Ronaldo Gym Routine: Fitness Like CR7
Ronaldo Gym Routine
In this "Ronaldo Gym Routine" article, we'll discuss how Cristiano Ronaldo keeps himself incredibly fit, enabling him to perform at the highest level continuously throughout his career and amassing over 900 professional goals. This involves looking at the Ronaldo fitness strategies, including his workout and overall gym routine.
We'll then expand on ways to draw inspiration from his routine and apply it to your fitness journey–primarily aimed at if you're not an athlete.
So, once you’ve read this, you’ll know how to use the CR7 workout and Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan to inspire your fitness journey.
We'll also touch on topics such as:
Prime Ronaldo fitness levels and a few impressive feats
The Cristiano Ronaldo workout routine
The Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan
And more!
So, with all that said, let's get stuck in!
Note 1:
I have never worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, but I have been in the health and fitness industry for over ten years and have long admired the incredible athlete CR7 is. This "Ronaldo Gym Routine" article will discuss his claims and statements or those of those close to him.
Note 2:
Although it's crucial for Cristiano Ronaldo, this "Ronaldo Gym Routine" article will not cover technical training. Instead, we'll focus on his gym training, Cristiano Ronaldo workout program, exercises, diet, and recovery—everything outside the football pitch.
You Versus Cristiano Ronaldo Working Out
First, it's important to emphasise that everyone is different.
Comparison is the thief of joy, and even if you copied 100% of what Cristiano does, whether it’s the CR7 workout or the Cristiano Ronaldo workout routine and exercises, you will not look or be like him—we all have different genetics, finances, access, time available, and stressors.
Cristiano Ronaldo is an elite athlete, and his entire brand and income are dictated by what he's done on the pitch and what he continues to do. So it's non-negotiable that he optimises all areas of his life, even if it's only a 0.1% improvement, whilst having invested a fortune.
Cristiano Ronaldo likely has a private chef, masseuse, nutritionist, psychologist, house cleaners, and more, all covered by an absurd amount of money, to ensure he can dedicate 100% of his time to football.
Regarding you and your fitness journey, even though CR7 can serve as inspiration, especially regarding his unrivalled consistency and desire for the best, you must remember that you are not an elite athlete.
You have your own life and duties to attend to. Whether it's a full-time job, studying at university, raising a family, building a business, cooking all your meals, cleaning up, or finding a great balance between having a social life and prioritising your physical health–and that's okay.
As someone aiming to become a healthier version of themselves and get more physically fit, you do not have to sacrifice your whole life in the process. Luckily, you can have much more leeway on this fitness thing and still make tremendous progress.
This isn't being mentioned to sound pessimistic, not in the slightest.
Remember, I'm writing this because I want the best for you. I am highlighting this so that you avoid falling into a comparison trap against the GOAT and appreciate your progress with what you can access.
Anyway, let's get on to Cristiano Ronaldo fitness routine—starting with strength training.
Ronaldo's workout includes various exercises, such as the Cristiano Ronaldo abs workout and the Cristiano Ronaldo legs workout. By understanding Cristiano Ronaldo's workout routine and exercises you can create your own effective workout plan.
Ronaldo Fitness: Strength Training
Cristiano Ronaldo, whether he's working out at his club, the Portuguese national team, or his decked-out private gym, implements several training styles in his workout routine, such as:
Full body strength: This will help him shrug off defenders trying to mark him out of the game.
Core strength: The Cristiano Ronaldo ab workout sometimes involves core exercises in which you rotate with or resist the rotation. This can help in-game scenarios, such as not being barged off the ball.
Leg and glute strength: These are important to help minimise injury risk in the lower body.
Strong glutes are especially vital for a footballer, as this is where a lot of power is generated, e.g. think shooting, and when Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Manchester United against Porto in 2009, which travelled at an astonishing average speed of 103 kilometres per hour. This highlights the importance of the Cristiano Ronaldo legs workout.
Single-leg exercises: Plenty of moments in a football match require you to stand on one leg, whether you're receiving a pass or crossing the ball. Single-leg exercises can help and are a crucial part of his fitness routine.
