Rock drummers, some claim, are finely tuned athletes, as fit as any long-distance runner. But to get your head around that idea, you’ll have to put aside all sorts of assumptions and stereotypes.

First, forget “Spinal Tap,” that hilarious mockumentary in which all of the band’s besotted drummers perished mysteriously, such as in a gardening accident or by spontaneous combustion.

Forget, too, ’70s icons John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and the Who’s Keith Moon, whose extended drum solos were seemingly fueled not by a well-developed cardiovascular system so much as by, well, pharmaceuticals.

Consider instead: A recent study by two British sports scientists measured the heart rate, oxygen consumption, lactic acid buildup and peak endurance of Blondie drummer Clem Burke over a 10-year period ending in 2007 to find out just how much energy he used in a gig.

The researchers from the University of Chichester and the University of Gloucestershire found that Burke’s exertion rate during a 1 1/2-hour concert equaled that of a 10K runner or a professional soccer player. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, reaching as high as 190 beats. He burned an average of 600 calories per performance and averaged about 2 quarts in lost fluids.

In short, banging on the skins is quite a workout. “Live rock drumming performance relies heavily upon the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,” Smith wrote on the researchers’ site, www.clemburkedrummingproject.com.

Smith recently told the London Guardian, “Through monitoring Clem’s performance in controlled conditions, we have been able to map the extraordinary stamina required by professional drummers. We can now use this data to benefit others.”

The researchers hope that children who aren’t interested in traditional sports might take up drumming to shape up.

Drumming as fitness is not news to drummers, who have long felt their physical prowess is undervalued. They won’t go so far as to call themselves athletes — that would hardly be drummer-cool — but they acknowledge that fitness is a huge factor in performing well.

According to Mike Johnston, owner of the Drum Lab, an instructional business in Carmichael and, in the 1990s, drummer for the successful punk band Simon Says, drumming builds strength and cardiovascular fitness. But he also says serious drummers — those touring and doing shows every night — need to cross-train.

“I was young, 22, and cardio was the only thing that bothered me on tour,” recalls Johnston, now 33. “It was like doing 45 minutes of hard cycling. I was hitting so hard straight through the night that I had to start running every day and do other training to stay in shape.”