CRISTIANO RONALDO IS still going strong in (ahem) Saudi Arabia at the ripe age of 40, but the latest data revealed by Whoop suggests he has a biological age of just 28.9. Having already been at the top of football for the past 20 years, there’s every chance the Portuguese superstar continues into his mid-40s considering the revelation.
“I can’t believe it’s so good,” Ronaldo said on Whoop’s YouTube channel. “That means I’m going to be playing football for another 10 years!” The data focused on more than 140 different behaviours to determine his biological age, with his sleep, recovery, exertion and heart rate all important factors.
Ronaldo’s Whoop stats
Based on the data configured by Whoop, Ronaldo has a resting heart rate of 44bpm, providing him with a two-year reduction in his biological age. This only serves to benefit his performance levels, with 10 hours of his week spent in zones 1-3, with an additional hour in zones 4-5. He also achieves an average of 17,000 steps each day, knocking a year off his age.
Ronaldo achieved a 70% sleep consistency, too, with the athlete sleeping for seven hours and 15 minutes on average each night.
‘When you are younger you think you are unbreakable,’ Ronaldo said. “When you get older, football demands a lot physically on the body. You have to manage that. You have to be smart, do things differently. I have learned from time and with my experience, and adjust year by year.”
Ronaldo’s training routine
As a full-time professional footballer, Ronaldo is either in training or playing a match every day, with those aforementioned 11 hours largely spent performing for his side Al-Nassr. With a gym built into his house, he also spends time lifting weights to build his body, as well as completing high intensity sprints to improve his cardiovascular output.
The Portuguese star’s training doesn’t stop there, though. He believes that for every hour of physical exertion you need to spend the same amount of time purposefully recovering. Along with getting enough sleep, this includes taking cold showers and doing cryotherapy, compression therapy, saunas, and plenty of stretching, all of which contributes to his recovery and younger biological age.
Ronaldo’s diet
With a clear focus on consistency, Ronaldo rarely indulges in food, using it more as fuel for his body to help him perform in matches. This means he eats a high-protein diet, along with plenty of wholegrain carbs, fruits and vegetables – while avoiding sugary or processed foods. He has his own nutritionist to help him achieve an optimum body composition.
Lean proteins such as fish are Ronaldo’s favourite, while he enjoys eating cheese, ham, yoghurt, fruit and avocado toast for his breakfast. “Eat regularly,” he has previously said. “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.”
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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