Photos surfaced of a much slimmer and sleeker Carmelo Anthony and there’s been speculation as to why he lost the weight. The actual reason is pretty simple.
“In anything, you get older, and getting leaner and lighter helps with the longevity of your career,” Anthony’s trainer, Idan Ravin, told ESPNNewYork.com in a phone conversation Thursday afternoon.
“He’s played a lot of years,” Ravin added. “He puts a lot of mileage on his legs, so the leaner and lighter you are, obviously the better.”
Ravin also said that Anthony’s training wasn’t related to any plan to increase his minutes at small forward in the coming season or to adapt to the Knicks’ new triangle offense.
Rather, it was, in part, a conscious effort to ensure Anthony can continue to produce into his 30s.
“He’s just been very meticulous about his diet and his workout,” said Ravin, who has trained Carmelo since he entered the NBA in 2003. “We’ve been very consistent throughout the summer, and he’s been very focused. [There are] a bunch of new folks coming in [Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher] who are very bright and very accomplished, and I know he wants to have an amazing year. Every summer he’s committed, and we always try to tweak something and do something a little bit different. I can’t really go into what that is, but … his weight loss and his fitness is a testament to his commitment.”
