How Jamie Vardy keeps scoring at 37, including pre-match meal of three Red Bulls, double espresso and an omelette

4 months ago 59

THERE’S still life left in the old dog.

At the King Power Stadium on Monday Night Football, Jamie Vardy rescued a point for Leicester City in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham.

Leicester's Jamie Vardy celebrates ascoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.(AP Photo/Rui Vieira)Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring against Tottenham on Monday Night Football
 Jamie Vardy of Leicester City during the Leicester City training session at Leicester City Training Ground, Seagrave on May 04, 2023 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)Leicester legend Vardy follows a very different pre-match preparation routine
a man in a bc game jersey walks through a doorwayVardy spotted drinking a can of Red Bull in the tunnel at half-time

The Foxes forward, who turns 38 in January, then vowed to continue to make Premier League defender’s lives a nightmare.

He revealed: “I literally see age as just a number.

“As long as I keep looking after myself, and as long as my legs still feel great before training and games, then I’ll carry on for as long as physically as possible.

“I wouldn’t say I’m doing anything differently. I’m still trying to make the same runs. But the main thing is I’m looking after myself recovery wise, to the maximum. I’ve got everything I need at home.

“So Tuesday will be a recovery session at the training ground, and then go home and manage to double up on that.”

Vardy has spoken about his preparations before a match in the past.

He once admitted he consumed Skittles, Vodka and had a penchant for drinking Port from a Lucozade bottle.

Now, he’s swapped that for three cans of Red Bull, a double espresso, and a cheese and ham omelette.

When it comes to training, Vardy goes by his own schedule – often skipping training sessions to remain ready for match day.

While in his £2.5million Lincolnshire mansion, which he shares with Wag Rebekah Vardy, he uses a cryotherapy chamber and oxygen tent to aid recovery.

It’s those tricks of the trade that make Vardy still lethal at 37.

Food for thought

There might not be any science behind Vardy’s diet.

After all, it’s not as religious as Cristiano Ronaldo chowing down on fish and veg daily.

Back in 2016, he told SunSport: “With a traditional 3pm Saturday kick-off, I’ll have a can of Red Bull as soon as I wake up, which is gone in 30 seconds.

“I don’t have breakfast and won’t eat anything until I have a cheese-and-ham omelette with baked beans at 11.30am.

“I wash that down with another Red Bull, which I also neck quickly.

“While we’re waiting and killing a bit of time, I have a double espresso, normally with centre-half Marcin Wasilewski (now retired).

“We get into the dressing room an hour and a half before kick-off, and I’ll have a third can of Red Bull straight away.

“But with this one I sip it all the way until we go out for the warm-up, leaving a bit to finish off when I come back in.

“So three Red Bulls, a double espresso and a cheese-and-ham omelette is what makes me run around like a nutjob on a match day.”

That diet has stuck ever since, and clearly it’s working.

 Vantagenews.comIn 2016, on duty for England, Vardy was spotted with a can of Red Bull
a piece of casserole on a white plate with strawberries in the backgroundFor his pre-match meal, Vardy swears by a ham and cheese omelette
a person is holding a cup of coffee in their handFor a caffeine kick, Vardy necks a double espresso

The science bit

Vardy knows his body better than anyone else.

He also understands what is needed to speed up his recovery time and stay match-fit.

In recent years, the hotshot striker installed a £15,000 cryo chamber and oxygen tent at his Lincolnshire home.

He also uses his swimming pool for hydrotherapy.

Vardy explained of his post-match routine: “I’ll get the massages, do cryotherapy in the pool, stretch and then go home.

“Then when I get home cryotherapy again, sauna and an hour in the oxygen tent, just to have a little hour to myself.”

Ex-manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for Vardy’s dedication to his craft in the past.

He said: “He (Vardy) clearly has the talent, he has the will, all we’ve tried to do is manage him to maximise what we can get out of him.

“With his running, his intensity, that’s when he’s at his best. There’s no sign of it stopping because he is looking after himself. He has everything here to help in his recovery and recuperation after games, and he’s also invested a lot of money into items to have at home.

This photograph shows a cryotherapy room at the Centre International de Haute Performance du Val d'Oise (ATHLETICA) preparation centre for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will host Team USA, in Eaubonne, northern Paris, on June 28, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)Vardy has a £15k cryotherapy chamber installed in his £2.5m Lincolnshire home
a man in a fbs jersey stands next to a womanPA
Jamie with Wag Rebekah[/caption]
Akash Negi sits in a hypoxic tent, a low-oxygen tent that mimics thin air at high altitude, on April 15, 2021, in Parlin, New Jersey, as he prepares for his expedition to summit Mount Everest. Mountaineer Akash Neggi is fully prepared to take on the world's highest mountain -- after spending several weeks sleeping in a tent in his living room in New Jersey. As Nepal battles the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of climbers are turning to oxygen-deprivation tents to cut down on the risk of being exposed to the virus by spending less time in the Himalayan nation.Everest aspirants typically spend eight days trekking from Kathmandu to base camp at 5,364 metres (17,598 feet), using the journey to acclimatise to high-altitude conditions. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)Vardy also has an oxygen tent where he likes to spend some time unwinding in
a man is laying in a swimming pool surrounded by pink and blue pool noodlesSwimming pool hydrotherapy is another Vardy’s tricks of the trade

“He has machines at home where he can be constantly recovering, the cryo-chambers, so he’s invested a lot of money into that.

“He’s very focused on prolonging his career, and he knows that he needs to be as healthy as he can be, and a big part of that at his age is the recovery process.”

Rodgers added: “He’s a brilliant professional and he’s trying to ensure his career goes on as long as it can.”

Modified training

Alongside his diet and recovery tools, Vardy has his own tailor-made training regime at Leicester.

This has, without doubt, had an impact on his longevity in the game.

He doesn’t train as rigorously as he once did when he lifted the Premier League trophy in 2016.

Instead, his sessions are modified and, sometimes, infrequent.

Vardy has been known to skip training when his body isn’t up to it and save himself for games.

He also does his own conditioning work, although this doesn’t extend to lifting heavy weights.

Vardy has vowed to continue playing at the top level until he’s in his forties.

Judging by the prep he puts in, you wouldn’t put it past him.

//www.instagram.com/vardy7/Vardy prefers to do a lot of his conditioning work in his own time
//www.instagram.com/vardy7/When it comes to maintaining his fitness, Vardy doesn’t touch heavy weights
//www.instagram.com/vardy7/Super fit Vardy has vowed to continue playing into his 40’s
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