Bulking up: How high school football players can gain weight in a healthy way

On a trip to the beach this summer, Garth Barclay made sure his family's kitchen was stocked with five boxes of Cocoa Pebbles. 

He wasn't supplying his siblings and parents with an abundance of snacks. He just needed to make sure he had something for breakfast every day. 

"I brought five boxes, and I ate one each day," the rising York Suburban senior said. "If I eat more than a bowl of cereal, the box ends up becoming the serving size."

While some athletes have to cut down on the amount they eat to keep their weight low, Barclay is in the opposite situation.

Standing 6-foot-7 and blessed (or cursed) with a fast metabolism, the offensive lineman has to eat constantly to keep his weight up. It's a task that is already a prerequisite for his position in high school but will become even more important when he suits up for Syracuse University in college.

Barclay, who looks trim at 256 pounds, said he often eats around 10,000 calories a day in an effort to get his weight to around 270 for the start of the season. That's not far off from the jaw-dropping 12,000 calorie diet Michael Phelps said he ate (and later admitted he exaggerated) leading up to the 2008 Olympics. 

"People are a little doubtful," Barclay said about the reaction to his calorie amount. "They just have to sit down with me, and they'll see." 

While he definitely goes further than many of his peers, Barclay is not in a unique situation. Offensive and defensive lineman at the college and professional ranks need to constantly eat to keep their weight at or above 300 pounds, which can have a trickle-down effect on the high school athletes hoping to play at those levels. 

If you're a teenage lineman with big aspirations, you need to eat a lot.  And then eat some more. 

Of course, that leads to obvious health questions. Namely, how can any young athlete eat upward of 5,000 calories a day and remain healthy? 

It's not an easy task, and it's something that linemen from previous generations admit they struggled with. But it is something that players and coaches have made progress at addressing in recent years. 

And it's a task that many in York County take seriously. 

"My mom has been amazing with always putting out super healthy, high-protein meals," Barclay said. "For me it's not just about how much you eat, it's about eating the right stuff and not junk food. A lot of college coaches said they were glad I wasn't 340 pounds." 

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How linemen used to eat 

Offensive and defensive linemen have always been big, but over the past few decades they've gotten bigger. 

In the 1980s, an average NFL offensive lineman weighed 272 pounds. Now, the average is around 315. It's not much different at the collegiate level, with linemen at top programs at least topping 290 if not 300 pounds on average. 

Of course, the vast majority of high school linemen aren't going to play at the Division I level, let alone the NFL. There are plenty in York and Adams counties who aren't nearly that heavy. Still, most teams in the YAIAA had at least one lineman weighing between 285 pounds and 300 last season. 

Most linemen at Division II colleges like Millersville and Shippensburg are at least 270 pounds and often over 300. 

So for local linemen hoping to play at the next level, those numbers can become benchmarks. And hitting those benchmarks requires consuming a lot of food.

"When I was in high school, my best friend and I used to go to Maple Donuts and try to eat a dozen donuts after lifting to try and gain weight," said Kennard-Dale athletic director Gary McChalicher, a 1996 Red Lion graduate who played offensive tackle for the Lions. "Just completely not healthy." 

McChalicher, who now has a doctorate degree in exercise and fitness, has plenty of food stories from his playing days at Shippensburg and during a two-year career in the Arena Football League, when he carried 290 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. He said a typical dinner for him in college could've been four glasses of milk or Gatorade, a cheesesteak, a plate of pasta with taco meat and some cake. 

He admitted that before getting on the scale for professional scouts, he would consume as much fluid as possible and then not go to bathroom to make himself as heavy as possible. 

"Just excruciating pain," he said. 

His experiences aren't too different from those of Kennard-Dale coach Chris Grube, who said he and teammates often "pigged out at the all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut buffet" when he was a 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman at Wilkes College. 

Today, McChalicher and Grube preach to their players the importance of eating healthy. While they know all teenagers are going to eat junk food occasionally, they stress high-protein diets and carbohydrates right before games to provide energy. 

"I know they're going to go to McDonald's. They're kids," Grube said. "But I preach getting our bodies ready. A lot of chicken ... pasta the night before a game." 

