Ace Footballer Lionel Messi Workout Routine and Diet Plan

Last Updated on September 30th, 2020

Lionel Messi was a prodigy at Barcelona ever since he joined Barca’s youth academy. The prodigy who has donned Ronaldinho’s number has proved his mettle by living up to the expectations and going beyond by creating all time world records. The star born on 24^th June, 1987 has spent all of his professional football career at Barcelona. This article will give you an insight of Lionel Messi Workout routine.

Leo as his fans affectionately call him, was born with a growth hormone deficiency. But this did not stop him from achieving his goals. He, with his family shifted to Barcelona, Spain where the club paid for his treatment. He is an Argentine international and also is his country’s all time top scorer with 58 goals in 118 appearances. Messi also become the youngest Argentine to score in a world cup when he scored against Serbia in the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany. As his squad’s captain Messi has lead Argentina in the 2014 World Cup finals and in 2015, 2016 Copas America finals.

Messi joined Barcelona in 2004 and has consistently been the best player for 10 straight years. In this duration, Messi has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or not once or twice but a whooping five times. Messi has also amassed 30 club level titles and has won every competition within its club’s reach. He has managed to make a worth of more than $450 million with more than $50 million coming as a salary from Barcelona Club. He has also signed a lifelong deal with Adidas.

Due to his growth hormone deficiency he might not be as tall as his counterparts, but he surely is faster and quicker than most of them. Lionel Messi workout will be helpful for young footballers.

Let us have look at his body stats.

• Height: 1.70 m (5’7”)
• Weight: 148 lbs (67 kg)
• Chest: 40” inches (101 cm)
• Waist: 32” inches (81 cm)
• Biceps: 12” inches (30 cm)
• Shoe Size: 10

When Ronaldinho saw Leo play for the first time, he told his counterparts that Messi is someday going to be better than himself. Which like a prophecy, eventually became true. Messi might not have a Greek Godlike physique or the strength to push his defenders around, but he has great maneuverability to get around his opponents at the right time to score such amazing goals. The Spanish media calls him the ‘Atomic Flea’ because he has a low centre of gravity because of his  short stature and immense speed.

We have all seen Messi play and it seems that the ball sticks to his feet while he takes those mesmerizing runs. All of this doesn’t come without practice and a well maintained body. Messi believes that his body is a temple and he constantly keeps it healthy and fit for the challenges of the sport. Messi follows a very different workout regime as compared to other body builders. We will give you a detailed day wise Lionel Messi Workout routine.

He believes that his body needs to be agile more than it needs to be bulky. His workout can be divided into two types, one which deals with instant thrust and linear speed and the second deals with movement in different directions.

Following is Lionel Messi workout regime.

Monday

Movement & Plyometrics

▪  2 sets of circuit with push-ups & pull-ups

▪  4 sets of walking lunges for increasing thighs strength

▪  2 sets of inverted hamstring stretch of 2 reps both sides

▪  2-3 sets of hurdle hop of 5 hurdles

▪  2-3 sets of Split squat jump of 4 each of the side

Tuesday

Linear Speed & Movement Skill

▪  1 set of Pillar skip – linear of 13.7 metre (15 yards) reps

▪  2 sets of Rapid response 2-foot – linear of 5 seconds reps

▪  2 sets of Acceleration wall drill – triple exchange of 5 each of the side

▪  3-5 sets of Acceleration – split stance of 9 metre (10 yards)

Wednesday

Movement Skills

▪  2 sets of Acceleration wall drill of 5 each of the side

▪  2 sets of Acceleration wall drill – single exchange of 5 each of the side

▪  2 sets of Acceleration wall drill – triple exchange of 5 each of the side

▪  3-5 sets of Acceleration – split stance of 9 metre (10 yards)

▪  3-5 sets of Acceleration to base of 9 metre (10 yards)

Thursday

Movement & Plyometrics

▪  2-3 sets of Hurdle hop – lateral of 5 hurdles

▪  2 sets of Lateral bound of 4 each of the side

▪  2 sets of Pillar bridge – lateral for 30 seconds each set

▪  1 set of Lateral lunge of 4 each of the side

Friday

▪  2-3 sets of Lateral shuffle cut of 4 each of the side

▪  2 sets of 3-hurdle drill – stabilization

▪  2 sets of 3-hurdle drill – continuous

▪  2 sets of Mirror drill of 5-10 seconds

▪  3-4 sets of hurdle drill to drop step of 3 each of the side

Saturday

Muscle Development

▪  3 sets of chest press

▪  3 sets of bend over barbell roll

▪  3 sets of lateral raise and fly

▪  2 sets of leg press and kettle bell squats

Sunday

Rest Day

Lionel Messi workout is more focused on keeping a lean physique which keep his feet quick and hence one can observe that his workout regime includes more of cardiovascular activities as compared to weight lifting.

Messi has been known for smashing world records from time to time and earning awards. His awards and achievements span across continents. To achieve all of this Leo has maintained a strict diet plan. The plan Messi follows depends on how many days are left for his next match.

Messi has always been a conscious eater and has more than often promoted consumption of fruits to his fans.

Following is the diet plan of Lionel Messi varied according to the days left for the match.

10 days before a football match:

10 days before a football match, it is safe to lessen the intake of carbohydrates from the body since it can be built gradually till the day of the match. Building the carbohydrate intake gradually over a period of time maximizes the levels of blood sugar inside your body which gives the body a good shape. In this process one should take care that his body does not get dehydrated because of the marginal intake of carbohydrates and increased amount of protein intake.

6 days before a football match:

The main aim here is to increase the blood flow which results in high amount of energy output. Since football is a sport where one needs to be on his toes for 90 minutes, it is absolutely necessary that Messi has foot that makes his blood thin and gets it pumping through the veins.

One day before the match:

One day before the match, having ample amounts of carbohydrates and proteins is imminent. A football match requires a lot of energy and Messi need not be deprived of energy a day before the big day.

Few hours before the match:

He believes in investing this time in his sleep rather than spending it eating. Even in cases where Messi is awake, consumption of any wheat-related product is a big no no, since carbohydrates might slow his body down and may urge him to sleep more. Instead, he goes for having soya or sometimes combines egg white but not the egg yolk for ideal balance of proteins and carbohydrates.

90 minutes before the match:

Messi is a big fruit lover and prefers eating a fruit an hour before the match.

Messi is more than extraordinary in his playing style, the goal of the month featured in the league every month might not even come in Messi’s top 20. These amazing levels of dedication can only be achieved when a person is dead set on his targets. Lionel Messi workout routine includes working out regularly and he complements it with a healthy diet. He knows how important physical fitness is and what it might cost him to have a laid-back attitude.

With Ronaldo chasing Lionel Messi with all his might, Leo ought to be on his feet at all times. One major factor that I have observed in Messi’s career is that he is hardly injured and almost is never dropped from the squad because of an injury.

We can also connect this to the history of football, or for that matter the history of any sporting activity. It is imperative that a player remains fit throughout the season by following a strict workout regime and sticking to a healthy diet to be the best and remain at the top. And Lionel Messi seems in no mood to make that compromise!!

Hope you liked this article on Lionel Messi workout routine. Let us know if you want us to write about a specific celebrity.

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Shubhankar Kamat

Shubhankar Kamat is a student at NMIMS, Mumbai pursuing his post graduate degree in MBA, he has also done Engineering in IT from St. Francis Institute Of Technology, Mumbai.
Being a gym-enthusiast, writing on matters of fitness and health comes naturally to him. You can mostly find him listening to classic rock or watching football.

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