Wayne Rooney’s Unconventional Pre-Season Drill Revealed

Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has opened up about his punishing pre-season routine, which involved extreme weight-cutting methods to get in shape for the new season.

Speaking on a podcast, Rooney revealed that he would often turn up to pre-season training six to seven pounds overweight. However, he knew exactly how to shed the extra pounds quickly.

Rooney claimed that he would take an exercise bike into the steam room the day before the team’s official weighing session. He would then sit on the bike for 90 minutes, fully clothed, without eating or drinking anything. This extreme method would help him lose the excess weight he had gained over the summer.

The former England captain’s technique may have been unorthodox, but it seemed to work. Rooney managed to play 16 seasons in the Premier League, playing at least 25 matches in each campaign. Across his career, he racked up an impressive 883 appearances for club and country.

Rooney’s pre-season struggles are relatable to many footballers. In his book, he wrote about the summer of 2009, saying, “Even if I don’t train for a week, I put on two or three pounds, but when I get back to Carrington for the first day of work, I’m in for a shock. The scales in the club gym tell me I’ve put on a few more pounds than expected – seven!”

Rooney’s technique was not just limited to his time at Manchester United. When he signed for DC United in 2018, he revealed that he was in “agony” training in the blazing heat. “I remember walking down the street and thinking: ‘What am I doing here?’ Literally in agony,” he said.

Despite his struggles with pre-season training, Rooney has moved on to become the manager of Plymouth Argyle, where he is tasked with putting his players through their paces. Plymouth have won three, drawn one, and lost one of their five pre-season games.