Lionel Messi is Barcelona's talisman whose name many can recognize on the streets. Indeed, he is celebrated for his outstanding skills and incredible ability on the field, but the question others have in mind is: How does he maintain his overall form and fitness? Now in his thirties, Messi still looks youthful as ever, and he does not have plans on slowing down any time soon. Opposite to his former La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi is not fitness-heavy. He approaches an intense exercise routine where he follows a regular workout plan under the austerity of his coaches. According to Pinata Magazine, Messi's workouts involve supervision on his body's speed. He has learned to focus on utilizing his agility every time he is expected to play a game. Aside from this, he is also careful in maintaining his linear speed, since this contributes to his performance on the field. To further his speed, his workout has been divided into different parts which involve several exercises. In terms of general movement, Messi practices the pillar bride-front, hamstring stretches, lunges and pillar skips. He is also serious about using the hurdle hop, as well as split squats. Both of these exercises are proven to strengthen core and leg muscles. To summarize his portion of the workout, he does several kinds of acceleration drills to enhance his pace. The next step to his linear speed workout is to maximize his multi-directional speed. Here, Messi makes use of exercises like the pillar skips, skipping ropes and a couple of minutes of squats to build his leg muscles. For agility, he undergoes intensive diagonal hurdles, as well as other obstacles like cones, to better his lateral movements. At the end of each session, he makes sure to drink plenty of water to maintain hydration and then jogs for ten minutes as part of his cooling down routine. They say a person becomes what he or she eats. Messi exhibits this philosophy through his strict diet and intensive workout regimen. He may have previously admitted his struggles with reducing certain foods from his diet and following specific exercises, but all his efforts are now very much apparent and commendable. Source
