Behind the Body: Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jared Odrick

Dolphins tackle Jared Odrick is a fantastic introductory lesson in deductive reasoning for all you logic-minded kids: The 6-foot-5 player weighs 300 pounds and

Sarah Toland | Sep 15, 2014

Behind the Body: Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jared Odrick /

Dolphins tackle Jared Odrick is a fantastic introductory lesson in deductive reasoning for all you logic-minded kids: The 6-foot-5 player weighs 300 pounds and has only 11 percent body fat … which means … ? The guy has a heck of a lot of muscle. This is the brawn the 26-year-old former Penn State player uses to bowl over offensive linemen and hold his ground against angry guards as he works on upping the 103 total combined tackles of his five-year pro career.

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Lots of muscle requires lots of maintenance, though, and Odrick relies heavily on a daily cocktail of dietary supplements, including magnesium, zinc, glutamine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), sleep-assistance vitamins, protein powder, and something he calls “wellness greens,” to feed his force. The Dolphins veteran, picked No. 28 overall by Miami in the 2010 draft, also spends up to three hours per day in the weight room in the offseason, lifting and growing his massive bulk, of course, but also nurturing and soothing it with recovery programs like shockwave therapy and infrared saunas.

Yet as he starts his fifth season with Miami, Odrick says his biggest physical challenge isn’t with his body, but inside his mind. “For me, it’s keeping my mind on the things I can control and letting those things I can’t control out of the door—not letting the outside world come into what you consider your workspace,” he says. Tricky when you’re a starting NFL player and scrutinized by every major sports media outlet, but after five years in the league, clearly Odrick has the mental muscle to do his own inductive reasoning when it comes to focusing on how to play.

age	height	weight
26 years old	6-foot-5	298 lbs.

Training grounds: Miami and Toronto.

Nickname: J-O.

Body fat: 11 percent.

Hours spent training per day: Two in the offseason; four in-season. “In the offseason, I’ll work out for an hour, take a break, take some magnesium, zinc, BCAAs, have a meal, and then go train for another hour. The biggest thing I’ve learned in the offseason is not to overtrain.”

Days spent training per week: Six.

Hours spent in the weight room per week: Up to 18 hours in the offseason. “But I do a lot of things—infrared sauna, stretching with stretch therapists, shockwave therapy.”

Go-to workout: Pull-ups. “They’re great for back strength and your lats and total back—that’s what you use as a lineman to hit and shed a blocker and torque your body to throw another 300-pound man out of the way. Pull-ups are the one key thing I’ve focused on over the past year. I try to keep them a daily thing.”

Secret workout: Locomotion drills. “I just started doing this over the past year. It’s drills like duck walks, bear crawls, and the six-inch crawl—things that are close to the ground and that build functional strength through your body and work your mobility through a full range of motion. I do them about twice a week.”

Biggest physical challenge: Focusing on the things he can control. “My biggest challenge used to be staying true to my diet, but my trainer changed my way of thinking about eating. Now, it’s probably not letting other things affect my physical play and workouts. For me, it’s keeping my mind on things I can control and letting those things I can’t control out of the door—not letting the outside world come into what you consider your workspace.”

Best recovery tip: Sleep. “I always try to sleep well and take my sleep assistance supplements. That’s probably the biggest regeneration for me. That and some glutamine.”

Training Day: Football Through The Years

The legendary Jim Brown poses for an action portrait during Cleveland Browns training camp in July 1957 at Hiram College.

Jerry Hopkins, John McCormick and Don Breaux take a break from the grind of pre-season training for a little golf practice at Denver Broncos training camp in July 1964.

Andy Robustelli, John LoVetere, Dick Modzelewski and Jim Katcavage running during New York Giants training camp at Fairfield University in August 1963.

Cleveland Browns head coach Blanton Collier diagrams a play on the chalkboard during training camp in July 1963.

New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle works on his passing during a practice at Yankee Stadium, New York, 1963. Tittle played with the Giants from 1961 to 1964.

New York Giants players, coaches and staff use film as part of their training in this rare photo.

Legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi watches over two professional football players who practice blocking and tackling by pushing a blocking sled in the 1960s.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik jogs around the field prior to a practice in 1960 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

New York Giants players participate in training camp in the 1950's as offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi looks on. Giants co-owner Wellington Mara stands in the background.

The New York Giants play in a practice game in a deserted and snowy Yankee Stadium in the late 1950s.

An American football team warms up before practice with some good 'ol jumping jacks in the late 1960's

Denver Broncos QB John Elway doing pull ups during training camp at University of Northern Colorado in August 1983.

Dallas Cowboys placekicker Rafael Septien in sensory depravation tank during training camp at Texas Stadium in July 1982.

San Francisco 49ers wide reciever Jerry Rice working out with the leg press machine as part of his rehabilitation from knee injury in December 1997.

NFL prospect and former University of Virginia lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson running behind the glass drill at Wide World of Sports Disney Complex in Kissimmee in March 2006.

