Go to a Megan Moroney show, and you’ll be immersed in a two-hour sea of pink and glitter, with, of course, plenty of glimpses of her trademark white boots. But look to the side of the stage, and you’ll spot a black-hatted, biceps-blasting guitarist keeping the band’s sound on fire all night. That’s John Barker.
When the Cloud 9 Tour stops on Long Island’s UBS Arena on Oct. 28, it’ll be hard to miss the chiseled chord-strummer backing the “Emo Cowgirl.” Barker is an accomplished musician, for sure, but you can also file him under full-time gym rat, tour bus trainer, and, for a brief stretch, unofficial security. But to Moroney, he’ll always be known simply as “Protein”—the fitting nickname she gave him shortly after he joined the band in 2023.
“I had been in Megan’s band for about a month,” Barker recalls. “I walked onto the bus, and Meg said, ‘John, every time I see you, I just think, Protein!’ So she just kept calling me that, and it stuck.”
The muscle moniker is fitting: Barker says music and fitness have both been key parts of his routine since before his teenage years. He took up martial arts at 6, got his first guitar at 12, and throughout the process developed grown-man strength baling hay and feeding animals on the family farm. Now 33, he’s part of a band playing consistently sold-out venues throughout the 2026 tour. Along with leaving audiences wowed by his guitar work on the platinum-selling “Indifferent,” he also maxes a bench press north of three plates.
And while Barker’s muscular physique may be striking, he downplays the role fitness plays in keeping him moving smoothly onstage.
“I think being in shape definitely doesn’t hurt performance,” he says, laughing, “but my job isn’t considered cardio in my book.”
Barker says some adjustments to his strength-training routine have helped him increase his lifting numbers and add inches to his sleeves. Sticking to a routine is easier when he’s home in Tennessee, but the ripped rocker makes sure weights are stored on the tour bus. He lets his bandmates know when it’s workout time, though the invitation is pressure-free.
“I definitely don’t push anyone to work out,” he says. “Everyone is so different and has their own things they’re into. For the guys and gals that do work out, I’ll let them know if I’m dragging weights out or going to the gym, if they want to join.”
Bringing Muscle to the Megan Moroney Cloud 9 Tour
John Barker may be Gray, Tennessee’s second-most-important export. The town, home to just over 2,000 residents, is perhaps best known for a five-million-year-old fossil site discovered nearby.
Barker’s early life helped lay the foundation for his fitness routine. He grew up on a farm, where baling hay and caring for animals meant plenty of physical work. He also began martial arts at about 6, incorporating basic body-weight movement into his early routine.
Then in high school, football and track turned his focus toward building strength and athleticism. “I don’t remember if I had specific number goals when I first started lifting in high school, but definitely getting stronger, faster, and putting on weight for football was huge.”
Barker eventually turned his full-time attention to guitar, but he still posts numbers worthy of an NFL combine. “I don’t like to brag, but my bench press PR is 335 pounds, and this year I got 225 for 20 reps for the first time.”
Barker follows a push-pull workout split, in which he emphasizes compound movements such as squats and bench presses. One big change he has made to his program, he says, is placing a greater focus on his triceps. While he admits to not having a dedicated day specifically for arms, he’s added high-rep moves such as rope pushdowns and heavy overhead triceps extensions more consistently into his workouts. Barker believes the more triceps training he’s been doing has also helped add to his bench press numbers. “I think I overlooked triceps for a long time, but when I started focusing more on them, my arms started to grow.”
Sticking to a push-pull routine on a tour bus presents its own challenges. Barker makes do with whatever facilities each venue offers. When there’s no gym available, he relies on the limited equipment carried on the bus.
“We carry an adjustable bench, some kettlebells, some dumbbells up to 50 pounds, an ab roller and a few bands,” he says. He also brings a rucking backpack, which he loads with bags of sand, and walks through arenas to prepare for hunting season.
“On the road, I try to follow a workout routine similar to the one I use at home,” he says. but I have to make a lot of adjustments depending on the time available and how much weight I have access to that day.”
The Challenges of Recovery and Nutrition on the Road
Life on the road comes with its own challenges, and recovery is one of them. Between demanding workouts, performances and an unpredictable schedule, Barker often has little time to recover.
“My recovery is definitely lacking most of the time,” he says. “I’ve done a few cold plunges, but I haven’t had consistent enough access to one for it to make much of a difference. Maybe we’ll get one on the road one day that travels around with us.”
Sleep can also take a hit while touring. At home, Barker has a more consistent routine: “I have a more consistent sleep schedule and go to the gym every day at the same time. I track my progress on lifts a lot better, too.”
He doesn’t meticulously track his macros, either. “It’s really hard on the road, honestly,” he says. “Most of the time, I don’t eat enough and get too many ‘liquid calories.’ I try to eat the best I can at catering and avoid too many late-night snacks on the bus, but I try not to get too crazy about it.”
At home, Barker’s fridge is stocked mostly with wild game, eggs and fruit. The avid outdoorsman is sure to eat what he brings home from his hunt, which is normally either deer or elk. He’ll occasionally bring wild game on the road when there’s room on the bus. One of his go-to meals is elk backstrap. He prefers searing it in a cast-iron skillet, cooked to medium rare. Add a little bit of avocado oil, garlic salt and seasoning, and he says you are good to go.
“Can’t beat it!” he says.
All of Barker’s dedication to fitness has its perks for Moroney, a self-described Pilates enthusiast, who has also begun incorporating weight-vest workouts into her routine. In 2024, she told Muscle & Fitness that the group shares a bond that extends from the stage to the weightroom. “We pretty much do everything together,” she said. “And working out is just another thing we all do together. It’s very sibling-like.”
Their close, family-like bond also once meant taking on a second role: serving as pseudo-bodyguards.
“Early on, when Megan didn’t have security, we definitely all really tried to look after her and take some of those responsibilities,” Barker says. “But we leave that to the professionals these days.”
And while the setlist may change from time to time, fans should expect to continue getting plenty of “Protein.”
Main Photo: Instagram @JDBarker