Shannon Sharpe lifts the lid on 'necessary evil' key to his unbelievable ripped physique at age 56

Shannon Sharpe has revealed his secret to the fountain of youth, as he shared what he perceives as a 'necessary evil' to staying fit at his age.

The ex-NFL'er, who won three Super Bowl rings on the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens in the late 1990s, is a huge gym junkie, yet only workouts 30-40 minutes per day.

He also follows a strict diet and nutrition plan that nearly always includes lean meat, like fish or chicken, fruits, carbs and vegetables.

'I tell people, when I train I don't do a Hansel and Gretel workout,' the former tight end told Men's Health .

'I don't drop breadcrumbs. I saved nothing for the trip home.'

Standing at 6-ft-2 and 245lbs, Sharpe admitted to wanting to lose weight before his birthday next June and admitted that he can only do that through the most challenging exercise for his size and age... burpees - a squat thrust with an additional stand between repetitions.

'To get down on the ground and get yourself up for an extended period of time at 245lbs... that takes a lot,' he said.

'When you see those CrossFit guys, none of them weigh 245, I can assure you of that. I hate doing them, but it's also a necessary evil to what I want to accomplish.'

Sharpe usually sets his weekly gym routine for chest and shoulder exercises, and weights, on Monday, Wednesday Friday, and legs on Tuesday and Thursday.

He also gets massaged on Wednesdays and Saturdays and starts his day anytime between 3.30-4 am after waking up half-an-hour earlier.

Recently, Sharpe revealed two instances from the early 1990s that got him into unnecessary drama involving women at their homes that deterred him from sleeping with another person elsewhere than his bed.

Sharpe has kept his love life under wraps for most of his time in the spotlight and seemingly has never been married although he has two children, Kaley and Kiari, from different relationships.