2025-10-21, 05:13 AM - Word count:
With the draft just around the corner and the academy players getting prepared for their big night when they hope to be selected, they are being watched intensely from morning to night with so many people trying to crack the code of are they the next big thing, or will they be yesterdays news in a few short years. This heightened scrutiny of their day to day business is no doubt a jarring experience with so many eyes on them with one mistake potentially causing them to slide down the draft board or even worse, un-drafted. We were lucky enough to catch up with Luke Walker, star midfielder of the Victoria Falls Eagles who described his current days and what has changed.
3am: Wake up and prepare
Early starts are something I've always did. Kobe Byrant was my inspiration for this lifestyle, the ultimate man of discipline when it came to improvement. "You wake up at 3, train at 4. 4-6. Come home, eat breakfast, relax. Now you're back at it again 9-11. Relax ... Back at it again, 2-4. Now you're back at it again, 7-9. By year 5 & 6, it doesn't matter what kind of work they do in the summer - they're never gonna catch up."
4am - 6am: Training (Pure cardio)
If I'm not physically fit I can't do the things I need to for 90 minutes. This session sets up the day. Long runs but as quick as possible. I want to work until near exhaustion. Only then, is the session done.
6:15am: Shower then food
This is very important, if I'm training three times a day, I need to eat right. I need to live right. This is where the small gains are made, each small gain over a long period of time is huge.
7am: Media and Interviews
Usually this is my chill time, time with the family to unwind before they start their day. But with the draft so important and these media events starting so early there just isn't time for both and thankfully my family understand this is a sacrifice in the short term to secure my long-term future. The media, the scouts, the fans, the world all want a piece of you and every second I give I know I'll get back 10 fold during the draft and during my career. They can be a distraction (the media of course, my fans are great) but it's a necessary evil at times to further my image and career.
9am - 11am: Training (First hour: More Cardio! Last hour: Stretching)
More cardio, more cardio, more cardio! I want my body to feel the pain, to be used to it and then to overcome it. The more I do this, the better I can perform. But after this state has been achieved, the body needs to be brought back. It needs to recover with dedicated stretching. Better movement and agility when tired = even better movement and agility when fresh. I am elite when tired, I'm in a world of my own when I'm fresh and ready to go.
11:15am: Shower then food
12pm - 2pm: Talks with my team manager, coaches, physios
I find it's important to be close with the man who will ultimately decide your career. I want to know what he thinks I can improve, what is a weakness, what he wants from me and what he expects me to do. If we are working towards the same goal then it'll be easier to achieve. The whole team needs to be working in this direction.
2pm - 4pm: Training (First Hour: You guessed it, more cardio! Last Hour: Technique)
This is the session I hate the most, but know it's the session I get the most out of. The first hour is grueling, it's never easy and I never want it to be. The 2nd hour follows on from the 2nd training session. By this point I am wrecked, but this is the best time to start working on my passing, shooting, first touch, dribbling, etc. If I can do this to a high level when my body is hurting then it's only going to be faster, better, more efficient when I'm 100% and ready to go on match day.
4:15pm: Shower then food
5pm - 7pm: Family & friends time
This doesn't change and never will change, family is my life, friends are my backbone and football is my job. I just so happen to love my job. But this is time spent with the people who I love most. This is the time off the pitch I cherish the most regardless if it's us sitting around chatting or out and about enjoying the town.
8pm: Bed
Sleep is just as important as a good workout routine. I need to be prepared each day for the routine I have created. Sleep plays a huge part in this. Come tomorrow, I'll be ready to dominate again.
Obviously we had to ask Walker how he manages to do this day after day, with it being a very intensive routine.
Walker: It's not easy, it's not something I just started doing one day. This took time, years to build up the body's resilience to absorb the punishment but also reap the rewards. I luckily started when I was young. The body adapts and then it becomes the norm. I work myself this hard to ensure no-one out there is working harder. I like to think I have you beat off the pitch before we even step on the pitch.
3am: Wake up and prepare
Early starts are something I've always did. Kobe Byrant was my inspiration for this lifestyle, the ultimate man of discipline when it came to improvement. "You wake up at 3, train at 4. 4-6. Come home, eat breakfast, relax. Now you're back at it again 9-11. Relax ... Back at it again, 2-4. Now you're back at it again, 7-9. By year 5 & 6, it doesn't matter what kind of work they do in the summer - they're never gonna catch up."
4am - 6am: Training (Pure cardio)
If I'm not physically fit I can't do the things I need to for 90 minutes. This session sets up the day. Long runs but as quick as possible. I want to work until near exhaustion. Only then, is the session done.
6:15am: Shower then food
This is very important, if I'm training three times a day, I need to eat right. I need to live right. This is where the small gains are made, each small gain over a long period of time is huge.
7am: Media and Interviews
Usually this is my chill time, time with the family to unwind before they start their day. But with the draft so important and these media events starting so early there just isn't time for both and thankfully my family understand this is a sacrifice in the short term to secure my long-term future. The media, the scouts, the fans, the world all want a piece of you and every second I give I know I'll get back 10 fold during the draft and during my career. They can be a distraction (the media of course, my fans are great) but it's a necessary evil at times to further my image and career.
9am - 11am: Training (First hour: More Cardio! Last hour: Stretching)
More cardio, more cardio, more cardio! I want my body to feel the pain, to be used to it and then to overcome it. The more I do this, the better I can perform. But after this state has been achieved, the body needs to be brought back. It needs to recover with dedicated stretching. Better movement and agility when tired = even better movement and agility when fresh. I am elite when tired, I'm in a world of my own when I'm fresh and ready to go.
11:15am: Shower then food
12pm - 2pm: Talks with my team manager, coaches, physios
I find it's important to be close with the man who will ultimately decide your career. I want to know what he thinks I can improve, what is a weakness, what he wants from me and what he expects me to do. If we are working towards the same goal then it'll be easier to achieve. The whole team needs to be working in this direction.
2pm - 4pm: Training (First Hour: You guessed it, more cardio! Last Hour: Technique)
This is the session I hate the most, but know it's the session I get the most out of. The first hour is grueling, it's never easy and I never want it to be. The 2nd hour follows on from the 2nd training session. By this point I am wrecked, but this is the best time to start working on my passing, shooting, first touch, dribbling, etc. If I can do this to a high level when my body is hurting then it's only going to be faster, better, more efficient when I'm 100% and ready to go on match day.
4:15pm: Shower then food
5pm - 7pm: Family & friends time
This doesn't change and never will change, family is my life, friends are my backbone and football is my job. I just so happen to love my job. But this is time spent with the people who I love most. This is the time off the pitch I cherish the most regardless if it's us sitting around chatting or out and about enjoying the town.
8pm: Bed
Sleep is just as important as a good workout routine. I need to be prepared each day for the routine I have created. Sleep plays a huge part in this. Come tomorrow, I'll be ready to dominate again.
Obviously we had to ask Walker how he manages to do this day after day, with it being a very intensive routine.
Walker: It's not easy, it's not something I just started doing one day. This took time, years to build up the body's resilience to absorb the punishment but also reap the rewards. I luckily started when I was young. The body adapts and then it becomes the norm. I work myself this hard to ensure no-one out there is working harder. I like to think I have you beat off the pitch before we even step on the pitch.
![[Image: Luke-Walker-4.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/pLgKT0C4/Luke-Walker-4.png)
![[Image: LeBbUkk.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/LeBbUkk.gif)
