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Jameis Winston drops 18 lbs in effort to avoid sophomore slump

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston hasn't shied away from the fact that he wasn't in the best shape possible during his rookie season, and he's used the offseason to rectify the issue.

Winston's transformation has been met with praise from within the Bucs organization, and the passer recently revealed the change was motivated by a desire to avoid slumping in his sophomore year.

"I heard from around the league that most rookies that come in, if they have a great year, they don't have a plan for the offseason," Winston said, according to ESPN's Britt McHenry. "I had never handled an actual offseason before."

Winston added: "I wanted to have a plan, and I didn't want there to be any excuse for any decline."

The problem for Winston was that the league's strict offseason rules prohibit coaches from working with their players. So the 22-year-old took the matter into his own hands and hired Tim Grover, one of the NBA's most revered trainers.

Grover worked with Winston and helped him improve his eating habits by creating a specially designed dietary schedule. The diet focused on eating smart - changing when Winston ate and altering his portions to better help his workouts - rather than forcing him to give up his favorite foods.

The result? Winston has lost 18 pounds since February.

"He's a special individual from a knowledge standpoint," Grover said. "He just didn't know it. He's gone so long on natural talent, he didn't know how to take care of his body, what to eat, what to drink or how to get his rest."

Once Winston had improved his diet, he and Grover began focusing on working out. Grover's intense two-a-day sessions focused on improving Winston's arm strength, flexibility, footwork, and agility.

"It was pretty tough," Winston said. "When I first got there, we didn't even talk for all that long."

Grover wants Winston to lose another five pounds, which should allow him to play the 2016 season between 225 and 229 pounds.

"My body feels much better," Winston said. "When you're working out consistently and staying in shape, you never have to get in shape. That's the biggest thing."

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