Some of America’s greatest athletes are set to take the field Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles face off in Super Bowl LVII.
But anyone playing at the top level will say that the work put in off the field is just as important as the work put in during the game, with many adopting unusual diet and workout routines to keep themselves atop their game.
For beefy offensive linemen like the Eagles’ Lane Johnson, it involves eating ‘monster mash’ as part of his 5,500 calories per day diet to maintain his 330-pound frame. His diet consists of eating large portions of beef, rice, eggs, bison meat and orange juice.
Eagles’ speedster DeVonta Smith sticks to his strict schedule of waking up at 4:30 am daily – even during the offseason – saying his consistent and disciplined routine is reason for his success.
Patrick Mahomes works on his rocket-powered throwing ability by hard medicine ball workouts, which help him draw throwing power from across the body and launch passes downfield for highlight plays.
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Some of the stars of Super Bowl LVII have adopted alternative – and sometimes bizarre – diet and workout routines to reach stardom
Lane Johnson
Philadelphia’s stalwart offensive tackle of the past decade is widely regarded as one of the greatest Eagles of all time.
Lane Johnson — who stands 6’6 —credits his recent NFL success to his outrageous 5,500 calorie-per-day diet.
Size and strength is crucial to playing offensive line, but maintaining the weight can be a challenge with the amount of calories players burn in workouts through the season.
Three years ago, Johnson aimed to get from 312 to 330 pounds. But, he struggled to eat enough to put on and maintain the weight.
He hired personal trainer Stan Efferding in 2020, reports The Athletic, who put him on the mammoth ‘Vertical Diet’.
Lane Johnson’s massive 325-pound frame is possible because of his 5,500 calorie per day diet. One meal he eats to keep up his weight is a ‘monster mask’ or rice, beef and eggs
The diet focuses on eating a high amount of calories from healthy sources to quickly build mass while also providing the body enough energy to rigorously workout each day.
‘That sounds like a lot to you and me… but that’s not outrageous for sports performance,’ the trainer told The Athletic.
Mr Efferding founded the diet plan, which includes eating healthy high-calorie foods to increase energy levels and boost muscle mass.
‘In Lane’s particular circumstance, he had a hard time consuming enough calories to hold on to his weight or to gain weight,’ Mr Efferding said.
‘And to be really simplistic with it, I tried to make sure that … it’s easy to consume, a lot of food digested quickly and be hungry again soon enough to where you can get enough meals in a day to accumulate the kind of calories that you need.’
One of the keys of the diet is a meal called the ‘monster mash’, a massive mix of beef, rice and eggs with a ton of calories, carbs and protein.
Lane Johnson previously had trouble keeping on weight, until he adopted the ‘Vertical Diet’ to help build weight and keep it on
The diet also includes 250 grams of protein each day – the equivalent of around five chicken breasts.
On top of the hefty servings of beef, chicken and turkey – Johnson also eats lean bison meat as a source of protein.
Fat makes up around 30 percent or less of his diet, with carbs making up the remainder.
Most of his carbs come from foods the body digests quickly such as rice and orange juice.
He also eats a large amount yogurt and potatoes, which alongside the orange juice provide the body with large servings of electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Johnson, 32, credits the diet with extending his NFL career. He said that he still thinks he can play another two seasons after the Eagles triumph over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes has led the Kansas City Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance. The star quarterback works with personal trainer Bobby Stroupe, who says a medicine ball is a key part of the star quarterback’s workout routine
Super Bowl LVII’s main attraction, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 27, seems destined to be the NFL’s greatest player of all time.
Mahomes’ dazzling throwing ability is fueled by his arm strength and ability to make throws from unusual angles.
Much of this could be credited to his medicine ball workouts with Personal Trainer Bobby Stroupe, who he has worked out with since he was four.
In an interview with Men’s Health in 2021 – ahead of Mahomes’ match-up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV – Mr Stroupe said a medicine ball serves as the center of the quarterback’s workout.
‘Medicine ball training is so important to Patrick’s regimen because he likes to produce power from multiple different angles in the way that he plays the position of quarterback,’ the trainer said.
The NFL MVP’s workout includes medicine ball throws that train his body to draw power from different areas, according to Mr Stroupe.
This includes Sit-up Medball Throws which train the body to draw power from the upper body while throwing – making Mahomes’ famous off-platform throws possible.
