No Cliche: Mohamed Sanu in Best Shape of His Life

The 49ers' veteran wide receiver feeling good heading into training camp

Tis' the season.

Training camps are starting and soon there will be a flurry of reports about certain players in the "best shape of their life." You should ignore those "puff piece" articles. But allow me to explain why this column is different and why 49ers fans have every right to be excited about the condition Mohammed Sanu Sr. will report to Santa Clara in.

Often the puff piece articles start when a reporter notices a player without his shirt on, or perhaps his sleeves are cut off. The reporter asks the player how the offseason went and the player espouses cliches about how great they feel. If you just spent months working your butt off and waking up at 5 a.m., you'd want to brag a little too.

But what is the player supposed to say? That they spent the offseason catching up on Netflix? Of course they brag about their physical condition. Being in good shape will endear them to their teammates, coaches and fans. These articles often contain no evidence or rationale for how or why that athlete got in good shape, besides their physical appearance which doesn't tell the whole story.

When Sanu was interviewed on the DNP-CD Sports Podcast Sponsored by Odds Shark, he authentically articulated why and how he's in such good condition. And then he showed off a futuristic device that looks like a spaceship landed in his home. More on that later.

Best Shape of his Life

"This is the best that I've felt physically, ever felt in my entire life," Sanu said. "I'm not just saying that because it's what everybody says, (I'm saying it) because it's true."

Sanu talked about how his son, Mohamed Sanu Jr., has provided him with extra motivation this offseason.

"People may say whatever they may say, and I really don't care, I really don't," he said. "But at the same time, I want to prove my son right."

And if you don't believe that Sanu isn't taking time off, check out the beginning of the interview when he is simultaneously answering questions and getting body work done by Latoya, a member of his personal training staff.

"I'm feeling wonderful," Sanu said. "I've been going hard every day actually. I have a very intense schedule and I stick to it. I see Latoya every day, she comes the same time every day after my morning session and usually I have a session after this."

He continued: "I have an intense schedule, and in order to do what I want to do, and be successful for this team, I need to be in the best shape that I've ever been in, and that's my type of mindset that I have."

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have both struggled with injuries early in their career and San Francisco could use a healthy Sanu who is two seasons removed from a 59-catch 2019 campaign. For comparison, Kendrick Bourne caught a career-high 49 catches last season.   

The HOCATT

Every day for the past four months, Sanu steps inside a device called the HOCATT that resembles something from Star Wars. Sanu is so dedicated to this technology that he had one installed in his home and plans to bring one to San Francisco for during the season.

The HOCATT is an ozone sauna wellness system whose website says it combines 10 different technologies "for the ultimate holistic approach toward wellness and biohacking."

"I'm so glad I was able to get one of these, it's really helped me train harder and longer," Sanu said while showing off the device. "Usually guys train and you get sore. Literally I'll train, If people see how I train, they would be like 'how do you train like this everyday?' Because I have (the HOCATT) and I have my team that helps me recover, so it's a big process, but you've got to really invest in yourself and you've got to really take the time if you want to accomplish something that's never been done."

In the interview Sanu also discussed his departure from the Patriots in never-before-heard detail and talked about how he is impressed with rookie quarterback Trey Lance.