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Fletcher Cox Credits Unusual Workout Regimen For His Athleticism

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  • Fletcher Cox Credits Unusual Workout Regimen For His Athleticism

    http://www.espn.com/blog/philadelphi...ional-workouts

    It sounds funny to categorize a player of his stature and physique as an athlete, but it’s truly a reflection of the way Cox views himself. It’s part of a mentality he’s taken on with his offseason preparation to help him get to the point where he’s rarely coming off the field, raising his performance during the most critical stretch of the season.

    He attributes the success he’s having with an even heavier workload in the playoffs to a somewhat unconventional training program he began five years ago back in his home state of Mississippi. In 2013, the Yazoo City native hooked up with Deon Hodges, a former wide receiver at the University of Southern Mississippi who was starting out his career as the head strength and conditioning coach at D1 Sports Training, the facility where Cox began putting in his offseason work after his first year in the NFL.

    What Hodges saw was an opportunity to create a training regimen that went beyond traditional workouts for a defensive lineman. Cox wasn’t just going to spend his hours lifting weights, going through steer drills with other linemen or running through a three-cone setup to hone his agility and speed. Using his background as a skill player, Hodges designed workouts to fuse all of Cox’s tools.

    “He’s just a natural freakish athlete,” Hodges said. “My job is to maximize it.”

    At D1, Cox often trains with wide receivers and defensive backs. Hodges’ favorite piece of training equipment for his defensive tackle is a Vertimax, which is designed to increase vertical jump and first-step quickness.

    For someone who has played every position from a zero to a five-technique tackle, Cox’s workouts reflect as much his ability as a hybrid defender as they do his capability to dominate whomever he’s going against.

    There’s something about the fluidity to his movement that puts onlookers in awe, whether it’s taking on a double-team or exhibiting his strength in other nonconventional ways.

    Hodges gets a laugh whenever Cox demonstrates something players of his size aren’t normally able to execute with such ease. There’s a basketball hoop inside D1’s training facility where Cox will often take $20 sucker bets between workouts from anyone who wants to see whether he can dunk a regulation-size basketball.

    “He would go up and just tell them to keep the cash, go get yourself a nice lunch,” Hodges said with a laugh. “It’s almost like a side hustle. It’s hilarious to watch.”

    The Eagles saw a change in their 2012 first-round pick shortly after Cox and Hodges began working together. Hodges flew to Philadelphia years ago to meet with Josh Hingst, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, who noticed a “different guy” when Cox returned for his second season in 2014.
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