Packing on the pounds: U football players rely on nutrition, strength training

Andrew Stelter weighed 240 pounds when he arrived at the University of Minnesota. Like many college freshmen, he expected to put on a few pounds his first year.

The "Freshman 15" wouldn't be good enough, though. He needed closer to 25 pounds.

And then another 25 pounds his sophomore year.

He finally hit his target weight of 288 pounds this spring, a two-year increase of nearly 50 pounds thanks to strength training and a specialized nutrition plan designed to help him better cope with the demands of playing defensive tackle in the Big Ten.

"Every time I see him it's like, 'Oh my gosh, he's bigger,' " said Stelter's mom, Adele.

Mission accomplished then. The process of adding bulk has been a staple of college football for decades. Players — particularly linemen — enter college one size and leave a different person in physical stature, sometimes gaining as much as 100 pounds during their transformation.

That process has evolved and become more intricate in recent years as another tentacle of college football's arms race.

Two years ago, the Gophers football program hired a full-time sports dietitian/nutritionist to manage what players eat and their weight gain, or weight loss.

Brittany Francis, a former captain of the Gophers women's hockey team, oversees a staff of 12 interns who monitor players' diets, including their daily calorie intake.

A relatively new NCAA rule that allows schools to provide unlimited meals has been a game-changer. The lifting of food restrictions gives schools more oversight and options into dietary needs of their athletes.

"We were definitely behind in getting the nutrition program here," Francis said. "But I think we've come a long way."

Stelter serves as a textbook case of that literal and figurative growth. The Owatonna, Minn., native joined the program in 2014 as a defensive end but was moved to defensive tackle as a freshman.

Any defensive tackle playing at 240 pounds in the Big Ten would be mincemeat.

As happens with every player, Francis met with Stelter's position coach (Jeff Phelps) and strength coach Eric Klein to formulate a weight-gain plan.

Stelter's plan required him to consume 7,000 calories per day for an entire year. He needed 250 grams of protein daily, something his body couldn't absorb in three meals alone, so his nutrition plan called for three large snacks, as well.

A look at Stelter's freshman year diet

Francis' rule of thumb for players: They can't just eat when they're hungry. They also must eat when they're not hungry.

"You eat until you're full and then you've got to eat more," Stelter said. "It's kind of fun at first, but then after a while it got old."

Stelter became a food expert. He knew how many grams of protein he consumed in meals. He made sure he had enough carbs in his system, eliminated junk food and ingested "as much fruits and vegetables as you can eat."

"It's daunting at first," he said. "It's like, 'You want me to gain 20 pounds in the next couple months?' But they know what they're doing."

Francis, who earned her master's of science in nutrition, creates specific dietary plans for every player and educates them on nutrition to make sure they add good weight, not bad weight. She promotes safe weight gain that coincides with strength training in order to build muscle mass.

The players' lounge in the team facility has been renovated with nutrition in mind. Healthy snacks (fruit, yogurt, protein bars) and milk are always available. Interns prepare sandwiches that are kept in a commercial refrigerator so players can grab them on the way to class.

Francis even has a cooking station in the team lounge where she holds classes on meals they can make at home on weekends and provides them written instructions. Her recent menus included breakfast burritos, shrimp stir fry and banana bread in a mug.

"I don't want them eating out every single meal," Francis said. "That's going to be hard on their bank account."

Stelter played his freshman season at 265 pounds and jumped to 277 pounds last season. Francis reduced his calorie intake to 5,000 per day at that point. He increased his weight to 288 pounds over the winter.

His rapid weight gain, not unexpectedly, elevated his body fat. Stelter measured at 11.7 percent body fat when he arrived on campus. He had 20.6 percent body fat this semester.

He's turned some fat into lean muscle through the Gophers' strength and conditioning program, a critical component to changing body size.

The nutrition plan can't work properly without strength training.

"I guess you could say I have more of the architectural design to it," said Klein, head strength and conditioning coach.

Klein's program for linemen involves high volume of reps on power clean, squats, bench press, etc.

Stelter lifts weights three times per week during the season and five to six times during the winter and summer.

"I like moving big weights around," he said.

Klein describes Stelter as a model athlete in his approach to changing his body.

"He's a prime example of, if you do what we ask, there's going to be positive [changes]," Klein said. "As long as they're willing to work and put in the effort to it, they will get the gain that they want."

Stelter has become a stickler with his diet. He occasionally treats himself to a fast-food burger but mostly sticks to healthy choices. Otherwise, "I feel just gross," he said.

"There are times when we'll have something for dessert and he'll say, 'Nope, I'm only allowed to have one dessert a week so I have to pass on it,' " said his father, Kevin. "He's real regimented in what he does with his eating habits."

Francis understands that healthy diet plans become "monotonous" so she offers different options called exchanges. She also encourages players to indulge themselves occasionally.

"If you're craving a treat meal, have it every now and then just to keep yourself sane," she said.

Francis stresses to players that eating healthy is a habit that must continue at their new weight.

"What got you to that weight is going to maintain you at that weight," she said. "They can't just do this for a few months and quit."

Linemen often return to their pre-college size once they finish their careers. Greg Eslinger, a former Gophers two-time All-America center and Outland Trophy winner, played his first college game at 238 pounds, ballooned to 290 by his senior season and now weighs 225 pounds.

The nutrition aspect has come a long way since he graduated in 2005. He recalls eating fast food while watching game video before practice.

"I didn't count calories," he joked.

Eslinger said he lost weight fairly easy after retirement because he didn't consume as much food and he became a runner. He qualified for the Boston Marathon in April after finishing the Chicago Marathon in 3 hours, 1 minute.

"I missed being able to consume that many calories," he said, laughing. "It's hard to maintain a normal appetite after years of having an extraordinary appetite."

Stelter says the payoff from his 50-pound weight gain shows on the field. He no longer gets pushed around by bigger offensive linemen.

"I'm definitely a lot harder to move on double teams," he said. "My freshman year, I would catch some double teams and would just be hanging on for dear life. Now I can actually control some of them, keep myself in there better."