Kaged Athletes Share Their Best Tips

And they share their Kaged supplement stack. Save up to 15% on their stacks and get up to two free gifts when you Build Your Own Stack or pick up one of theirs.

In honor of the big game on Sunday, we decided to reach out to members of the Kaged community who played competitive football.

We asked them about what they learned from years on the field. We also chatted about their best training and nutrition tips and gave some insight into their routines.

Here’s their exclusive full print-interviews for Kaged.

Kaged Athlete: Davey Fischer

IG: @daveyfischer

Where did you play football and for how long?

I played at Pacific Lutheran University for two and a half years (track and field for four years).

I knew I wasn't going to play in the NFL, so putting more time into football after my sophomore year felt overwhelming. I was a fulltime student and had to maintain a 3.3 GPA to maintain my scholarship. I worked a half dozen hours off campus per week, and track in the spring meant I didn't have any time off from sports except for winter break.

The more I think about it now, the more I realize the whole point of playing sports in college had nothing to do with the actual sports themselves. It's what went into them. The investment in terms of time and energy to get the most out of myself. It definitely proved to be worthwhile.

I made lifetime friends up in the Pacific Northwest, learned to expand my comfort zone, prioritize my time, work hard, be a good teammate, get a degree, and have fun.

What was your favorite experience while playing?

We had a summer camp event called Breakaway that took place of traditional double days for a week of practice during the summer. It was an opportunity for the guys to bond but also compete while staying in Washington Long Beach.

We bunked together and played team oriented competitive events everyday on the beach. Lots of team-building and constructive elements made it unforgettable.

What was your workout routine as a football player?

Back in the day, I used to be super biased toward bench press and power cleans. My dad set the bench press record when he was in college so I think I felt drawn to bench pressing (even though I wasn't nearly as strong as he was).

Power cleans were such a fun movement because of the raw nature of picking up a heavy weight from the ground and getting it to your chest felt like such a cool full body feat. They felt awesome in a way that most other lifts just couldn't.

The weight room would also get hyped for heavy cleans. Back squats were my arch nemesis, mostly due to some major back problems I've always struggled with.

What is your current workout routine?

I would call it a "hybrid athlete" type of training. I don't work out to just work out: I train. I'm not a crossfitter, powerlifter, bodybuilder, or endurance athlete. It's a combination of training for both performance and aesthetics.

I've always wanted to keep in touch with my inner (and former) athlete. Being able to run fast and move well is important to me, but so is being strong and sturdy. Looking good is a bonus, but also as a trainer it's important to look like you walk your talk.

Share a few of your top nutrition tips.

I stick to macros, not calories, and keep it simple. I get 200g of protein most days, and try to limit excess "empty calories" from added sugar etc.

I call myself a flexitarian: there's nothing that I don't eat regularly and I allow myself plenty of room to splurge. I exercise in part so that I can earn the flexibility to eat with more leniency.

What is your rest day ritual?

Weekends for me are rest days or "recreational exercise," like pickleball or long walks with my dog. I have a lot more interest and motivation in the gym Monday after a couple days off. My body responds better to workout quality over quantity.

What are your favorite Kaged supplements?

The Protein Isolate Elite I take twice per day (once first thing in the morning mixed in with my cold brew and once post-workout) so it's my staple. Besides that, Creatine Monohdyrate, Pre-Workout Elite, and the Organic Greens Elite I love. I try to be well rounded with everything I take so that I'm covering my bases.

SAVE 15% ON DAVEY'S STACK

Kaged Athlete: Darien Johnson

IG: @darienj4

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Darien “That Ab Guy” Johnson (@darienj4)

Where did you play football and for how long?

I played football for Bishop Amat high school, New Mexico State university, and professional football for 4 years 2 of which were played in France. I played football for a total of 19 years

Favorite experience while playing?

My favorite experience from playing football would be getting the opportunity to play against UCLA at the rose bowl in front of all my family and friends in LA.

What was your workout routine as a football player?

My workout routine as a football player was heavily dependent on the “big 3.” That’s bench press, squat, and deadlift. And many workouts that kept me explosive and functional.

What’s one of your top nutrition tips?

