Being a top NFL athlete requires talent, hard work, dedication, and the eating habits of a saint.
At least that's the case for San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who got down to three percent body fat after switching up his McDonalds-heavy diet for one of strict protein and veggies.
Bosa may currently be one of the most ripped and intimidating edge rushers in the NFL, but it wasn't always that way.
Once upon a time the 26-year-old would feast on Chipotle during the day and McDonald’s during the night, with his go to order at the latter being the McGriddle, a 550 calorie breakfast sandwich made up of sausage, egg, and American cheese.
However, after suffering a season-ending ACL injury early in the 2020 season, Bosa decided to clean up his diet and hire a private chef to help get his body back to its physical peak.
He replaced Chipotle with ceviche and swapped short ribs for tuna poke. Out went McGriddles and in came freshly squeezed juices as he made sure to steer away from sugary drinks and junk food altogether.
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“You should see my kitchen on juice (making) days,” Bosa said. “It’s like the produce section of a grocery store.”
The secret to his success was a protein-rich diet focusing on fish and chicken, low carbs, vegetables, salads, and healthy fats in the form of avocados and steak at the weekends.
A typical breakfast would include egg-white frittatas with ground bison with turkey bacon, chorizo and a pile of spinach, peppers and onion, all cooked up by his private chef.
"I've got an amazing chef, Chef Anna, shout out, " Bosa said. "She'll come in two days a week and cook for almost the whole week."
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"There's a really good fish market right near my house so she gets fresh fish from there. There's poke, ceviche, delicious fish, chicken, steak, and then the salad she makes to accompany them are top-notch."
In 2022, Bosa said he and his 49ers teammates underwent a Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to measure body mass index and see how much of a person's mass is fat and how much is muscle.
Bosa said he had the lowest body fat percentage of anyone on the team, with reports claiming it had even lowered to the three percent range - a remarkable feat for someone weighing 266lbs.
The results were striking to say the least.
According to The Athletic, Bosa's 10-yard splits were down from 1.55 seconds to below 1.5 seconds. Then-defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans also said at the time that "he’s looking fast, he’s looking explosive" following his return from injury.
It wasn't all down to diet, though. Flexibility became an integral part of Bosa's training regimen after he started working with Todd Rice, a former Chargers strength and conditioning coach who had studied Olympic weightlifters in Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria.
Nick's flexibility work made him more like a ballerina than a pro football player. He got to the point where he could reach 10 inches past his toes with his legs locked in a sitting position while also continuing to increase his strength.
“I’ve upped my maxes in squats and benches this past year pretty substantially,” the Niners star said in 2022. “My sprinting numbers are better than they’ve ever been. My agility drill numbers are better than they’ve ever been.”
Bosa is now reaping the rewards of his methodical approach to nutrition and exercise.
His blistering speed and agility, combined with his freakish strength, have turned him into one of the NFL's most devastating defensive ends.
For his efforts, the Ohio State product was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and finished the season as sacks leaders with 18.5 sacks in 16 games.
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Bosa was also named First Team All-Pro for the first time and became the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history when he signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension in September 2023.
It's fair to say his decision to ditch the McGriddles and clean up his lifestyle has massively paid off.
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