Shaquille O'Neal Quotes

Once I'm in training camp, there's no beer, there's no soda, there's no bad food. There's no anything. It's eat, sleep and breathe training.

I work extremely hard in the weight room, and also on the court to get better and make sure I keep my body in shape.

When I was younger it was twice a day with a game on the weekend. Then when I got older, three times a day everyday in college and on the national team.

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.

When you're training you go to the gym when it's dark, you leave when it's dark. You push your body to the limit and it really gets on top of you.

I'm not really someone who looks forward to the gym. But I realise it's something that I have to do to perform well on the pitch.

Well, I work out three to four times a week, in a gym, which - thank God - is right in my building here in New York City. It's in the Reebok building, and it's got every kind of weightlifting equipment you can imagine, spread out over six floors, plus basketball courts and everything else. And because it's right in the building, there's no excuse.

I work with a trainer called Ruben Tabares. He's a nutritionist, strength and conditioning coach, and an athlete. So I literally just train like an athlete.

The way strength and conditioning has helped me now is that I make it a point to go to the gym everyday if I can.

To be a top-class athlete, you have to train hard, you have to eat right, you have to get enough rest. I feel the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete.

I explain to athletes, you're supposed to be a well-oiled machine. You're supposed to be in better shape than the people watching you. You're supposed to be an unbelievable specimen of a human being. You have to treat your body different while you're performing.

It is very important to me to maintain a consistent workout regimen during the season. The Bulls staff does a great job with providing me with a weekly workout, and these kept me energized throughout my rookie season. In the off season, I try to increase my strength and add new dimensions to my game.

Both parents supported my becoming a world class athlete.

When I was playing college basketball, I had to work out every day; it benefited me physically.

I would say that one of the really special gifts about playing an athlete is that it's the best motivation you'll ever have to get in top shape and stay in top shape because you know that you're going to be expected to deliver.

Usually, if I'm coming to Europe, I'm on a boat for seven days, so I spend the seven days doing a bunch of things. I'll do cardio for an hour or an hour-and-a-half and weights, just light weights.

Well, you have your regular classes, like three hours every other day, three times a week. You get twice a week to have an ice practice. Once a week you have weight lifting. It was great.

I run in the morning, lift weights in the afternoon, basketball training at night, and then lift weights again at night.

I'm doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well.

I work out every day - and my daily routine is a mix of functional and strength training.

In order to stay healthy, recover quickly, and continue building strength and agility, I've combined different types of low-impact sports circuit exercises to maximize and expand my abilities.

When you get off five or six months, and you're not competing as an athlete, you want to get back out on the field.

I go into the gym and do 75 pullups, 75 dips, 150 squats, 150 pushups, and then 20 minutes of ab work. Done. It takes an hour; I'm in and out. I sweat the whole time.

Every day, I get up to hit the gym; the schedule is such that it gives me the requisite energy to last the entire day. I stress on cardiovascular exercises, and the workout is programmed with my sporting schedule. Most of the fitness schedule is based on what I require for my upcoming matches.

Earlier in my career, I used to spend a lot of time practising my tennis on court. Now I've learned that it's better to do just a couple of hours on court and two gym sessions a day. That's what's made me fitter and stronger.