A helmet. Shoulder pads. Cleats. The “armor” of a football player. But to Ben Roethlisberger, the most valuable item a player can have to prepare him for Sunday is nothing brought onto the football field. On the latest episode of his Footbahlin podcast, a relatively subdued offseason episode, Roethlisberger said a good night’s rest on a quality mattress is invaluable for all athletes.
“Sleep is super important,” he said to co-host Spence. “That’s one of the things I tell rookies, invest in a really good mattress. Because your sleep is important. You also have to get your head in bed, too. You gotta get in there, dude.”
It’s certainly not the most glamorous part of being an athlete, there are no Instagram videos that go hard of a running back making sure he’s in bed by 10:30 on a comfy mattress but it’s vital to maximizing training. A lack of rest means your body is tired, you’re sluggish, and you won’t work at peak efficiency. Roethlisberger is certainly not the only one to offer this advice. In fact, as Roethlisberger pointed out and as you might have seen in commercials, most NFL players get mattresses through Sleep Number, an NFL partner that will often give players mattresses. According to the company, 80% of NFL players have one.
On top of actual sleep, Roethlisberger said allowing your body to rest is just as critical.
“Sleep is important but also just letting your body not doing something physical. Getting in a pool…you don’t have to max out on the bench and squat every day.”
Rest and recovery is one of the foundations of training. There is a time to work but without letting your body rest, it’ll be harder to recover and you’ll strain your body past its limits. That can lead to injury, leaving the player no choice but to sit and rest for even longer.
This is one prong of being a professional. Working out, knowing your playbook, all those things are keys to success. But you have to be a professional off the field, too. Eat right. Sleep well. Know when to rest. If the Steelers’ rookie class can do that, they’ll be set up for success.
Catch the whole interview below.
