Six-time pro bowler. Super Bowl Champion. Five consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards or more. That’s right we’re talking about the one and only Travis Kelce.
Kelce has worked insanely hard to get where he is today, which is on top of the NFL. He is the best tight end in the league he and earned it. Let’s take a look at the workout that Travis Kelce does to keep himself in elite shape.
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Early Life & College
Travis Kelce group up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio with his brother Jason who also plays in the NFL. He played quarterback in high school and ended up heading to the University of Cincinnati to play college ball.
Kelce didn’t stand out much in college except for his senior season where he had over 700 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns. That was enough to attract the attention of the Kansas City Chiefs who drafted him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was drafter 63rd overall.
NFL Career
Unfortunately, Kelce had to undergo knee surgery in his first season playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. But he quickly followed that up with back-to-back 800+ yard receiving seasons, propelling the Chiefs into the playoffs in 2015.
Travis then completely took off since 2015. As mentioned before, he currently has five straight seasons of 1000+ yds. During this period the Chiefs have been to three AFC Championships and two Super bowls, winning one. Sounds like things are working out pretty well for Travis Kelce so far in his career.
Travis Kelce Workout
Travis Kelce lifts heavy weights like the rest of the players of course. This includes back squats, dumbbell lunges, and barbell rows at low reps with heavy weights. But generally, he will go for volume and hit 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions. Front squats are his go-to for compound exercises.
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“I think front squats really tie in everything with core, your lower extremities, and hips.”
Here is a quick example of a full body workout done by Travis Kelce:
- Front Squat: 3×8 reps
- Bench Press: 3×8 reps
- Dumbbell RDLs: 3×8 reps
- Bicep Curls: 3×10 reps
- Skull Crushers: 3×10 reps
But Kelce doesn’t always spend time with just the heavy lifts.
Travis Kelce Shoulder Workout
Since he has already built a strong base with those heavy lifts changing gears to the lighter stuff is helpful. Travis spends a lot of extra time on shoulders to protect himself from grappling with the 300-pound lineman he encounters on the field.
“Doing a lot of trap stuff, scapular stuff, lats, and really triceps . . . peels back more so that your posture is better, and your overall athletic build is in a more safe position,” says Kelce.
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Here is an example of a shoulder workout for Travis Kelce:
- Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly: 3×12 (upper back, rear deltoids)
- Band Pull Aparts: 3×15 (rear deltoids, traps, rhomboids)
- I-T-Y-Ws: 3 sets at 15 seconds per position (traps, scaps)
- Stability Ball Pushups: 3×12 (chest, shoulders, core, back)
Travis Kelce Speed Workout
Kelce was once in Paris for fashion week in 2019 and realized he hadn’t trained the entire week. They walked to a bridge that crossed over a canal and ran eight 400-meter sprints. Yes, that actually happened. It shows the drive that this superstar athlete has.
Travis will work in sprint workouts into his fitness regime about twice a week. He mostly stays in the range of 20-50 yards sprints as those distances simulate the majority of his plays in the NFL. Kelce’s routes range from five-yard ins and out to thirty-five-yard post routes. So, he needs to be ready for anything in or near that range of sprinting, similar to Christian McCaffery.
Example of Travis Kelce Sprint Workout:
- 3 x 40-yard sprints (30 second rest in between)
- 3 x 30-yard sprints (20 seconds rest in between)
- 4 x 20-yard sprints (10 seconds rest in between)
