Brad Gillis Diet & Routine: 18-Pound Weight Loss Secrets

Brad Gillis shares his no-booze diet, daily shakes and hill-walk routine for tour fitness.

By Ratika Pai Ratika Pai linkedin_icon

Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis has quietly dropped 18 pounds since his heaviest point last year, and he’s finally pulling back the curtain on the diet and workout plan that keeps him stage-ready. With a nonstop touring calendar—he recently wrapped a gig at Ocean City’s Boardwalk Rockfest and is headed to Japan this fall—Gillis needed a sustainable routine that fuels long flights, late-night riffs and early soundchecks.

Morning Power-up Routine

He kicks off each day with a tall glass of water and a whole grapefruit to jump-start digestion. Next comes a custom blender shake: a mix of fresh berries, walnuts, almonds, baby spinach, unsweetened coconut milk, a generous spoonful of peanut butter, a splash of whole milk plus collagen peptides and organic protein powder. “It’s a powerhouse of vitamins and healthy fats,” he writes on Instagram. After the shake, Brad downs a cup of black coffee before moving into stretching and dozens of light-weight reps—crucial for maintaining finger dexterity on guitar.

Road-ready Meal Plan

On and off the road, Gillis sticks to lean proteins like fish and poultry, paired with steamed vegetables or a Cobb salad dressed lightly. He admits that dodging fatty desserts like cheesecake, pizza and Häagen-Dazs wasn’t easy—“Damn it😩”—but quitting alcohol helped more than he expected. “I love waking up clear headed,” he says. With booze out of the picture, he’s cut empty calories and improved sleep quality, key for back-to-back performances.

Tour Life Workouts

Even while touring, Brad finds pockets of time for fitness. At Boardwalk Rockfest in Ocean City, Maryland, he reported dropping from 178 to 162 pounds in under a year. His travel-friendly regimen includes hotel swims, two-hour walks around town and daily hill climbs near his home base. These steady cardio sessions keep his heart rate up without taxing sore fingers, ensuring he’s ready to tear into a solo at a moment’s notice.

From Rubicon To Night Ranger: A Legacy Of Stamina

Gillis’s appetite for endurance dates back to his early days with ’70s rock outfit Rubicon, which landed a top-20 hit and opened Cal Jam II for 250,000 fans in 1978. According to his Wikipedia profile, he joined Night Ranger in 1982 and has been a driving force behind hits like “Sister Christian.” His rigorous self-care routine today echoes the stamina required on those festival bills and global tours—proof that healthy habits can power a decades-long career.

Maintaining this balance of nutrition, exercise and rest has become Brad’s secret weapon. As he gears up for Night Ranger’s fall run—Japan in October and summer stadium shows next year—his leaner frame and clear mind will be as crucial as his guitar tone. For fans and fellow musicians alike, Brad Gillis’s journey is a reminder that discipline offstage can translate to peak performance under the spotlight.

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Ratika holds a master's degree in commerce and a post-graduate diploma in communication and journalism from Mumbai University. She has 6 years of experience writing in various fields, such as finance, education, and lifestyle.

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