While that “Heat culture” phrase may be looked at as cliche at times with the way it gets thrown around, it’s simply a standard that guys inside that building are held to.

Whether it’s being held accountable in film sessions, calling each other out on the hardwood, or simply the body fat tests behind the scenes, it’s all about falling in line of discipline and hard work everyday.

Many players talk about their experience with the Heat organization and the conditioning tests after they leave, but Norman Powell recently spoke on it on the Young Man and the Three podcast.

“That was probably the most nervous I’ve been,” Powell commented on that initial conditioning review. “Since my rookie year, all you heard was about how strict Miami was. Dorell Wright, Delon Wright’s brother who played here, was telling me how his brother had to get on the treadmill and run to lose weight before he could play.”

Bam Adebayo, who was sitting next to him on the podcast, said he downplayed that narrative when Powell asked him about it when he was traded. Powell countered back by saying Adebayo is just used to it after doing it his entire career up to this point.

“As soon as I got traded, I was on vacation, so coming back I’m like now I got to shift my training because I have to practice for this conditioning test,” Powell continued. “So I get here and I pass the conditioning test by like two seconds.”

Instead of strict on-court basketball work-outs in the off-season, Powell said things shifted into a “track meet.” To be even more prepared for it, he even mentioned having specific “conditioning days” during the off-season after becoming a member of the Miami Heat.

Norman Powell speaks on having get in “Miami Heat shape”

“Idk if it was pre season or 5 games in and they start talking about my shape. I was like, I’m in great shape for the Clippers. If I came back like this they’d be excited what I did over summer so give me some time to… https://t.co/CYP0TXkFT2 pic.twitter.com/DCnIw7VIjx

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 4, 2025

Powell mentioned when he was asked about his shape early in the season about five games in, which he responded: “I’m in great shape for the Clippers. If I came back like this, they would be excited about what I did this summer. So give me some time to get acclimated to the Miami Heat shape.”

Bam Adebayo jumped in and mentioned this mindset isn’t just for Heat newcomers, it also remains for the guys returning for a new season. These conditioning tests are renewed at the start of every season, which Adebayo said as soon as the season ends, you say to yourself: “Damn I have to do this again next year.”

But there is one loophole to escaping this nerve wrecking body fat test: winning an NBA Finals.

“If you make the Finals and you win, you don’t have to run it,” Adebayo mentioned.

This is a Miami Heat staple that sets the tone for not only new player acquisitions, but it’s a way to keep players on your roster in line when they aren’t around the team everyday in the off-season.

Plus as Powell said, he may not be looking forward to that next test, but he does hope to be in a position to go through it after possibly getting an extension done with Miami in the near future.