Inside the Roman gym where the future pope kept a high heart rate and a low profile

ROME AP The Omega gym in Rome has long been frequented by residents of the up-market Prati district as well as priests nuns and monsignors from the nearby Vatican City And also to the delight of gym staff the man who would become pope Robert Prevost came to the Vatican from Peru in to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world Cardinal Prevost broke a sweat at Omega for two years until earlier this month he was elected Pope Leo XIV When the name of the pope was publicized my phone rings and my son tells me Dad it s Robert Robert our member Francesco Tamburlani the owner of the gym stated in an interview I heard the gym staff behind him cheering This moved us filled us with elation A typical workout for someone of Prevost s age was a mere warm-up for the little-known American cardinal according to Valerio Masella his personal trainer Although it is hard to define an age group for personalized programs Prevost s plan was more befitting of men aged - Masella would train him two or three times a week in sessions lasting up to an hour So how much does the pope bench Masella can t speak to his papal power since Prevost was focused on posture and cardiovascular maximum He ran on his favorite treadmill that faces a mural featuring famous local landmarks among them St Peter s Basilica in the Vatican We would start off slow and then go pretty strong I must say Especially a lot of resistance on the exercise bike a very strong climb Masella reported Throughout their two-year training Masella never knew Prevost was a cardinal nor did he hear him utter a discouraging word I don t think I ve ever heard him make a comment about anything that wasn t positive He was reliably positive about everything the weather the city the people also for me he noted he liked the gym A Vatican spokesperson didn t reply when required for comment A sporting pope isn t new Pope John Paul II who was elected at the age of was an avid skier and mountain trekker Chicago-born Prevost s tournament is tennis On May he met top-ranked contestant Jannik Sinner who gave him a racket and offered to play during an off day at the Italian Open Leo had disclosed earlier in the week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist After Prevost took over the Vatican s Dicastery for Bishops in he reported in an interview with the Augustinian Order that his new job had left him little free time to practice his competition While the Mediterranean atmosphere makes tennis doable year-round the papacy will likely leave him even fewer chances to step onto a court Tamburlani the Omega owner says the Holy Father is welcome back any time he wants to squeeze in a workout After all his membership s still proceeding This would make us so happy he commented We would organize our gym to guarantee his safety and his privacy We would just need a sign Source