However, the Cristiano Ronaldo workout program focus will depend on where he is in the season.
These strength training goals would've undoubtedly helped him become one of the only players, alongside Luis Suarez, Robert Lewandowski, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to score in every minute of a football match between minutes 1 and 90.
This is what a full-body workout may look like for Cristiano Ronaldo, based on images and videos shared online as part of the Cristiano Ronaldo workout routine and exercises:
Trapbar Deadlifts at 2 sets for 8-10 reps
Trapbar Shrugs at 3 sets for 8-10 reps
Barbell Hip-Thrusts at 3 sets for 8-10 reps
Single Leg Cable Glute Raises 3 sets for 8-10 reps
Quadricep Extension Machine 3 sets for 8-10 reps
Russian Twists 2 sets for 12-15 reps
Pallof Presses 2 sets for 12-15 reps
The idea of Ronaldo's workout here makes sense for an elite-level footballer for various reasons, such as full-body strength with the trapbar deadlift, glute strengthening via the hip thrusts, and single-leg strengthening with the glute raises.
To apply this to your training as someone who wants to gain some muscle and potentially shift some body fat and is not an athlete, you could do the following:
A deadlift variation such as a Romanian Deadlift at 2 sets for 8-10 reps
An upper body exercise such as a Chin-up at 3 sets for as many reps as possible. If necessary, you can do these with the help of an assisted machine or a resistance band.
A glute exercise such as a Dumbbell Glute Bridge at 3 sets for 8-10 reps
A Cristiano Ronaldo leg workout exercise inspiration, such as a Reverse Lunge 3 sets for 8-10 reps
A lower body machine-based exercise such as a Leg Press 2 sets for 12-15 reps
A Cristiano Ronaldo abs workout exercise inspiration, such as a Plank 2 sets for 30 to 60 seconds.
This workout session is designed assuming you have no injuries or limitations. Feel free to use it as inspiration or follow it directly as part of your workout plan.
Alternatively, you can grab my free full-body workout plan by clicking here.
Next up, cardio.
Note:
It's crucial in any workout plan to apply progressive overload. This principle involves gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts over time to continue making gains.
You can do all the Cristiano Ronaldo exercises to help make progress. Still, you'll struggle if you don't gradually progressively overload over time.
If you're unfamiliar with progressive overload, click here to watch an in-depth video on this vital training concept and how to implement it effectively in your workout routine.
Ronaldo Fitness: Cardio
When you consider that a football game is about 90 minutes long, sometimes even up to 120 minutes, naturally, a professional footballer will need a very good cardio base. Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic example of this.
Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo working out includes various styles of cardio sessions. Still, he'll undoubtedly do low-intensity steady-state cardio, otherwise known as LISS.
Having a great cardiovascular base by doing LISS would've helped him get through over 1,200 professional career games and played a massive role in him becoming the only player to win a league title, domestic cup, domestic Supercup, Champions League, Club World Cup, Golden Shoe, and Ballon d'Or at two clubs (Manchester United and Real Madrid).
So, as you can see, this is a critical component of Ronaldo fitness.
LISS cardio is an excellent choice for many. It's beneficial for heart health and a fantastic way to increase your daily step count. It offers a gentler alternative to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which I believe is generally a poor idea for fat loss if that's your goal, or running, which can sometimes place a lot of stress through the knee joint depending on how much body fat you have to lose.
Plus, LISS allows for multitasking, making it an addition that is easier to stick with.
For example, my 1-2-1 online fitness member Lekan, has told me that he’ll sometimes watch the most recent Arsenal FC highlights, Naruto Shippuden episodes, or even video call catch-ups with friends whilst doing this.
The zone two heart rate range is generally a great place to aim for whilst doing LISS cardio, otherwise known as the '60-70%' heart rate range. Zone two cardio will feel like a speed where you can still talk without getting too out of breath. It's not too fast or slow, just right so you can keep going for a long time.
You can figure out your zone two range by clicking here.
Now, when it comes to how much LISS Cristiano Ronaldo is doing, chances are he's doing at least an hour a week. However, again, it'll entirely depend on where in the season he is. This forms a crucial part of the Cristiano Ronaldo fitness routine.
