When NFL players step onto the gridiron, they’re doing so with some of the fittest athletes in the world… people who are every bit as fit as they are. Speed, agility, strength, endurance, balance and coordination are all necessary attributes for the physical aspect of the game. Then there is the ability to handle pressure, assess risk, build and apply tactical knowledge to perform successfully when it comes to the more strategic and mental aspects of battle out on the gridiron.
Of course, NFL players aren’t born in peak physical condition. They have to train and build their fitness to the standard they’ve reached. Below is a look at how some of the biggest stars in the NFL train.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, is the No. 1 quarterback in the world right now. This summer, in a Netflix documentary titled “Quarterback,” Bobby Stroupe, the personal trainer of the Chiefs’ main man, revealed how he concentrates on a specific task each day and then divides into different days. For instance, day A will be all about tissue rejuvenation, day B will focus on power development and movement literacy, and day C will be all about full speed.
Mahomes trains for explosive power, and Stroupe has made exercises with a medicine ball a major part of this. Exercises with cables also play a prominent role in his power workouts. Various cable woodchop exercises, and medicine ball slams and rotational throws, help Mahomes forge the upper body strength to turn the quarterback’s arm into the cannon it is.
If you’re into placing NFL player props bets, Patrick Mahomes is one player you might fancy putting some money on. Whether he’ll lead them all the way to Super Bowl glory is another question. Although the Chiefs opened as favorites to win the Lombardi trophy, the sportsbooks slashed their odds following the team’s loss to the Lions in their opening game of the regular season.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers created massive headlines and was the talk of the NFL this spring when he moved from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. All eyes are on the quarterback, who, unfortunately, injured himself in the team’s opening game, leaving fans’ curiosity unsatisfied as to how he’ll perform for his new side.
Rodgers is one of the fittest quarterbacks in the NFL, which he can attribute to a varied training regime. As well as including a rock-solid core workout — which consists of three different circuits — his training regime consists of weight training, yoga, TRX moves and squats.
In terms of his diet, he has cut three major food groups out to help him stay fit as he gets older. Since he removed dairy and gluten from his diet, his joints have responded better, and since he no longer drinks coffee and has generally cut down on caffeine, his energy levels are more consistent throughout the day and he sleeps better at night.
Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jaylen Hurts is the kind of guy who likes to prove doubters about him and whether he’s worth his price tag wrong. He’s highly motivated and works incredibly hard… the type of player who’s first to arrive for training and the last to leave.
This season, Hurts entered the training camp in the best shape he’s ever been in. Consistency is one of his main values, something which shows in how he keeps in shape to perform his very best on the field. He weighs himself each day, and his usual weight is 222 lbs., but this year, he’s managed to lower his body fat percentage to 7.1 and is looking leaner. Importantly, though, his training and dieting isn’t necessarily about slimming down or bulking up to a specific weight that he’s demanded of himself, but more about how these aspects of his preparation make him feel and perform. If he’s running well, feeling good and eating good, then the training mode suits him.
Hurts comes from a powerlifting background, so he’s tremendously strong… one of the strongest on his team, in fact, and its partly to this background that he can also attribute his dynamic speed. He throws himself into his weights works and is often training three or four hours after his team mates on a Friday afternoon. Core rollouts, air squats, the chest press and functional hamstring exercises are all part of his training. He’s also renowned for his strength in performing squats, and recently he has been captured on camera deadlifting a whopping 620 lbs.
The stars of the NFL have to think carefully about how they train and diet so that they can give the best of themselves out on the gridiron. Attention to detail is important so that they identify the types of training and diet that generate the best results for this.