Bulking and putting on weight is no easy task, not only does it take a certain mindset but also a great amount of discipline to do so. A person needs to train themselves to eat more as well as to work out even when they don’t want to–– their mental game needs to be strong. This is especially true for football when size matters at certain positions. If a guy wants to play on the line, or in the trenches, he may have to line up across from a kid who is six-foot-five and two hundred fifty pounds. Senior Nick Marinaro knew this and prepared, as a result, he took the word of bulking to a whole new level.

Marinaro started off small, one of the smallest kids in his freshman year. He went from being five-foot-two, and one hundred and sixty pounds, to six-foot-two and two hundred seventy-five pounds. When it came to senior year, people didn’t even recognize him walking around the halls. “The biggest thing was just a change in mentality. Normally, people eat when they are hungry or even less. Psychologically, I have made the change to always want to be ‘full’ or close to it. I have eaten to avoid hunger,” Marinaro said.

Certain food groups benefit the body in different ways, providing a range of nutrients. Marinaro made sure to eat all kinds of food from all food groups. “I still try to hit all my food groups and eat as fresh of food as possible. I aim to eat food that is as calorie and protein-dense as possible. This also means a lot of fat, which is necessary for the calories,” Marinaro said.

Forcing himself to overeat meant there was no time to be picky with his meals if he was going to be able to fit in five to six meals a day. “Most of the time, I just try to eat as much of whatever my mom makes as possible. She always cooks super healthy meals, and I will just have huge portions,” Marinaro said.

However, in order to reach his goal, Marinaro had to eat unhealthy foods as well. “I have also needed to fill out my diet with less healthy options to reach my calorie goals. Frozen pizzas have been my best friend as they are about 1000-2000 calories each. I also have had to have a good amount of fast-food to fill up on the go,” Marinaro said.

While doing all this eating, Marinaro made sure to stay in shape. When he wasn’t lifting weights, he was running and doing core on his off days. Determined to accomplish his goals of gaining muscle and staying in shape while consuming large amounts of food. “I have a decently fast metabolism, so I haven’t gained too much fat that I don’t want which is nice, but I do have more trouble getting in shape for sports, I have just needed to put in more time running and doing cardio as I’ve gotten heavier, which is something I never really had to do before,” Marinaro said.

Eventually, Marinaro accomplished his goal and grew to be a behemoth. He became a huge threat on the football field, and all his work and effort earned him his spot as a captain. Not only was he captain this year, but he also led the Red Knights to a third place finish in their section. He also landed a spot on Dartmouth, a Division I, Ivy League football team.