In July 2006, San Francisco 49ers safety Tony Parrish demonstrates Bikram yoga and the Vinyasa flow during a workout in Santa Clara, CA.

The Atlanta Falcons' Keith Brooking in action, demonstrating pull-ups during training camp workout in July 2005.

Pittsburg Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin watches over a practice in May 2007.

Penn State's Stephon Green working on agility drills in the gym during spring training in April 2008.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart demonstrating the Core X System workout at Level 10 Fitness in June 2008.

Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber training to come back to the NFL in 2011 after abruptly retiring from the league in 2006.

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher lifting weights during a workout at his home in June 2013.

Washington Redskins LB London Fletcher working out near is home in North Carolina in June 2013.

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher performs the bear-crawl, sprinting in sand during a workout in June 2013.

NFL referee Ed Hochuli working out at the Life Time Fitness gym in Tempe, AZ in September 2012.

Western Branch quarterback Kevin Newsome lifting weights during a workout in the gym of Western Branch HS in Chesapeake, VA.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis participating in an elementary school gym class at Briarwood Elementary in Santa Clara, CA in June 2008.

Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy working out in the weight room at Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center on the University of Texas campus in April 2009.

Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley running hurdles at the Performance Enhancement Professionals complex in Scottsdale, AZ in February 2014.

Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley working out his biceps at the Performance Enhancement Professionals complex in Scottsdale, AZ in February 2014.

Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley doing curls with his back against a medicine ball at the Performance Enhancement Professionals complex in Scottsdale, AZ in February 2014.

Free agent cornerback Michael Coe working out in the gym.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning lifting barbells in weight room in New Orleans, LA, back in April 1981.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre working out in gym at Don Hutson Center in October 1995.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre working out with strength and conditioning coach Kent Johnston.

Brett Favre working with quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci during practice outside of Lambeau Field.

Former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey running through the arm tackle power tunnel equipment during training camp at Millsaps College in 2008.

Scott Schanle, of the New Orleans Saints, running agility drills during training camp at Millsaps College in 2008.

NFL prospect Blake Bortles works out with professional trainers at EXOS Athletes Performance in Carlsbad, CA.

Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde works on improving his 40 time with a trainer in Tampa, FL.

Former Green Bay Packers wide reciever Donald Driver bikes into training camp while fans follow in July 2008.

Calories consumed per day: “I don’t really count them. I don’t like saying it, but I try to stay close to something called the ‘metro-paleo diet.’ It’s about 90 percent paleo, with some cheat days—you know, helps you maximize muscle and reduce fat gain and inflammation.”

Favorite pre-game meal: Steak and sweet potatoes. “I like getting red meat in before competition, as well as some really good carbs. It tastes good, and it’s really beneficial.”

Typical recovery meal: Protein shake and supplements. “I make my shakes with this paelo protein I have right now, along with some glutamine and wellness greens. Every now and then, I’ll throw in a banana, but bananas make me more tired, so I don’t like to do that if I’m going to work out again. I also take zinc and magnesium and some BCAAs.”

Celebration meal: Philly cheese steak. “A lot of my family is from Philly, and I’m from P.A., too. There’s just something about melted cheese—it does something to me with that chopped-up steak meat, good bread, and fried onions. The combination is hard to describe, but I feel like it sells itself.”

Biggest dietary vice: Restaurant bread. “Wherever you sit down, I like the table bread they bring you, the hot fresh rolls. I’m not supposed to eat them [says his trainer], but they’re free, they’re hot, and they’re fresh. And there’s butter. What are you supposed to do?”

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Alcohol of choice: Wine. “I’ve been trying to learn more about Italian wines, but I also like Spanish wines. If I’m out, I’ll usually get a vodka soda—but the emphasis then is on ifI go out.”

On the origins of his Pee-wee Herman sack dance:“Two or three years ago, we had a different defensive coordinator, and he made up incentives for turning over the ball and running it for touchdown. If you danced after plays, you got extra points. During that time on TV, they kept rerunning ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,’ and I told a teammate that if I picked up a ball, I was going to do the Pee-wee Herman dance. And I picked up a fumble and did it. But then he said, “You wouldn’t do it during a game, and I said, ‘I bet you I will.’ So in the first game of that season, I got a sack against Tim Tebow and did a dance. Ever since then, the stadium has replayed the music and I do the dance.”

On what others say about his body: “You usually expect someone who weighs 300 pounds to be a little wider [than I am], so I do get all sorts of comments. And spending so much time up in Canada, they’re always commenting on my size and physique just because there aren’t many football players walking around.”

On what he thinks about his own body:“I think it’s come along way from the 11-year ‘Round Mound of Rebound [Charles Barkley’s nickname].' But I really have to give thanks to my personal trainer for helping me develop more these past two years. And I think I have a lot more to do.”

Published Sep 15, 2014

SARAH TOLAND