Bo Jackson’s Workouts Have Changed Now That He’s A ‘Senior Citizen’

BO JACKSON‘S BODY mythologized the man. In the ’80s and ’90s, the multisport phenom scaled walls to steal home runs out of the sky with the same legs he’d break wooden bats on. He also ran through NFL linemen with gargantuan arms. People still question if he actually ran as fast as people said he did over 35 years ago. All of this came from a body he rarely tinkered with in the gym, telling Men’s Health in a recent episode of Gym & Fridge that he rarely ever exercised as an athlete and still doesn’t work out that much at 61.

“I get my workout from cycling and walking when I’m bird hunting,” he says. “That’s how I get my workout in. I haven’t been to a gym in 15-20 years.”

The once feared physical specimen, who happily calls himself a “senior citizen,” had more strenuous and public workouts as a professional athlete. He says he rarely lifted weights heavier than 15 lbs. Part of this is because he attributes his domineering physique to his mother’s and grandfather’s genes. Another part is he believes working out would’ve weighed him down with more muscle that would’ve stripped him of his superhuman speed and endurance. Besides that, he felt he was getting plenty of exercise in front of thousands of people every week.

“In the MLB, my workouts came from running every day. We had 162 games, so we played almost every day. By me running, throwing, and diving five or six times per week, that was my workout.”

Not only have his workouts changed over the years but so have his eating habits. Jackson remembers practically being on a food tour across America since baseball players travel to different cities every three days. Plus, he says he ate whatever he wanted, depending on the time of his game that day. If he wanted cracked crabs and lobster in Seattle, he was having it. His diet hasn’t drastically changed, but he does impose some limits. He tries to avoid many of the delicacies from his 20s because his metabolism isn’t as fast as it used to be. “Now that I’m a senior citizen, it’s a whole lot harder to lose those pounds than I did when I was younger.”

He’s more man than myth these days, and Bo’s just fine with that.

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below