there are a lot of former linemen who didn't take off the weight and have been dealing with pre-diabetic conditions or full-blown diabetes for years. You had guys like William Perry who stayed that weight by eating while they played and even after they stopped
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
Didn’t even need to read the article. But it’s not sexy enough for the lawyers. Also there’s not a helmet company to sue.
Huge risks for diabetes and hypertension. 1 and 2 reasons for dialysis if u love long enough. African Americans also have 1/3 of the nephrons that most people have. So the risk of kidney issues is exponential. Joint issues. Mobility issues later I life. This is a much more verifiable health issue than CTE. AND IMO Jusr t as bad. Just not sexy enough. And again lawyers and the press for the most part dont give e a shit all that much so it’s lost on how bad it is.
and I think it all starts with nutrition. A really good article, IMO.
Guys I played with, myself included, go either one way or the other... significant weight loss, >50lb, from playing weight (some even more) or significant weight gain, mostly in the form of fat. Without the energy requirements of playing, and often, the chemical enhancement that remains a huge part of the game, the body needs only a fraction of the calories as its baseline. The common thread seems to be eating habits. If a former player continued to eat and drink the way he did while playing, weight usually ballooned. Those who made significant diet and lifestyle changes went down. It's pretty simplistic but that's at least been my experience.
There certainly are benefits to the weight loss: cardiovascular, orthopedic, avoiding diabetes, etc. And to be sure, increasing exercise with an objective of losing weight is key. But it all seems to come back to nutrition.
I am interested to see how the current era of linemen do after retirement. In 20 years of NFL and high-level NCAA play, you notice that OL body types have changed significantly. It's evident when you look at the photos of players profiled in the NYT article. Players appear to have higher body fat percentages, look less muscular, etc. I attribute this in part to a much greater awareness of proper nutrition. Better nutrition during a football career should theoretically lead to better nutrition in retirement, and I wonder if this trend will change.
Didn’t even need to read the article. But it’s not sexy enough for the lawyers. Also there’s not a helmet company to sue.
Huge risks for diabetes and hypertension. 1 and 2 reasons for dialysis if u love long enough. African Americans also have 1/3 of the nephrons that most people have. So the risk of kidney issues is exponential. Joint issues. Mobility issues later I life. This is a much more verifiable health issue than CTE. AND IMO Jusr t as bad. Just not sexy enough. And again lawyers and the press for the most part dont give e a shit all that much so it’s lost on how bad it is.
the part of that picture of Snee that isn't discussed much is body type. His frame was never meant to carry the weight he had as a player.
That's why so many of the linemen have issues. I wouldn't be shocked if over 90% of linemen are on PED's. I've heard most trainers say that it is almost a requirement these days.
It is tougher to see in linemen because they've had that bulk on them from early days, but the most glaring examples of humans who never meant to carry the muscle or mass that their bodies could handle were David Boston and Lamar Landry. Both guys ended up suffering muscle tears right off the bone because their skeletons couldn't manage the bulk combined with forces.
I attended a seminar about 10 years ago that explained how athletes keep getting bigger and stronger but that the human skeleton isn't. This ends up resulting in many muscular injuries more out of physics than anything else.
The PED in the NFL that is nearly-universal is HGH Â
Difficult to test for, and even though they do, the way the NFL/NFLPA agreed to conduct the testing makes it relatively easy to avoid positive results.
Have a friend that was a 4-year starter at C for a FCS powerhouse team. Said during the season he had to stay around 300lbs. Said he'd easily crush a large pizza in one sitting and still be hungry...Then he graduated and started running (eventually running a sub-3 hour marathon which is incredible). Now he's around 200 and says his old teammates don't recognize him. Says he still misses the pizza nights!
there are a lot of former linemen who didn't take off the weight and have been dealing with pre-diabetic conditions or full-blown diabetes for years. You had guys like William Perry who stayed that weight by eating while they played and even after they stopped
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
This isn't exactly accurate. Steroids themselves don't make you gain weight that is a myth. However, they will make affect your hunger. All these guys are on juice, they problem is to say 300lbs when you are as active as they are they've developed some shitty eating habits. Getting off the types of calorie dense food you need to eat to maintain that weight is the real struggle. If you see the diet of the guys that powerlift its way cleaner because they can spend a massive portion of their day just focused on eating.
A friend of mine played offensive line 9 years in NFL Â
Back in late 80s to mid 90s. Pro Bowl 3 times. Left Tackle , playing weight at that time about 310. In those days in the off season he would drop down to 280 or so. Ramp up within 4 months of the season and get huge again. He said all the O Line were on HGH. His exact words were there is no way to compete against the super strong D linemen without them. No way. In retirement, he is down to 230. Lots of health issues. Can only imagine what they take now.
there are a lot of former linemen who didn't take off the weight and have been dealing with pre-diabetic conditions or full-blown diabetes for years. You had guys like William Perry who stayed that weight by eating while they played and even after they stopped
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
This isn't exactly accurate. Steroids themselves don't make you gain weight that is a myth. However, they will make affect your hunger. All these guys are on juice, they problem is to say 300lbs when you are as active as they are they've developed some shitty eating habits. Getting off the types of calorie dense food you need to eat to maintain that weight is the real struggle. If you see the diet of the guys that powerlift its way cleaner because they can spend a massive portion of their day just focused on eating.
