NITA STRAUSS Likes To Listen To 'A Lot Of Melodic Death Metal' Like SOILWORK And AT THE GATES While Lifting Weights

In a new interview with Ramona Fernandez of Gym Rock Crew, Nita Strauss, the 39-year-old Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, was asked if she listens to anything while she is working out. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I do. During my cardio, I listen to some audiobooks and podcasts, because I am one of those people that finds cardio very tedious. I know a lot of people, they love their cardio. I am not one of them. I do not enjoy cardio. So, I'll put on a book or some motivational podcast or something like that. And then when I lift, I listen to music — mostly rock, of course, or metal. I like the Spotify daily mix, so it gives me a fresh playlist of SOILWORK or AT THE GATES, kind of like a lot of melodic death metal and stuff like that in my lifting playlist. And then every once in a while I'll go off the rails and listen to some really upbeat '90s rock, like SUBLIME or something like that. Sometimes I just feel like getting a little like pep in my step when I do my workout. So sometimes it'll be that."

Asked to name her favorite exercise, Nita said: "I like to do legs. I've always liked to train legs. I like to train heavy legs. Since injuring my knee a few years ago, I don't do a lot of compound lifts, like squats. I really do more hinge movements, like deadlifts or hip thrust, that kind of thing. So I really kind of just stick with more the posterior chain kind of movement and I really enjoy that."

As for her least favorite exercise, Nita said: "I've not had a super strong upper body most of my life. So I get frustrated with upper-body movements. I will confess to you here on Gym Rock Crew that I cannot do a pullup; I cannot do even one body weight pullup. And that's my secret shame. I would love to get a pullup one day. So those are the kind of exercises, like those big compound upper-body movements. I don't mind lap pulldowns, all that kind of stuff. I like doing that. But those sort of like bigger body-weight kind of lifts are not as enjoyable for me because I'm not good at them. I am fully aware the only way to get better at things is to continue doing them. And the other thing for me with the pullup is, of course, as a guitar player, we're all about the hands and the fingers. And I baby my hands like you wouldn't believe. That's the only thing that I'm a princess about, is my fingers. So anything, I'm, like, 'No, no, no. I can't do it. My fingers are gonna be sore.' So I, I blame that also for my lack of grip strength, just because I baby my hands so much."

Back in 2019, Nita launched Body Shred, the first fitness challenge aimed at musicians and music fans who wanted to get in better physical and mental shape and make a positive change in their lives.

Strauss reportedly lost 50 pounds and got sober while on tour back in 2015. Asked by Muscle & Fitness magazine if her weight loss was on purpose or if it was just a side effect of getting fitter, she said: "It was a little bit of both. I think a big part of it was coming off alcohol. Until you cut it out, you don't realize there are so many people on tour who are sober and don't feel the need to have that crutch every day.

"I was not a super social kid and I didn't have the easiest time making friends," she continued. "But when I started playing in bands, everyone would just have a couple beers at rehearsal, at the shows, or whatever, and alcohol is a great equalizer. It's a great way to make friends and interact with people.

"When I cut alcohol out, I think my body was just like, 'Oh, thank you.' We were on tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE at the time so everyone warned me, 'Oh, those guys are crazy. They party so much.' But it was actually Nikki Sixx that when I first got sober, I came to him, like, 'Hey, do you have any tips for me? Do you have anything?' He gave me some great reading materials and all this different stuff that was really, really helpful.

"The important thing to remember is you control you," Nita added. "Nothing else can control you. No substance, no liquid, nothing can control you but yourself. Once you make that change and you see all the positive effects that go on in your life, you won't go back."

Earlier this month, Nita and husband and manager Josh Villalta announced on Instagram they are expecting their first child together.

Nita and Josh got married in May 2024 at The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in Los Angeles, California. Among the guests at the wedding were Nita's Cooper bandmates Alice Cooper and Chuck Garric, DISTURBED singer David Draiman and his now-wife Sarah Uli, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer and his wife Brandi, pop-rock singer Demi Lovato and her now-husband Jordan "Jutes" Lutes, and celebrity chef Chris Santos and his wife, actress Natalie Makenna.

Josh proposed to Nita during the record-release party for her latest solo album, "The Call Of The Void", on July 6, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.

Villalta and Strauss met in 2011 in the driveway of the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood after being introduced by current Yamaha marketing manager Mike Taft.