T.O. Is Still A Fitness Freak

The legendary NFL wideoutand newly enshrined Hall of Famertalks training, muscle building, Kaepernick, and comebacks.

- Michael Weinreb

Eight years after his last game in the NFL, Terrell Owens still makes headlines. Just a few days after he declared he was going to skip his own Pro Football Hall of Fame induction out of a frustration with being snubbed by voters in his first two years of eligibility, the wide receiver called M&F from the beach in Los Angeles. Owens, 44, is no stranger to controversy. He’s also no stranger to working out, and he’s still in elite shape—it’s a key part of his identity. We talked to him about his career, his gym routine, and the possibility of making an NFL comeback.

You’re known as one of the fittest receivers in NFL history. How did you manage to stay in shape throughout your career?

Obviously, you start to work smarter instead of harder. I started isolating muscle groups and got into position-specific workouts. Everybody wants to have the big arms, the chest, the legs, the calves— those are the things the girls like to see. But I got away from the benching and squatting and started targeting the smaller, intrinsic muscles.

So what exercises did you do after adopting that approach?