Joovvin' with George Kittle

We had the privilege of sitting down with George Kittle, the San Francisco 49ers’ standout tight end, to delve into his offseason routines, recovery practices, and the strategies that keep him at the top of his game. Known for his relentless energy on the field, Kittle provides an in-depth look at how he prepares for the grueling demands of the NFL season, offering a glimpse into the life of one of the league's premier athletes.

How much of a vacation do you give yourself after the season ends before you start getting prepared for the next season? Do you take time away from the game or do you start training immediately for the next season?

So it depends on how my team's season ends. Early in my career, when my team was finishing on December 31st, I would give myself a full month off, whether it's for vacation, moving, or visiting family. I would mainly focus on some low-maintenance training, like yoga, Pilates, and mobility exercises. That was the majority of it, maybe some cardio, and then I would usually start my training the day after the Super Bowl.

Now that I've played in the playoffs and my teams have usually gone to the NFC championship game or made it to the Super Bowl, I still try to get myself some time off for both my body and mind, just to step away from it all. When you go deep into the playoffs, there's a lot of media attention and people after you for things, so you have to give yourself a bit of time away to relax and recoup before diving into the season-long grind again. So usually after the Super Bowl, I give myself about three weeks, whether that's one week of vacation and then being home for a couple of weeks, just relaxing and doing some low mobility stuff combined with recovery methods like red light therapy and sauna. Then, it's usually the first week of March that I start getting ready for the season.

When you are ready to get back to preparing for the next season, what do you typically start with? Are you focusing on improving your game technique or are you solely focused on fitness and training?

For me, when I start my training, it's like restarting the foundation. So, a majority of it is strength-based, focusing on getting my body going again. Usually, at the end of a season, I've lost weight and muscle mass because I can't train the way I want to every single day due to the long season. So, mainly, I'm trying to get my strength back up, and then I'll incorporate some on-field drills. But the big thing is just trying to get my health back as close to 100% as possible before I start training too hard, so that when I do start training, my body is fully functioning and operating at a high level.

Are you still prioritizing recovery protocols during the offseason? If so, what strategies are you doing throughout the week?

I do recovery stuff about seven days a week all offseason, even on vacation. I start my day with a cold shower followed by a Joovv session to warm up. I also incorporate things like BFR recovery and Vasper. Overall, I do between three to four recovery activities every single day to ensure my body is fully bouncing back from the long season as best it can.

When you first encountered Joovv red light therapy, what were your initial impressions? Were you immediately intrigued, or did you have reservations about its effectiveness?

I definitely had reservations. But once the 49ers training staff explained the science behind it and the purpose of what it does for the body, it made too much sense to me as an athlete not to be using it regularly. 

What does your current Joovv routine look like?

I like to use my Joovv both in the mornings to get my body going and at night to help me sleep using the nighttime ambient feature. I've found the more I've used it, the more I've fallen in love with it. It's now a part of my recovery regimen probably five days a week.

Can you share an image of your current Joovv setup?

When you first implemented Joovv at your home, did you have any interesting family interactions, “like what is George doing now?”

Haha, yeah, I like to try a lot of things. I call it a shotgun approach where I just try multiple things, and then whatever I feel works best for me is what I stick to. Once I started using Joovv at the 49ers facility, I had to get one for my own house. My family was very interested; they all wanted to try it. Now, my parents love to use it, my sister loves to use it, my wife enjoys using it, and even my in-laws use it too. I have a bunch of guys who work out with me in the offseason that use it as well. Joovv is constantly being used at my house, and it makes me happy because it's such a good product. The fact that people are using it, seeing results from it, and feeling better because of it has made me very happy that I was able to get one of the whole systems inside of my barn.

In what ways do you believe Joovv has positively influenced your performance on the field and your overall health off the field?

I think the most obvious things for me when it comes to Joovv are the benefits of using it before my workouts and at night to help support my sleep. Using it before my workouts, I can really feel it warming me up and getting my blood flow going so when I start my workout, I go right into a sweat. At night when I do treatments, I fall asleep significantly faster and sleep significantly better. I can tell the difference on the nights when I don't do it; it usually takes me a little bit longer to fall asleep, and I might be a little restless. But every time I do it at night, I'm usually out cold for eight hours and wake up refreshed, ready to start my day.

