Wayne Rooney has revealed the punishing and unconventional pre-season drill he had at Manchester United when he arrived at Carrington seven pounds overweight.
The former England captain claimed he 'hated pre-season' but knew exactly how to sharpen up after letting his standards slip over the summer.
Nowadays Rooney's job is to put younger stars through their paces after he was announced as Plymouth Argyle managerback in May. Plymouth have won three, drawn one, and lost one of their five pre-season games.
'I used to hate pre-season. I'd come back every pre-season six to seven pounds overweight. So I knew I had to put the work in,' Rooney told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
While Gary Neville said he did some exercise over the summer, Rooney claimed he did no training at all over the break, leaving Ian Wright stunned.
Wayne Rooney has revealed the brutal pre-season routine he had to get in shape at Man United
The star has previously that he put on seven pounds after a boozy summer in 2009 (pictured)
Getting on the exercise bike was his preferred method of weight loss - in the steam room!
Rooney added: 'I used to take the [exercise] bike in the steam room the day before we were back in.
'Honestly the night before we had to get weighed I'd sit in there for 90 minutes fully clothed.
'I wouldn't eat a thing, I wouldn't drink a thing.'
That combination of cutting out the calories as well as exercising in the intense heat seemingly paid off for Rooney.
He managed 16 seasons in the Premier League for Everton and United and never played fewer than 25 matches in a given campaign.
Across his career for club and country he racked up a whopping 883 appearances, but that does not mean he always enjoyed the fitness element.
In his 2012 book, 'My Decade in the Premier League,' he wrote of the summer of 2009: 'Early July: the first day back at pre-season training. I'm like most blokes, I put on a few pounds after a holiday.
'Even if I don't train for a week, I put on two or three, but when I get back to Carrington for the first day of work, I'm in for a shock.
'When I get back to Carrington for the first day of work, I'm in for a shock. The scales in the club gym tell me I've put on a few more pounds than expected – seven!' (Pictured with England)
He's now in charge of pre-season at Plymouth - but his technique as a player was last-minute
He also revealed he was in 'agony' training in the blazing heat when he signed for DC United
'The scales in the club gym tell me I've put on a few more pounds than expected – seven. Seven!
'Then I remember – I drank a few bevvies while I was away.
'I'm stocky. I'm not like Ryan Giggs, all bone and lean muscle. But I gain weight quite easily.
'It's not a problem though. It's not as if the manager is leaning over my shoulder as the numbers come in, tutting and making jokes about me eating too many chip butties. Besides, I know I can shift it in a week or two.'
Talking about his move to DC United in 2018, he told Stick to Football: 'When I went to the MLS, the team were in LA, so I went out and did three days of running.
'It was 100 degrees (Fahrenheit). My face was like beetroot. I could barely walk.
'I remember walking down the street and thinking: "What am I doing here?"
'(I was) Literally in agony.
Rooney made 883 appearances for club and country so he must have done something right
The United legend was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
'Because I was there on my own, I loved it because I was going back to have a sleep in the afternoon.
'The best thing for me about pre-season (in America) was having a sleep in the afternoon.'
Wayne Rooney was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.