Sam Baker: Supersized When offensive lineman Sam Baker finished his college football career, he knew that he would need to add some strength and muscle mass to take his game to the next level. As a result, he sought out the help of Charles Poliquin and Mike Bystol, owner of Poliquin Performance Center in Chicago, Illinois. After two months, the 6-foot-5 Baker added 25 pounds of solidmuscle and reduced his bodyfat percentage from 26 percent to 16.9 percent. These results apparently impressed the scouts as he went to the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the NFL Draft.

NFL Countdown: Sam Baker Bulks Up
How this NFL rookie took his training to the next level
by Kim Goss

As an offensive tackle at the University of Southern California, Sam Baker accomplished just about every goal a college football player could set for himself. He was a three-time All-American, a semifinalist for the 2007 Lombardi Award, and a Senior Bowl invitee. But to impress the scouts of the NFL, he knew he needed to get bigger and stronger – which is why he turned to Charles Poliquin and his team of performance-enhancement experts.

In college, Baker’s quickness and football skills enabled him to protect his quarterback from the hungry tackles of defensive linemen in the always competitive Pac-10 Conference. And with the potent defense that USC always puts on their field, Baker’s practices were always at the highest level. “We got great leadership from Sam,” said USC head football coach Pete Carroll of Baker’s four years at USC. “And his tenacity and savvy carried over to the other guys.”

Baker tipped the scales at just over 300 pounds, but it was definitely not all muscle: He carried 26 percent bodyfat and could only bench press 225 for 16 reps. It would take much better numbers than those for Baker to excel at the professional level.

The Poliquin Difference
At the end of the 2007 postseason, Baker’s father, C. David Baker, who is the commissioner of the Arena Football League, asked his son what he wanted as a graduation gift. Baker’s request was not a flashy car but the opportunity to train for an extended period at the Poliquin Performance Center in Chicago. His father agreed, and Baker would work under the direction of center owner Mike Bystol and use the protocols of Charles Poliquin. “As soon as the season was over, January fifth, Sam came to Chicago to train here full-time, twice a day up to four days a week,” says Bystol.

The Chicago facility opened two years ago in a location 20 minutes north of downtown Chicago in Northfield. It caters to approximately 250 clients, from professional athletes to housewives, all of whom are interested in the best of private training. The facility is 15,000 square feet and has three weightrooms, an area for strongman training, and a three-lane Mondo track 35 yards long.

In additional to its state-of-the-art equipment, the PIPC in Chicago offers many medical services and is staffed with two chiropractors trained in Active Release Techniques™ (ART): Dr. Stuart Yoss, a team doctor for the Chicago Bears, and Dr. Josh Akin. Says Bystol, “ART is great for making rapid improvements. What our doctors can do to improve range of motion and flexibility in three weeks can take 12 weeks by other methods.” Bystol says ART is the treatment of choice for many soft-tissue injuries. “I’ve found that with athletes who have chronic shoulder problems, for example, by getting their subscapularis and rotator cuff muscles cleaned out with ART, I can often get them pressing again quickly with less risk of injury.”

Another part of the medical program at the Poliquin Center is the ability to do many lab tests, including full blood analysis, metabolic comprehensive tests and food allergy tests. Combined with the Biosignature Modulation protocols, proper supplements are prescribed to enable the athletes to reach peak performance. Bystol says that due to a poor diet and environmental influences, Baker (as with almost all athletes Bystol has tested) needed specific supplements to improve deficiencies in his hormonal profile.

Bystol says that it’s important to be aware that some supplements can be tainted with substances that can cause a positive on a drug test (in fact, independent testing by international drug testing organizations have found that as many as 25 percent of all sports performance supplements may be tainted with such substances). “The problem of tainted supplements is a big concern among pro athletes, which is why all supplements that carry the Poliquin label are pharmaceutical-grade to ensure that they are 100 percent pure.”

Regarding Baker’s meals, Bystol says he leaves that in the capable hands of Julie Burns, a nutritionist for the White Sox and the Black Hawks. “Julie’s company prepared and cooked all of Sam’s meals in advance and delivered them to him – and all the meals were 100 percent organic.” This precaution was taken to ensure that Baker would be getting proper nutrition from meals that had been prepared for maximum absorption. “We had Sam on a moderate- to low-carb diet because we were trying to keep his bodyweight up,” says Bystol. “We also had Sam take a post-workout carb drink to fuel his two-a-day workouts to help him gain muscle mass a little faster.”

From a sports-specific perspective, Bystol explained that at USC Baker was used mainly as a pass protector, which was fine, as the team had great quarterbacks (Baker had blocked for Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart) and that was what the team’s offense was built upon. However, Bystol added, the NFL scouts were concerned about Baker’s ability to run block. “Sam was relatively weak all-around, especially in his entire posterior chain. For example, his lower back was so weak he could only use 10 pounds on the reverse hyper when we started.” His legs were also weak, as evidenced by a vertical jump of only 24 inches, well below NFL standards even for a big man. That quickly changed.

Within just eight weeks Baker’s bodyfat dropped from 26 percent to 16.9 percent, but his size stayed relatively the same while he gained a solid 25 pounds of muscle. He also added four inches to his vertical jump and was benching 225 for 30 reps. Says Bystol, “Sam did not just become bigger and stronger; he also is much faster, more fluid when he runs, and more explosive overall.” The physical changes also meant that Baker needed some new clothes, as his upper body had added so much muscle that his jackets no longer fit.

The best result of all Sam Baker’s hard work? When it came down to the all-important NFL draft, the scouts were impressed with Baker’s physical metamorphosis. The Atlanta Falcons picked him in the first round. It’s going to be fun to watch Sam on Sundays. The falcons are looking for Sam to step in and start at left tackle. This will be a bid task for a rookie linemen but this is were his intense off season training program will pay off.

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