KRIS WEEKS: Slimmed down, pain-free

[PonyPride]

When a football team convenes each August for preseason workouts, one thing that tends to draw significant attention is figuring out which players have gained the most muscle after a rigorous offseason of work in the weight room.

In the case of SMU freshman offensive lineman Kris Weeks, however, what draws attention is how much weight he has lost. When he signed with SMU in February, Weeks told PonyFans.com that he weighed 325 pounds. A week into SMU's preseason workouts, Weeks is weighing in the low 280s.

"I started having knee problems," Weeks said. "I took an anti-inflammatory, but my doctor said, 'you have a lot of weight on your knees' ... which was true."

To shed the extra pounds, Weeks changed up his workout regimen, but more than that, he overhauled his diet — which isn't always easy for a college freshman to do.

"I changed my diet completely," Weeks said. "No more sugar, and no (carbohydrates) at dinner. Plus, I started eating five times a day, but smaller meals — I was used to eating everything I could. Now I'm running a lot more, and eating right."

In addition to his new physique, Weeks has found himself playing a new position this week: guard. After playing tackle exclusively at Sachse High School, Weeks has spent much of his first week with the Mustangs playing between center Taylor Lasecki and tackle Taylor Reich on the third-team offensive line.

"Guard is brand-new to me," Weeks said. "It's not that far from tackle, in terms of the technique, and it's good experience, because we have to learn how to play anywhere on the line."

Weeks acknowledged that as he began to shed pounds, he also lost some strength in his legs, because he continued to feel discomfort in his knees. But now that he is down more than 40 pounds in six months, and has been running and lifting with his legs, Weeks said the strength is returning.

"The pain is gone, my strength is coming back and I even stopped taking the anti-inflammatory," Weeks said. "I feel fine, I'm able to run longer and I have better agility."

[ponyscott]

Sounds like a red shirt year for Weeks...he needs the leg strength for the long haul.

[SMUguy]

I agree, but any of us who have tried to lose weight have to admire the guy's discipline and dedication. Now he just has to take up residence with Mel de Laura and his staff to start bulking back up so he can start cracking skulls for SMU.