The 'colors of the rainbow' diet 

According to Dr. Mark Lavallee of WellSpan Sports Medicine, there are numerous factors that high school linemen and their families should consider and consult their doctors on before choosing a diet. 

That includes the genetics, socioeconomic situation and health history of the athlete's family.

In other words, feeding a teenage boy can be expensive, and a 5-foot-10 kid shouldn't eat as much as a 6-foot-6 kid. 

"We like simple answers, but nutrition is not simple and easy," Lavallee said. "If you try to say every football player should be eating (the same thing), you'll be wrong 50% of the time."

Still, Lavallee said that most players should eat "the colors of the rainbow," meaning they should focus on red meat, green vegetables and dark brown bread with the white and yellow of eggs mixed in. In terms of protein, the average lineman should eat between 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass every day. 

In simpler terms, a lineman trying to maintain 275 pounds should eat the equivalent of eight cans of tuna (or a protein source of that size) every day. They should also try to eat every two to three hours instead of consuming a ton at once, since an overload of protein will simply turn into waste or fat. 

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Like Grube, Lavallee is aware that most linemen don't completely stick to the "rainbow" plan, but he still thinks it's important for them to keep good eating habits rather than "overeating just to get to a particular weight." He recommended that families consult their physicians on finding a local nutritionist if they believe their son requires a more-regimented plan. 

"There's not a lot of football linemen who are like, 'I'm just jonesing for some Brussels sprouts, give me some green, leafy vegetables and I'm good,'" Lavallee said. "Maybe they do in California, not in southcentral Pennsylvania." 

What's in a typical York lineman's diet? 

It takes a lot of time and effort for someone to eat every two to three hours, as Lavallee recommends. 

On a typical morning, Barclay eats six eggs and three slices of ham. After a workout, he downs 28 ounces of chocolate milk and usually eats a bowl of cereal. Lunch might be a burrito bowl and bag of chips from Chipotle, followed by an afternoon snack of homemade chicken quesadillas. Dinner is whatever his mom makes that night, though almost always something high in protein. 

He finishes off the day with shake that consists of two scoops of ice cream, bananas, peanut butter and protein powder. 

"It can be constant, eating every hour," he said during an interview in July. "My mom is all over the place trying to get us to expand our palates. Last night was stir fry. Tonight is steak and potatoes, and tomorrow my dad is cooking a brisket."

Barclay has the luxury of coming from a family that has plenty of experience bulking up. His father, Pete, stands 6-foot-8 and weighed 300 pounds when he played football for Princeton. His older brother, Gavin, is 6-foot-6, 310 pounds and starts at right tackle for Division I Lafayette. 

Other kids are figuring out the process for the first time. 6-foot-4 Kennard-Dale senior offensive tackle Patrick Maloney has been recruited by a number of Division II PSAC schools and has gotten some Division I interest. He currently weighs around 250 pounds but is hoping to be 280 by the time he plays college football.

Maloney, who powerlifts in the offseason, has already gained about 35 pounds from last season by eating 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day, featuring a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chocolate milk and protein shakes after workouts. 

One reason Maloney's diet remains healthy (though somewhat complicated) is that his mom is currently on the keto diet. That's the same situation for 6-foot, 250-pound Red Lion senior guard Jared Miller, who was named a first-team league all-star last season and is also getting recruited by PSAC schools. 

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"No carbs is almost impossible for a football player," Maloney said. "I've told my mom when she makes keto meals that I need to have a feel for my body. For me, it's just eat, eat and eat some more."

Added Miller: "I eat keto at home, and I make sure I get my calories in when I'm with my friends.

"During the season I'm always trying to get stuff decently healthy in me. But I am a lineman so every now and then I'm going to splurge."

Most high school linemen are going to splurge at some point. For some players, that could be a trip to a buffet or a fast-food joint. 

Others like Barclay prefer something different on "cheat" day.

"My favorite meal is at this Vietnamese bistro where I get this massive plate of stir fry chicken, steak and pork spring rolls," he said. "Eating has become a job, but I'll always have joy for it."

How big is too big?

South Western football coach Chris Heilman was entering his junior year at Shippensburg the first time he was introduced to creatine. 

He was a 6-foot-2, 268-pound defensive end coming off an All-PSAC season. But he wanted to be even better, and to him that meant getting bigger and stronger. 

