Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson got up at a news conference last spring and said his expectation was to be used similarly to how the San Francisco 49ers use versatile running back Christian McCaffrey.
Robinson took that expectation a step further this offseason.
The third-year back spent almost a month with McCaffrey in the Los Angeles area over June and July. The two worked out together and did recovery, something McCaffrey is known for taking very seriously. McCaffrey’s brother Luke, a Washington Commanders wide receiver, joined them. One of their main trainers was highly touted track and field coach Randy Huntington.
“It was great, me and him just giving each other just so many tips and just feeding off the knowledge from each other on the field,” Robinson said. “And we worked for the whole month, so I got to see how he worked, he got to see how I worked, and we got to put it together and it was just really cool.
“Two guys coming together just trying to make each other better, and he taught me a whole bunch of nuanced moves that I got to learn on the field, and I did the same with him.”
Robinson, 23, broke out last season, his second in the NFL. The Arizona native was fourth in the league in yards from scrimmage (1,887) and third in rushing yards (1,456). His 14 rushing touchdowns were the third-highest total.
Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, had injury setbacks last season, first with Achilles issues and then a right PCL injury. But he has twice led the league in yards from scrimmage (2019 and ’23) and has four seasons with more than 1,000 yards rushing. The 29-year-old is going into his ninth year as a pro.
Robinson said the biggest thing he took away from McCaffrey was his recovery, and how he made sure he felt 100% before every workout.
“I mean, it’s only right to want to make sure your body is at top-tier shape before you go on the field,” Robinson said. “No matter what it is — if it’s a light day or a hard day — you always want to make sure you’re ready to go.
“So, his recovery aspect of his life is pretty impressive.”
Robinson said he and McCaffrey used a new form of red-light therapy in an elevation chamber called Stratosphere ATC.
“We were 18,000 feet in the air, but we were in a machine,” Robinson said. “It was just very good for my body.”
💪 Christian McCaffrey
💪 Bijan Robinson
💪 Luke McCaffrey
All putting in serious work this offseason. Looking absolutely shredded. pic.twitter.com/ndC0WoWcwF
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 27, 2025
Stratosphere is like elevation training without having to travel to a high altitude. The chamber was created by former Hollywood stuntman Bobby Williams with the guidance of the Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Bruce Johnson.
Training and recovery at elevation has been a hallmark for athletes, especially in combat sports. Julio César Chávez Sr. owed a lot of his success to training at elevation in Mexico. Some of the most prominent MMA gyms are in cities at elevation like Albuquerque, New Mexico, which Jon Jones has called home for many years.
Williams says training in the Stratosphere can help elevate levels of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) and VO2 max, which have to do with red blood cell production and lung capacity, respectively. The chamber can also be used for recovery, as Robinson noted.
“Gets rid of all inflammation right away,” Williams said. “I mean, think about your body getting a massage to get rid of inflammation. You’re getting a cellular massage. Every single cell is expanding, and every single cell is contracting, and it’s amazing.”
Williams’ Stratosphere is based out of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles. He just began selling chambers last year. The first buyer was the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Williams believes Stratosphere will one day be in every NFL facility around the country, and Robinson, he said, already wants the Falcons to get one.
“I feel like sometimes there’s new gadgets and gizmos and there’s chambers, the hyperbarics, the hypoxic training, the breath work,” McCaffrey said. “There’s so many different things that we just try to take every little ounce, and if you can find an advantage or an edge, we do it.”
Finding an advantage is why Robinson reached out to McCaffrey’s team to see about working out together in L.A. Williams noted how competitive the two were with each other, but in a positive way.
“They were just trying to outdo each other on the power and the velocity of the training,” Williams said. “But all in all, they were there to support each other.
“They were pulling Michael Jordans, if you will. They would tell each other each other’s secrets, so it would better them. You know what I mean? It’s not like they were hiding anything, and they were trying to help each other and lift each other up.”
McCaffrey referred to Robinson as “a special guy, special person, and a special player.”
“I was super fired-up that he joined us for a little bit, and I don’t have any bad things to say about him,” McCaffrey said.
Robinson and McCaffrey will be on opposing sides Oct. 19 in Week 7 for “Sunday Night Football.” But aside from that, it seems like the two have formed a running back bond.
“I think it’s just really cool having McCaffrey be a brother to me, as well, and so I can learn all the cool things that he has done on the field, and vice versa,” Robinson said.
Additional reporting by Nick Wagoner.