My top nutrition tip would be to eat before your workouts. I know the whole fasted workouts thing has become more popular these days but I’ve always believed that in order for your body to perform at a high level, it needs fuel.

What is your rest day ritual?

My rest day ritual usually consists of me getting a massage or doing a cold plunge. Sometimes even just resting all day and not doing anything will do wonders for your body & recovery.

What are your favorite Kaged supplements?

My favorite Kaged supplements are the Pre-Workout Elite Series and Kaged Mindset. I’ve found myself using both of those on a near daily basis.

SAVE 15% ON DARIEN'S STACK

Kaged Ambassador: Nolan Labuda

IG: @nolan.labuda

What was your workout routine as a football player?

I played slot receiver at Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a short stint at the University of Akron. My workouts focused on explosive movements to train for those explosive bursts on the field. Mobility was also a main focus during my workouts to keep my body healthy and flexible. All workouts started with a full body warmup and were full body lifts with a focus on certain parts

The daily warm-up consisted of dynamic hamstring, quad, and hip stretches, along with upper body mobility and vertical jumps. I always used hurdles for hip mobility in my warmup.

It allowed me to train speed and explosiveness, while opening up the hips for the workout. Each workout would conclude with hand eye coordination with tennis balls and bricks.

My workout split consisted of weight training Monday (legs with some upper body), Wednesday (chest with back and lower body), Friday (barbell hang cleans with hamstring and back), and Saturday (arms and yoga).

On Tuesday and Thursday I did speed & conditioning work on the field, along with route running and footwork.

What is your current workout routine?

My current workout routine is certainly different from my college days. I still start every warmup with the dynamic stretching and hip mobility, but do way less speed training.

My workout split is Monday (legs), Tuesday (arms + conditioning), Wednesday (back), Thursday (yoga + running), Friday (chest), Saturday (legs), Sunday (rest). My favorite exercises are the hack-squat and dumbbell incline bench press.

Share your nutrition tips:

Nutrition is hands down the most important part of training. Being able to stay consistent and eat the right way will allow you to achieve new levels to your physique and health.

Hydration is the key to high performance. I try to drink a half gallon to a gallon of water each day and incorporate electrolytes as well. I consume around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day, which is driven by eggs, protein oats, grilled chicken, and salmon.

I get my carbs through rice and oats. Then for fats, I get those through almonds and avocados. On top of those foods, I like to consume some type of fruit each day during breakfast.

What is your rest day ritual?

My rest day ritual is stretching at some point throughout the day, then relaxing and watching football on Sundays. Here we go Steelers!

What are your favorite Kaged supplements?

My all time favorite Kaged supplement is the hibiscus pear hydra-charge. I use this daily for my electrolytes and to stay hydrated. The hibiscus pear is an all time great flavor. Aside from Hydra-Charge, I love the Berry Blast Pre-Kaged and Outlive 100 greens.

SAVE 15% ON NOLAN'S STACK

Kaged Ambassador: Nick Fazio

IG: @fit_lift_faz

What was your workout routine as a football player?

As a college football athlete I would wake up at 5:30 head over to the practice facility. Pre-practice film started at 6:30 and ended at 7:30 then we had practice from 7:30 to 10:30 then we would have lifting after practice. Depending on the groups, it was either an hour and a half session of film, then lifting or vice versa and it would change every other day.

The day before games would be a travel day so we wouldn’t have practice then obviously we’d have the game day and then we’d actually have a film and lifting session the day after the games on Sunday typically.

Off-season consisted of working out five days a week with an active recovery day in between, and they would be three month blocks Where we would build on the same lifts and do accessory work that was position specific.

What is your current workout routine?

Currently, I train in weightlifting and CrossFit. I workout at 6:30 am Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday I do a two-a-day where I go back at 5:30 PM for weightlifting class. Saturday I do weightlifting and CrossFit back to back from 8 to 1030 am. I take Wednesdays and Sundays off or do active recovery.

Share your nutrition tips

My nutrition tips are sticking to high-quality superfoods like black beans and legumes. I try to cook most of my meals and stick with pretty healthy and complete meals. It includes carbs, protein, vitamins, and minerals. I tend to try to stay close to the Mediterranean diet, but throw in good quality meat in there as well like grass, fed steak, and ground beef.