Tyler Hubbard has many reasons for wanting to be fit. Perhaps the biggest reason is the fact that he’ll welcome his third child in under three years in September. “It’s going to be crazy here for a while,” Hubbard told Muscle & Fitness with a chuckle.
He’s also a member of Florida Georgia Line, one of the most popular country music groups in the United States. As any musician will tell you, singing and dancing in front of thousands of people for hours requires a good bit of stamina.
And then there’s the fact that he doesn’t want to be like the people he saw growing up in Georgia. “The narrative in Georgia is when you hit 65 you pretty much sit in a recliner until you die,” he says. “My goal is to be able to move and feel healthy until I’m 100 years old. I want to be able to hike a mountain when I’m 80.”
For many years, Hubbard’s approach to fitness mirrored that of many other Americans — he had a stretch of good weeks, followed by a span of time where he fell off the wagon a little bit.
That was until the Covid-19 pandemic canceled all of his band’s shows, and forced him and his family into quarantine. The silver lining in all that, however, is that Hubbard had a few months of consistency at home.
“As much as we like to travel, it makes it difficult to be consistent,” he says. “Having some consistency in our life has been really nice.”
And he’s been putting that time at home to good use by working out six days a week and eating right. As a result, Hubbard’s lost a little extra body fat and is more toned than he’s ever been.
Aesthetics aside, he says his time in quarantine has helped him create a way to make fitness a constant part of his life. “I’m past that phase of the ups and the downs, and having the good weeks and the bad weeks,” he says. “It’s more of a lifestyle.”
We spoke to Hubbard about his fitness journey, what he’s been up to in quarantine, and his message for anyone looking to make fitness part of their everyday life.
1 of 3
Laura Moll
His Fitness Regimen
Hubbard works out six days a week, and alternates with different forms of exercise.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, he and his wife, Hayley, do yoga for about an hour. “I would say it’s not just your typical stretching yoga, but not really advanced either,” he says. “But it’s definitely a workout.”
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they incorporate some high-intensity interval training that involves bodyweight moves and some weight lifting.
The training sessions are more than a way for the couple to stay in shape — it’s also the time they get to be with each other for a little bit. “With two kids you don’t really get a lot of time so that’s been a fun activity we do together,” Hubbard says.
On Fridays, he does some form of cardio — either biking or jogging. Jogging, he explains, was something Hubbard never did prior to quarantine. “It just started with me just wanting to get out of the house,” he says. “And then it just started to evolve to where I started craving it. I just bought myself some new running shoes.”
The extra cardio, he added, allowed him to lose a little extra body fat — revealing his abdominal muscles. “When you start to see results you’re like, ‘Oh wow, this works. Let me keep doing it.’ My stamina and overall endurance are going up. I feel tighter and more toned.”
On Saturdays he’ll do a heavier weightlifting day.
And on Sundays, he rests.
2 of 3
Laura Moll
Inspiring Others
When asked if he’s concerned that the birth of his third child, and the eventual return of concerts, would derail his progress, Hubbard said, “Maybe a little bit, but I feel like in my head I’ve made it part of my life.”
Now, he says, he’s trying to inspire others to make it part of their lives, too. “I feel so good and so confident and inspired and motivated,” he says, “and I want to use that to encourage others to do what you can, even if it’s a little bit, it can make a huge difference in your overall quality of life. You just have to make the time for it.”
“You don’t have to be super ripped to be in shape,” he continues. “Just let the progress inspire and encourage you.”
3 of 3
AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Life Outside of Fitness
Working out is far from the only thing Hubbard’s been up to in quarantine. He’s still writing music, as well as managing his music publishing company, Tree Vibez Music, and an independent label, Round Here Records.
“We’re still doing everything we usually do, minus the touring,” Hubbard says.
And in June, Florida Georgia Line released the single “U.S. Stronger,” which sings a message of hope during difficult times. “We wrote that in March or April when all this lockdown stuff started,” he says.
Other than that, he can’t do much due to quarantine orders. Nashville, where he now lives, has seen a spike in coronavirus cases and many businesses remain shuttered.
He hopes life can continue to go back to normal soon, but that all depends on how his fellow Tennessee citizens behave during this time. “You have some people who think there is no coronavirus, and then you have some people who haven’t left their houses,” he says. “We’re just trying to encourage our friends and family to be responsible. The longer we act irresponsibly and don’t take it seriously, the longer we’re going to prolong this situation.”
