Superstar Messi often jumps rope, does hamstring stretching exercises, runs to raise his thighs, overcomes obstacles to increase speed, and follows a healthy diet.
After the fierce confrontation with France that took place on the night of December 18, Argentina officially became the 2022 World Cup champion. One of the biggest contributors to helping the team lift the trophy is Lionel Messi. Even though he is 30 years old, the team’s superstar plays better each season. Messi looks more beautiful and radiant than ever and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon, thanks to the following diet and exercise tips.
Practice
Messi is not as physically heavy as his old rival in La Liga, Cristiano Ronaldo – who is known for his strict training regimen. However, he still follows some exercises under the supervision of a coach.
According to Pinata, the Argentine player’s exercises are mainly to ensure that his body will always keep up with the speed. He focuses on maximizing his speed before each competition day, improving his acceleration and pushing power.
The entire workout is divided into different parts, with specific exercises. Regarding basic movements, he practices planks, bends, hamstring stretches and running to raise his thighs. He also combines hurdle jumps and squats to strengthen his core and leg muscles. To finish the first part of the workout, he performed various acceleration exercises.
The next part is an exercise that increases linear speed, maximizing multidirectional movement. Messi practices exercises like jumping rope and squats to build leg muscles. He also ran obstacle courses to improve his flexibility. At the end of each workout session, he drinks a lot of water to keep his body refreshed and jogs for about 10 minutes to cool down.
Player Lionel Messi celebrates after Argentina defeated Croatia at Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar, December 13. Photo: AFP
Eat and drink
Since working with Messi in 2014, Italian nutritionist Giuliano Poser has “revolutionized” the Argentine player’s diet. He identifies five main, foundational foods including water, olive oil, whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.
He said Messi also cut down on sugar in his daily diet because “sugar is something that will destroy muscles and should be avoided as much as possible.” According to him, players do not consume refined flour, because nowadays, it is very difficult to find wheat without impurities.
Like many nutritionists who work with athletes, he recommended that Messi not eat too much meat. This is a common habit in South America and Spain.
“The amount of meat that Argentines and Uruguayans consume every day is considered too much and difficult to digest,” he said.
Barcelona, the club Messi has been with for 21 years, revealed that his “favorite recipe” is grilled chicken with vegetables. Barca shared this recipe with fans on the official website. The serving includes 30 g of olive oil, salt, 4 crushed garlic cloves, an onion, a bunch of carrots, a leek, 700-800 g of sweet potatoes, 4 chicken thighs and fresh thyme.
Processing with the above ingredients is also very simple. Messi’s chef preheats the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, puts oil and salt in a baking tray, then adds chopped vegetables and chicken. All ingredients are baked for 45 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.
Messi also said he loves the Argentinian specialty Milanesa. This is thin beef fillet fried crispy with breadcrumbs. Previously, he admitted the difficulty of eliminating beef from his diet.
“What you should be putting into your body at 18 or 19 is very different from what you should be eating at 27,” he said.
Instead of carbonated drinks, Messi drinks Yerba Mate tea, a caffeinated drink from South America. In addition, drinking alcohol is completely prohibited. Messi also gave up pizza, one of his other favorite foods.
