Earl Mitchell bulks up from 287 to 308 pounds

[Playoffs]

Earl Mitchell bulks up from 287 to 308 pounds
Nick Scurfield

...“It was kind of a conscious effort,” Mitchell (6-3) said on Thursday. “I just focused on knowing what I needed to do and just kind of the battles that I was going through, knowing that I needed to weigh a little bit more just to withstand those double teams in playing nose tackle. I thought that this was going to be a big year for me, so I approached it very seriously and pretty much just wanted to hit it with a full head of steam to build off of how I was playing in the latter part of the season.”

read complete article: http://blog.houstontexans.com/2012/0...to-308-pounds/

[CloakNNNdagger]

The Texans finally got smart about what they need in the middle. That weight gain was basically in his upper body..........and all muscle. He already had good lower bulk and strength.

[beerlover]

Earl is a gem of a person too. Local product from North Shore went to Arizona as a top rated TE. couldn't get on the field because of some guy named Rob Gronkowski so he switched positions to DT. now this says a lot about his work ethic & raw physical talent.

[Jackie Chiles]

I thought he had a chance to beat out Cody last year. Shaun played better than I thought he would and kept his job but he is going to have a hard time this year.

[Hardcore Texan]

Originally Posted by beerlover

Earl is a gem of a person too. Local product from North Shore went to Arizona as a top rated TE. couldn't get on the field because of some guy named Rob Gronkowski so he switched positions to DT. now this says a lot about his work ethic & raw physical talent.

That's awesome, thanks for the info.

[rmartin65]

I love it. Personally, I think the 305-310 range is damn near perfect for the current system. Quickness and Power.

[Texn4life]

I like Mitchell. I think this can possibly take him to the next level in this defense.

[Playoffs]

“I feel pretty much the same. So far, I noticed a big change in the weight room. I’ve gotten a lot stronger, and I feel a whole lot better and just a whole lot more confident just being around my teammates, just feeling stronger and feeling a little bit more healthy conditioning-wise.”

[TimeKiller]

Of course, you have to eat to gain the weight and he says learning to cook a little bit helped him to really pack it on....

My question is....don't the Texans have a team chef? I guess they probably can't send one out to every home. Geez, I know my friend is a serious body builder and had to learn how to bake about 10 chickens a week to keep up his growth. Already at 280, moving up another 20 pounds definitely took some dedication. If he can still run and keep the explosion at 305 he's going to be fierce this season!

[bckey]

This is awesome! I was already excited for football to start and now there is 1 more reason to bump up that level of excitement. Mitchell wants to start and dominate. This is going to be one heck of a year for the Texans. Five primetime games including Thanksgiving. A new crop of receivers with potential. Mercilus and Crick ready to make a name and wreck some offenses their rookie year. A fatboy olineman that is agile and an SEC center that could play guard also and is probably gonna be good for a long time in the NFL. I'm even excited to see Bradie James in the middle! Damn I'm ready for some football!

[rush2112mn]

Originally Posted by CloakNNNdagger

The Texans finally got smart about what they need in the middle. That weight gain was basically in his upper body..........and all muscle. He already had good lower bulk and strength.

Looks like Cushing is wearing off on everyone.....another gym rat born........
Hulk strongerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... ..

[DX-TEX]

Originally Posted by rush2112mn

Looks like Cushing is wearing off on everyone.....another gym rat born........
Hulk strongerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... ..

So Mitchells weight gain is because he is pregnant?

[cj5776]

Originally Posted by Jackie Chiles

I thought he had a chance to beat out Cody last year. Shaun played better than I thought he would and kept his job but he is going to have a hard time this year.

Since this is the last year of Cody' contract, it's good to hear that is one FA we do not have to worry about resigning. I'm still a traumatized about this last off-season. If Mithell can step up we can cross Cody off the list.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by cj5776

Since this is the last year of Cody' contract, it's good to hear that is one FA we do not have to worry about resigning. I'm still a traumatized about this last off-season. If Mithell can step up we can cross Cody off the list.

If we dump Cody we just have to find someone else and he is already cheap so what's the point unless it is an obvious upgrade?

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by TimeKiller

Of course, you have to eat to gain the weight and he says learning to cook a little bit helped him to really pack it on....

My question is....don't the Texans have a team chef? I guess they probably can't send one out to every home. Geez, I know my friend is a serious body builder and had to learn how to bake about 10 chickens a week to keep up his growth. Already at 280, moving up another 20 pounds definitely took some dedication. If he can still run and keep the explosion at 305 he's going to be fierce this season!

They have a RD (registered dietitian) educate the players and help them structure their meals from day 1.

[IDEXAN]

Very difficult to gain > 20 lbs and still retain the quickness & foot speed of the lighter weight, there's bound to be a tradeoff, and therefor there will be a price exacted at the heavier weight. Lets hope the added weightand hopefully greater strength will more than offset the lost abilities.

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by IDEXAN

Very difficult to gain > 20 lbs and still retain the quickness & foot speed of the lighter weight, there's bound to be a tradeoff, and therefor there will be a price exacted at the heavier weight. Lets hope the added weightand hopefully greater strength will more than offset the lost abilities.

This is my concern, I almost posted this earlier. Mitchells "thing" is his speed for a big guy. As long as his quickness doesn't fall off too much, he could have a solid year.

[Wolf6151]

I'm glad to hear of the added bulk as long as he doesn't lose athleticism in the process or test positive for anything. Also with OTA's and then training camp, I question if he can keep the weight on going into the season. With Cody being a FA after this next season we may see a NT rotation of Mitchell and Fangupo soon.

[otisbean]

Originally Posted by IDEXAN

Very difficult to gain > 20 lbs and still retain the quickness & foot speed of the lighter weight, there's bound to be a tradeoff, and therefor there will be a price exacted at the heavier weight. Lets hope the added weightand hopefully greater strength will more than offset the lost abilities.

This is not always the case, if his strength and explosiveness are maintained through training he may not lose much if any thing. As an example, if he deadlifts 550 and power cleans 315 at 285 and those numbers equate to a 4.75 40, if he jumps to a bodyweight of 305 and DLs 625 and cleans 365 he wouldn't lose much on field explosiveness.

If he put on 20 lbs of fat or just gained size in his upper body alone you could see a drop in on field performance

As a side note, it's not uncommon for heavy weight olympic weightlifters and shot putters to run faster 10yd splits than the sprinters.

[amazing80]

Earl weighed 296 at the combine and had a 1.56 10 yard split. He should be just fine at 310 and maintaining his speed and quickness.