West Ham: ‘Stay out of the gym’ — Manager bans Adama Traoré from lifting weights
Inside a training gym, a phone camera caught Adama Traoré bench pressing 145kg — a clip that prompted a simple directive: stay out of the weights room. That video and the manager’s reaction have placed west ham’s newest signing at the centre of an unexpected conversation about physique, preparation and playing time.
Why was Adama Traoré banned from lifting weights?
Nuno Espirito Santo, the 52-year-old manager who joined the London club in September last year, said Traoré “carries enough weight. ” The video posted by teammate Crysencio Summerville included the line, “Why you lying? Telling the people ‘I don’t do weights in the gym. ‘” and showed Traoré on a bench pressing 145kg. Nuno’s response was firm: “I’ve told him to stay out of the gym. It’s one of the things that I think he needs to realise. It’s enough weight that he carries. “
What does West Ham’s ban mean for Traoré’s training and role?
The manager clarified the limits of the ban: Traoré will undertake prevention work in the gym, “but he’s not in there lifting weights. ” Traoré joined the east London club in January and had previously worked under Nuno at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has not yet started a Premier League match for his new club. Nuno has framed the restriction as part of protecting a player with a distinctive, muscular build while the coaching staff continue work to “improve him. “
How have teammates and the manager spoken about the situation, and what comes next?
Teammate Crysencio Summerville’s social-media clip set the scene; Nuno has used the moment to coach not only the player but the wider squad on preparation. He has been candid about the physical realities: “He’ll do prevention work [in the gym], but he’s not in there lifting weights. ” He also offered a broader appraisal of Traoré’s contribution: “He brings new energy to us and we’ve been trying every day to improve him. ” Nuno also described Traoré as patient and suggested the player understands his path: “He is patient enough to recognise his chance will come. “
The gym directive arrives as the team prepares to travel to Craven Cottage while sitting in the relegation zone, two points behind Nottingham Forest and four behind Spurs, both clubs Nuno has managed previously. The manager has underlined internal focus: “We focus on ourselves. We didn’t achieve a result in our game and this is what we have to focus. It’s really important for us. ” The weight ban is thus both a targeted training decision and a signal of the manager’s hands-on approach to managing the squad.
Back in the training gym, the image of Traoré on the bench — the same moment that prompted Summerville’s challenge — now carries the quieter aftertaste of a coach’s calculation. Nuno has banned weightlifting while leaving room for preventative work; he praises Traoré’s unique combination of skill and speed and insists the team will keep working to bring out that potential. As the club moves toward its next match, the question lingers: will the enforced absence from heavy lifting make the difference in Traoré’s adaptation and in west ham’s search for results?
