Transcript excerpt of a YouTube video conversation between Autumn Calabrese and former NFL player Willie McGinest about fitness motivation, youth activity, and managing injuries after a professional football career. McGinest describes motivations (feeling good, longevity, setting an example for kids), involvement in youth sports/obesity-prevention efforts, and injury history and adaptations (two back surgeries, finger with a plate, elbow surgery; he favors core strengthening, circuit training, and lighter weights).
Questions this video answers
42
Two back surgeries; broken finger with a plate (partially displaced); elbow surgery
Chapters
So we just finished our football drills. That was fun.
Yes.
Got my butt handed to me. Before I let Willie go, though, I wanted to just pick your brain for a few minutes and share with everybody little motivational stuff. So we all have days where we don't want to work out. I have plenty of them. We got to push through. What is it that gets you to the gym or out here on the field on those days that you just don't want to do it?
Well, before, when I was playing, it was because I had to, and I had to be in shape, and I had to make sure that I was on the top of my game to compete against some of the best athletes in the world, you know, and playing professional football. But now it's because I want to feel good, you know, I want to burn calories, I want to look great, I want to live a long time, and I want to be healthy. So that's my main motivation now. And I just think about that.
You have kids, right? You have daughters?
Yes, I have daughters. And, you know, the thing now is being involved in youth sports and the obesity initiative that's going on across America is you want to keep kids fit. You want to teach them at a young age that you have to be able to take care of yourself. You have to go out, put those video games down, get off the computer, and go outside and play and burn those calories just to stay in shape and stay fit and just teach them at a young age.
Yeah, you never know who's watching. You know, when your kids are watching at home, they're watching what you eat, they're watching what you do. Whether or not my son puts my tennis shoes on in the morning, and he's like, bye, Mom. I'm going to work, which I get a kick out of. So that's my motivation, is just when I don't want to do it, I'm like, he's watching. I know he knows mom's doing it. So that's huge for me.
Absolutely. And then playing with a lot of guys that I see now that play with me, and they're totally out of shape, 100 or more pounds out of shape, and they can have a stroke, a heart attack, their blood pressure goes up. There's a lot of things to come when you don't take care of yourself and you don't and you're not active. So for me, I don't want to go through that. So I constantly push myself and kids to keep them active. I do so love it.
I have one more Question. Did you ever have any major injuries in the NFL?
Wow. Yes. I had two back surgeries. Broke my finger. My finger still displaced a little bit. I have a plate in there. And I had a couple more minor surgeries. I had an elbow surgery, but it's a tough sport.
I have bulging discs in my lower spine. People ask all the time, well, how do you do it? Or, oh, I have this injury, you know.
Two back surgeries. You can't really make an excuse. I see this guy in the gym. I watch what kind of weight he's pushing around and what he's doing. And you just saw him. How old are you?
42.
42 out here still running drills. A very young 42. So there really are no excuses no matter what the injuries are. Bulging discs, back surgery, elbows, fingers.
You don't have to push heavy weight, right? You don't have to do some of the things you see the guys that's playing in the NFL do. I don't use a lot of weight now. And you can do a lot of core strengthening. I do a lot of ab work to support my back surgeries. A lot of different circuit trainings. Just get out here and move around. You'll be surprised some of the things that you can incorporate in a workout without having to push a lot of weight and feel like a bodybuilder and.
How much better your body feels when you're working out. Those injuries usually flare up way less if you're using proper form.
You're the pro, so I know you know.
Well, that's all we have for you guys today. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us today.
Thanks for having me.
We will see you guys again next time. Thanks for tuning in. Bye.
