Derrick Henry is one of the rarest physical specimens in NFL history.
At 6-foot-3, he is the sixth-tallest player to ever record at least 250 carries in his career. And among players 6-3 or taller, only Eric Dickerson and Eddie George have carried the ball more times. At 247 pounds, Henry is also the 14th-heaviest player to ever record at least 250 carries. And among players 245 pounds or heavier, only Jerome Bettis and Jamal Lewis have more carries than Henry.
Not only does he exist in those very small groups, Henry also leads them both in average yards per carry. In other words, it's incredibly anomalous for someone Henry's size to have the type of success he's had in his career, which has so far seen him rush 2,030 times for 9,502 yards and 90 touchdowns, lead the league in carries four times and both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns twice, make four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams, and win an AP Offensive Player of the Year award.
Obviously, to do all that, Henry has had to take care of his body. And according to The Athletic, the process for him to do that is quite extensive, and quite expensive.
Henry's financial adviser, Pete Kotos, estimates Henry spends $240,000 yearly on body maintenance, which includes employing a personal chef who prepares all of Henry's meals. Henry eats no fried foods, gluten, dairy or artificial sugars.
During the season, he doesn't eat his first meal until 4 or 5 p.m. and eats only one other meal, usually around 8 p.m. (In the offseason, his first meal is around 1 p.m.). When he does eat, he consumes nearly enough for a pride of lions.
"I probably eat three chicken breasts, some rice and broccoli," he says. "Then I have some gluten-free pancakes, scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, home fries and some steak."
Before practice, he might have kale, an avocado or a banana to get something in his system. Three days a week, he takes IV fluids that contain a shot of vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10 and other nutrients.
Henry begins two-a-day workouts at SandersFit Performance Center in Dallas a couple of days after every season ends. He takes no days off ...
He loves running hills. At SandersFit, he does up to 10 sprints on a 100-yard hill. He loves working his arms, doing hammer curls with 80-pound dumbbells. And he loves working his legs, doing Bulgarian split squats with 120-pound dumbbells.
Henry also takes recovery seriously, using cold therapy, infrared sauna, hyperbaric oxygen, massage therapy and bodywork to come back stronger. Sanders said he believes Henry is stronger than he's ever been.
That is an intense regimen. It's a lot of work to keep your body right to be an NFL running back at all, let alone deep into your 20s like Henry has so far. It's even more work when you are Henry's size. But he's managed to do it and remain productive for eight seasons, even if his efficiency has waned in recent seasons.
The Baltimore Ravens are betting on a bounceback season, efficiency-wise, with Henry playing behind a better offensive line and alongside Lamar Jackson in the backfield. Mobile quarterbacks like Jackson have routinely raised the efficiency for their backfield mates due to the space they can create, and Henry is still the kind of player who needs only a body-sized crease through which to fit before he can rip off a long run and take it to the house. But of course, he can't do that at all unless he's on the field, and the routine he uses is what helps him stay upright.
