The Workout Routines of 18 World-Class Athletes

In this email, we’ll share what we learned by researching the workout routines of 18 world-class athletes. 

We’ve probably all heard of training splits like ‘Push, Pull, Legs’ or ‘Upper, Lower’, but what kind of training program do athletes whose careers depend on seeing results choose to follow?

Here are the answers. . .

Two disclaimers before we get started.

Firstly, I can’t guarantee these are all 100% accurate. It felt like a lot of the articles were just source: “trust me bro”. But I guess let’s just trust them and have some fun with it while taking it all with a grain of salt. 

Secondly, assume that whatever training program we found is also supplemented by all the time the athlete actually spends competing or playing their sport.

Here’s the list, we hope you find it as interesting as we did. . .

LeBron James:

The general consensus seems to be that LeBron works out 6 times a week. Three of those sessions are weight training sessions following a push, pull, legs split. The other three are made up of lower-impact plyometrics, spin and yoga. 

(Plyometrics are high-intensity exercises that involve explosive movements, designed to increase power, speed, and strength by targeting fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Spin, also known as indoor cycling, is a high-intensity cardiovascular workout performed on a stationary bike. Spin is popular for its ability to build endurance, strengthen the lower body, and provide a high-calorie burn without putting excessive strain on the joints.)

Source: Men’s Health Australia. 

Kobe Bryant:

Kobe was famous for his ‘666’ workout regime: 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, 6 months a year. Those 6 hours were split between track work focused on enhancing speed and endurance, basketball skills training, and weightlifting (split into upper body, Olympic lifts, and lower body.)

Source: JasonKozma 

Steph Curry: 

While Steph definitely spends time doing regular resistance training, a highlight of his workout routine is his regular neurocognitive training.

Neurocognitive training combines mental and physical exercises to improve reaction time, coordination, and decision-making under challenging conditions. For example, wearing goggles that block vision intermittently while dribbling a basketball and catching a tennis ball to train focus and predictive reactions, or dribbling two basketballs at different rhythms to enhance multitasking and coordination.

Source: ESPN

Jimmy Butler:

Jimmy’s workout starts at 4am sharp every day, beginning with some drills to build strength and grip. He then does some drills to build balance and mental focus (catching red and blue balls in left or right hand depending on the colour while balancing on one leg and having a resistance band drag him off-center). He moves into exercises that train his core before ending with shooting drills. 

Source: Men’s Health

Roger Federer:

Most of the articles we found agree that Federer’s workouts usually start with a warm-up including stretching, jump rope, and butt kicks to get the blood flowing and loosen up the muscles. During his workout he does some medicine ball work—such as lunges and shuffles—to build core strength, along with racket drills and HIIT workouts to build explosive power and endurance. 

Like many if not all of these athletes, Federer’s workout routine was probably very different during his playing seasons vs during his off-seasons. He likely does more weight training in the off season, although it is apparently also part of his in-season training too. 

Source: Geau Sport

Rafael Nadal:

According to an article from 2012, Nadal trained (during the off-season) 6 days a week for six and a half hours a day. Four of those hours were on the court and the other two and a half were in the gym or pool. 

His fitness regimen included using a wobble board to enhance coordination, balance, and agility, critical for his quick directional changes on the court. Nadal also incorporated swimming pool workouts, running in waist-deep water to build endurance with minimal impact on his knees. 

Stretching and massage were essential parts of his routine, with his personal physio ensuring his muscles stayed flexible and pain-free. To maintain his cardiovascular fitness, Nadal used a cross trainer for interval training, avoiding outdoor running to reduce the strain on his knees. 

Like Federer, Nadal likely hit the weights harder in the off-season and focused more on tennis-specific drills and exercises during periods of playing. 

Source: GQ Magazine

Novak Djokovic 

Djokovic’s sessions begin with a dynamic warm-up, including exercises like inverted hamstring stretches, lunges with side bends, and walking high knees, to improve flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. He then transitions to strength and endurance training, incorporating resistance band workouts and yoga sessions to enhance muscle strength, balance, and mental focus.

On-court practice is focused on refining technique, footwork, and strategy, with drills that target serve precision, baseline rallies, and match play scenarios. Djokovic places a strong emphasis on recovery, using foam rolling, stretching, and yoga to aid muscle repair and maintain flexibility.

Source: Geau Sport

Serena Williams

Here’s what Serena herself says in her Masterclass preview:

“In the summer, we would train from 9:00 to 11:00 and then 1:00 to 6:00. On Saturdays, we would train from 9:00 to 12:00. And then we would have Sundays off. 

And obviously when you get older, you don't practice as much, but you're building a really strong foundation when you're younger so you can have a solid foundation that doesn't shake when you get old. 

When I am conditioning, I try to achieve a goal of being able to last on the court for four hours or more. What I do now to condition myself is, I do lots of running. I do lots of biking. I do lots of work on the tennis court, actually. I play for a few hours on the court, and that really helps get your body conditioned for tennis. I also started dancing, because after running for 20 minutes or 30 minutes, I just get bored. And with dancing, you still are able to condition itself, but you can have a lot of fun while doing it.”

Source: Masterclass

Andy Murray

Andy Murray trains extensively in the gym, targeting his whole body throughout the week with exercises like deadlifts, squats, one-legged squats, and bench presses. He incorporates resistance bands to strengthen his shoulders and upper back. For cardio, he alternates between an exercise bike, VersaClimber, and sprint training on the court, complemented by a focus on core stability with exercises such as planks, side planks, hanging leg raises, and oblique twists using a cable machine or resistance band.

