Patrick Mahomes’ biggest dilemma last season was whether to prioritize gaining a few extra pounds to endure hits from the opposition or to shed weight to stay agile enough to evade them. While the Chiefs superstar started the season intending to bulk up, over time, he and his fitness staff changed plans, resulting in the QB being the lightest he has ever been today.
Advertisement
In his conversation with WHOOP founder Will Ahmed, the three-time Super Bowl winner revealed that he was able to achieve this feat thanks to a well-curated diet regime. Mahomes also confirmed that his weight fluctuates between 230 [right after the game] to 220 pounds [before the game next week].
While a layman might be baffled by this pattern, Mahomes revealed that it’s all part of the plan he and his team have “mastered over time.” The strategy is simple for the QB: be the lightest on gameday to evade hits. So when it’s showtime, Patrick practices calorie cycling by eating abundantly, resulting in weight gain on Monday.
But as the week progresses, the QB eats “lighter and lighter” till Saturday night [Or a day before gameday] when he once again has a big cheat meal to get him through the game. In simple words, Mahomes has two cheat meals in a week while being disciplined for the rest of the days.
He explained:
“With Bobby [trainer] and my chef, we have a plan of eating lighter and lighter all the way up until Saturday and then right before the game, I have one more last big meal to kind of get those calories… to be able to eat something to get me through the game.”
Mahomes’ discipline doesn’t end here. Avoiding sugar after 5 p.m. is also part of his weight-cutting technique during the week. Luckily for him, he satisfies his sugar cravings during his massive cheat meals on Monday and Saturday nights.
All things considered, Mahomes’ adoption of a customized form of calorie cycling is the best solution for an athlete like him. Offsetting the calorie and weight loss during the week with two massive cheat meals offers the following three benefits:
1] It’s a balanced and easy-to-manage diet.
2] It helps maximize weight loss while preventing metabolic slowdown.
3] Consuming heavy carbs and sugar before the game keeps the spirits high.
While most extremists like Tom Brady would still go for a low-carb or keto diet, Mahomes’ injury-free run to the Super Bowl last season is a testament to his curated technique.
