Aaron Donald is a Los Angeles Ram again, and his path back reveals more about training than his viral weight-room clips. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year spent 14 weeks rebuilding football fitness before ending his retirement Sunday
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes. Do I feel like I can still be myself? 100%,” Donald told the Rams. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
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Donald Built Fitness Before Testing Football
The Rams documented the progression: treadmill and VersaClimber conditioning preceded grass-based speed work with Donald’s longtime coach and, eventually, football drills. He recorded his sessions, too
“I studied myself to a ‘T,'” Donald said. “Watched every movement, every cut, every hip flip. In my opinion, I don’t see no difference. It looked a little cleaner to me.”
As a trainer, that progression matters more than any heroic set. Donald built a conditioning base, added speed, then returned to job-specific skills. He did not confuse exhaustion with readiness
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An Aaron Donald-Inspired Workout You Can Do Today
This is not Donald’s private program. It is a scalable session built from his documented progression and current exercise guidance:
Warm up: Walk briskly for five minutes; perform 10 controlled bodyweight squats
Accelerate: Do four 10-second hill runs at a fast, non-maximal pace. Walk back and recover fully. Use a stationary bike if running bothers your joints
Build strength: Do two sets of eight to 12 box squats, incline push-ups, and band rows. Stop before your form breaks
Condition: Finish with six treadmill, bike, or stair rounds: 30 seconds brisk, 60 seconds easy
The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand says training should be individualized; bands, bodyweight exercises, and home routines can improve strength and physical function. Federal guidance advises inactive adults to start small and build gradually
Even a Make-A-Wish Workout Got Donald’s Full Intensity
Rams quarterback and Donald’s longtime teammate Matthew Stafford illustrated how literally Donald approaches “keeping up.” Recalling a session with a Make-A-Wish recipient whom Stafford described as a healthy high school student who had beaten cancer, the quarterback said Donald warned him: “AD is like, ‘Hey, man, if you’re gonna do it, you’re keeping up with me.’ And he destroys this kid.”
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Stafford said the teenager became sick after trying to match Donald’s volume on biceps curls. Rams linebacker Jared Verse offered a similar verdict after training with Donald: “That workout was psychotic. I’m never doing that again.”
The message is not to push until nausea. Preserve technique when fatigue rises and scale the workload to your ability
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This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Aug 31, 2026, where it first appeared in theFitnesssection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
