At the gym, the future Pope Leo XIV kept a high heart rate and a low profile

Personal trainer Valerio Masella, 26, who trained Robert Francis Prevost before the cardinal became Pope Leo XIV, helps his colleague Giorgio Vaccarella in his gym near the Vatican, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

ROME — 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 2023 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 announced, my phone rings and my son tells me, ‘Dad, it’s Robert! Robert, our member!’” Francesco Tamburlani, the owner of the gym, said in an interview. “I heard the gym staff behind him cheering. ... This moved us, filled us with joy.”

A typical workout for someone of Prevost’s age, 69, 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 50-55. 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 capacity. He ran on his favourite 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 said.

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 always positive about everything -- the weather, the city, the people, also for me, he said he liked the gym.”

A Vatican spokesperson didn’t reply when asked for comment.

A sporting pope isn’t new. Pope John Paul II, who was elected at the age of 58, was an avid skier and mountain trekker.

Chicago-born Prevost’s game is tennis. On May 15, he met top-ranked player Jannik Sinner, who gave him a racket and offered to play during an off day at the Italian Open. Leo had said 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 2023, he said in an interview with the Augustinian Order that his new job had left him little free time to practice his game. While the Mediterranean climate makes tennis possible 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 active.

“This would make us so happy,” he said. “We would organize our gym to guarantee his safety and his privacy. We would just need a sign.”

Paolo Santalucia, The Associated Press