Pain staking: An exclusive look at Drew Brees' offseason training
 

Go ahead, Drew Brees, cut a corner. Cheat just a tiny bit. Make your life easier, right now. On this sultry Southern California morning, the Saints’ quarterback is in the parking lot behind a strip mall facing a brick wall, holding a lunge-position—right knee at a 45º angle, left knee hovering an inch above the pavement—arms extended and starting to tremble as he taps 21⁄2-pound medicine balls, one in each hand, on the wall.

Try it. The burn builds quickly in the upper right quadriceps. By lowering his left knee to the ground, Brees could make much of that pain go away. He doesn’t, of course, the pain being the point. He holds the pose for 30 seconds before rising, with a Novak Djokovic–like grunt, to take on the morning’s next torment.

The 35-year-old Brees, a former Charger who keeps a home in the San Diego area, doesn’t have to be here. It’s July 9, 15 days before the Saints report to training camp. He’s an eight-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl MVP and future first-ballot Hall of Famer who’s already in terrific shape. (He’s lean at 6 feet and 209 pounds but a little more buff than he’ll be by midseason.) He could be home, sipping coffee and reading the paper, or gliding around La Jolla Cove on his stand-up paddleboard. Instead, he has reported to Fitness Quest 10, a slightly cramped health club in north San Diego, for one of his thrice-weekly off-season sessions with Todd Durkin, whose relentless pep and intensity—“World class workout today, baby!”—don’t seem to make it hurt any less.

Read more: NFL Training Camp: Drew Brees Will Show You the Ropes - Edge - SI.com

Re: Pain staking: An exclusive look at Drew Brees' offseason training
 

Yep. He should be able to play at a high level for a long long time.

Re: Pain staking: An exclusive look at Drew Brees' offseason training
 

That wore me out just reading it.