The New England Patriot’s tight end position player, Rob Gronkowski, was put on the bench last year in December due to a severe injury—another herniated disc. Gronkowski underwent successful surgery and hopes to return for Super Bowl 2017. He had three herniated disc incidents, including the latest one.
Gronkowski first ruptured his L5-S1 disc while in college in 2009. In 2012, he herniated his L4-S5 disc; and the recent one is a “re-herniation” of the L5-S1 disc. Although his injury isn’t a career-busting one, the 27-year old has to be extra careful going forward to dodge long-term injuries.
Rob Gronkowski’s return hasn’t been confirmed yet; however, the player was spotted in the Patriots’ locker room doing some warm up exercises. Gronowski has been following his physiotherapy and workouts sessions since his surgery. But will Tom Brady’s dependable man return this season? Well, only time will tell.
Rob Gronkowski’s Workout Routine
Rob Gronkowski works out five days a week during the off-season. On the weekends, he plays other sports. He refers to these two days as “active rest” days.
He trains hard in the gym and planned his workouts to focus on improving his sports performance. His workout regime includes circuit training with strength-building exercises. These exercises include moves that develop explosiveness, core stability, and mobility.
Gronkowski’s everyday workout routine starts with weightlifting and ends with HIIT cardio. Here is what his daily fitness routine looks like.
Monday Workout Routine
Gronkowski focuses on his chest and arms by lifting heavy weights like barbells. His workout includes:
- bench presses (4 sets of 10 reps),
- machine flys (3 sets of 12 reps),
- skull crushers (3 sets of 20 reps),
- explosive close-grip bench presses (3 sets of 10 reps),
- dips (3 sets of 12 reps),
- burpees (1 sets of 10 reps), and
- sprinting (10 sets of 100 reps, with a 50-second rest in between).
Tuesday Workout Routine
Gronkowski focuses on his legs and calves. His workout includes:
- step-ups (3 sets of 10 reps),
- barbell squats (3 sets of 8 reps),
- lunges (3 sets of 15 reps),
- calf raises (3 sets of 12 reps), and
- agility drills (4 x 3 sets of each).
Wednesday Workout Routine
Wednesdays are all about the abs. His core-strengthening exercises include:
- planks (3 sets for 1 minute),
- toe touches (1 set of 50 reps),
- bicycle crunches (2 sets of 25 reps),
- side planks (1 set with 30 seconds per side), and
- medicinal ball tosses (1 set of 30 reps).
All these exercises improve Gronkowski’s agility, and strengthens his core and hip muscles.
Thursday Workout Routine
On Thursdays, Gronkowski focuses on the chest and arms again. This time, he uses dumbbells to make his arms stronger. The workout includes:
- dumbbell bench presses (3 sets of 8 reps),
- dumbbell incline bench presses (3 sets of 8 reps),
- dumbbell bicep curls (3 sets of 10 to 15 reps),
- dumbbell shrugs (3 sets of 8 to 12 reps),
- pull-ups (3 sets of 10 reps), and
- push-ups (3 sets of 20 reps).
He wraps up the routine with a shuttle run of 10 sets for five to 15 yards, with 45 seconds of rest.
Friday Workout Routine
Fridays are short workout days which focus on the legs and calves. Gronkowski’s workout includes:
- barbell squats (3 sets of 12 reps),
- lunges (3 sets of 12 reps),
- standing calf raises (3 setsof 12 reps), and
- hamstring curls (3 sets of 10 reps).
The workout ends with his favorite exercise—jogging the stadium stairs. He completes five sets from the bottom to the top.
On the weekends, you will not find Rob Gronkowski in the gym. Instead, the athlete does cross-training. He can also been seen out and about playing different types of sports, especially basketball. This kind of training improves his speed and endurance.
Sources:
Rapoport, I., “Rob Gronkowski’s season is over, but questions remain,” NFL web site, December 4, 2016; http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000750241/article/rob-gronkowskis-season-is-over-but-questions-remain, last accessed January 31, 2017
Fischer, J., “Rob Gronkowski seen in Patriots locker room, has began working out,” All 22 web site; https://www.all22.com/new-england-patriots/rob-gronkowski-patriots-locker-room-working-out-rehab-injury-update, last accessed January 31, 2017
“Get Jacked With Rob Gronkowski’s Muscle-Building Weightlifting Circuit,” Stack web site, August 10, 2016; http://www.stack.com/a/get-jacked-with-rob-gronkowskis-muscle-building-weightlifting-circuit, last accessed January 31, 2017
Davis, C., “Rob Gronkowski Workout,” Pop workouts web site, June 9, 2015; https://www.popworkouts.com/rob-gronkowski-workout/, last accessed January 31, 2017
