They have been the butt of jokes, and even the most agile of their number have seldom been regarded as paragons of physical virtue.

For all John Bonham’s thunderous half-hour solos behind Led Zeppelin, and Keith Moon’s frenzied skin-bashing with The Who, neither man - nor the generations of drummers who followed them - was ever recognised as a finely tuned athlete.

But all that is about to change. After an eight-year study of Clem Burke, the veteran Blondie drummer, sports scientists have concluded that drummers are comparable in their physical prowess to world-class sportsmen.

Marcus Smith, of the University of Chichester, told The Times: “For me, as a sports scientist, he is no different to the Olympic athletes I have worked with.”

Led Zeppelin, Isle of Wight, 1973

John Bonham gives the rest of the group a 20-minute interval while he plays solo

Related Links

• ‘It’s physical. I warm up, I diet, I go to the gym’

Dr Smith and Steve Draper, of the University of Gloucestershire, monitored Burke’s oxygen uptake, blood lactate and heart rate in rehearsals and live performances.

“He loses up to two litres of fluid in a performance, which is similar to a runner going out and doing 10,000 metres,” Dr Smith said.

Burke burnt 400-600 calories per hour. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, though it could rise as high as 190 beats - equalling that of Cristiano Ronaldo in a Premier League football match.

Restoring the honour of the rock drummer has been a labour of love for Dr Smith, a lifelong Blondie fan. In 1998, as he was finishing his PhD, there were rumours that the band was about to reform.

He wrote to Burke that summer as a fan and as a sports scientist who had worked with professional football players and British Olympic boxers. They met at Wembley Arena, where Burke agreed to let Dr Smith follow him around on tour.

“There is a lot more to it than having a beer and walking on stage for two hours,” Burke told The Times. Even if that was how he used to do business, “at this point in my career I’m conscious of needing to be prepared”.

He does not think, however, that he is the only one who requires the services of a sports scientist. “Rock’n’roll music is in middle age now,” he added.

Burke needs to stay in peak physical condition and can sometimes suffer from joint pain. “Jacuzzis, saunas, massages, all that is incorporated into the life of the modern drummer,” he said. The late Keith Moon, whose manic performances seemed to create enough energy to power the national grid, was once his idol.

“These days, I say he taught me what not to do. He was very physical but he basically killed himself with excessiveness,” said Burke.

As he spoke, drummers up and down the country basked for a moment in the warm glow of recognition for their physical achievements.

Dave Rowntree, the drummer for Blur, said: “I would lose a stone every time I went on tour. You get a three-hour workout every night.”

Sarah Jones, 22, who plays the drums for the indie band New Young Pony Club, said: “I think of drumming as exercise. Other musicians can stop occasionally but you have to be going like the clappers for the whole gig.”

She now meets drummers with strict fitness regimes. “I do see drummers who start preparing hours before they go on. They say, ‘Right, it’s time for my banana now’, and they will have specific energy drinks.”

She wonders whether this fits within the rock’n’roll image. “It does seem rather boring,” she said.

Rowntree believes that the music world is divided between fitness freaks and those with less spartan lifestyles.

“The hotels all have gyms now and you get those who get up early and work out and those who get up at midday with a hangover,” he said. For his part, Dr Smith believes that he will soon be providing nutrition and fitness support to any number of musicians intent on prolonging their careers. “I haven’t seen any other sports scientists backstage yet,” he said. “But I think it will happen.”

He is focusing on drummers, though he sees other possibilities.

“Mick Jagger is extremely active when he performs,” he said. “Mick Jagger’s pelvic thrusting is not something that has been on my list, but who knows where this will end up.”

Explore Music

• Proms

• Festivals

• CD Reviews

• Live Reviews

Editor's choice

• Desperados with avocados - a sort of Guy Ritchie film
• Live fast, die young: The 27 Club
• Madonna's 50 most memorable moments