Medball granny tosses help boost the power he gets from the lower body, allowing him to draw power from his legs while he throws.
Shotput throws help him draw power from his spine and back, giving him more power when he cannot set his feet and throws off-platform.
Rainbow Slams helps him draw power from his abs to quickly reverse momentum while throwing – building up the amount of power he has to contort his body to throw.
Mahomes’ talent is not just limited to his arm power, though.
The former Texas Tech quarterback has also put on dazzling displays with his feet.
He is known for his Houdini-like ability to escape pressure in the backfield and waltz through defenders to avoid a sack.
Mr Stroupe said the single-leg broad jump workouts Mahomes does helps help rapidly decelerate and then quickly regain speed when he changes direction.
Patrick Mahomes works out with a medicine ball help him draw throwing power from different areas of the body, allowing him to make the dazzling throws he does on the field
Meanwhile, hurdle bounds allow him to build lower body power and balance at full speed.
Other strength workouts help keep muscles, power and balance throughout his body.
‘Weight room exercises are important because they help us with the concept of resiliency,’ Mr Stroupe said.
‘The stronger an athlete is the most they conduct power and the more they can conduct speed.’
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts’ powerlifting background has built the strength and toughness necessary for him to succeed at the pro-level. He has been competing in power-lifting since his sophomore year of high school
One of the standouts during the 2022 NFL season, Jalen Hurts’ journey from NFL backup to superstar quarter-back began during his powerlifting meets as a teen.
The quarterback’s weight room prowess has been one of his most well-known traits since his college days.
As an Oklahoma Sooner, Hurts, 24, made headlines when he squatted 600lbs during offseason training camp – an incredible feat for a player listed at 220lbs.
In preparation for this second NFL season in 2021, Hurts turned heads again when he posted a video of himself deadlifting 620lbs.
This strength in the weight room has translated onto the field, with Hurts being one of the strongest runners at the quarterback position in the NFL.
At only 6’1, he is smaller than many of his peers at quarterback, but he made a name for himself both in college football and at the NFL level for his remarkable strength and toughness.
Deadlifts and squats are two of the most effective workouts at building strength across the body, especially lower body strength that can build contact balance and help a runner power through tackles.
Deadlifts work out the hamstrings, back, hips and buttocks. Squats are responsible for the calves, buttocks, thighs, shins and the body’s core.
Hurts started his training to get this strong at a young age.
His father, Averion, told AL.com in 2016 that Hurts had competed in powerlifting events starting at age 15.
Hurts’ powerlifting in college made headlines, with the quarterback once squatting 600 pounds
In his first meet, he squatted 440 pounds. A week later he reached 470 pounds. Only three competitions into his powerlifting career, the future National Champion was already squatting 500 pounds.
Hurts arrived to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the most successful college football program of the 2000s, as one of the strongest players on the roster as a freshman.
Starting at such a young age may add to his longevity as an NFL player too.
‘Weightlifting can help increase bone mineral density and lean muscle mass. It helps to prevent injury and increases athletic performance,’ Alison Regal, a University of Wisconsin exercise specialist, said.
Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce has credited his stabilizing muscle training for his incredible longevity throughout his career. The 33-year-old has not missed a game because of injury since he emerged as a leading receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce’s brute strength combined with graceful footwork and raw explosiveness as a route runner have made him a lynchpin for the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense – and one of the greatest tight ends the NFL has ever seen.
Instead of building raw power like many other NFL stars, Kelce has focused his workouts on strengthening his ‘stabilizing muscles’.
Kelce, 33, is listed at 6’5, 250 pounds.
At that size, the quick cuts and bursts of explosive speed needed at the tight end position can be hard to do without causing injury because of the stress it puts on muscles.
When a majority of people think of working out their muscles, they work of bigger muscles, such as the biceps or abs, that are aesthetically pleasing and give a more ‘ripped’ appearance.
Stabilizing muscles are smaller muscles that support the muscles around the rest of the body.
These are located all throughout the body, usually alongside bigger, more noticeable muscles.
Weak stabilizers can increase a person’s risk of injury and cause pain when trying to perform certain movements.
When Kelce suffered a shoulder injury as a Cincinnati Bearcat in college, he decided to focus more on longevity than strength with his workouts.
Instead of trying to get bigger and bulkier, he instead tries to build the underlying, often forgotten, muscles.
