Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is the type of player every team in the NFL is looking for. The 6’5, 260-pound pro has the size to run over linebackers and the speed to outrun even the fastest cornerbacks in the league. That combination is why Kelce has been voted to the Pro Bowl four straight times and earned All-Pro honors twice in 2016 and 2018.
In 2019, Kelce is doing it again, putting together another Pro Bowl-level season for the Chiefs: He leads all tight ends in yards and receptions through Week 11, and ranks in the top 10 in the entire league in receiving yards. It helps that he’s catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, the reigning NFL MVP. Kelce has to stay on his toes while playing alongside Mahomes, who has shown a penchant for throwing no-look passes.
“It’s fun. You never know if he’s no-looking you or looking at someone else, so you always have to be ready,” Kelce tells Men’s Journal. “You always have to be on the balls of your feet when you play with him, just have to be ready for this throws knowing that he has a plethora of ways to get the ball to you. It takes effort, but it’s great.”
Kelce spoke with Men’s Journal about how he trains, his gameday routine, and why he loves French toast.
Men’s Journal: What’s your daily routine like?
Travis Kelce: In offseason it’s a grind. Before the season starts, around late July, I’m on a five-day workout schedule, and within that I’m doing two days working lower body and two working upper body. I really don’t do anything crazy, but it works for me. What I like to do differently is how I recover. I do the hot and cold pools and I’m big on dry needling. It’s amazing for the body: You can target the areas that need release, and it gets the blood flow going. From athlete to athlete, a lot of guys train similarly, but I feel what I do recovery-wise is a bit unique.
How is your recovery routine different?
My recovery gets more creative, I think. Where the creativity comes into play is about how you are recovering. For most players, they’re not doing it the same way I am. Are you getting two or three massages per week? Are you doing dry needle, hitting the tubs after practice? Are you running in a pool, working to get a lift in in after a game? Everyone’s body is different. It matters what you benefit the most from and you work that into your recovery.
Take us through a typical Travis Kelce training day. What types of stuff are you working on?
During the season, I do Tuesday/Thursday workouts in the mornings. I’m an early bird, so I’m usually up at 6 a.m. the latest every day. I get my workouts in before our meetings start around 8:15 to 9 a.m. I’ll start with lower body—squats are amazing. I think front squats really tie in everything with core, your lower extremities, and hips. The biggest thing I like to focus on in all my workouts is using my core to trigger everything. I have had two surgeries, so you want to make sure everything is connecting the right way.
What are some of your favorite types of workouts to do?
I’m big on shoulders. Everything I do is predicated on shoulders for me. I’ve had surgeries, so I try and keep focused on those. I’m making sure I’m hitting my scaps, delts, and my front shoulder muscles. I’m a huge core guy. Pullups and pushups are always undefeated in my mind: They are the ultimate two workouts you can do to help your core and upper body all work together. I think it helps me so much and evolve as an athlete.
How do you handle your diet and nutrition?
I’m fortunate that my best friend is a jack-of-all-trades and he has helped me in nutrition, and being able to eat better and cleaner. He’s making sure I use the right ingredients, so you aren’t wasting an ounce of fuel. I’ve also found that using supplement gummies has been really helpful for my diet and my training. Where it really jumped off for me, was when I was taking a gummie during games last year when I felt I needed that energy to finish strongly. When I would take it, it was a carb booster for me and it really worked. I’ll take pre-workout and game-time gummies, and one for and sleep recovery. I was about 275-pounds post-surgery before minicamp started in June, and by the time it was done, I was all the way back down 20 to 25 pounds to get where I needed to be.
What’s your game-day food routine like?
On game day, you want to carb up, so I have the energy I need for the game. If I can, I’ll have a breakfast type of meal, since a lot of our games are from 12-4 in the afternoon. Sometimes you might get lunch, but it’s mostly breakfast. For me, I have to grab some French toast, get my blood sugar going, get some carbs in. I’m big on French toast. Always eat that at the teams’ pregame meal.
What’s it like playing with Patrick Mahomes?
It’s exciting. What he’s been able to do on the football field, it really ties into who Pat is as a football player—he’s just a baller. With how he throws the ball, how it releases out of his hand—he can sidearm it, go over the top, flick it sometimes—he can do it all. It’s a blast to play with him. He does things that no one else has ever really done.
If you could sit down to dinner with one NFL player in history, who would it be?
For me it would be a guy like [Hall of Fame tight end] Tony Gonzalez. I’d ask him how he prolonged his career and how he was able to stay in the league 15-plus years and be healthy basically the whole time. I would try and mentally soak up everything. I’ve had a conversation with him before, but it wasn’t with the direction and knowledge I have now.
What are your expectations for yourself and team for the rest of the season?
We’re working on winning this week, that’s all I can think of with the future for our team. I’ve been repetitive and working on my routine since the beginning of the season. I’m hyped up and amped up—we’re working to get better each week. I’m working to play to my best ability, hope that we’re playing well into December, and hopefully deep into January. Put ourselves in position to try and take it all home.
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