Pope Leo XIV’s Hidden Fitness Routine Revealed by Former Trainer

VATICAN CITY, May 19, 2025: Pope Leo XIV secretly maintained a regular fitness regimen at a private gym near the Vatican between 2023 and his election in 2025, according to his former personal trainer, Valerio Masella. Speaking during an interview with Italian newspaper 'Il Messaggero', the 26-year-old coach revealed that the then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, under the name “Robert,” trained consistently two to three times a week. The workouts took place in the mornings, depending on his schedule.

Masella, who began training Prevost shortly after his 2023 appointment to the Dicastery for Bishops by Pope Francis, said he was unaware of the cardinal's true identity until his televised election to the papacy. “I recognised him immediately when I saw him on television,” Masella stated. “To me, he was simply a client—reserved, polite, and in excellent physical condition.”

Masella shared that Pope Leo XIV, known only as "Robert" at the time, never revealed his clerical identity during the sessions. “I thought he was a professor or an academic,” said Masella, recalling the Pope’s quiet demeanour and modest appearance.

Masella described the Pope as discreet, never wearing clerical garments to the gym and avoiding unnecessary conversation. “He spoke very little, but always with kindness,” Masella said. Wearing informal clothes and avoiding personal discussions, the then-cardinal focused strictly on his training, which included aerobic warm-ups followed by strength and posture exercises.

The workouts focused on maintaining a balanced body composition and relieving daily physical stress. “We adjusted his plan based on potential strain, common in desk-bound jobs,” said Masella.

"He always came in the morning, usually for an hour, depending on his schedule," Masella noted. “He had an impressive balance of muscle, bone, and fat mass — rare for a man his age.”

The gym, located near the Vatican, may also have other clergy as clients, although Masella could not confirm their identities. He recalled another member who wore an episcopal ring but stressed he was not familiar with ecclesiastical insignia until recently.

Pope Leo XIV’s disciplined approach to fitness offers a rare glimpse into the private habits of a public figure now leading the Catholic Church.

Source: Il Messaggero