The Los Angeles Lakers have put #2 overall pick Brandon Ingram on an interesting eating plan to help him gain weight for the upcoming NBA season.
Former Duke forward Brandon Ingram starred for the Blue Devils last year having an All-American season as a freshman and being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers as the second pick in the NBA Draft. Ingram has high expectations and star potential, but one of his weaknesses is his skinny figure and low weight.
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Ingram recently discussed his eating habits and the plan that the Lakers have put him on to help him gain weight, which the former Blue Devil himself describes as “sickening“. He eats six meals and around 5,000 calories a day which includes “breakfast, then a snack, then lunch, then a snack, then dinner, then a midnight snack”, using a mobile reminder app on his phone that goes off every three or four hours reminding him to eat.
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The 6-9, 190 pound forward averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in his only season with the Blue Devils, en route to earning 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year. He has received many comparisons to NBA star Kevin Durant, who also is a tall and skinny player. He added a lot of strength during the college season at Duke, but apparently the Lakers want him to add even more to be able to compete with bigger and stronger forwards in the NBA.
Even though this plan will help Ingram gain weight which he can transform into muscle, the ESPN article also mentions how this type of weight gain could be ineffective long term and even “dangerous”. Trainer Tim Grover, who worked with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, noted in his book that the goal shouldn’t be to add weight but “to train your muscles for maximum quick, explosive force” and says that Brandon Ingram’s rapid weight gain plan could cause him to fail in the NBA.
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Ingram himself doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of the plan, saying he’s motivated to show them that his size doesn’t matter and wasn’t a factor before, but will “stick to it”. Another thing to note is that Brandon Ingram is only 18, and still has the possibility of growing some more. Make sure to check out the entire piece on Ingram’s weight gain plan here, and we’ll keep you updated on the former Blue Devil’s progress as the NBA season approaches.