Rick Springfield Shares How He Maintains Abs at 75 — and Why He's a 'Whore' for This Gym Chain (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Rick Springfield.

More than four decades after he first rose to fame in 1981 for his No. 1 hit “Jessie’s Girl” and for his role as Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soapGeneral Hospital,Rick Springfieldis still living up to his heartthrob title.In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, the ’80s icon shares what it takes to maintain his fit physique — and rock hard abs — at 75.“I exercise every day, and every time I play with my band, it is a two-hour aerobic workout,” he says. “On the road we’rePlanet Fitnesswhores. Planet Fitness is like the Holiday Inn of workout places — they’re all the same, every place you go.“Springfield admits tour looks a lot different now than it did during his early days of fame.“The focus of tour used to be partying and getting laid,” he says. “Now it’s getting enough sleep and finding a nice restaurant.“When it comes to his diet, Springfield says pescatarian is a “pretty good description.““I’ll have meat now and then if I feel like feeling a little weak, but I don’t eat dairy or anything like that,” he says. “I’m on a big anti-inflammation kick.“Rick Springfield on stage in 1985.Ebet Roberts/Redferns/GettyTwo years ago, Springfield also cut back on his alcohol intake.“I was drinking quite a bit, and as you get older, it’s kind of a natural thing to drop all that s—,” he says. “I’m not [in] AA — I mean, I know a lot of people it’s worked for. I’ll have a couple of sips of vodka or something when I’m onstage, but I don’t drink any other time.“Springfield says limiting his alcohol use has had a positiveimpact on his depression, which he’s battled since he was a teen. He also recently triedketamine and LSD as treatments.“I wanted to see if [ketamine would] open a few things in my brain,” he says. “It was a creative experiment and an experiment on depression. I did it for as long as suggested, and I wasn’t a big fan. It made me feel heavy and machinelike. It didn’t change much in me — although I have been writing a lot, so you never know what kind of effect it has later on. It’s not a black-and-white kind of thing.“Rick Springfield in New York City in August 2015.Stephen Lovekin/GettyNow, Springfield says he’s more interested in “micro-dosing.““I did acid, and that was actually a little better,” he says. “I hadn’t done that since I was in my 20s, but it was a great high. I don’t mean to push drugs on anyone, but I’m not averse to anything that helps me be happier and a better person. I could use some help in that area. I’m always searching.“As Springfield puts it, the saying “wisdom comes with age” is “bullsh—.““Wisdom comes with digging and looking at yourself,” he says. “It doesn’t automatically come.“At 75, Springfield — who recently released Volume 2 of hisGreatest Hitsalbum and will set out on his I Want My ’80s tour on May 28 — certainlydoesn’t feel his age.“I still feel like I’m in my 20s in my head,” he says. “Then I see people dying from old age disease and go, ‘Wow, I’m the same age as old people!'”

More than four decades after he first rose to fame in 1981 for his No. 1 hit “Jessie’s Girl” and for his role as Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soapGeneral Hospital,Rick Springfieldis still living up to his heartthrob title.

In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, the ’80s icon shares what it takes to maintain his fit physique — and rock hard abs — at 75.

“I exercise every day, and every time I play with my band, it is a two-hour aerobic workout,” he says. “On the road we’rePlanet Fitnesswhores. Planet Fitness is like the Holiday Inn of workout places — they’re all the same, every place you go.”

Springfield admits tour looks a lot different now than it did during his early days of fame.

“The focus of tour used to be partying and getting laid,” he says. “Now it’s getting enough sleep and finding a nice restaurant.”

When it comes to his diet, Springfield says pescatarian is a “pretty good description.”

“I’ll have meat now and then if I feel like feeling a little weak, but I don’t eat dairy or anything like that,” he says. “I’m on a big anti-inflammation kick.”

Rick Springfield on stage in 1985.Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty

Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty

Two years ago, Springfield also cut back on his alcohol intake.

“I was drinking quite a bit, and as you get older, it’s kind of a natural thing to drop all that s—,” he says. “I’m not [in] AA — I mean, I know a lot of people it’s worked for. I’ll have a couple of sips of vodka or something when I’m onstage, but I don’t drink any other time.”

Springfield says limiting his alcohol use has had a positiveimpact on his depression, which he’s battled since he was a teen. He also recently triedketamine and LSD as treatments.

“I wanted to see if [ketamine would] open a few things in my brain,” he says. “It was a creative experiment and an experiment on depression. I did it for as long as suggested, and I wasn’t a big fan. It made me feel heavy and machinelike. It didn’t change much in me — although I have been writing a lot, so you never know what kind of effect it has later on. It’s not a black-and-white kind of thing.”

Rick Springfield in New York City in August 2015.Stephen Lovekin/Getty

Stephen Lovekin/Getty

Now, Springfield says he’s more interested in “micro-dosing.”

“I did acid, and that was actually a little better,” he says. “I hadn’t done that since I was in my 20s, but it was a great high. I don’t mean to push drugs on anyone, but I’m not averse to anything that helps me be happier and a better person. I could use some help in that area. I’m always searching.”

As Springfield puts it, the saying “wisdom comes with age” is “bullsh—.”

“Wisdom comes with digging and looking at yourself,” he says. “It doesn’t automatically come.”

At 75, Springfield — who recently released Volume 2 of hisGreatest Hitsalbum and will set out on his I Want My ’80s tour on May 28 — certainlydoesn’t feel his age.

“I still feel like I’m in my 20s in my head,” he says. “Then I see people dying from old age disease and go, ‘Wow, I’m the same age as old people!'”

source: people.com