Adrian Peterson has complained in recent months about the grind of training camp and OTAs. But those workouts pale in comparison to what Peterson does on his own.
Ben Goessling of ESPN.com chronicled Peterson’s sessions in Houston following the conclusion of the Vikings’ offseason program. The grueling workout, which consists of a variety of running and lifting and agility drills, has as its centerpiece a series of 10 40-yard dashes, with 30 seconds of rest in between each one.
The slowest should land in the range of 4.49 to 4.55 seconds, which isn’t bad for a 31-year-old tailback who has absorbed plenty of wear and tear since entering the league in 2007.
“There’s nothing you can do about [it if] your body starts breaking down and you getting injuries and things like that,” Peterson told Goessling. “I mean, there are ways to try and prevent that, but I don’t know what [Walter] Payton did going into his last 1,000-yard season. I don’t know what Emmitt [Smith] did. All I know is that from the history I’ve seen, when it comes to athletes, I’ve [seen] so many athletes go way past what people think. That’s the mindset that I have, as well.”
Peterson draws motivation from those who think he should be slowing down.
“In this world we live in, people always like to just put you in this box,” Peterson said. “I guess it’s like what drives this world, you know, and it just hurts me that people take that approach, to viewing people and expectations they put on people, the limitations they put on people because of our age. . . . Being 31, I’m able to see that I’m outdoing the younger guys that are fresh out of college. It’s always just confidence to inspire you to keep working hard.”
He doesn’t sound like a guy who would walk away before his body tells him it’s over. Instead, as Peterson ages, he seems to actually be embracing the effort that goes along with staying at the top of his game.