Report: Rob Gronkowski Signs Up For The Tom Brady/Alex Guerrero Training Program
BOSTON (CBS) -- During his seven years in the NFL, Rob Gronkowski has made it very clear that he is a physical specimen. One thing he has not always been, however, is durable.
And in an effort to improve that part of his game while also extending his career, the tight end is now following the lead of his soon-to-be-40-year-old quarterback.
Gronkowski adopted the training regimen of Tom Brady's occasionally controversial personal coach, Alex Guerrero, in addition to his regular training regimen, according to the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian.
"Just looking at Tom, seeing what he does every day, what he eats, talking to him, personally one-on-one, just learning about the body with him, just seeing how flexible he is, how pliable he is, how loose he is all the time, every day and ready to go, I just felt like it was the time in my career where I needed to devote myself at all levels," Gronkowski told Guregian.
Gronkowski, who missed the second half of last season and the postseason after undergoing a third back surgery, admitted that his injury history inspired him to seek a change.
"With the past I've had, you worry about [the future]. I wanted to find a way to fix that," Gronkowski told Guregian. "I wanted to find a way to make me feel good all the time and not worry. Coming here has definitely put me in that right direction."
Gronkowski's personalized plan "includes lots of band resistance work to help stabilize his core, deep-tissue massage to help with blood flow, and a better diet" in order to increase his pliability, according to Guregian.
Guregian also included the nugget that when it came to agreeing to eating certain foods, Gronkowski would only do it if Brady himself cooked the food.
"Tom's my chef," Gronkowski boasted, while saying that he has not completely given up alcohol or adopted avocado ice cream just yet.
Gronkowski's new contract includes incentives based on playing time, so the 28-year-old has additional reason to stay on the field as much as possible for the 2017 season. And when it comes to what he'll be capable of doing on the field, the all-world force seemed to indicate that he might be better than ever.
"I feel looser," he said. "I feel my mobility has increased a lot. I feel way more pliable."