Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour spanned 149 shows in five continents. It was her sixth tour, and the one for which she prepared the most. She followed an intense workout regimen, spent months learning dance routines, and altered her diet. Swift admitted that in previous years, she hadn’t prepared nearly as much.

Taylor Swift said her Eras Tour looked much different than her previous ones

Swift’s Eras Tour was a massive undertaking, something she realized in the earliest planning phases.

“I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot,” she told Time in 2023.

In past years, she joked that she toured “like a frat guy.” While the tours have been successful, they likely didn’t require the time and effort that the Eras Tour did. She spent six months physically training for it. 

“Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud,” she explained. “Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.” 

Her gym also developed a specialized program of strength, conditioning, and weights for her. In a move that brought her the furthest from her “frat boy” habits, she also stopped drinking while touring. She knew she wouldn’t be at her best if she was even slightly hungover.

“Doing that show with a hangover,” she said. “I don’t want to know that world.”

Taylor Swift shared why she spent so long on dances for her tour

She also spent months memorizing dances.

“Learning choreography is not my strong suit,” she admitted.

She wanted to have the dances so ingrained in her mind that she didn’t have to think about them while performing. 

“Then I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones,” she said. “I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.” 

Tickets to the tour were, on average, significantly more expensive than the average concert. As a result, she wanted the shows to feel worth it to fans.

“They had to work really hard to get the tickets,” she said. “I wanted to play a show that was longer than they ever thought it would be, because that makes me feel good leaving the stadium.” 

Each run of shows required extensive recovery

As a thank you to her fans, Swift wanted to make sure that the shows occurred without any problems.

“I know I’m going on that stage whether I’m sick, injured, heartbroken, uncomfortable, or stressed,” she said. “That’s part of my identity as a human being now. If someone buys a ticket to my show, I’m going to play it unless we have some sort of force majeure.” 

The effort was worth it — the tour made over $2 billion — but it took a toll on her physically. She had to spend entire days in bed to recover.

“I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there,” she said. “It’s a dream scenario. I can barely speak because I’ve been singing for three shows straight. Every time I take a step my feet go crunch, crunch, crunch from dancing in heels.”