He has worked with personal trainer Alex Skacel since 2017. The trainer told Men’s Health in 2021: ‘We don’t want Travis’s body to rely only on the bigger muscles.
‘All the things that make him great come off of that stable foundation that he’s built.’
Kelce and Mr Skacel do many repetitions of low or no-weight exercises to train the stabilizing muscles.
Mr Skacel shared three exercises with Men’s Health, including wall slides, single-leg box squats, and single-arm snatch.
Kelce has found great success in this alternative workout strategy. While many other superstar NFL players have beaten and broken bodies by age 33, Kelce is still going strong.
The tight end has not missed a game because of injury since he took over as one of the Chief’s primary pass-catchers in 2014.
In 2022, ten years into his NFL career, he set a career-high with 110 receptions and posted his seventh straight season with more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Chris Jones
Chris Jones started to play snaps at defensive end in 2021, in addition to his normal position on the interior of the Chiefs’ defensive line. Wanting to get more flexible for his new role, the defensive lineman started to do yoga
Superstar Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is known for his speed and strength on the interior of Kansas City’s defensive line. But, when the do-it-all defensive lineman was asked to take snaps as an edge rusher – he turned to yoga.
Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Jones was already at the top of his field.
He was widely recognized as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and had played a huge role in the Chiefs comeback against the 49ers to win Super Bowl LIV.
The Chiefs wanted even more out of him and asked him to play snaps at defensive end.
While his natural position is all about raw strength and brute force – edge defenders in the NFL are expected to have flexibility and agility.
‘Yoga and pilates transformed me and my flexibility to be able to transition to playing defensive end,’ he said during a sideline interview during a 2021 preseason game.
Jones said the downward dog position, where a person tilts their head down to the floor and keeps both their legs and posture straight, is his favorite.
Pictured: Chris Jones and NFL reporter Kay Adams perform the downward dog pose during the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs preseason game
‘It’s fun. It’s different,’ Jones told reporters in training camp that year.
‘I can do some new positions that I never thought I could do.’
‘I wanted to be little more flexible,’ Jones continued.
‘Bending the edge is a little different from taking the turn on the [inside].’
Yoga is a combination of poses that stretch a person’s muscles and meditation techniques that help a person relax.
By stretching out muscles regularly, a person can increase their flexibility and range of movement. It is also great for balance.
For a defensive end, tasked with contorting their body around offensive tackles without losing speed or balance, this can add to their skill set.
The exercises also help relieve stress and improve blood circulation, which can help avoid injuries.
DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith’s consistent schedule and early morning workouts have been a crucial part of his unexpected rise
Nicknamed the ‘Slim Reaper’ and ‘Skinny Batman’ for his slender 6′ 170 pound frame, DeVonta Smith is an enigma in the NFL. His early morning workouts have kept him strong enough to handle the NFL’s brutally physical play.
Despite his abnormally small size, Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in nearly 30 years in 2020 as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now a Philadelphia Eagle, he has played a crucial role in the team’s run to Super Bowl LVII.
Smith, 24, is an early bird, being among the first players to Eagles practice each day, and even suiting up for workouts in the wee-hours of the morning over the offseason.
The young receiver reportedly woke up 5:30 am every day during his rookie season, making his way to the team’s South Philadelphia practice center by 6 am each day.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, only Jalen Hurts would rival Smith is how early he came in each day.
Smith said his goal is not be the first one to get into the facility each day, but just to stick to the regimen he has followed for years.
‘I’m not trying to be one of the first players in the building every morning. … That’s just how I’ve always been. I need to get stuff done,’ he told the Inquirer.
Even during the offseason, it is rare to find a day where Smith sleeps in.
He is a part of the ‘Breakfast Club’, a group of athletes that work with performance coach Yo Murphy in Tampa, Florida, each offseason.
The wide receiver wakes up at 4:30 each morning to join a group that include Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard.
‘Smitty — he’s exactly the same every day. That’s part of his plan. Greatness is about consistency,’ Murphy told the Inquirer.
‘He’s really one of those guys.’
Experts say that a consistent daily routine can help reduce stress, increase sleep quality, and help a person’s mental health.
Working out early in the morning has been linked to greater energy and focus through the remainder of the day.
These workouts are also often more effective because a person is fresh and well-rested and not getting exercise after getting through an entire day’s worth of stressors.
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