Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – It’s not that Rashan Gary wasn’t mindful of his diet before entering the NFL. The Packers’ rookie first-round pick has always aimed to keep his body fat right around 13 or 14 percent.
After surveying the league, however, Gary realized how high the bar has been set for NFL pass rushers. Looking to meet those expectations, the 6-foot-5, 277-pound outside linebacker took his training to the next level back in Texas following the conclusion of the Packers’ offseason program in June.
His five-week program, documented in a one-minute video on his Twitter account, saw Gary doing circuit-training, footwork drills and a variety of pass-rush exercises in the sand to help further develop his leg strength and quick twitch.
The end result? Gary says he reported to training camp at 10-percent body fat.
“I felt that looking at guys like Aaron Donald in the league, you look at their body, you see how they perform and you see what type of training they can do – I wanted to take my body to the next level,” Gary said. “So for me, getting down to 10 percent, that was a big thing for me and I can definitely tell the difference.”
It’s not the first time Gary has made a significant change to his diet. Two years ago, he cut out ice cream to lower his body fat from 20 to 14 percent before his sophomore year at Michigan, dropping about 10 pounds in the process. His current meal plan consists of a steady rotation of chicken, salmon and broccoli.
Gary’s goal is to play at the speed he showcased with his 4.58-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, while also maintaining the strength and power to be an across-the-line rusher in Mike Pettine’s defense.