How Ronaldo and Messi kept fit at home during lockdown… but whose training regime and strict diet was tougher? – The Sun | The Sun

THEY'RE not arguably the two best players of all-time for nothing.

Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi has just capped December’s World Cup success with Argentina by winning Fifa’s The Best award while Cristiano Ronaldo was named the Saudi Pro League player of the month for his exploits with new club Al-Nassr following his explosive exit from Manchester United.

During the coronavirus lockdown, footballers around the globe were filling their time by hitting their home gyms.

And leading the way were Messi, 35,  and Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, who were happy to show their strict training regimes.

From running up steep driveways to lifting heavyweights, the two were desperate to stay match-fit for when the season restarted.

But whose schedule was tougher? SunSport put on its bootcamp hat to investigate.

MESSI AT HOME

For a man who's used to having the best training facilities a club can offer at his then club Barcelona, working from home would've been tough on Messi.

But, after jovially showing he hadn't lost his touch by doing the best toilet roll juggling of any footballer out there, he soon hit his home gym.

And as you can imagine, it was fully equipped to help him keep some muscle definition.

He gave us a brief glimpse of his gym on Instagram training with his son, Ciro.

We saw a row of treadmills that overlook his incredible garden and there was also a spinning machine – another extensive cardio workout.

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Like a professional gym, he has shelves for towels. They are opposite weight machines and bars.

Various mats aid him to do core exercises, like pushing up a bar with his stomach while leaning on a box.

Another exercise Messi has been seen doing involves lifting two small dumbbells above his head from his sides.

All of this is done under the watchful eye of Muhammad Ali – or in fact a mini-shrine to former heavyweight boxing champion.

HIS WORKOUT

Messi still remains dedicated to his art to maintain his powers.

According to Pinata, the method behind his training regime is to work on his speed.

To build his pace up, he divides his workout into sections with different exercises, including a pillar bridge-front, lunges, hamstring stretches, and pillar skips.

To strengthen his core and leg muscles, Messi also favours hurdle hops and split squats. Then, he'll finish off with acceleration drills.

Next, is a series of workouts designed to maximise his multi-directional speed.

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