Its international night at JPJ Dining Hall.
Athletes from various Virginia teams pour into the room, rocking Cavalier gear and perusing tonights menu.
A wall is lined with dishes from different countries, including a Nigerian-inspired recipe of Jollof rice and plantains and a German Schnitzel, which is the talk of the dining hall.
Football players are among the athletes who frequent the dinners on the second floor of JPJ.
While fans see the product Bronco Mendenhall and company put on the field every weekend, they rarely get a glimpse into the work that goes on behind the scenes. Building a winning program requires more than excellence on game day. It requires consistent dedication on and off the field.
It also requires a lot of food.
When fans and media members cite stats about UVas success this season, the linebackers are quickly mentioned. Charles Snowden, Jordan Mack, Zane Zandier and Noah Taylor are among the four best linebackers in the entire ACC, but that wasnt always the case.
Last year I was just getting thrown around, Taylor, a sophomore, said. This year its not the same. Its not as easy to just push me around.
Taylors growth, both mentally and physically, isnt an accident. Shawn Griswold, Virginias director of football development and performance, and Randy Bird, UVas director of sports nutrition, have helped build Taylor, and the teams linebackers, into dominant ACC athletes.
After noticing his lack of size hurting him as a freshman, Taylor worked to add weight. He credited Griswold and a bulking program for his success this season.
Taylors diet is one that many college students employ.
If its food, I put it in my mouth, Taylor said.
Taylor checks in at about 215-220 pounds after playing at 205 pounds a year ago. Snowden weighs 235 pounds, and the junior fills out his 6-foot-7-inch frame better than he did as a 200-pound recruit coming out of high school.
While Zandier and Mack havent had quite the same physical transformations, theyre both stronger and more complete football players after years of learning from Griswold.
Griswold doesnt have one philosophy for strength training. The experienced trainer believes different players can succeed with different workout plans.
Logically, this makes sense. Wide receiver Joe Reed wants a different body type than someone like tight end Tanner Cowley. Reed and Cowley may do similar lifts and programs, but the volume and weight on those lifts may vary to help both excel at their respective position.
Griswold frequently monitors the work rate of his players. He doesnt want players maintaining where theyre at during the season, but rather constantly improving their strength and conditioning.
Were trying to play for an ACC Championship, a bowl championship and however far [the season] takes you, Griswold said. Its going to be November, December and then hopefully sometime in January. Really, youre still trying to make progress as best you can.
While this can be difficult for starters because of the on-field toll they take during the season, young players not expected to see the field much receive significant in-season strength training reps to get them to UVas base expectation.
Griswold mentioned that players such as running back Mike Hollins and other freshmen are on different training plans than players such as Reed or Bryce Perkins. Those younger players train three days a week in addition to their other football practices.
This helps explain the growth of players like Snowden and Taylor. While fans and media members focus on each weeks game and the present state of the program, Griswold works diligently to build Virginias future.
Hollins might not play a major role this season, but the work is being put in for the running back to become one of the ACCs best in the coming years.
The coaching strategy, which focuses on developing individuals as not only football players but also as athletes, is a key reason why Mendenhall and company have turned UVa into an ACC Coastal Division contender.
Given the amount of work done inside the weight room, nutrition becomes critical. UVa athletes have access to the dinners at JPJ Dining Hall from Sunday-Thursday. The hall is closed on Fridays and Saturdays as many teams are competing or traveling on weekends.
While not every night is international night, theres variety in the meals that are served each day. The football teams captains speak with Bird regularly to discuss meals and the requests of the team. Bird does his best to accommodate.
Additionally, Bird helps develops meal plans for players who come to him with specific fitness goals. Bird then helps design a plan that each player will enjoy.
If you look at our linebackers, between Noah Taylor, Elliott Brown, Charles Snowden, they all have very similar body types, Bird said. So their nutrition plans are going to be similar, but theyre still individualized based on their preferences because I could put together the quote, unquote, perfect meal plan, but if its foods theyre not going to eat, then obviously its not perfect plan, right? So you have to account for their individual preferences to allow them to get foods they like and will eat and still meet their nutrient needs to see the results that they want to see.
Like a parent trying to get their young child to eat vegetables, this can be challenging.
Even though Bird helps create meal plans and is in charge of getting food for the team before and after games, hes not constantly monitoring their diet. This is why he only creates individualized meal plans for the players that proactively seek it out.
If someone wants to gain muscle or shed fat, they can come to Bird and hell help develop a plan. He doesnt do this for players who dont seek out his advice, as they might not need the guidance or likely wouldnt follow through on the plan.
Considering the age of the players and the diet of an average college student, Birds plans are reasonable for young adults to follow. Hes fine with players enjoying cheat meals or eating something thats not quite as beneficial as a typical team meal.
What I tell them is, generally, if they can stick to it 90% of the time, theyre going to see results that they want, Bird said. I dont want them to be following a structured plan 100% of the time, because then it is more like a diet.
Bird wants his players feeling free to be college students by eating the occasional unhealthy meal. He specifically implements that idea into his plans.
So that way it builds in, I can go get Mellow Mushroom pizza, and its not going to hurt me, Bird said. Or I can go to Ben and Jerrys, and its not going to hurt me, as long as theyre keeping it to 10% and not letting that expand to 30%.
With Griswolds strength program and Birds emphasis on eating well, the team works diligently behind the scenes to prevent injuries. Part of the reason Griswold monitors his players work rate is to ensure he doesnt overwork the athletes. He wants to build up players to the elite strength and conditioning standards of the program while also making sure key contributors are fresh for games.
Birds nutrition work is continuous. As UVa players leave the practice field, two giant bins holding Gatorade and water wait for them. They then receive protein shakes and have yogurt and fruit available once theyre done showering.
He supplies the team with a pregame meal that usually consists of beef, chicken, pasta and fruit, but he stressed that most of the nutrition work comes during the week. Players need to put in tremendous work to prepare for each ACC game, and that requires fueling themselves accordingly.
Griswold and Bird communicate frequently to discuss the best training options for players and the logistics of feeding the team on road trips. The duo puts in significant work behind the scenes to put the players in a position to succeed. While they wont receive many major headlines or awards, theyre more than happy to watch the players succeed.
These dudes, they work so hard, and they work really hard in the classroom, Griswold said. I think across the country, [people] dont really understand that to go to school at UVa, no matter what sport you play, youre unique. Its not that easy. Its pretty incredible what these student-athletes do.
Its unlikely Griswold and Bird would recognized in public by UVa fans, but the two unsung heroes are critical pieces to the football foundation Bronco Mendenhall is building at Virginia.
Follow this link:
Building the Cavaliers: Diet, workouts play critical role in Virginia's football success - The Daily Progress