Warm-ups include stretching his lower back and mobilizing his hips, often using a medicine ball on the court to load his movements and strengthen his glutes and lower back, which support his hips. Post-workout, Murray dedicates significant time to stretching, working closely with his physio to balance recovery and rehab.

Source: Men’s Health

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s fitness routine is a comprehensive mix of football practice, cardio, weight training, and mental conditioning. He emphasizes the importance of training both mind and body, paired with good sleep for optimal recovery. On the pitch, Ronaldo focuses on technical drills, intense cardio, and leg-strengthening exercises to maintain sharpness and explosiveness. In the gym, his workouts include circuit training, ab exercises, and strength-building movements like barbell squats, box jumps, and hanging leg raises.

His weekly routine targets different muscle groups, starting with circuits (e.g., burpee pull-ups, pushups, and medicine ball tosses) and progressing to quad and cardio-focused sessions with power cleans and sprints. For core work, he performs exercises like one-leg barbell squats and overhead slams. Ronaldo also incorporates dynamic warm-ups like hip twisters and bodyweight squats, followed by leg workouts with movements like reverse lunges, single-leg glute bridges, and jump squats. Cardio sessions, including rope jumping and resistance sprints, round out his training for endurance and stamina.

He apparently aims to workout for 3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Source: ManofMany

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi’s training routine reflects a balance of natural talent and focused effort, emphasizing speed, agility, and flexibility. While he may not follow as rigorous a workout schedule as some of his peers, Messi maintains a highly effective regimen that keeps him dominant on the pitch. A significant part of his routine involves daily stretching for over an hour during the season, which helps optimize muscle performance, prevent injuries, and enhance gameplay.

His workouts are divided into linear and multi-directional speed training. Linear speed sessions include exercises like pillar bridges, knee hug lunges, and plyometric drills such as hurdle hops and split squat jumps. Multi-directional speed workouts focus on lateral movements and include lateral bounds, shuffle cuts, and mirror drills to build explosive, omnidirectional power and stability. This combination of agility and speed training allows Messi to stay a literal step ahead of the competition, delivering consistent quickness and control on the field.

Source: ManofMany

Tom Brady

Tom Brady’s site TB12 says that throughout his career, Brady relied on a 9-exercise workout during the football season to improve on his functional strength & conditioning foundation.

The exercises revolve around resistance bands to reduce the inflammation of lifting weights and giving less chance of overloading the muscles.

The 9 exercises include ‘Standing Row, Banded Push-Up, Banded Core Rotations, Deadlift, Bicep Curl, Banded Tricep Extension, Deceleration Lunges, Banded Shoulder Press, X-Band Squat.’

Source: TB12

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt trained 6 days per week, dedicating specific sessions to strength training, sprint drills, track work, and flexibility exercises. He typically included about 90 minutes of gym training three times a week for strength, with additional sessions focused on sprint drills and plyometric exercises on the track. Recovery and physiotherapy were also integral parts of his weekly routine.

Source: RunnerClick

Eliud Kipchoge

Kipchoge’s training, as a marathon runner, looks very different to most of the other athletes here. He runs 13 times a week, twice a day and once on Sundays (likely over 100 miles each week.) 10 of those 13 runs are slow, easy runs. He does a harder track session on Tuesdays, a fartlek session on Saturdays, and a long run that ends fast on Thursdays. 

Source: RunnersWorld

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

As a 400m hurdler, Sydney “strength-trains twice a week, mixing lifting, balance work, and core work.” She also spends four or five days each week training on the track, two of them focusing on speed and two on longer distances. 

Source: Women’sHealth

Michael Phelps

According to his coach Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps swam an astonishing 13 kilometers a day, six to seven days a week, totaling over 80,000 meters weekly—even on Sundays and birthdays. His training was split into two daily sessions, spending 5-6 hours in the pool, with unmatched intensity and volume.

In addition to swimming, Phelps incorporated functional strength training with weights at least three times a week, favoring weighted bodyweight exercises. Recovery was equally crucial, including ice baths, stretching, regular massages, and prioritizing sufficient sleep to sustain his performance.

Source: Olympics

Mo Farah

10-12 mile run around 9am. Another 5 or 6 miles in the evening. Does this most days except Sundays where he does a 20-mile run. He supplements his running with weight training and a focus on his core. 

Source: RunnersWorld

Simone Biles

Simone apparently trains twice a day for a total of 6 hours, with most of her training taking place in the gymnastics gym. She also incorporates cross-training to boost her performance, including swimming nearly a mile twice a week, biking 10 miles weekly, or running before practice, which helped improve her endurance and made routines easier over time.

Source: CultSport

The takeaway:

I was expecting to see more traditional splits (ie push pull legs, etc.) but what struck me (and shouldn’t really have been a surprise) is how unique and tailored all of the workout programs were. From Jimmy Butler catching tennis balls balanced on one leg to Serena Williams training short distance sprints to mimic the width of the tennis court, the real professionals know that the best workout program is really just the program that’s best for them. 

The takeaway is simple: your goals should shape your training. Whether it’s building strength, improving agility, or enhancing endurance, focus on what you need to achieve. The best workout isn’t about following a generic plan—it’s about crafting one that’s uniquely yours.

Until next week, 

Benji and Jacob

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