Wayne Rooney has opened up about the extreme methods he used to shed excess weight during pre-seasons throughout his football career.
The former Manchester United star, who enjoyed a distinguished career in the Premier League. He admitted that he dreads the pre-season grind, where the coaches push players to their limits. Rooney confessed that he often returned to training a few pounds overweight and resorted to drastic measures to meet fitness expectations.
In a candid interview with The Overlap, Rooney recounted his pre-season rituals: “I used to hate pre-season. I’d come back every year six to seven pounds overweight, so I knew I had to put in the work. I’d take the bike into the steam room the day before we were back in. Then I wouldn’t eat until we’d been weighed!”
Rooney humorously described his extreme approach: “Honestly, the night before weigh-ins, I’d sit in the steam room for 90 minutes, fully clothed! I wouldn’t eat or drink anything and was struggling to get in the building!”
The pre-season bleep test, a measure of cardiovascular fitness, was a particular challenge for Rooney. To avoid scoring poorly, he would exit the test early, right after the goalkeepers, to ensure he wouldn’t have to beat a high score on his next attempt. “I used to drop out early all the time. Because next time you do it, you need to do better! As soon as the keepers came out, I was out!” he explained.
Pre-season fitness struggles affected Rooney beyond just his time in England. Reflecting on his time in the MLS, he recalled the intense heat:. “When I went to the MLS, we were in LA, and I did three days in 100-degree weather. My face was beetroot! I could barely walk or run. I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ It was literally agony!”
Rooney’s anecdotes reveal the lengths he went to in order to stay in peak condition and meet the rigorous demands of top-level football.