Taking supplements seemed like a good way to do that. 

"I came into camp at 280 pounds," Heilman said. "But I felt slower. I wasn't as mobile. The speed of the game is the most important thing, and when you've lost that step, you are at a disadvantage." 

There are two lessons to be learned from Heilman's story. One is about mixing supplements and other sources of protein within a normal diet. The other is about knowing how big is too big. 

First, the supplements. Many coaches in the YAIAA have concerns about their players taking creatine, a natural substance that is sold over-the-counter in powder form. Creatine helps players build muscle and gain weight by pulling water into their muscles, but it also can cause cramping, stomach pain and be harmful for people with kidney problems. 

According to Lavallee, creatine can be effective as a "plateau buster" that helps a player get a little bigger or stronger when they haven't seen progress from working out. However, an athlete should consult with a doctor before taking it, and it should only be taken in small doses for short periods of time. 

Lavallee added that normal protein shakes and bars are harmless and can be a good snack or meal replacement for players looking to gain weight. 

"If you aren't making gains in speed or strength, creatine has a place in getting you over the hump," Lavallee said. "Just because it's over-the-counter doesn't mean it's always safe. The FDA doesn't regulate supplements, so when the industry says take five grams (of creatine) four times a day, it's just an industry way to get you to buy more."

When it comes to knowing how much you should bulk up, the consensus is that a player should never sacrifice their explosiveness for pure size. 

That means it's rarely smart for a 6-foot lineman to weigh over 300 pounds, even if that player has dreams of playing at the Division I level. In those cases, a player is best suited looking for opportunities at the Division II or Division III levels. 

"Do what you can to be healthy, and if they feel you have the talent to play at (the Division I level) they will help you put on the rest of the weight when you get there," Heilman said. "Don't hurt yourself trying to get there. If you can't get out of your stance because you're too big, no Division I school will look at you anyway."

Added McChalicher: "A kid will be a Division I player by being tall, athletic and moving well in space. If he has those things, he'll get where he needs to go. If you're 300 pounds and you can't move, kids will just go around you."

A good example is 2013 York Suburban grad Matt Kauffman, who at 6-foot-5 weighed 270 pounds when he accepted a partial scholarship to Division I FCS Towson. He eventually bulked up to 315 pounds and became a three-year starter and all-conference player. He had a tryout with the New Orleans Saints this past spring. 

Kauffman said his diet as a modern college lineman was based around eating six meals a day, hitting the major foods groups and avoiding soda and fried foods. He added that he wished he knew more about nutrition when he was in high school. 

"Our coach would always go on a spiel about how you can't put bad gas in a Ferrari," said Kauffman, who added he probably consumed 4,000 calories a day in college. "We'd have bagels before a lift. Trail mix, yogurt, beef jerky as snacks. Swapping out fried chicken for grilled or baked chicken. Stuff like that."

Keeping linemen "healthy for life"

Barclay knows he could easily weigh 310 pounds at some point during his career at Syracuse. 

He also knows that's not the weight he'll want to carry for the rest of his life. 

"My mom is already giving my brother and I lectures about keeping the weight off after college," Barclay said. "I'm enjoying it while I can."

While many linemen lose excess weight once they finish their football careers, others become so used to consuming large amounts of calories that they go in the other direction. 

That can lead to health issues like diabetes the older and heavier a person gets. 

"You develop a habit and mentality of eating a certain way that becomes part of how you do things," McChalicher said. "It's hard to change those habits."

While losing weight isn't something high school linemen have to think about right now, it could be something to keep in mind down the road. Kauffman, who is still trying to continue his football career after a recent tryout with the newly launched XFL, said he plans to slim down once he hangs up his pads. 

A good example to follow is Heilman, who has lost approximately 75 pounds since his playing career ended in the late 1990s and now looks like a former wide receiver at 200 pounds. The 42-year-old coach said he had college teammates who struggled with their weight, but that he slimmed down by cutting his meals in half and continuing to work out. 

"I don't need to be able to bench press 315 pounds or squat 500 pounds anymore, so I'm going to do the stuff that's going to help me win the game of life and be there for my wife and daughter," Heilman said. "That's the stuff I stress to our players." 

As Lavallee put it, "we are here to keep them healthy for life, not just for one sport."