Top-flight athletes need to invest a great deal off the field to maximize their potential. Adequate rest and training are pivotal. So too, is adequate nutrition. The best of the best make sure they get enough nutrients in order to fuel consistent, high-end performance.
This Men’s Health article from April of this year says that the average American man requires between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day. There’s obviously a great deal of variance depending on size, age, activity level, etc.
And that’s to say nothing about the accessibility or quality of the food being consumed. Speaking of consumption, Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Joey Bosa has been doing quite a bit of it lately.
Joey Bosa Says He’s Been Eating up to 5,000 Calories Daily
Bosa revealed in a recent interview, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, that he’s upped his calorie intake to nearly twice the recommended daily average in an effort to gain weight and get stronger. He confessed it hasn’t always been an enjoyable undertaking.
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: #Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa is eating 4000-5000 calories per day in an effort to gain weight, he told @LindseyThiry
"Eating isn't really enjoyable these days. It's more so just part of the job."
“Was able to stay consistent with all the things that I normally… pic.twitter.com/SUibPIJmhR
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball)
“Eating isn’t really enjoyable these days,” Bosa said. “It’s more so just part of the job.”
The 28-year-old Bosa’s weight has been trending down since he was drafted back in 2016. He hovered around 280 pounds while playing collegiately for Ohio State.
Last season, his weight dipped down to around 250 pounds, a number he ultimately felt was too slight for him to contend in the trenches on a week-by-week basis. So he opted to reverse course and maximize his caloric intake this offseason.
“I specifically tried to really eat good and put some weight on this offseason, get back to my weight I was at a few years ago, where I could really use my power,” Bosa explained after a training camp practice. “Really handle guys in the run and be more effective in that part of the game.”
Bosa’s struggled with injuries in his career, including 12 missed games a season ago. He’s hoping that beefing up will give him a little more power and a little more durability. It’s unclear if there’s a correlation between his injury woes and his playing weight, but his position coach, Giff Smith, noted that he’s seen a stronger-looking Bosa this year.
“When we went to this system of defense, he thought he needed to be a little bit lighter, and he was dealing with some nagging injuries, so you always lose a little weight when you have some lower half injuries,” Giff said.
“He’s finally healthy, and he was able to add the muscle mass, good muscle mass, and he feels comfortable. And then it does expose the power. Everybody knows how gifted he is with his hands and his movement, but when you can shock [opponents] with the power, it just has another element to his game.”
As for what he’s been eating, Bosa noted lots of protein like red meat, chicken, and fish. He’d accompany these entrees with plenty of vegetables and chickpea pasta. He also snacks on lots of pretzels, nuts, and fruit throughout the day.
An outsider might envy Bosa and the caloric surplus he’s presently enjoying. But he confessed it hasn’t always been so enjoyable.
“But the key to gaining weight is just to eat a lot. Eat way more than you want to. And it’s no fun a lot of the time,” Bosa said.
Nonetheless, if his new diet pays off with a stronger, healthier 2023 season, he’ll doubtlessly be glad he stuck with it.
