Zlatan Ibrahimovic was always one of football’s most physically imposing players. Standing 6ft 5in, the Swede combined size, strength and athleticism to dominate defenders throughout his career.

And since retiring from professional football in 2023, Ibrahimovic has only become more committed to training. He regularly posts videos of his workouts on social media, showing himself performing everything from Olympic lifts to CrossFit-style conditioning work. In true Zlatan fashion, there are usually a few unconventional exercises thrown in, too.

In one clip, Zlatan climbs two ropes using only his arms, while another shows him performing sit-ups with his legs wrapped around a punch bag. They’re the sort of feats you’d expect from someone who famously refers to himself in the third person.

‘I take it to extreme levels: I have a thing where I’m never satisfied, I always try to push up the level each time. That’s the key to getting movement into all areas of your life – next time, take the stairs,’ he told GQ.

‘I’m only happy when I’m moving, so staying in good condition comes very naturally to me. I can’t sit still. Motivation for me is not a problem, because I love to be active. I like to challenge my body – it makes me happy, makes me feel good, makes me feel alive.’

By and large, though, the 44-year-old is most often seen lifting heavy in the gym. One 20-rep complex saw him complete a deadlift, power clean, front squat and push press without rest and with 60kg on the bar, while another video shows him working up to an impressive 120kg clean and jerk.

Now that Ibrahimovic is no longer battling the world’s best defenders, the gym has become a place where he enjoys pushing himself – something he highlighted when speaking to former MH cover star Rio Ferdinand and revealing how much he ‘likes to suffer’ during training.

‘I do a lot of legs. I squat. I do CrossFit – that’s the only thing that I suffer from,’ Zlatan said. ‘In the gym, I’m working.’

But that’s not all. Ibrahimovic earned his taekwondo black belt at 17 after training extensively in the martial art while growing up in Malmö.

The discipline heavily influenced his unorthodox style on the pitch, helping him produce spectacular moments such as his acrobatic finish against Italy at Euro 2004 and his famous 40-yard overhead kick against England in 2012.

Then, after suffering a series of serious injuries later in his career, he turned to yoga – further demonstrating his willingness to embrace new challenges.

‘The toughest time for me was when I was seriously injured and I couldn’t move in the way that I was used to. That’s when I discovered yoga. I’m used to more body contact, moving fast,’ he explained.

‘Yoga was the opposite, so it was a new challenge for me, and I found it really positive. I had to teach myself to cool down, move slowly and differently, focus. It was very exciting: I learned skills and practices that I applied on the football pitch. You should never be afraid to try different things.’

If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_