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Speaking to PEOPLE, Mahomes’ trainer Bobby Stroupe revealed that the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s not-so-lean figure is ideal for his position and level of play.
Furthermore, Stroupe—with whom Mahomes has been working since he was nine years old—noted that he could care less about his client’s appearance.
‘I’ll be the first to tell you that I think an NFL quarterback should have at least 14% body fat,’ Stroupe says. ‘It’s not from an unhealthy standpoint, but from a force absorption standpoint. You have to be able to take contact.’
‘We know there’s just not a lot of quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame that have a six-pack and there’s a reason for that,’ he explains. ‘We’ve got to find that fine line of performance and health. And the aesthetic part is a different conversation.’
‘I don’t need him to look like a model because the way he chooses to play requires a certain type of physicality, and that physicality needs more body fat,’ Stroupe added. ‘That is a core belief that I do have for him.’
Stroupe and Mahomes train four to five days a week during the NFL offseason. However, given Mahomes’ family and busy schedule, their sessions vary from more than four hours to 90 minutes, time allowing.
‘During the season it is a different situation because football is the priority. The big days for us are the day after the game,’ he shared. ‘When most people are resting the day after the game, we really work.
‘There’s about three to three and a half hours worth of soft tissue work, mobility work, range of motion work, and just general health,’ Stroupe continued. ‘Trying to make sure that the 26 bones in your foot, the 640 muscles, the 12 fascial lines, everything’s got to be in working order.’
The trainer also added how he added unconventional methods to Mahomes’ regimen, including gymnastics, javelin-based workouts, and martial arts exercises.
‘There are some things that you would not think that an NFL quarterback would be doing, but we’ve found that Patrick responds really well to this system and this approach.’
After winning their second consecutive Super Bowl in February, Mahomes and the Chiefs are 3-0 to start the season. Now in his eighth year in the NFL, Mahomes’ mantra has been ‘be the best you’ as he looks to achieve longevity in his career, Stroupe tells PEOPLE.
‘He’s one of the most unique athletes that we’ve ever seen in any sport in all time and he’s got to focus on being Patrick,’ Stroupe says. ‘If he were to try to emulate Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, we wouldn’t have the benefit of watching someone like him play this game on this level.’
‘And no matter how many rings he wins, no matter how many MVPs, every game we can identify things that he can do better,’ he adds. ‘There’s unlimited opportunity to improve.’