Exercise Scientist Critiques Cristiano Ronaldo’s Training
In a Nutshell
Dr. Mike rates Cristiano Ronaldo's viral "workout" a 1.5/10 for building muscle or fat loss because it's a recovery session, not actual training. The 17,000 daily steps and 7+ hours of sleep are Ronaldo's real performance drivers, while the bodyweight exercises shown are too light and never approach failure to create meaningful adaptations. For regular people seeking an athletic physique, the evidence-based approach is 3-4 weekly 30-60 minute full-body weight sessions, 10-12k steps, and controlled protein intake rather than high-volume ab circuits and low-load movements.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Dr. Mike from RP Strength rated Cristiano Ronaldo's workout routine a 1.5 out of 10 for transferring to getting someone jacked and leaned. The routine shown is actually a recovery session for Ronaldo, not a real workout. For regular people, this would be either the world's easiest workout or also a recovery session.
Dr. Mike is a former professor of exercise and sports science, competitive bodybuilder, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler. Soccer was his first organized sport, which he played in Russia. He described Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best soccer players of all time.
Ronaldo stated: "If you're training 2 hours, you have to recover 2 hours." Dr. Mike noted this one-to-one training to recovery paradigm is not in evidence, stating one-to-one recovery is very low end and most pursuits require more recovery time.
Ronaldo emphasized having a routine as the most important thing. Dr. Mike confirmed this is factual, explaining that high-level sport demands clash with what people want. Consistent routine of brutal training, dedicated diet, good sleep, and recovery gets 90-95% of all benefits, rather than hacks like drinking specific juice or taking zinc.
Ronaldo averages 17,000 steps per day. During actual soccer training, he likely gets significantly more. Dr. Mike explained this high activity level has both benefits and drawbacks:
- Benefits: Flushes blood through muscles, promotes recovery, prevents stiffness and soreness
- Drawbacks: Can impede recovery on some days, making half that amount ideal for optimal recovery
The 17,000 daily steps are an interesting trade-off - amazing for health and body composition but potentially too much activity on off days.
Ronaldo gets 7 hours and 15 minutes of sleep and stated: "Probably sleep is the most important tool that I have." Dr. Mike emphasized this is absolutely true and noted many people focus on supplements like creatine while neglecting sleep optimization.
Ronaldo demonstrated his routine consisting of:
- Jump squats or similar movements (20 or 10 times depending on feel)
- Push-ups (10 or 20)
- Modified push-ups with arms opened
- Isometric abdominal contractions
- Glute exercises with knee in front
- Plank variations
- Bosu ball work with ball in hand
- Cat slides for hip mobility
- Underwater running
- Glute ham gastroc raises
- Quad extensions
- Bodyweight squats with ball
- Balancing exercises
- Shrugs and lateral raises
Dr. Mike clarified this is recovery work for Ronaldo, not actual training. None of these exercises are performed close to failure or with sufficient resistance to cause meaningful muscle growth or strength increases.
The abdominal isometric contractions shown are functional equivalents of plank exercises when performed correctly with shoulder blades off the ground. The glute exercises shown require much higher resistance and closer proximity to failure to actually grow the glutes.
Dr. Mike noted this video has 32 million views online as "Cristiano Ronaldo's workout," but emphasized this is not what got him in shape. Ronaldo's actual conditioning comes from 30 hours of soccer, soccer-related drills, weightlifting, and sprint drills.
A major issue with this training style is massive redundancy in ab training based on the false premise that training abs burns fat around the ab area. This doesn't occur - it only works the ab muscles without sufficient weight or proximity to failure to cause meaningful growth.
Good athletes are so tired from sport training that when trainers introduce low range of motion, underloaded exercises taken nowhere near failure, these serve as recovery modalities. Athletes and trainers often confuse this recovery effect with actual performance improvement through increased size, strength, or speed.
Dr. Mike estimated soccer players might need 30-45 minutes of lifting twice per week using whole body movements to get necessary muscularity, strength, and connective tissue resiliency. This is more than enough for the sport.
To achieve a pro athlete appearance:
- Maintain a really good diet
- Lift weights 3-4 times per week for 30 minutes to an hour
- Use whole body movements
- Get 10-12,000 daily steps
- Control diet for fat loss and muscle gain
- Eat plenty of protein
Bodyweight lunges performed nowhere near failure and push-ups with excessive ab crunches will not produce the desired physique.
Cristiano Ronaldo received a 10/10 rating as a soccer star. However, his workout routine received a 1.5 out of 10 rating for translating to getting someone jacked and leaned.
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