training in muay Thai kickboxing as if he were always getting ready for a fight.

ing the hard-rock lifestyle then, with alcohol being the main curse along with some of the wrong chemical additions—that is, recreational drugs. Booze was sending Phil and his bud- dies into a dark place. Days would start with reasons. His regimen involves very frozen vodka and continue substantial workouts, and, when with beer and any other he’s on tour, working around odd hard liquor at hand. Black- schedules and living conditions. ing out was a normal part of Tour bus hours can be late and the things, but it came to a point days very long. Phil will do what he where Phil knew it had to does at home and do his own cook- stop. Then he got a sober- ing, being very careful about watch- ing wake-up call. One of his ing calories and eating typically six close friends, band member meals per day. Cheating might be on tour or just at home, Phil trains Steve Clark, died from an the occasional Indian or Thai food, at least three times per day under accidental combination of prescrip- but Phil says that as he gets older, the watchful eye of French and tion drugs and alcohol in 1991. it’s harder to take off weight, so he’s European champion muay Thai Phil’s decision to give up drink- very careful about not gaining it. kickboxer and trainer Jean Carrillo. ing and live a healthful lifestyle was Then there are the amazing That’s right: Even on tour the train- accompanied by his decision to workouts. Phil is devoted to pound- ing continues, with Jean traveling become a vegetarian. He was always ing at it no fewer than three times along with the band—and the work- put off by the idea of eating meat, he per day—and I mean pounding. outs are just as intense. says, so adopting a vegetarian diet At home you’ll find him in what’s It was about 23 years ago that Phil really worked for him. called “Phil’s Sweat Shop,” a garage got the motivation to change his Today Phil maintains very strict filled with gym equipment. I must life for the better. He was still liv- control of his eating for a lot of tell you, too, that Phil is a humble

128 JANUARY 2011 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com Rock Hard guy with none of the outward indi- continues to work with beginners, pushups on the floor, abs—all fast cations of his “star” status but one— amateurs, kids and professional and hard. And that’s only one of the the new Aston Martin he backs out muay Thai and MMA fighters—all day’s three workouts. The others of the garage to make more room. the while modeling and teaching a might consist of cycling or a chan- Once the car is out of the way, watch healthful lifestyle. geup. out. Along with the weightlifting A workout day in “Phil’s Sweat You can easily see why it takes six comes some serious kickboxing. Shop” typically starts with pound- meals per day to support that work- Reenter Jean Carrillo, who’s ing the weights. Like most of us, Phil out schedule, but you might wonder fought and trained around the concentrates on certain bodyparts how it would work with a vegetarian world. He was in France’s Marine at each day’s session, but he also diet, especially in terms of protein. Corps Special Forces and served in integrates his “pad work,” which has Phil gets a lot of his protein from the Security Forces in Africa with the him throwing high kicks—that is, soy—like soy chicken, soy “meats” French Foreign Legion. He’s trained hard, full-on fight kicks—over and and shakes. Nuts are another com- military personnel and police and over and over at the pads that Jean ponent, but as Phil says, most peo- holds. Put it this way: ple slug down handfuls when they You wouldn’t want should be eating only five or six. to be on the receiv- Another mistake people make when ing end of one. It’s an going vegetarian is eating a lot of incredible cardio and bread and cheese. Phil advises keep- fat-burning regimen ing it green and raw overall. that includes lots of Can you imagine going on tour hard breathing and with him—veggies, pushups, kick- sweat pouring off Phil. boxing and all? It’s a far cry from So it’s weights, the days when performing at a rock pad work, heavy bag, concert meant sucking down whis-

A workout day in “Phil’s Sweat Shop” typically starts with pounding the weights.

130 JANUARY 2011 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com So it’s weights, pad work, heavy bag, pushups on the floor, abs—and all fast and hard.

key or vodka and snorting a white they often work out with pads or Indeed, Phil is considered one of the powder. Phil’s colleagues have em- maybe with towels, doing stretches top rock guitarists ever. braced the fitness lifestyle too, al- and arm training or even hitting the Then there’s Phil’s other rock though perhaps not as aggressively floor for pushups. Phil says he has group—Man-Raze. Formed with as he has. Before going onstage, more energy now than he had as a his former bandmate from “Girl,” kid, when he started play- bassist Simon Laffy, and drummer He very often ing in bands—and at 52 Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols, will just sit he certainly has more life Man-Raze is recording and playing in front of him now than live, has toured and will be touring down and he would had he gone in again. plug in to the the other direction. Def Leppard goes on tour again systems in his Considering all the in 2011, and “Hysteria” lives on, dining room workouts, his nutritional delighting current and new gen- and roar away schedule and Def Lep- erations. Phil says it’s because the on one of his pard, you’d think Phil band has never broken up and has many guitars. has enough going on, remained true. Even after 65 million but there’s plenty more. albums sold and legendary status, For one thing, there’s his the band continues to record and do love of guitars. He very new things too. often will just sit down Much of Def Leppard is Phil Col- and plug in to the systems len, a guy who lives a life of health in his dining room and and fitness, a guy who leads by ex- roar away on one of his ample and hopes to be doing more many guitars. He’s worked soon to help people live their lives with Jackson Guitars and in a healthful, fit way. One change Fender on his own de- for Phil this year that makes it even signs, which he uses and better: He got married to a wonder- is very proud to have de- ful woman, Helen, who is his equal veloped. He combines ev- in talent—in her career and in her erything from heavy picks desire to do better things for the and heavy strings with people around her. his own special choice of Def Leppard has brought much to amplifiers and equipment the world. Now Phil Collen brings us to make his work unique. much more. IM

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