As running back Jahmyr Gibbs enters his prime football years, he has enhanced his training with a different sport.
Via Eric Woodyard of ESPN, Gibbs has added mixed martial arts to his offseason repertoire.
“It helps with body control,” Gibbs told Woodyard. “Your base and all that and faster hands. I would say with blocking, I get my hands up before they hit me.”
He believes it also has helped his overall fitness.
“I feel like my body’s gotten in better shape, like physically it looks better,” Gibbs told Woodyard. “And conditioning-wise, that conditioning is way different from here because you use nonstop movement in every muscle of your body. [In football], you get more breaks and [there is] much more using your legs. But [in MMA], it’s just constant shoulders, knees, elbows, you go to the ground and all that so out here I barely get tired.”
As the Lions prepare to make Gibbs their bell cow tailback (after they pay him accordingly), Gibbs could be even better than he has been during his first three seasons.
He has averaged 5.3 yards per rushing attempt in a career that has generated three straight Pro Bowls. He led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2024 with 16, despite being on the field for only 56 percent of the offseason snaps.
If/when he’s fully unleashed in 2026, Gibbs could become a superstar.
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