The Kit: What CC Sabathia Uses to Train, Fuel and Recover

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Scroll through TikTok these days and you’ll be bombarded with weight-loss tips. I constantly swipe past users hawking dubious solutions, from “appetite suppressant” gummies to something called cortisol lemonade that’s supposed to curb your sweet cravings. The phrase “nature’s Ozempic” is also thrown around quite a lot.

If I wanted to shed a few pounds, I’ll tell you who I would not take weight-loss advice from: online grifters and genetically-thin influencers trying to cash in on current wellness fads. Instead, I’d look to the healthy habits, diets and training plans of people who have actually lost and maintained weight — people like CC Sabathia.

After retiring from professional baseball in 2019, Sabathia lost 40 pounds and then gained back 20 pounds of muscle. The former New York Yankees pitcher didn’t do anything crazy to achieve his dramatic weight loss — he just stuck to a few sustainable lifestyle habits, which included a combination of weightlifting, golfing and eating a Mediterranean diet. I had the chance to chat with the recently inducted first-ballot Hall of Famer about what he currently uses to train, fuel and recover.

InsideHook: What do you rely on for energy and recovery?

CC Sabathia: I’ve been using this Rho Creatine for the past two weeks that my trainer recommended. It’s been working pretty well. The last two months I’ve been in the gym heavy and I was getting really sore, so I’ve been using that and I’ve been feeling good.

What sort of tech do you use to track your training?

I’m super lazy with that. I don’t have a WHOOP or Oura ring or anything. I just kind of freelance it and I don’t want to get too locked in because I can get crazy. My wife will get upset — just worried about what I’m eating all the time. So I just try to work out pretty consistently and maintain a good diet.

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Do you do anything else to help with your muscle recovery?

My go-to routine is a big-time massage. I’ll do deep tissue — it’s something that really, really helped me throughout my career and even now that I’m retired.

What’s your most-used piece of functional fitness equipment?

Probably my push-up board, which I take everywhere. You know, if I can’t get to a gym, I can just use a push-up board and a jump rope.

What about when you’re training or working out outdoors?

My seasonal allergies are really bad, especially when I’m trying to work out outside, go for a walk or anything like that. Right now I’m playing a lot of catch with my kids back in the backyard, so Xyzal really, really helps me just live my life.