There’s been lots of talk that when the lockout is over and training camps start, players will show up overweight and out of shape, thanks to a lack of team-organized conditioning work. But one of the heaviest players in the league is planning to report to camp looking slimmer than he has in years.
Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata says he’s dropped 25 pounds and is weighing it at a svelte (by his standards) 325. And he says the lack of organized team activities actually gave him more time to work out and whip his body into shape.
“I was able to work out more,” Ngata told the Baltimore Sun. “I’ve been running and working out six days a week. I’m more focused in my workouts, and I feel quicker and stronger. The weight loss and the quickness are definitely noticeable.”
Ngata and his family live in Utah during the offseason, and he said that in past offseasons, flying back and forth between home and Baltimore for minicamps and OTAs actually contributed to his weight gain because it was harder to maintain a healthy diet when traveling.
Now that he’s had an offseason of getting himself into shape, Ngata is eager for the lockout to end.
“Hopefully, we can get a deal done and we can get back to work,” he said. “They’ll get one done because the players love this game, the owners love this game and so do the fans.”
