The Jacksonville Jaguar puts his lifelong best friend to the test.
To some, NFL stands for “Not For Long,” since many of its players stay in the game, well, not for long. Marcedes Lewis, tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is quite the exception. The six-foot-six-inch Californian has played professionally for 12 seasons—and has been on the same team throughout his lengthy tenure. That requires not only serious skills on the field, but perhaps an even more serious attitude when it comes to regeneration. “Your recovery process starts right after that game. You want to have fun and enjoy the win, but you have to get your body ready for the next day,” says Lewis. “I took it for granted as a kid coming out of college thinking that I could just wake up in the morning, just hop on the field, and not stretch and not get rest, but it's not like that. I've learned it and it's something that I definitely try to help my other teammates with.”
Lewis’s routine consists of using a sauna, cupping, acupuncture, dry needling, stretching, foam rolling, and cryotherapy. He also has a movement coach. “I definitely invest a lot in my body and it's paying off,” he says. “I'm 33 years old and I feel like I'm 26. I really feel good.”
Exactly how good he feels—and looks—is evidenced in the video above. Just ahead of the Jaguars’ playoff run (their first in 10 years) Furthermore was granted a peek at their brand-new practice field. There, Lewis challenged his best friend, Long Beach-based Dontae Ealy, to a friendly workout competition created by Brenan Ghassemieh, an Equinox Tier X coach in Newport Beach, California, who trains college and NFL players regularly. It’s made up of drills and moves essential for football players so though Lewis clearly had the advantage, Ealy certainly gave him a run for his money. Watch the video to see how it turned out. And to see if you can keep up, try the exercises below.
Broad Jump: Complete 2 to 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps with 1 to 2 minutes between sets.
Zig-Zag Drill: Perform 3 to 8 reps with 45 seconds to 2 minutes rest when complete. To progress, vary the number of cones, distance between, and angle to next cone.
Shadow Drill: Complete 2 to 5 sets each as leader for 5 to 10 seconds with 45 seconds to 2 minutes rest between sets. Finish with a sprint to established cone.
Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL: Complete 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets. *Perform as a circuit with the Body Saw and Half-Kneeling Partner Drill.
Body Saw: Complete 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets.
Half-Kneeling Partner Drill: Complete 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 20 seconds with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets.
Fan Bike Sprint: Complete 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 30 seconds with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets.
Kettlebell Farmer’s Carry: Complete 3 to 5 sets of 1 minute to as long as you can hold with 1 to 2 minutes rest between sets. Use this as active recovery for working sets or regeneration at end of session.