Is Joovv something you recommend to new teammates once they join the 49ers?

Whenever new guys come in, I always point out our recovery stuff. I think the 49ers do as good a job as they possibly can taking care of us, and the fact that we have an entire room dedicated to Joovv makes it easy for everyone to do treatments. I immediately point new players in that direction. A majority of the team does it almost every single day. Everyone has really taken to it, and I just know that people are going to continue to use it. I know many teammates who have bought units for themselves so they can continue to use Joovv when they're not at the facility.

Are you trying anything new from a training or recovery standpoint this offseason compared to previous years?

That's a good question. This year, I'd say something that I really got into was using the Joovv at night. It's not something that I’ve always done, to be honest, but I really like it to help support my sleep. That's something I’m going to continue to do.

I’m also really big into foot health. I have these beams that I walk across for both balance and to strengthen my ankles and improve mobility. That's one thing I've added because my feet are always cramped in tight cleats. So being able to spread them out and strengthen them is great to offset the long season and keep my feet strong and healthy.

How about diet? What's a typical day of eating for an All-Pro NFL tight end?

On my off days, I tend to consume a higher calorie intake to compensate for my training days. For breakfast, I enjoy a hearty meal, often consisting of over-easy eggs with hash browns and sausage, or sometimes biscuits and gravy, one of my favorite breakfast items. My lunches are typically high in protein and loaded with veggies; I'm a fan of pulled pork, coleslaw, corn, tomatoes, and similar items. As for dinner, it's usually protein-rich as well. Italian food is a favorite of mine and my wife's, so pasta with any type of protein is often on the menu.

Tight End University has exploded in popularity over the last few years.  For those that may not be familiar with Tigh End U, what is it and how did you start it?

Tight End U is an event that we host in Nashville, Tennessee. It is run by myself, Greg Olson, Travis Kelce, and our marketing team, Rubicon. We host between 80 and 90 NFL tight ends, bringing them all together at Vanderbilt University. It's about a two-and-a-half to three-day camp. We spend two of the days in a big team meeting room going through different aspects related to the tight end position.

Tight End U came to fruition one offseason when I tried to get Greg Olson (once he retired) to come train with me and a few other tight ends. He was game to do it and suggested getting more guys involved. So we got a few others involved, including Travis Kelsey. Once Travis got involved, we had guys hitting us up left and right wanting to participate. We had 45-50 guys at a high school in Nashville our first year, and we've expanded from there. In the last two years, we've had over 80 guys. We're very excited about how fast it's grown, and guys keep coming back with questions and wanting to learn more about the tight-end position.

 Adversity is something as a professional athlete seems like something you have to embrace in order to be successful. What strategies do you incorporate to help overcome adversity?

Well, I think there are different types of adversity. You have injuries, losses, mental mistakes in a game that could cause your team to lose, fans yelling at you, or people sending not-so-nice messages on social media. There are all these different types of adversities. But the best way for me personally to overcome them and continue to be my best self every single day is to focus only on what I can control: my effort the next day. How can I learn from that adversity? How is it going to make me better? What can I take away from it? Am I going to let it pummel me in the back of the head, and that's all I’m going to think about? Or am I going to find a way to flush it, breathe through it, and then attack the next day with some vinegar in it?

One of my favorite things is having a very good circle of people around me who support and love me. Between my wife, my parents, my sister, and some teammates, it's important to have support because it can be difficult. Guys are going through stuff all the time, and you just have to be able to show up and perform in the face of adversity, no matter what it is because you have so many people counting on you. And if you're dealing with adversity through something that you love, just remember that it's something you love and it's enjoyed every single day.

You are about to kick off your 8th NFL season. If you could go back and offer young George some advice, what would you tell him?

Great question! I would go back and tell my younger self to get married to my wife faster. That would be the first thing.

Besides that, I don’t know what I would tell him just because I feel like young George is attacked every single day with unwavering enthusiasm and the love of the game, and if I can still do that in year eight. I must have been doing something right.

I’d also say to get into the Joovv faster.