Do not stop there, there are still other surprises waiting for Evra. "We started eating and I thought big meat would come out after that, but there was nothing." Instead of serving 'real' dishes, Ronaldo instead played the ball and invited Evra to play a two-touch game, as is often done during training .
The story is only a small fragment of Ronaldo's dedication to be the best footballer in the world. In order to maintain that status, he made all the effort that was not playing games, such as undergoing a strict diet, doing extra hard physical exercise, and undergoing recovery and rest that seemed 'unique'.
Cristiano Ronaldo-style diet
To help carry out his diet, CR7 is guided directly by his personal nutritionist and is supported by several cooks to prepare daily dishes. Reporting from the US, Ronaldo has six meals a day, with a diet that focuses on protein and carbohydrates, especially pasta and chicken cooked without oil or salt. This means that Ronaldo eats every three to four hours every day to fulfill his nutritional needs.
To rehydrate the body, the three-time Ballon d'Or winner only drinks water all day, except at breakfast, where he usually drinks pineapple or orange juice. "Drinking water is very important," Ronaldo told Goal. In order to maintain his fitness, he also avoids alcohol, sugary drinks, and soda.
Especially for breakfast, Ronaldo chose cheese, ham, low-fat yogurt, avocado toast, and lots of fruits. When outside the home, CR7 prefers to eat fish, steak, and salads.
Portugal national team cook Luis Lavrador also agrees this diet. He added to Le10Sport, "One of the foods that he (Ronaldo) likes the most is the gold-headed bream, swordfish, sea bass." The reason behind CR7's passion for fish is its abundant protein content, and he prefers to consume fish in fresh state.
Ronaldo has an important message for those of you who want to or are living life as an athlete. "Eat regularly ... If you exercise regularly, it's important to keep your energy levels high so that you can perform better," Ronaldo said.
Cristiano Ronaldo-style physical training
There is another story about CR7's obsession with physical fitness, this time coming from Jose Semedo, Ronaldo's former personal trainer.
"I remember we were on our way back from China (to Madrid). We were almost there and the airplane pilot said another hour would arrive. Straightening my legs, I had imagined a spa at his house (Ronaldo), entered the pool and received a massage as relaxation . "
However, the reality that Semedo accepted turned out to be far different. "We arrived in Madrid at 2:30 in the morning. He entered the room and appeared in shorts in his hand, saying to me: 'Seme, let's run'. I could only look at him, but was unable to refuse. I thought, 'people this is crazy'."
The 'madness' CR7 does not stop there because the story only describes a small part of the physical training patterns that are usually experienced by the player. Ronaldo's physical training was designed in great detail. In addition to his training session with Juventus, his current club, the attacker also has his own physical training program guided by his personal coach. The program includes five gym sessions each week, plus pilates and swimming.
In his private gym session, CR7 replicated several aspects of Juventus training by adding modifications to maintain his physical fitness. To Goal, he explained "In training (with Juventus), we ran several laps of the field, stretching, and cardio training (for warming up). Be sure to do the same in your (personal) training, even if it's just jogging to the gym or warming up on a treadmill or a static bicycle. "
The father of Mateo Ronaldo also added that he did sprints or sprints in each of his training, as Juventus usually do in their regular training sessions.
One modification of the exercises designed by the player, namely doing cardiovascular exercises, which include running, rowing, and lifting weights. To Bodybulding.com, Ronaldo revealed that his training routine emphasizes explosions, endurance, speed, strength, and functional movements, in addition to footwork and training with his team.
Ronaldo and his personal trainer also briefly released one of the 'typical' CR7 exercises in the Nike Training app. The 15-minute exercise is titled "Quick Hit Abs Workout", which consists of nine movements, namely planks, single leg raises, quad rockers, and boat to low boats.
The results of this super detailed exercise are no joke. When undergoing medical tests as part of his transfer to Juventus, the result CR7 only has 7 percent body fat, whereas the average athlete of his age has 10 percent, and 50 percent of his body is muscle mass, rather than 46 percent in athletes his age. This note makes Ronaldo considered to have a physical age like a man in his 20s, even though he was 34 years old.
You can find Ronaldo's physical training routine on his personal Instagram account. The player routinely shares videos of his physical training, which may be replicated at your training ground. As a family man, Cristiano also often presents his wife and children in his personal training.
Sleep Ala Cristiano Ronaldo
If asked other factors that play an important role in maintaining CR7 fitness in addition to the two above, maybe sleep is the most appropriate answer.
Ronaldo does not sleep like most humans in general, which is 8 hours a night. Thanks to the guidance of sleep expert Nick Littlehales, the captain of the Portuguese national team is reportedly having five sleeps every day, with a duration of 90 minutes per sleep time.
This sleep method is known as polyphasic sleep, which according to Nick will help improve and optimize the appearance of athletes, as well as their ability to recover from a tight and tight schedule.
Nick argues that sleeping eight hours a night is not suitable for some people because the pattern creates an unnatural rhythm, and makes workers tired between 1 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Nick suggests listening to the body's internal clock and dividing sleep time into two or more phases, rather than just one big phase.
This concept is called Nick as R90 or Recovery 90, which is based on sleep cycles per week, rather than hours of sleep per night. He counts a 90 minute cycle, where you have to get about five of these cycles every day, which means 35 sleep cycles per week in optimal conditions, but not less than 28 cycles.
Cristiano Ronaldo's unlimited dedication in maintaining his fitness at a glance seems impossible to be followed by ordinary people like us. However, in fact you can still emulate the method by only taking the essence of each of the above aspects only.
For a diet, you can replicate a high-protein diet that focuses on fish, but don't forget about carbohydrates and water to rehydrate yourself. Matter of physical exercise; warming up, cardio training, and gym routines; You can also do it yourself, but not all of it.
Especially for the R90 sleep method, you should try slowly or consult a doctor first because this method will affect your circadian clock. One thing to remember, all of this needs to be done with high dedication and not half measures, like what Cristiano Ronaldo does every day.