Professional athletes and their trainers have clearly realized that pickleball is a perfect addition to any fitness program.

It's a great way to mix things up outside the weight room and get the competitive juices flowing.

Just ask NBA superstar Luka Dončić, who completely transformed his body this summer with the help of America's fastest-growing sport.

Veteran NFL quarterback Joe Flacco has been hitting the court, too, in preparation for the 2025 campaign with the Cleveland Browns.

During a recent interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, the 40-year-old shared his training methodology after years under center around the league.

"In terms of preparing my body, I think I've gotten better and better at that each year. You're constantly looking towards things. The pickleball thing comes up because at some point I realized you can go out there and run and condition and do those things, but it's better when you're playing a game," explained Flacco. "Isn't it better to go play basketball and get yourself in shape and actually play? That's how I was. A couple of offseasons ago, I kind of realized, when I was a kid and you're in great shape, it's because you're just playing all kinds of games and you're working your brain and your body at the same time."

The Super Bowl XLVII champion and MVP is adamant of mixing things up activity-wise to stay sharp and ready to go.

And picking up a paddle has served him especially well in that department.

"I think that's really important to go back to because you can fall into a trap of getting in the weight room and then you think you've been very productive for the day because you worked out for an hour and a half, but you're really not doing much the rest of the day. But when you're playing games, you're just kind of keeping yourself into it," insisted Flacco. "Then just now preparing mentally, I think as you get older, you get better at it, but you also get more relaxed. You're able to be yourself a little bit more, as opposed to stressing about little things. You know what not to worry about so you can focus on the important things and really come out and let yourself shine."

Flacco signed a one-year contract with Cleveland in April.

He previously played for the Browns during the latter stages of the 2023 season.