Robert Lewandowski just might be the fittest man in the Bundesliga

Dessert before dinner; it’s a formula that works wonders if Robert Lewandowski has anything to say about it. The Bayern Munich ace, even at 30 years of age, has proven himself to be one of the fittest footballers in Germany, and perhaps even in the entire world. There’s no shortage of skills in his locker and the Polish international continues to prove that he’s still got plenty left in the tank and can easily keep playing until he’s in his mid to late 30’s.

While he’s not impervious to sustaining injuries, Lewandowski has maintained impeccable physical fitness ever since he’s played in the top flight. Per Bundesliga.com, he’s now had nine consecutive seasons where he’s played in at least 30 matches. Only Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann, who is a goalkeeper, has equaled that feat. Additionally, in all nine of his seasons in Germany’s top flight with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern, Lewandowski’s longest stretch of matches missed through injury is only two, which is remarkably impressive.

Currently, he’s on pace to collect the Torjägerkanone for the third time in four seasons with his current tally of league goals at 21, four ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic who’s in second place in the running with 17 goals. With only three league matches remaining, he’ll be hard pressed to equal his tally of 30 goals from last season, but collecting the kanone for the third time in four seasons is nothing short of impressive.

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

In addition to being in peak physical condition, ex-Bayern manager Pep Guardiola described Lewandowski as the perfect professional:

He’s the most professional player I’ve ever met. In his head, he thinks about the right food, sleep and training, 24 hours a day. He’s always there, never injured, because he focuses on these things. He always knows what is important to be in the best condition.

Even on days off from training, Lewandowski revealed, he’s putting in the extra work at his home gym, which he feels makes a massive difference for how well he’s able to perform:

It’s definitely an important factor. We’ve got a gym at home and I use it on my days off, usually with my wife Anna. Sometimes I do special exercises to work on my concentration, which is very important for a striker. And I need strength in order to compete against powerful defenders.

He credits his wife, Anna, who is a professional nutritionist, for being the chief architect of his incredibly well-balanced diet that helps him optimally utilize all the nutrients he’s taking in and burn fat more efficiently. The logic behind desserts before sweets makes complete sense, too, the way he explained its reasoning:

As desserts are sweet, they can be digested quicker. Soups too. But proteins take longer to digest. If I eat something sweet at the end and it mixes with the protein in my stomach, then it’s harder to process as well. Healthy eating is important to me and this method suits me. It improves fat burning. My wife suggested it to me. She’s a fitness coach and has a great deal of expertise about how the body works. She’s really good at what she does – so good that a lot of other players in international football want to work with her.

So there you have it, it might not work for every footballer or every average person, but dessert before dinner, training in the gym on off days, and outright professionalism are all of the hallmarks for one of the world’s fittest footballers at 30 years of age. He shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and we hope to see him lifting another two trophies at the end of the season along with the Torjägerkanone!