Imagine watching the announcement of the new Pope, and recognizing a client’s face from your gym! That’s exactly what happened to Valerio Masella, a personal trainer in Rome.
The discrete student he followed for two years, named “Robert,” was Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, the 267th successor of Saint Peter.
“I trained the Pope!”
Valerio revealed this to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero:
“When he appeared at the window in St. Peter’s Square, I recognized him immediately. I couldn’t believe it! I trained the new Pontiff. To me, he was just a client like any other.”
Valerio, 26, says that no one at the gym or any of its members knew that Robert was a cardinal, much less that he could become Pope.
Pope Leo XIV maintained a consistent training routine. He went to the gym two to three times a week, was always friendly, smiling, and very reserved.
“He would come dressed modestly, arrive in the morning, do his exercises with dedication and never mention his ecclesiastical function,” the trainer said.
The routine began with an aerobic warm-up on a treadmill or bike, followed by muscle-strengthening and postural exercises. The Pope also often played tennis overlooking Saint Peter's Basilica — a sport he said helped develop patience.
Valerio praised the Pontiff's excellent physical shape, stating that, for his age, he stands out for his resistance and healthy body composition.
“I thought he was a teacher or an academic, because he was reserved and intelligent. But Pope? I never imagined.”
This occurrence reveals something touching and deeply human: the man who now guides 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide maintained a simple life, with normal habits and a healthy routine, without fanfare or privileges.
Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, a former missionary in Peru, and a pastor of two homelands, is now a symbol of humility in small things—even in academia.