As Titans running back Chris Johnson attempts to bounce back from a disappointing 2011 season, he thinks getting bigger will be a big part of that.
Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that Johnson currently weighs 200 pounds and wants to gain a few pounds between now and the start of training camp. Players naturally lose a few pounds while sweating through August practices, but Johnson said he’d like to weigh about 197 or 198 pounds during the regular season, after playing last year at 191.
“I want to be a little heavier because it makes me feel a little sturdier and it helps me make it through the whole season with the bumps and bruises,” Johnson said.
Tennessee coach Mike Munchak said early this month that he was impressed with how hard Johnson was working at putting on muscle, spending five days a week in the Titans’ weight room. Johnson also said he’ll be running hills to build up his leg muscles.
So Johnson won’t be gaining weight like most of us, by drinking soda and eating french fries. And he’s hoping that gaining weight the right way will have the right results, after a season in which not much went right for Johnson.