New training regimen has Bombers’ Oliveira prepared for 2025 CFL season

Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Brady Oliveira attends a team walkthrough ahead of the 111th CFL Grey Cup, in Vancouver, on Saturday, November 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WINNIPEG — If it’s good for Navy SEALs, it’s good for Brady Oliveira.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers star running back added a new element to his off-season training that’s used by the elite U.S. special operations force.

It’s called hypoxic training, which aims to improve physical endurance and mental strength.

“It was amazing. It was challenging for the mind,” Oliveira said Tuesday after Day 3 of training camp.

“I like to say it’s like bulletproofing the mind.”

Oliveira tried hypoxic training while in Bali, Indonesia, where he spends part of the off-season relaxing, training and rescuing dogs.

The first part of the training was on land, where he practised holding his breath. In his first session, he held it for one minute, 20 seconds. The last session, he reached three minutes, 45 seconds.

Then it was into the water to work under low oxygen levels.

“You’re underwater walking with dumbbells, swimming with one-arm dumbbells there and back,” Oliveira said.

“It’s putting your body and mindset in a position where you think you need to come up for air, you need a breath, you’re going to pass out, but understand that your body and mind can push through so much more.

“Physically it wasn’t demanding, mentally it was probably one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.”

Oliveira believes the training he did two to three days a week will translate to the football field and give him an edge.

“When I’m on the field, in the fourth quarter of a game, they rely on me and the offensive line to get the job done,” the 27-year-old said.

“You can’t be tired, you have to keep pushing through. I think that’s exactly what it’ll do for me.”

It’s hard to imagine what an improved Oliveira may be like.

The Winnipeg-born tailback won a second consecutive most outstanding Canadian award last season and was also the league’s top player — becoming only the fourth player in history to capture both honours in the same season.

Oliveira finished the regular season with 1,353 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 239 carries in 17 games. He also recorded 57 receptions for 476 yards and one TD.

The five-foot-nine, 225-pound sparkplug of Winnipeg’s offence said he’s got a lot left for an encore.

“I do think I have more in the tank,” Oliveira said. “There’s still so much that I left on the field.

“You can always continue to get better. Improve my football IQ, I think that will allow me to get into better positions, to get more positive runs.

“Last year, you saw me get more active in the receiving game and I still think that’s another part of my game that I can expand on. I’m excited.”

All that would be welcomed by fans, who want the team to make a sixth straight trip to the Grey Cup that Winnipeg is hosting Nov. 16.

The Blue Bombers lost their third championship game in a row last season, falling 41-24 to the Toronto Argonauts.

While trying to propel his team to the big game again, Oliveira will continue balancing his life with charitable work.

Before training camp, he and girlfriend Alex Blumberg helped rescue 40 dogs and 55 cats in the northern Manitoba community of Sandy Bay. One of the dogs, who is pregnant, has joined their own four dogs at home for a while.

“It’s going to be busy in our household,” Oliveira said with a smile.

Their adventures at home and in Bali garner a huge social-media audience, with Oliveira having 244,000 followers of his Instagram page.

He also experienced an eye-opening trip to Kenya this year with other CFL ambassadors for World Vision Canada, helping raise awareness about various issues.

One village they went to was getting a borehole (well) for fresh water so villagers wouldn’t have to walk six kilometres to get brown, unsafe water.

When the borehole was tested and clean water poured out, it was an unforgettable moment for Oliveira.

“Seeing the kids, their eyes just light up,” he said. “That was the first time they ever saw clean water. It really puts things in perspective.

“We’re in this world to make it a better place. When you leave this place, you should make it better.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press