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ROB GRONKOWSKI IS one of the best tight ends in football history. The four-time Super Bowl champion (three titles with the New England Patriots dynasty of the 2010s, one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his Brady reunion tour in 2021) was a dominant player before retiring at 33 in 2022. He’s also a legendary partier. In an ESPN Deportes interview in 2012, when asked about how he was planning to celebrate a win against the Ravens, he answered: “Yo soy fiesta” (“I am party”). The phrase quickly became one of many Gronk-isms.
Gronk has claimed in a past interview that his late-night partying made him a better football player—a statement he still stands by today. “I would literally dance for two hours straight… there’s so much cardio and footwork that’s involved with dancing. It kept me in shape, it kept fast-twitch muscles going as well,” says Gronkowski in the latest episode of Strong Talk. “I was burning calories like it was nothing, and that alcohol would basically be out of my system by the next morning because I would sweat it all out.”
The retired NFL star has calmed down from the peak of his partying days—though he still occasionally uses dancing as cardio. Gronk joined exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson along with MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. to discuss how he shifted his views of staying in shape, his thoughts on his former quarterback Tom Brady, thoughts on other tight ends, and his predictions for Super Bowl LX.
Heavy strength training was Gronkowski’s focus during his early days in the NFL. To extend his career, though, he admits he switched up his exercise regimen (and cut back a bit on the partying). “I was glad I was young enough at that time. Obviously that changed,” he recalls. “I can’t go out till 2 a.m. anymore and then wake up and then go to football practice.” Rather than lifting heavy, Gronk says he shifted to lower-impact exercise, like yoga, which he credits for helping avoid muscle tightness and made him more pliable overall.
If he could go back in time to his playing career, Gronk says he would prioritize building a strong core and working his fast-twitch muscles—at least more than how he honed those muscles with his dance moves. Now, he’s even tried types of workouts more associated with group training, like Pilates.
“I love yoga. I’ve done Pilates once or twice,” he says. “I can’t say I’m not a Pilates guy, but I also can’t say I am a Pilates guy. I love going—but I just haven’t gone back since I’ve done it twice.”
Want more deep-dive fitness wisdom from Samuel, Davidson, and other celebs and experts who’ve been on our Strong Talk podcast? Check out all our episodes here.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