I find just doing an old-fashioned weights-only workout with rests in between sets stimulates my appetite too much. Just keep to a circuit: get in, get out.
All those guys who go from being 220lb freshmen to ~300lb seniors? Roids or Hormones.
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
Thats probably because the guys who stay huge don't get jobs on TV, probably for a few different reasons
Huge risks for diabetes and hypertension. 1 and 2 reasons for dialysis if u love long enough. African Americans also have 1/3 of the nephrons that most people have. So the risk of kidney issues is exponential. Joint issues. Mobility issues later I life. This is a much more verifiable health issue than CTE. AND IMO Jusr t as bad. Just not sexy enough. And again lawyers and the press for the most part dont give e a shit all that much so it’s lost on how bad it is.
Quote:
I've seen a lot of former lineman on TV who have lost so much weight you can hardly recognize them
Thats probably because the guys who stay huge don't get jobs on TV, probably for a few different reasons
Tony siragusa being an exception.
Guys I played with, myself included, go either one way or the other... significant weight loss, >50lb, from playing weight (some even more) or significant weight gain, mostly in the form of fat. Without the energy requirements of playing, and often, the chemical enhancement that remains a huge part of the game, the body needs only a fraction of the calories as its baseline. The common thread seems to be eating habits. If a former player continued to eat and drink the way he did while playing, weight usually ballooned. Those who made significant diet and lifestyle changes went down. It's pretty simplistic but that's at least been my experience.
There certainly are benefits to the weight loss: cardiovascular, orthopedic, avoiding diabetes, etc. And to be sure, increasing exercise with an objective of losing weight is key. But it all seems to come back to nutrition.
I am interested to see how the current era of linemen do after retirement. In 20 years of NFL and high-level NCAA play, you notice that OL body types have changed significantly. It's evident when you look at the photos of players profiled in the NYT article. Players appear to have higher body fat percentages, look less muscular, etc. I attribute this in part to a much greater awareness of proper nutrition. Better nutrition during a football career should theoretically lead to better nutrition in retirement, and I wonder if this trend will change.
Huge risks for diabetes and hypertension. 1 and 2 reasons for dialysis if u love long enough. African Americans also have 1/3 of the nephrons that most people have. So the risk of kidney issues is exponential. Joint issues. Mobility issues later I life. This is a much more verifiable health issue than CTE. AND IMO Jusr t as bad. Just not sexy enough. And again lawyers and the press for the most part dont give e a shit all that much so it’s lost on how bad it is.
So don't be an offensive lineman.
That's why so many of the linemen have issues. I wouldn't be shocked if over 90% of linemen are on PED's. I've heard most trainers say that it is almost a requirement these days.
It is tougher to see in linemen because they've had that bulk on them from early days, but the most glaring examples of humans who never meant to carry the muscle or mass that their bodies could handle were David Boston and Lamar Landry. Both guys ended up suffering muscle tears right off the bone because their skeletons couldn't manage the bulk combined with forces.
I attended a seminar about 10 years ago that explained how athletes keep getting bigger and stronger but that the human skeleton isn't. This ends up resulting in many muscular injuries more out of physics than anything else.
HGH is effective.
to this
to this
Obligatory pic of LaRon Landry coming up...
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
This isn't exactly accurate. Steroids themselves don't make you gain weight that is a myth. However, they will make affect your hunger. All these guys are on juice, they problem is to say 300lbs when you are as active as they are they've developed some shitty eating habits. Getting off the types of calorie dense food you need to eat to maintain that weight is the real struggle. If you see the diet of the guys that powerlift its way cleaner because they can spend a massive portion of their day just focused on eating.
Quote:
there are a lot of former linemen who didn't take off the weight and have been dealing with pre-diabetic conditions or full-blown diabetes for years. You had guys like William Perry who stayed that weight by eating while they played and even after they stopped
Then you have guys who shed half their weight in a season (and that's not a joke). While it isn't just snapping one's fingers to lose half your weight, a lot of those guys were so hard on the juice that going off their regimen did a lot of the work.
This isn't exactly accurate. Steroids themselves don't make you gain weight that is a myth. However, they will make affect your hunger. All these guys are on juice, they problem is to say 300lbs when you are as active as they are they've developed some shitty eating habits. Getting off the types of calorie dense food you need to eat to maintain that weight is the real struggle. If you see the diet of the guys that powerlift its way cleaner because they can spend a massive portion of their day just focused on eating.
I find just doing an old-fashioned weights-only workout with rests in between sets stimulates my appetite too much. Just keep to a circuit: get in, get out.