How Cristiano Ronaldo’s committment to fitness helped him stay on the top

Find out how Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently won Ballon D'or worked on his fitness.

By: Sameer Jha | | Published: January 15, 2014 3:49 pm

‘Maybe they hate me because I’m too good!’, Cristiano Ronaldo was famously quoted in an interview. Even though some people may find this arrogant, it is not so because the results that Ronaldo has produced in the last few years have proved that he is in fact, too good! Also Read - Shilpa Shetty swears by this yoga asana to get rid of winter stiffness, improve flexibility

In a game that is played in more than 200 countries, with thousands of athletes devoting their life to it – being the best doesn’t come easy. What is tougher is continuing to stay at the top, and Ronaldo has done that consistently. Also Read - Finding hard to get back to grind after holiday season? Try Shilpa Shetty’s trick

After standing in the third place for the prestigious Ballon D’or in 2007, he won it in 2008. This was followed by a second place for 3 years in a row before reclaiming what was rightfully his in 2013. Also Read - Tiger Shroff does pull-ups every day: Here’s why you should follow suit

Such consistency doesn’t come easy, and fitness is definitely one of the greatest pillars that Ronaldo uses to dominate his opponents on the pitch. He knows that if he wants to be the best, he has to work harder than everyone else. While at United, he would strap weights to his legs and do step-overs even after the other players had left to take a shower. (Read: Happy Birthday Ryan Giggs: How the Welsh winger has defied Father Time)

The transformation

When he joined United, Cristiano Ronaldo looked too skinny to take on some of the strong defenders in the English Premier League. However, he soon worked on his weaknesses. Deadlifts, power cleans, Olympic lifts along with other strength workouts done quickly made him get closer to the vision of a perfect footballer’s body that he had in mind.

‘I would say, physically, he is the perfect specimen. From his height to his natural body type, muscular structure, how much fat he’s got in his system, his endurance capacity, flexibility, power and strength – they are in perfect balance.

He had in his mind, ‘I need to make myself special and I’m going to have to learn everything I need to become special. I’m going to have to regiment my day and my week, months and years and become as good as I can be by every possible means.’ He had a plan’, Mike Clegg, United’s former power development coach told BBC.

Buying a home with a swimming pool, and hiring a chef to take care of his dietary needs were smart decisions that made sure he recovered from all the hardwork. ‘It’s important to note that Cristiano Ronaldo eats all sort of dishes, as a responsible athlete he is, but the one he likes the most is fish, as gilt-head bream, swordfish and sea bass‘, Luis Lavrador, cuisine chef for the Portuguese national team told a website. Also, unlike some other footballers, Ronaldo doesn’t smoke or drink as he does not want to harm his body. His passion for training is so strong, that he doesn’t want to undo the hardwork by doing such things.

In a documentary done by Castrol, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked to showcase his skills in a laboratory environment. It was proven that Ronaldo could run like a sprinter, hit balls at breakneck speed, jump like a basketball player and had a footballing mind that was superbly gifted. (Read: David Beckham retires – how did he stay at the top for so long?)

Still competing at the top level, with many years ahead of him – Ronaldo still has the hunger to improve as a footballer. ‘Ronaldo improves every day. Look at his numbers three years ago and you think, ‘It’s impossible he can do better,’ and then you look at him this year and he’s done better again. He’s always improving and because of that, he is the best.’ Aitor Karanka, who worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid for three years, told BBC. At 28, he still has many years of football left in him. We congratulate him on winning the Ballon D’or and hopes he inspires millions in the time to come.

For more articles on Fitness check out our Fitness Section and for videos check out our YouTube Channel. Don’t miss out on the latest updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

Published : January 15, 2014 3:49 pm

Read Disclaimer