Cesar Ruiz has become an established guard on the offensive line with the New Orleans Saints, joining the team as an NFL first round draft pick in 2020, but while the ferocious footballer has always had strength on his side, a fractured foot forced him to learn more about looking after his body. As a result, his on-season workout takes into account a number of points such as mobility, flexibility, and recovery, making each workout not just about improving his performance, but also about extending his enviable career.
Ruiz has a mean center of gravity, but he’s able to move across the field in a split second and, in a recent interview, Ruiz told M&F that since he can’t always control the carnage that takes place on the field, he can work hard in the gym to make sure that his body is primed and able to withstand as much punishment as possible. “I work a lot on mobility now,” he explains. “Just learning a lot more about how my body works,” is a key driver in his workout methods.
To that end, Ruiz appreciates that some of the more traditional weightlifting moves that he loves, such as the back squat or farmers carry, don’t make as much sense on-season. “I like to keep the weight off my back on-season,” he says, knowing that a 300-plus-pound NFL player is never far away from impacting him on the gridiron. Cesar Ruiz’s full-body workout is an example session that the Saint may undertake, and covers the aforementioned mobility, flexibility, and strength, in addition to that all-important development of explosive power. Try it for yourself.
Begin by stretching your limbs and encouraging the blood to circulate. Ruiz likes to pay special attention to his hip flexors and uses resistance bands to replicate moves such as the deadlift in order to work on his mobility and his muscle at the same time.
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The Full Body Workout:
Single-Arm Pushups: 3 Sets, 8- 12 Reps
Single arm push ups are more challenging than their traditional counterpart and require some serious coordination skills. They are also great for correcting any upper body strength imbalances.
Kettle Bell Swings: 3 Sets, 8- 12 Reps
Ruiz is able to feel some weight here but without the need for a barbell on his back. Kettle bell swings work the whole body, including the core to help develop excellent posture.
Landmine Press: 3 Sets, 8- 12 Reps
Working the arms, shoulders, and core, the idea here is to power through the lift to help develop explosiveness. As the weight becomes easier to lift, only gradually increase it to avoid strains.
Elevated Single Leg Squats: 3 Sets, 8- 12 Reps
With this move, Ruiz can focus on his lower body without the need for any additional weight on his back, all while bullet proofing his glutes, hamstrings, and quads and once again fixing any imbalances by taxing the limbs in single fashion.
Hamstring curls: 3 Sets, 8- 12 Reps
Working the hamstrings and glutes in addition to the muscles in your thigh, hamstring curls will help to stabilize your knees — any pro footballer will tell you that this is essential for longevity on the field.
The Finisher
Box Jumps: 3 Sets, 3-5 Reps
By utilizing this popular plyometric exercise, you will once again develop explosive power as you rely on your calves, quads, glutes, and core to head skyward.
