Marc Gasol Quotes

My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski.

I don't feel like anybody can be in top-notch football shape when you first get out there, and that's what training camp is for, and that's why it's a long process.

I think that for my sport, the core is the most important. I mean, really in all sports, but especially in the sport I play, I keep my core right and try and keep that up no matter what I'm doing.

My first few years in the league, I was relying on my athleticism to get me by, because that's what got me to the NBA. The problem with that is, you end up getting really, really tired by February.

My last year of football I started having a couple of MMA fights, and bringing the weight down. It started in the pre-season of football, just to keep fit, and I did really well.

It's always difficult not playing games and that match fitness and sharpness is something you always lack when you don't get that opportunity.

I decided to work really hard in 1987. I hired Matt Doyle, a former pro player, and he helped me with my physical training. Lendl was the first to focus on that. He used to be weak, physically and mentally.

I love doing a lot of cardio. It's not so much for the way I look. It's for how I perform. If I get in the ring with a 215-pounder, I wanna be able to keep up with him agility-wise. I take that back to my football days of being a large athlete that could move.

For the Olympics, I'm mostly training in the gym, so I'm running laps on the standard speed wall.

It's a 90 minute game for sure. In fact I used to train for a 190 minute game so that when the whistle blew at the end of the match I could have played another 90 minutes.

In my day, if a guy came to spring training 20 pounds heavier than what he left, he was considered out of shape and was probably in trouble.

If he wants to get that next contract, he's going to have to go to the New York Athletic Club three times a day and just ride the bike.

Conditioning is essential to success in basketball.

I only weigh 220, so I have to do something to keep from being tossed around by all the guys who weigh 250 and more. I train hard, but I don't try to get too big.

Yoga helps me with basketball, but it helps me outside of it more than anything.

There is still so much room for me to get better. Everyone in this sport evolves so quickly. You could take six months off and come back to a totally different game. That's why I'm always in the gym working. Even if I don't have a fight lined up, I'm still in there working to improve my overall game.

Every single sport works out your body in a different way, and you can almost point out their bodies - like, that's a swimmer, that's a football player.

My whole childhood I grew up wanting to be a professional basketball player.

I think the more matches that I play, the better shape I'm going to get in. That's the best type of fitness you can do.

When you start lifting weights in the offseason in like November, you're like, 'Ah, I'm going to get this thing up so I can get to the World Series.'

I'm doing yoga, MMA and things like that. I'm an unorthodox player, so I have to do things that fit my kind of game.

I tried to be one of the best-conditioned athletes.

I am of the firm view that there is no impediment to me competing in athletics competitions.

What if I could just focus on fighting? What would that be like? What would it be like to take advantage of all the resources this place has to offer? Because you're not doing it when you're cutting weight all the time.

You know me, I play basketball. I just try to take care of that part, make sure I'm ready coming into the workouts. Make sure I'm ready, sharp, things like that.