With NFL team facilities deemed off-limits to players, rookies and veterans alike are left to improvise in an effort to stay in shape and keep their bodies prepared for the rigors of professional football.
For Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner, his alternate weightlifting regimen involves laundry detergent.
In an Instagram video story by Tide that was also posted to the Steelers’ Twitter account, Banner is shown using the orange bottles of the ubiquitous household product as fill-ins for dumbbells.
“Tide cartons are big enough to be able to do stuff like this,” Banner said as he performed some arm curls, tricep kickbacks and lateral shoulder raises with what appeared to be 138-ounce, handled liquid Tide bottles.
.@ZBNFL has some #TideTraining moves you can use for a home workout using only bottles of @Tide! Show us yours! pic.twitter.com/gQ9NKq0764
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 13, 2020
Banner was one of three current NFL players and retired Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist LeRoy Butler to appear in the promotional video. Also doing workouts with Tide bottles serving as weights or virtual cones to do footwork drills were Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Tyler Eifert and linebacker Josh Allen.
The 6-foot-8, 360-pound Banner has spent the past two of his three NFL seasons with the Steelers. After gaining notoriety serving as their tackle-eligible tight end last season, Banner re-signed as a restricted free agent and is in the running to start at right tackle in 2020. He will compete against Chuks Okorafor and, perhaps, incumbent Matt Feiler — if Feiler is not moved to left guard.
While organized team activities would typically be going on right now at NFL faculties across the country, this spring they have been limited to being virtual in nature out of coronavirus fears. Some players have more access than others to weight and training equipment.
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