Cristiano Ronaldo: Tips From The Fittest Man In Football

In Spanish football, the campaign in La Liga has only been underway for 10 weeks’ worth of matches, and it’s looking like another special season for Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. He trails only Neymar with eight goals scored already, and with Lionel Messi still sidelined with a knee injury, it’s likely that Ronaldo will once again lead his league in scoring when all is said and done.

Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo is blitzing the Champions League half-way through the group stages. Recently unofficially named as a member of the all-time starting XI for Champions League stars and already the record goalscorer for the event, Ronaldo managed five goals in the first three matches of the group stage. That’s a scorching pace that probably can’t continue, but it does serve as further confirmation of the forward’s exceptional form this autumn.

As football fans know, a striker with Ronaldo’s ability to seize opportunities and find the back of the net only comes along once or twice in a generation, if even that often. There are unique, inherent skills that a man like Ronaldo shares with virtually no one else, and it’s these qualities that have largely contributed to his construction of one of the mightiest player resumes in world football history—at just age 30.

But Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t excel solely because he’s blessed with rare gifts and has honed his football skill so expertly. He’s made an effort, even more than most professional footballers, to keep himself in shape. He now stands undeniably as one of the fittest athletes on the planet. So how does he do it?

Fortunately for us, Ronaldo’s fitness hasn’t exactly been a secret. The footballer not only makes his physique obvious by occasionally ripping off his shirt after matches, but he has also modelled his own underwear, spoken to Men’s Health, and generally been less than shy about his absurd level of physical health. And in the process, he’s shared a number of his favourite fitness tips, which convey some of these broad themes:

Mental Strength – Ronaldo stresses the importance of training your mind as well as your body, to gain mental strength, practice discipline, and become goal-oriented.

Variety – The value of mixing up workouts is not lost on Ronaldo, who recommends a combination of weight training, cardio exercises, high-intensity workouts and distance exercises. This variety keeps fitness interesting and targets more of the body.

Outside Motivation – From working out with a partner to add an element of competition, to listening to the right playlist, Ronaldo is big on things that can keep you motivated and help you to avoid focusing solely on the exercise at hand.

Sleep & Nutrition – Ronaldo also recommends plenty of sleep (early to bed, early to rise) for muscle recovery and to gain energy, and stresses the importance of sound nutrition. Drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol, and eating at regular intervals all help the football star to stay at top fitness.

That’s not to suggest that following those tips will lead you to being the fittest man (or woman) alive, of course. However, given the incredible level Ronaldo maintains and how much it’s aided him on the pitch, it’s hard to imagine a better person from whom to take fitness advice.