If you aim to implement some LISS cardio in your training regimen for a stronger heart and improved cardiovascular base, then ensure you also progressively build up the amount you do as the weeks or months go by.
For example, if you're brand new to LISS, you could start with 20 minutes and then add another 20 minutes every two weeks until you reach 80 minutes per week. You could then split up these 80 minutes however you like, e.g., four 20-minute or two 40-minute sessions.
This approach will help you build a solid foundation similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's workout plan.
Now that we’ve covered training, let’s move on to the next crucial factor–nutrition.
Cristiano Ronaldo Nutrition Plan
With the help of his private chefs and nutritionists, Cristiano Ronaldo follows a regimented diet. He's known to be extremely consistent, and following his rigid Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan is precisely what helps him recover for the next game and continuously perform at his best—partly why he's the only player to score 50+ goals in 7 consecutive calendar years (2011-2017).
Thankfully, you have space for much more leeway, considering you're not an elite athlete.
Achieving at least 85% consistency throughout the month with your calorie and protein goal (if you decide to track calories), in my opinion, allows for a great fitness/life balance.
If you need to figure out how many calories to aim for to help you achieve your fitness goals, whether muscle gain, fat loss, or even weight maintenance, click here for my free calorie calculator.
Food, Drinks and Avoidances
When it comes to specifics around the Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan, he eats many lean protein like fish, chicken, and low-fat steak. He prefers fish, with his favourite being swordfish, tuna, and cod. He's even stated that he loves bacalhau, a traditional Portuguese dish typically consisting of cod fish, potatoes, olive oil, and vegetables–and typically eats it at home after he’s completed a session from the Cristiano Ronaldo workout program.
Protein helps with recovery between games, and I'd typically recommend you follow 0.7-1 gram per pound of body weight. So, for example, if you weigh 170 lbs, you'd aim for a minimum of 119g of protein daily.
His diet also includes complex carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat pasta, which provide sustained energy, perfect for Cristiano Ronaldo working out.
Additionally, he includes healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil, which support overall health. Ronaldo eats plenty of vegetables and fruits to ensure he gets a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. He's mentioned that he particularly enjoys spinach, broccoli, and salads.
Ronaldo drinks plenty of water throughout the day, particularly during and after training sessions. He includes protein shakes, often after workouts, to aid muscle recovery and growth. Natural fruit juices and smoothies are also part of his nutrition plan, providing additional vitamins.
Avoiding sugary drinks is a priority around the Cristiano Ronaldo workout program to help maintain his fitness and performance levels.
You might recall his interview during EURO 2020, where he moved a can of Coca-Cola out of the way and said, "Bebe aqua!" translated as "Drink water!"
He also avoids foods high in unhealthy fat, like french fries, to ensure optimal performance. For instance, he has expressed frustration with his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, for enjoying french fries, emphasising the importance of healthy eating.
Additionally, he claims he doesn't drink alcohol due to his father's struggles with alcoholism and also to avoid its adverse effects on recovery and overall health.
Overall, if we were to take inspiration from the nutrition section of the CR7 workout and apply it to you, who wants to become fitter and healthier, here's a structure for what you could do, using "The Law of Four", which I picked up from the amazing sports nutritionist Alan Aragon.
The Law of Four
Sticking to the Law of Four makes picking foods and meals simpler, which helps with healthy living, resembling the Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan. These will then become the foods you consider for your shopping list. This way, you won't feel lost when grocery shopping and end up with a cart full of snacks.
You'll choose four things from the groups below that you like eating and can have often. I've also included examples within each category. You'd also do well to consider foods you can cook differently and add spices and flavours. This way, you can keep things exciting and tasty!
