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Bigger … stronger … faster

Sporting News, The, June 10, 2005 by Matt Hayes

BIGGER ...

Nick Williams

All you carb counters had better stop right here. Don't torture yourself. Meet Nick Williams, a 19-year-old at the University of Pittsburgh who gets to do what, oh, 90 percent of America would love to do: eat as much as possible. Williams is moving from defensive end to defensive tackle for the Panthers, and the staff says he needs to be heavier. His priorities this summer are to eat and lift weights--and definitely in that order.

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Funny thing is, when we first met Williams, he was polishing off one of those sissy turkey sandwiches, potato chips and a raspberry tea. Raspberry? Then we heard about the rest of his day (see chart) and the bile--and jealousy--immediately began to rise. Most days, Williams will consume more than 6,000 calories and hit just about every food group. You know, meat, veggies, fruit, grains. And the important groups, too: sweets and fried anything.

"I'm not fat," Williams says. "I just need more bulk."

A redshirt freshman with loads (no pun intended) of talent and potential, Williams has added nearly 40 pounds--from 225 to 265-ish-since arriving at Pitt last fall. New coach Dave Wannstedt wants an agile defensive front and aggressive tackles with attitude.

Hey, anyone who eats oxtail has to have attitude.

Nick's food festival

Breakfast: "I don't, eat breakfast; it makes my stomach too acidy," Williams says. Trust us, he makes up for it.

Lunch: Williams isn't ashamed to boast of downing the No. 2 combo meal at Burger King (Double Whopper, fries, large drink) four times in a day--at noon and every couple of hours thereafter. "The girls there always ask if I'm sick of the food yet," Williams says. in case you're wondering, each Double Whopper with cheese has 1,060 calories and 69 grams of fat. Yummy.

Dinner: A native of Jamaica, Williams goes for his favorite island meal: curry chicken, oxtail, okra and banana dumplings. And cookies, lots of cookies.

Late-night snack: At 2 a.m., it's usually steak or something left over from the training table. "Every night, I get up at 2 in the morning to eat," Williams says. "I have to. If I don't eat, I get aggravated."

STRONGER ...

Chris McKillop

It's not as if Chris McKillop were some hundred-pound weakling. He was a 230-pound freshman linebacker at Pitt last season. Soon enough, Wannstedt mentioned something about playing defensive end, and McKillop eventually had the best spring of any defensive player on the team.

There is, unfortunately, one drawback to being an end: dealing with 300-pound tackles instead of 230-pound fullbacks or rangy wide receivers.

"Those tackles will eat you up if you're not strong enough," McKillop says.

So he lifts weights. And he takes supplements--the legal stuff--and he lifts some more. McKillop works his lower body to improve his push and "get off" at the snap and his upper body to keep oversized tackles at arm's length. And he works on technique. Deep squats and other exercises will help ensure a quick transition for a player who never had bent into a three-point stance before switching to end.

But the addition of strength also can mean the addition of mass. The staff moved McKillop to end because of his speed and ability to rush the passer. He has added 10 pounds since the end of last season and now must watch his diet to keep his weight from climbing above 240 to 245 pounds.

"He's playing a lot bigger than 240 right now," says Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads.

Building mass

A few of the exercises in Chris McKillop's summer workout and why they're important:

Dumbbell lifting

Working with dumbbells--instead of straight bars--assists the development of stabilizer muscles, which gives more control and strength to each arm. When lifting with a straight bar (think bench press bar), the muscles are trained to rely on one another and range of motion is limited.

Deep knee squat

Ankle, knee and hip joints must be coordinated in this exercise, which develops a functional movement pattern and trains the muscles. There is no better way to build lower-body strength.

Clean and jerk

The movement of the exercise is nearly identical to the movement needed to push off tackles. The quick motion of pushing up from a set crouched position and pulling the bar to the chest compares to uncoiling after the snap and quickly extending the hands to fend off a tackle.

FASTER ...

Rashad Jennings

So you sit down and someone tells you the best way to increase speed does not involve running. Come on. Then Rashad Jennings, Pitt's 6-3,240-pound man-child freshman tailback, says he has cut his 40 time from 4.65 to sub-4.5 in less than six months and the reason is plyometrics.

In the world of plyometrics, specific exercises are designed to activate the hip flexor and hip extensor and fortify the apex of speed. Now, layman terms: Speed begins in the hips, or the "get off" as some trainers and athletes call it. The stronger the hip flexor and hip extensor, the faster the athlete.

Bigger … stronger … faster

Sporting News, The, June 10, 2005 by Matt Hayes

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