Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world’s most renowned athletes, maintains his peak performance through a unique regimen. To enhance his resilience and recovery, he follows an unconventional routine: sleeping five times a day, consuming six balanced meals, and regularly undergoing sessions in a cold chamber to shock his system and boost his overall conditioning.

In spite of the fact that many players have begun to retire at the age of 39, the Portuguese striker continues to give his absolute best performance on the field. While playing for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League season at the beginning of April, he scored his second consecutive hat-trick for the team. The match was against Abha. The superstar scored three goals, including two free kicks, which contributed to Al Nassr’s 8-0 victory over Abha, the team that finished in last place.

In addition to his relatively peculiar and one-of-a-kind routines and his scientific approach to eating, his success can be attributed to the seriousness with which he approaches competition.

Take five short naps.

ESPN reports that the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or often takes five naps every day, with each snooze lasting for a duration of ninety minutes. Nick Littlehales, a sleep expert who has worked with Ronaldo on numerous occasions, asserts that this is not the kind of nap or nap that is typically observed in the middle of the day for regular individuals. To reduce the amount of time you spend sleeping while still enhancing your body’s capacity to recover from sleep, try sleeping for a period of ninety minutes.

Even though Ronaldo takes five naps of ninety minutes each, he still manages to acquire 7.5 hours of sleep every day, which is the amount of sleep that the World Sleep Association recommends as the ideal quantity.

Take six meals.

The diet that Ronaldo follows is so stringent that he eats up to six meals a day. He began his morning meal with a combination of ham, cheese, and yogurt. A snack of avocado toast is what he eats whenever he is feeling hungry. In order to ensure that he has enough energy for the remainder of the day, he typically consumes two lunches and two dinners.

Following the first lunch, which consisted of chicken and salad, he next consumed salmon, eggs, and olives for the second lunch. It is typical for him to consume braised tuna or fish, along with various kinds of meat, in the evening.

If you were a typical person, consuming that quantity of food would be excessive. However, because Ronaldo is a player who engages in intense exercise, he need a significant amount of protein in order to supplement his energy. Pilates and swimming are two activities that he particularly enjoys doing in addition to exercising on the field.

There is almost “no expensive food” on Giorgio Barone’s daily menu, according to the revelations made by the former primary cook of the legendary Portuguese football player. Fish, chicken, veal, eggs, avocado, coconut oil, and black rice are some of the organic and natural items that he uses in his cooking. He never uses any other ingredients. Rather than focusing on sugar, fat, or carbohydrates, Ronaldo is mostly concerned about protein.

Favorite foods among the players include fish, lean protein, whole grains, and salads. These foods contain proteins that not only assist grow and restore muscles but also slow down the process of muscle degeneration that occurs with age.

Player Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Reuters

Take a seat in a chilly room.

Ronaldo uploaded a video to his social media account in February 2022 that showed him using a “cold chamber” while competing in the Middle East of the world. After a hectic playing schedule, the footballer reportedly spent 50,000 pounds to purchase a private cryotherapy room from Italy and install it in his home. This was done in order to ensure that he would be able to recover without any interruptions. It is the cold chamber that Ronaldo and a great number of other players from all around the world choose to use since it has the ability to bring the temperature down to -200 degrees Celsius in as little as one minute and as long as three minutes.

Cryotherapy is a term that encompasses a wide range of treatment approaches that involve the utilization of low temperatures. These methods include the application of ice, cold baths, and cold saunas. According to Dr. Adnan Haq, a lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science at the University of South Wales, the word refers to whole-body chilling, which involves subjecting the user to extremely cold air at a temperature of -100 degrees Celsius for approximately three minutes.

The body is currently going through what is known as a “major physiological shock” as a result of being exposed to a hostile environment. This, in turn, causes a response that increases the level of recuperation.

The remarkable triumph that Leicester City achieved in the Premier League in 2016 was partially attributed to the players’ utilization of cryotherapy, as stated by various consultants. At the moment, a few of the most prestigious clubs in England have also installed cold chambers directly at their training grounds. It has been discovered by some athletes that applying cryotherapy immediately after exercise speeds up the recovery process, which in turn enables them to compete at a relatively high intensity.

Another significant advantage of this therapy is that it can be used to treat injuries that are caused by physical activity. When it comes to minimizing muscle weakness, which can lead to damage to muscle fibers, single types of cryotherapy are helpful, according to Dr. Haq.