The Gronkowski family is stacked with elite athletes who helped shape the future of American sports. Rob, Chris, Dan, and Glenn all reached the NFL, while eldest brother Gordie competed in college baseball. In a household like that, fitness isn’t a lifestyle choice, but simply the family standard.

When Rob sat down with Dr. Pat Davidson on a recent episode of Strong Talk, naturally, he was asked whether fitness runs in his family. The former New England tight end explained that while he was motivated by his brothers, it was his father who first introduced him to weightlifting.

“And actually, he introduced us to lifting at first with a lot of reps at first, not heavy weight, a lot of reps, high reps, you know, and, you know, get yourself just fit, trim, and it will get you ready for the bigger big stage, you know, in your career,” said Rob.

The brothers may have made it big, but a lot of that goes back to their father. For over 35 years, he’s been selling fitness equipment, both retail and commercial, in the Buffalo area of Ohio.

Rob made it big in the NFL before retiring three years ago, but despite spending most of his life in the gym, he later had a different opinion.

Rob Gronkowski Explains Why He Shifted His Workout

When asked where he stands now in terms of physical strength and what his workouts look like, Rob Gronkowski expressed that he is taking it easy in the weight room these days.

“I like to do workouts now where, you know, it keeps you more, you know, pliable. It keeps you more loose instead of just lifting heavy. And just lifting heavy is great, but it can tighten you up as well if you don’t counter it,” said former Buccaneers Tight End.

He further added, “So I love yoga still. I’ve done Pilates once or twice. I’m—I can’t say I’m not a Pilates guy, but I also can’t say I am a Pilates guy. I loved going, but I just haven’t gone back since I’ve done it twice.”

Gronkowski admitted that if he could turn back time to when he was younger, he would have focused much more on his core muscles.

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das