It seems more and more of a rarity to find a professional footballer willing to not only stay on his feet in a tackle, but brush it off and keep running. That could be one reason why Romelu Lukaku, the 23-year-old Belgian, has so endeared himself to English fans in the Premiership.

Although that could all change in this summer’s Euros.

Lukaku – one of Everton’s most prolific strikers – spoke to MH ahead of the Euros about his training and why fitness is so important, just as he’d wrapped up filming with Nike for their ‘Inner Strength’ series (video below).

Men's Health: What sort of training have you been doing?

Romelu Lukaku: Lots of upper body work: TRX; kettlebell; medicine balls; lots of core and stability work. I try to maintain the same body weight, though in pre-season I bulk up a little bit because I’m always trying to find the perfect weight to play on. I’m quite fast and explosive, so I really want to test how much I can play well on – at the moment, I play at 100kg. Playing at 99kg or 101kg really makes a difference.

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MH: You're known for your physicality on the pitch – is that something you train for?

RL: I’ve always been tall but when I was younger I was really skinny, then I started getting bigger at 15. I went from 5ft 10” to 6ft 2” and I weighed about 97kg, because I made my gym sessions harder. I used to bench press 100kg at 15. I really bulked up that year and it helped me because then at 16 I made the 1st XI for the first time. I had to be ready physically and it was tough because I was a kid at the time, and I developed tendonitis – my body couldn’t handle the load and I was still growing. I had abdominal problems, knee tendonitis, groin problems, etc., but I was still playing because the team needed me.

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It really changed as soon as I came to England because everything was more professional. When I was at Chelsea, people looked at my body and that’s when I started doing core exercises, working on balance, and everything like that, and I’ve kept it up until today because it really helps me. It keeps my body primed for anything at any time.

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MH: So your training right now ensures that your size and strength doesn't negatively impact the rest of your game?

RL: I really want to keep my pace, especially – I’ve seen a lot of guys who used to be faster than me who’ve bulked up so much they’re now slower, and I don’t want to be one of those guys. When I was training to play in England, I knew the defenders in the Premiership were fast, so I needed to make sure I played at the right weight. Every training session has a meaning and I need to make sure all my muscles are the perfect size so my body performs on the pitch.

(Related: Want to improve your pace – look no further)

MH: With a focus on fast, explosive movements, what sort of moves will you do in training to prepare for that?

RL: Ladders, short sprints with a resistance cord, longer sprints with weights on a sled, and things like that. I do a lot of core work with resistance bands and a TRX. Core strength helps me hold the ball off from defenders – every time I run at full pace and a defender runs against me, he falls over straight away, and that’s without me pushing him. If I get into the box and need to turn to shoot, I barely have to put effort into the strike because my core is strong and I have that rotational power.

MH: How often do you train by yourself, outside of team sessions with Everton?

RL: I train five times a week at home. I do a bit extra at the training ground because they have more equipment, but I do a lot of mobility work at home with resistance bands. Only 15-20 minutes at a time, but it really helps.

MH: If you’re training so often, how do make sure you’re recovering well?​

RL: Well, I sleep early [laughs]. I think I go to sleep at 10:30pm every night and I wake up pretty early but I take short afternoon naps, too. I will go to sleep at around 3pm and wake up an hour, an hour and a half, maybe two hours later, because if you sleep for more than that, your body gets lazy. I try to drink a lot of water too and eat a lot of food – I have a chef who cooks for me, too. I have lots of chicken, turkey and salmon but no red meat because it’s not good for my tendons. I eat sweet potato and porridge in the morning; I try to be careful with food, in general.

(Related: How to speed up muscle recovery)

MH: Do you think your emphasis on physicality and strength in training has helped you become the player you are?

RL: Everything I do is for a reason. I don’t train just to train; I do it to become the best player I can be and to help my teammates win games. I want to win as many championships and individual titles as I can; that’s why I train that hard. I put myself through all those sessions because I want to be successful and I want to be one of the best players around. I’ll keep working hard. Football is my passion but I love training hard as well, and when that hard work delivers on making you even better and stronger, it makes you want to work harder still. I think I’m on the right path and hopefully it will get me somewhere.

To learn more about Romelu and how he advances his athleticism, get more of his Inner Strength story here and check out Nike's Twitter and Instagram channels.

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