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Cristiano Ronaldo workout routine: Exercises and CR7’s diet plan to keep you Championship league ready

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Cristiano Ronaldo is in the spotlight again after an in-depth interview with Piers Morgan.

Revealing everything from living with his father’s alcoholism as a child through to his battle to reach the highest level of professional football, Ronaldo spoke at lengths about his career and the work it took him to get there.

Ronaldo is also known for being one of the physically fittest football players, with Spanish newspaper Diario AS revealing that his Juventus medical last year declared he has the “physical capacity of a 20-year-old player” at the age of 34.

The results stated that he has “seven per cent body fat, which is around three per cent less than the average professional footballer” and “a muscle mass of 50 percent - four percent more than an average footballer”.

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(Getty Images)

Additionally, he was declared the fastest player at the World Cup last year with a top sped of 34 km/h. At a Juventus press conference he said: “I'm good emotionally, physically, that's why the way I came here makes me proud, I'm different from everyone else, from all the players who are 32, 33 or 34 years old.”

So, how has Cristiano Ronaldo reached the apex of physical fitness? Here’s a full breakdown of the teetotaller’s fitness and diet regimen.

Cristiano Ronaldo workout

Ronaldo is known for being a hard trainer, with a highly disciplined fitness regime. The player, who has a home gym, frequently shares photos and videos of himself working out on Instagram using machines, doing circuits and swimming on top of his regular football training.

He explained to Goal.com, "In training we do a few laps of the pitch, stretching, and cardio exercises [to warm-up]. Make sure you do something similar in your training, even if it is jogging to the gym or a warm up on the treadmill or bicycle."

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Happy Sunday 👌🧘‍♂️😘

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Aug 26, 2018 at 3:25am PDT

He added, “We do a lot of sprinting drills in training and they can be incorporated into your workout whether you are in the gym or outdoors. Try and add it to every workout you do."

In the gym however, Ronaldo does “cardiovascular training” including “running and rowing - and weights”. Ronaldo has shared a few pictures of himself using a number of machines, most notably a leg extension machine to help build up his quads.

Talking to Bodybuilding.com, he designed a fitness routine for one writer which revealed that his own routine “emphasises explosion, endurance, speed, strength and functional movement alongside his many hours of footwork and team practices”.

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Ronaldo has also previously shared a video of himself doing a small circuit as his girlfriend Georgia Rodriguez ran on a treadmill in the background, which included sitting on a Bosu ball while doing reps with a medicine ball, before launching into a series of crunches on the ball.

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Happy Sunday 😀✌️

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More insight into Ronaldo’s routine was provided by Nike, the Portuguese player’s longtime sponsor. Ronaldo and his trainer, Joaquin Sanda, teamed up with the athleticwear brand to release two workout routines based on Ronaldo’s own regimen and revealed more about his workout.

Sanda revealed that it was important for them to work on Ronaldo’s core, saying, “Because the core functions to stabilise the entire body, maintain proper muscular and joint stability and allows for proper biomechanics, core workouts are critical to Cristiano’s health and longevity as an athlete.”

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(Getty Images)

The pair released a 15 minute Quick Hit Abs workout, which includes nine different movements such as planks, single leg raises, quad rockers and boat to low boats.

Sanda continued, “The stronger the core, lower back and glutes, the better Cristiano will move, whether the demand be a short run, explosive drill or long endurance work.”

They also shared a longer 20 minute Lower Body workout, featuring reverse lunges, drop squats, crossback lunges and more movements.

Both workouts can be seen for free on the Nike Training app.

(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)

For those that don’t have a home gym or are always on the go, Ronaldo insisted, “Fit in exercise wherever you can. You can do an abs workout in your bedroom when you wake up in the morning or before you go to bed. If you get into a routine then it makes it easier as it will become a habit.”

Beyond his workout routines, Ronaldo also puts a huge emphasis on recovery saying, “I have good balance, training, how to rest. This is why I’ve been on top of the game for many, many years.”

In fact, prior to a game he insists on taking “a hot bath for about 20 minutes” according to NIke to relax his muscles. He has also previously spoken at length about the importance of sleep.

He told Goal.com, "Proper sleep is really important for getting the most out of training. I go to bed early and get up early, especially before matches."

"Sleep helps muscles recover which is really important," he continued.

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Recovery session ❄️💪🏻

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He has also shared photos of himself sitting in ice baths, stretching to cool down and swimming as part of his “recovery”.

Another video showed that his recovery is very much a team effort, as he was filmed lying down and watching television as his girlfriend worked over his leg muscles with what appears to be a handheld deep tissue massager.

Cristiano Ronaldo diet

(EPA)
(EPA)

Exercise goes hand in hand with Ronaldo’s strict diet plan, which sees the footballer avoid alcohol completely and pack away 3000 calories a day.

Advising people to “eat regularly”, he said, “A good workout must be combined with a good diet.”

“I eat a high protein diet with lots of wholegrain carbs, fruit and vegetables, and avoid sugary foods,” he continued. Beyond alcohol, he has previously said he steers clear of “sugary sodas and processed foods”.

For those hitting the gym on a frequent basis, he continued, "If you train regularly it’s important to keep energy levels high to fuel your body for better performance. I sometimes eat up to six smaller meals a day to make sure I have enough energy to perform each session at top level."

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(Getty Images)

Ronaldo once said he regularly orders a steak and a salad when he’s out at restaurants, he actually has a strong preference for fish according to Portuguese national team chef Luis Lavrador.

Lavrador revealed to Le10Sport via Business Insider, “Ronaldo eats all sort of dishes, as [the] responsible athlete he is, but the one he likes the most is fish like gilt-head bream, swordfish and sea bass.”

Ronaldo previously told Four Four Two, “I really like fresh fish and try to get a lot of my protein from it.”

His favourite dish is a Portuguese cod dish called bacalhau a braz, which includes “onions, thinly sliced potatoes and scrambled eggs” according to Goal. In fact, he even shared his own recipe for a cod and tomatoes dish with Eat For Goals.

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(Getty Images)

Though alcohol is not one of his vices, Ronaldo is a fan of fresh juices and coffee according to Lavrador. The chef said Ronaldo is fond of “pear, apple or pineapple juice” and drinks multiple cups of coffee. Speaking to Eat For Goals, the football player also said he drinks still mineral water and other juices including mango and strawberry with banana.

He’s not averse to a sports drink to recharge during training, saying, "I stay hydrated with a sports drink that gives me energy for training and matches. It has a mix of carbohydrates that boosts endurance and is lower than many other sports drinks in sugar. It also contains electrolytes to help with hydration and vitamin B12 that fights fatigue."

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(Getty Images)

He also said “drinking water is so important”.

Ronaldo broke down what exactly he has for breakfast to Eat For Goals, saying that on the morning prior to a game he fills up on “cereals with milk, all kinds of fruit and of course bread”.

He said, “[Food is] the fuel for my performance. If you don’t use the right fuel, you cannot perform at top level.”

Given that he’s busy training, managing his CR7 lifestyle business, keeping up with his sponsorships and holidaying with his family, he doesn’t always have time to cook for himself. He told Eat For Goals, “I am lacking time and eat often at the club’s restaurant or elsewhere with my friends.”