Brett Young is back to painting the corners, even if he hasn’t thrown a meaningful pitch in more than two decades. Although his velocity may have dipped since his fastball days, the former college baseball star turned platinum-selling country artist is throwing nothing but strikes—both musically and physically.
In June, the “In Case You Didn’t Know” singer once again bared his soul with his latest album, the introspective 2.0. At age 44, the 11-track collection reflects his growth as both a father and husband. Young also got the unintended opportunity to bare his chest for the 2.0 cover. The image was the result of eliminating alcohol for more than a year. That, and going all-in on his recommitment to health and fitness.
Young is proving that at post-40, it’s never too late to regain control of your wellness.
“I really don’t know how that one won out for the album cover, but it is definitely the first shirtless album cover we’ve done,” Young says, laughing. “We were kind of thinking a little more editorial when we shot that picture. But when we decided 2.0 was the name of the album, that’s kind of the place that I’m at in my life. That picture started to make a little bit more sense.”
For the four-time platinum singer, “2.0” represents a full-circle transformation. It dates back to the athletic mindset that had MLB scouts offering the former Ole Miss pitcher lucrative contracts before he turned 20. Hitting the gym with purpose was Step 1. Achieving this required ditching the beer and shots that had become a burdensome prerequisite for a musician on the road. That all came to an end in January 2024.
“I just decided that [alcohol] was not serving me at all,” he says. “In fact, it’s doing nothing but make life more difficult.”
Now, approaching two years of sobriety, Young has elevated his energy, focus, and strength. Now fans get hear and witness these improved qualities at each of his shows.
Living the clean life has resulted in dirty-rich gains for the 6’4” “Caliville-style” singer. He’s developed—and, most importantly, maintained—a workout routine that now has him in the gym at least two hours a day, six days a week. He’s invested the extra time gained from eliminating hangovers into his body. The payout’s already exponentially improved the quality time he now spends with his family.
“I went from getting really kind of worthless workouts where I would spend 30 or 45 minutes in the gym, to workouts that are about two hours a day,” he says. “I don’t feel like it’s freed up a lot of time in my day. In fact, it’s probably costing me an extra hour a day because I’m feeling so good. I’m spending more time in the gym. That being said, I think it’s added quality to the time that I do have.”
How Sobriety Sparked a Healthier, Happier, and More Powerful Performer
Brett Young’s Workout Routine and Fitness Transformation
Brett Young’s transformation into his “2.0” physique actually began before his decision to quit drinking. Like many, he fell victim to COVID’s “quarantine 15” and was looking for a way to shed the excess pounds he’d gained.
A pivotal first step was connecting with trainer Don Saladino. Before meeting Don through a mutual friend, Young admits he was just phoning in his workouts. He needed new motivation. And this was an opportunity to get some of his fans involved in a conditioning challenge as well. “I remember telling Don, ‘Can you help me get myself and a bunch of fans healthy?’” he says. “‘We’ll do a 10-week program, call it a challenge, and give away prizes.’”
He was already familiar with the lifting basics from his baseball days. Now working with the “superhero trainer” Young was introduced to a whole new training approach. His new program included plenty of functional training exercises. “There are a ton of movements and exercises that I learned with Don that I’ve hung on to, that have been great for me,” he says.
Best of all, Young worked his way back into game shape. He also began noticing improvements in his physique and energy levels during each performance. And very now and then, Young is reminded of the experience. It’s especially true when he spots a fan or two who participated in the challenge.
“Man, I still have fans show up at shows wearing a T-shirt or a pair of shoes that they won in the challenge,” he says. “So that was really fun.”
Today, Young is down to about 240 pounds. His workouts are now repurposed versions of those once prescribed by his Ole Miss coaches. Two decades later, he’s made some minor changes. One was shifting to a lower-rep, higher-weight program. Another was kickstarting his workout week with leg day in order to prevent skipping it.
“As a pitcher, we would lift heavy legs, but our upper body workouts were a little bit lower weight to keep flexibility, mobility, and other stuff. I’ve just taken the same routine, but gone higher weight, lower reps,” he explains.
He follows a four-days-on, one-day-off split routine. After starting the week with legs, Day 2 is devoted to chest and triceps. Back and biceps take over Day 3. Shoulders dominate Day 4, followed by a Day 5 rest. However, if he feels he’s been slacking, then he adds it to the training schedule. “Unless I’m feeling like my diet wasn’t as good as it could be, then I’ll just run in for cardio on Day 5. I also put 30 to 40 minutes of cardio at the end of each lift on days one through four.”
From Fastballs to Fan Favorites: Brett Young’s Unlikely Journey from the Mound to the Mic
For Brett Young, the journey from the mound to the microphone has been anything but ordinary. The best moments, to his own amazement, were waiting long after he handed the baseball to the manager for the final time.
Young was a standout pitcher at Ole Miss after going 15-0 his senior season at California’s Calvary Chapel High School. His athletic prowess was undeniable—and for years, he believed his greatest life moments would come from his pitching talents. However, after transferring to Fresno State, Young’s Bulldog career lasted just one inning. After two strikeouts, he suffered a career-ending injury.
He then turned his attention to music, which at the time was limited to singing at church. He then began learning guitar in junior high, and leading worship at school. What began as a hobby quickly turned into a passion and, eventually, a platinum-selling global performer. His song “In Case You Didn’t Know,” off his self-titled 2017 debut EP, was certified diamond (more than 10 million units sold). It was the first of a string of seven No. 1 hits. His signature “Caliville” sound—a blend of West Coast and Nashville influences—has captured fans’ hearts with lyrics about love and heartbreak. Despite his success, Young still finds it hard to believe how much music has become a part of his life.
“If you asked me when I was 20 years old, I would have bet you money whether I got to do any of this, it would have been because of baseball, including my connection to the sport,” he says. “Now I get to do so many things related to Major League Baseball because baseball players and organizations are fans of country music. Not in a million years would I have thought that becoming a singer would open the doors that it has. It’s been wild.”
At 44, he can still hit the strike zone with his fastball—just not as fast as when several Major League clubs were offering six-figure salaries to the kid with the 90-plus mph fastball—offers that he turned down to attend Ole Miss.
“There are some things that at 44 years old, my body just doesn’t have in it anymore,” Brett admits with a laugh. “But the baseball player in me feels very capable. I got my arm in shape last year to go through an inning for the Savannah Bananas. I don’t have the juice that I used to have, but I was throwing strikes and had movement. At my age, I was pretty impressed with that.”
Besides his one-inning stint with the Bananas, the closest he gets to the pitching mound these days is his backyard grill. It’s where he’s most at home, cooking up chicken or steak with rice as part of his 4,000-calorie daily diet.
“I could eat red meat and chicken for every meal,” he says. “I put a TV out on the patio, then I throw the game on. A get a little time to myself. At the same time, Dad’s a hero for cooking dinner, and I get a meal that I’m excited about eating and I can feel good about, I’d do it seven days a week if it didn’t get boring for the rest of my family.”
Now, Young is wrapping up the remaining U.S. dates of his current tour before heading to Europe in October and November. One of the added perks of being a country performer, he says, has been picking up his new passion—golf. With the exception of Augusta, he’s played all the major U.S. courses. Now, with his headlining act heading overseas, Young has the opportunity to fulfill another goal: teeing up in Scotland.
“I think this year will be the year that I finally take clubs to our European leg of the tour, because I really want to play courses in Scotland,” he says. “Up until now, we’ve just been kind of religiously building our fan base over there, but we’re to the point now where we’ve got a really good following, and it feels justifiable, now that the venues have gotten bigger, to take a day off and play some golf.”