Protein (Lean is ideal):
Sea Bass, Lean Ground Beef, Chicken Breast, and Prawns
Carbohydrates/Fruit (Consider complex carbs and fruit over refined carbs):
Basmati Rice, Wholegrain Bread, Watermelon, and Raspberries
Fats (Consider healthy fats over saturated fats):
Eggs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cheese, and Peanuts
Vegetables (Pick a variety of colours for different vitamins):
Broccoli, Spinach, Bell Pepper, and Carrots
Filler Items (Anything else from any other category that you didn't have space for):
Salmon, Oats, Cherries, and Penne
Treats (Treat yourself, but not all the time):
Ice Cream, Cereal, Dark Chocolate, and Red Velvet Cake
This next step is even more exciting: take all the foods you've chosen from your list and create your meals around these ingredients.
To give you another example, here are three nutritious meals I've created using only the ingredients from the example list I provided earlier:
Seared Sea Bass with Rice and Broccoli:
Protein: Sea bass
Carbs/Fruit: Basmati rice
Vegetables: Broccoli
Fats: Extra Virgin olive oil
Cheese and Spinach Omelette:
Protein: Eggs
Vegetables: Spinach
Fats: Cheese and Extra Virgin olive oil
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry:
Protein: Lean ground beef
Vegetables: Broccoli
Fats: Extra Virgin olive oil
Carbs/Fruit: Basmati rice
If you're stuck on combining your selected ingredients into delicious dishes, artificial intelligence can help provide an abundance of ideas.
Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's drinks and avoidances within the Cristiano Ronaldo nutrition plan, you'd do well to prioritise water most of the time, and some fruit juices can be great, too.
Minimising or eliminating alcohol intake can only be helpful. In contrast, some less nutritious foods, such as pizza, fried chicken, or donuts, don't have to be completely avoided–they can be enjoyed occasionally, as long as you prioritise your single-ingredient foods, such as protein, fibre, fruits, and vegetables.
Note:
If you'd like to grab a cool-looking PDF guide of "The Law of Four" so you can keep it with you moving forward, click here to grab it for free.
Ronaldo's Workout: Dedication and Consistency
I've mentioned this several times throughout this "Ronaldo Gym Routine" article. Still, I want to emphasise it one last time: Cristiano Ronaldo is an elite athlete who must optimise every tiny detail of his routine to ensure his performances are consistently brilliant.
On the other hand, if you want to be an all-around healthier version of yourself and are not an athlete, you do not need to sacrifice as much–which is a blessing, as a lot of sacrifice comes with elite-level performance and sport.
What I mean by this is that you have the space and leeway to go back for seconds, enjoy that chocolate bar, drink a beer, or stay up a little later than usual.
Again, this isn't to say there are no boundaries either because, as I said, the 85-95% consistency range throughout the month with the workouts and nutrition plan I’ve mentioned is a brilliant place to be. You can still get reliable results like this without maintaining the extreme discipline required of Cristiano Ronaldo's workout regimen.
By incorporating elements from Ronaldo fitness, such as the Cristiano Ronaldo ab workout and other Cristiano Ronaldo exercises, you can achieve your fitness goals while still enjoying life's pleasures.
Remember, dedication and consistency are critical, but they don't have to come at the cost of enjoying your life.
Cristiano Ronaldo Fitness Routine: Conclusion
Overall, that's it for the "Ronaldo Gym Routine" article.
With that, I want to leave you with three messages.
First, as mentioned earlier, suppose you'd like a free strength training routine that expands on the strength training section within this article, complete with video examples, and which you can follow in your own time. Then click here to grab it.
When it comes to cardio, remember to start lightly if you're starting with LISS, and then gradually progress the time.
Next, regarding your nutrition, aim to be 85% consistent with The Law of Four approach, as this nutrition plan ensures a nutritious balance.
Finally, what might work for Cristiano Ronaldo might not work for you. So, it's important not to copy him directly but instead take inspiration from him, see what works and feels best for you, and then adjust your routine accordingly.
Incorporate elements of Ronaldo fitness, like the Cristiano Ronaldo leg workout and other Cristiano Ronaldo exercises, into your routine to find what suits you best.
Otherwise, if you enjoyed reading this article, sign up for my free email list. I share various other nutrition and training tips once or twice a week.
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Speak soon,
Leo
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this article about how Cristiano Ronaldo working out can be applied to your fitness journey, share it with a friend who appreciates CR7 and would benefit from some tips, too!
