Here’s why Cristiano Ronaldo was named ‘Fittest Man Alive’

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was recently bestowed the title of “Fittest Man Alive” for 2014 by Men’s Health magazine and for good reason. The 29-year-old captain of the national Portugal team is known for his self-discipline, diets and intense workouts; he maintains that mental strength is key to physical strength.

“To be the best you can be, you have to be focused,” he told Celebrity Health Fitness. “Training your mind is very important. Then distractions are no longer distractions. You can remain calm if you are confident. The harder you work and the more committed you are, the more confident you become.”

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Ronaldo keeps a strict diet of fish, meat, chicken, vegetables and fruit during the soccer season, barely indulging in any alcoholic beverages or snack foods. His favorite meal is known to be bacalhau à braz (cod fish with scrambled eggs and fried potatoes), which is a traditional Portuguese dish.

Because of his continual calorie expenditure, Ronaldo is able to enjoy small portions of foods like steak, French fries and salad dressing, but he is sure to keep the bulk of his diet centered around fish and vegetables.

“Cristiano Ronaldo eats all sort of dishes as a responsible athlete, but the one he likes the most is fish, such as gilt-head bream, swordfish and sea bass,” Manchester United’s former conditioning coach Mike Clegg, told the BBC.

Clegg added that Cristiano Ronaldo works out 5 days a week, focusing on every part of his body, putting in the bulk of his training as running and weight lifting.

“From his height to his natural body type, muscular structure, how much fat he’s got in his system, his endurance capacity, flexibility, power and strength. They are in perfect balance,” he said. “His training emphasizes explosion, endurance, speed, strength and functional movement alongside his many hours of footwork and team practices.”

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Even without his strict diet and relentless exercise routine, Cristiano Ronaldo would still likely be in great condition just from playing soccer alone. Soccer is a high cardiovascular activity, one that involves sprinting as the primary mode of movement, and according to FitDay, sprinting is forces the body to learn how to adapt to repetitive, explosive movement with brief periods of rest. It conditions the body to fatigue slower, and enhances mobility like jumping, skipping and hopping common in running sports.

Reports indicate Ronaldo favors sprinting with weights to increase his speed even more while in the game.