- Rob Gronkowski shares his post-retirement nutrition routine in this exclusive.
- During an active day, Gronk aims to consume 180 to 200 grams of protein.
- His pregame tradition? Chocolate milk with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Rob Gronkowski has earned his NFL icon status—thanks to 11 seasons in the league and four Super Bowl rings—but the former tight end’s pursuits didn’t stop when he retired. As an analyst for Fox, a podcast host and media personality, Gronk has remained a fixture in the sports world despite hanging up his cleats.
We got the chance to chat with Gronk about the upcoming Super Bowl, how his nutrition routine has changed in retirement and the meal he ate before every game. Plus, he shares more on his partnership with Bounty paper towels and how they’re always coming in clutch on game day.
How excited are you to see the Patriots play in the Super Bowl?
Oh, I’m super pumped up. It’s unbelievable what they did in New England. Coach Mike Vrabel has done a tremendous job, and now he’s taking them to the Super Bowl in just his first year as head coach. They’ve just been playing together as a team. That’s why they’re in the Super Bowl, and it’s remarkable to see my Patriots back. It brings back so many great memories from the days that I played there and was contending for Super Bowls and winning them.
What are the essentials everyone should have if they’re hosting a watch party?
Oh, well, there;s no doubt that you gotta have wings, you gotta have pizza, you gotta have blue cheese. You can have ranch on the side, but if you’re in Buffalo, it has to be blue cheese. So pizza, wings, you gotta have dips, chips and dips. Buffalo chicken dip is always in. You gotta have Bounty paper towels, you know, because everyone’s making a mess. The wings are messy.
How has your approach to nutrition changed now that you’re retired?
I still kind of eat the same. I’m trying to eat very healthy, very clean, at least six times a week. I always have a cheat meal a day or two a week, but what has really changed for me is not the type of foods I’m eating, but how much food I’m eating. When you’re playing football, you’re practicing, you’re playing in the game, you’re burning thousands of calories a day, and you have to keep an intake of calories to keep up with your weight. Now that I’m not playing anymore, the workouts aren’t as intense, so I can’t really eat that many calories. One thing I really like to do to stay slim and keep the weight off is intermittent fasting, taking 16 hours from my last meal at night to the next meal the next day. Then I usually start with a protein smoothie, vanilla protein with almond milk, blueberries, peanut butter and a banana.
Do you have a certain amount of protein that you like to hit every day, or does it vary?
It definitely varies. If I’m working out that day, I really like to hit my protein goals. They say eat a gram of protein per [pound of] body weight, and that’s a lot of protein for me. My ultimate goal on workout days is usually around 180 to 200 grams of protein. When I’m not working out and I’m just chilling, I still gotta hit at least 120.
When you have a tough workout, is there a go-to meal that you have afterward?
It goes back to my protein shakes. I love a protein shake after I work out. I can drink it for breakfast, when I break my fast, or as a meal replacement. It gives me the nutrients I lost and need to rebuild and recover. When I lift heavy, I also have to have meat at night, either a burger, a steak or fish. I fiend for high-protein meals whenever I have a heavy lift day.
I’m curious, how do you like your steak cooked?
I like my steak cooked medium—maybe a little more than medium, medium plus. I don’t know how people eat it rare. I like fattier steaks, and when they’re rare, the fat isn’t tasty and gets chewy. When you grill it, the fat renders and marbles in, which gives the steak its flavor. I like it medium plus with just a little pink in the middle.
Did you have any superstitions or traditions that you couldn’t skip before a game?
I was a big chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly guy, with my mom’s homemade jelly. I felt like it gave me the right nutrients, sugar and carbs. You can’t go wrong with chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly. That was my tradition, to stock up because the nerves make you not hungry. It’s hard to put food down, but peanut butter and jelly with chocolate milk always went down easy, and I knew I was fueled for the game.
