Before showing his excellent skills as a football pundit and sports presenter on Fox NFL Sunday, Michael Strahan was a professional football player for the New York Giants. Michael started and finished his 15-season career with the Giants, winning the Super Bowl in 2008.
Now, Michael is the host of the ABC game show ‘$100,000’ Pyramid and co-hosts ‘Good Morning America.’ He’s also bagged a couple of Emmy Awards along the way.
Today we aren’t discussing Michael’s versatile and illustrious career. Instead, we’ll talk about the Michael Strahan weight loss journey. Recently, Michael has been looking in as good a shape as his playing career, and fans want to know the secret. Well, here’s all you need to know about his fitness.
Is Michael Strahan Sick?
Recently, Michael contracted COVID-19, and people think that he got seriously ill, which led to his sudden weight loss. However, that’s not true. Michael did catch the coronavirus, but it was nothing serious.
Michael is already back at work and has taken to social media to request fans to wear a mask. He isolated himself, took good care, and managed to get rid of it pretty quickly. So, his recent weight loss has nothing to do with his COVID infection.
Michael Strahan Weight Loss Journey
Football players have to stay in good physical shape if they want to have a long and illustrious career, something that Michael managed quite well. But, once the football stops, so do the physical workouts. Hence the reason we see so many pro players gain so much weight within months.
So, it was natural that Michael was going to gain some weight after he retired from professional football. But, in Michael’s case, letting go of his physical routine wasn’t a choice.
When Michael was 13, his elder brothers used to call him names because Michael was a chubby kid. That name-calling stuck into Michael’s head, and the 13-year-old kid decided to do something about it.
With the help of his father, Michael started doing more physical activities to get in good shape to start his football career. And since then, he never looked back. But after retiring, some laziness started to creep in. He gained almost 20 pounds within a few months of his retirement. That’s when the childhood bullying came back to him, and he started taking his physical shape and health more seriously.
Now, Michael has the same weight as he did when he was an active player, looks in great shape to still start a game and play it till the final whistle, and it’s evident that he feels happy, fit, and confident.
Video: YouTube/Good Morning America
How Did Michael Strahan Lose Weight?
Michael was a pro athlete for 15 years, so it should come as no secret that he’s had a proper diet and workout routine planned for him for his playing career. But, after that ended, did Michael stick to those plans? The answer to that is Yes and No.
Michael still does his workouts but has made a change to his diet. What is his diet plan now and what workouts does he do, let’s find out.
Michael Strahan Weight Loss Diet Plan
Michael Strahan is a proud practitioner of the 80/20 rule. It’s worked out great for him in not only losing weight but also maintaining his weight and muscle mass. Here’s what he had to say about his diet plan:
‘I’m a big believer in eating clean 80% of the time- eating right and what’s good. But for 20% of the time, I like ice cream, peanut M&Ms- I like all that stuff.
But you know, 80/20 is what I keep in mind when it comes to eating and staying on track. Especially during the summer, which is probably tough for anybody.’
Michael’s trainer also ensures that Michael sticks to his 80/20 rule. Just because you ate a salad for lunch yesterday doesn’t mean you can now eat junk food for the next two days. Finding and keeping the right balance is important if you want to lose weight and maintain a healthy physique.
Michael Strahan Weight Loss Workout Routine
After his retirement, Michael’s trainer modified his workouts to simpler routines to make sure his aging body wasn’t put under too much pressure. That said, Michael still has quite a tough workout routine for any normal person- for a pro like Michael, it’s routine.
- 10 minutes of stretching.
- 3 sets of 20-yard walking lunges
- 3 sets of 20-yard heavy bag flip
- 3 sets of 10-reps-per-side plyo pushups
- 3 sets of 8-reps dumbbell bench press
- 3 sets of 15-reps cable chest flies
And that’s how Michael stays in the shape of his life.
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Conclusion
It’s impressive that Michael has managed to attain the fitness level of a 25-year-old pro player and maintain it even in his 40s. The ex-footballer continues to inspire people on and off the pitch and we wish him all the best in his various ventures.
And we urge you to start your health and fitness journey by getting motivation from the bullies, just like Michael did.
