Kansas City Chiefs quarterback’s personal trainer Bobby Stroupe explains why the NFL star has ‘owl-like’ vision
PATRICK Mahomes has become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history with his trademark no-look passes thanks to a carefully-constructed training regime.
The Kansas City quarterback has worked with personal trainer Bobby Stroupe since fourth grade at the Athlete Performance Enhancement Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
6Patrick Mahomes is flexing his muscles in the NFLCredit: 2018 Getty Images
6The Kansas City Chiefs star has worked with personal trainer Bobby Stroupe since fourth gradeCredit: Instagram/Patrickmahomes
6His training is focused on flexibility and mobilityCredit: YouTube/Men’s Health
6Mahomes also undertakes track work and strength conditioningCredit: YouTube/Men’s Health
And their work together has enabled Mahomes to not only stay fit and healthy but also improve his neck and spine mobility to be able to pull off his dazzling sidearm slings and no-look passes.
“There are quarterbacks that when they’re rolling right, they can’t turn their head and some that can,” Stroupe revealed in the Netflix series Quarterback.
“The same athlete maybe when they roll left, they can’t.
“There’s many quarterbacks that have deficits going both ways.
“Patrick keeps his head perfectly still like an owl and still be able to visually see what’s going on.
“And also manipulate his body due to the mobility that he has in his spine.”
After winning two Super Bowls and two NFL MVP awards, Mahomes remains as obsessed with optimizing his fitness as ever.
He is determined to have long-term success in the NFL to match legends such as Tom Brady, who played until he was 45.
According to Stroupe, Mahomes’ heightened mobility comes from his workouts which focus on a combination of medicine ball exercises, like granny tosses and sit-up medicine ball throws.
Medicine ball workouts are designed for Mahomes to generate power from multiple angles, going through 20 different exercises twice a week, year round.
“It’s a great way to engage the same muscles as the football with a different kind of implementation,” Stroupe said.
There is also track work, like single-leg broad jumps and cone speed drill work.
In addition, he undertakes strength training, like sled pulls, front-foot-elevated split squats, three-position isometric pullups, cable push pulls, and weighted hip thrusts.
Mahomes’ exercises all have a purpose – there is no desire to build muscle and strength for its own sake.
“Priority No. 1 is to be resilient,” Stroupe said.
“He’s gotta stay healthy.”
Mahomes’s fitness regime is tailored to his specific body type.
“Let’s just be honest: He’s not a Greek god,” Stroupe said.
“If you look at his anatomical setup, his body is built like a reverse centaur.
“He has a really big upper body and a triangular, smaller lower body.
6Mahomes has undergone a huge body transformation since entering the NFL in 2017Credit: 2017 Matthew Eisman
6He has maintained his fitness and health thanks to his obsessive training regimeCredit: Instagram/Patrickmahomes
Stroupe continually mixes things up to keep workouts interesting for Mahomes.
“I told Bobby just to continue to challenge me, continue to bring different stuff,” the NFL star says.
“He’s really helped me execute at an even higher level on the field.”
Mahomes has even lost weight, going down from 237 pounds in 2018 to between 224 and 228 pounds on game days.
He revealed in 2018 that he eats between four to five small meals a day.
“I eat breakfast, then lunch and then spread out my dinners to make sure I’m not eating too much at any one time,” he told Men’s Journal.
Mahomes is spurred on by the experiences of his father, Patrick Mahomes Sr., a former MLB pitcher who reached the Wold Series with the New York Mets in 2000.
“I got to see him battle and grind to try to get back there,” Mahomes told Men’s Health.
“You never know if it’s going to be like this for the rest of your career.
“So I try to win as much as possible now, and do whatever I can to win multiple Super Bowls.”