Von Miller’s day job consists of stopping extremely strong men dead in their tracks multiple times over the course of three hours. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, Von Miller is very, very good at his job. Like, Super-Bowl-MVP-leading-the-league-in-sacks good. He’s also arguably the only NFL player who looks better than Rob Gronkowski without a shirt on (sorry, Gronk). Which is exactly why we tracked down the Broncos’ linebacker to give us a crash course on his daily diet.

GQ: I’ll start with the most awkward question I could probably ask you: If I wanted to get quads like you, what foods do I need to be eating? ‘Cause I’m doing something wrong.

Von Miller: [Laughs] Honestly, I didn’t really appreciate my legs and my quads until I got to the National Football League. I’ve never really paid any special attention to them. I think it’s just genetics. My mom and my dad, they both are built like donkeys. It’s nothing that I really worked on; I just got it from them.

So there’s no secret recipe or snack I should be chowing down after some deadlifts?

Well, Chef’s Cut jerky is my favorite snack. It’s packed with protein, so it’s fuel for my workouts. I’ll just throw it in my gym bag or my backpack and carry it with me, and that pretty much covers my snacks throughout the day.

Beef jerky has actually become my go-to snack in the past couple months. It makes a huge difference compared to when I was grabbing a granola bar filled with sugar.

"I’m strange in my timing of when I eat. I try to eat at the same exact time every single day."

So what I’ve learned from being in the NFL is that I haven’t always been on top of my nutrition. I had to make that transition from college to the league.

Is there anything from college that you look back on now and say to yourself, “Man, I can’t believe I went that long eating that”?

In college, I really didn’t know any better. I didn’t need to be eating Chick-fil-A every single day, but that’s what was available. It was a situation I couldn’t really handle. So when I got into the league and I could control what I put in my body, I took full advantage of it. I learned that habits create lifestyles. No matter if it’s in-season, the offseason, I’m going to eat the same regardless. I’m always going to try to keep all the saturated fats off my diet. Keep all the candy and sugar off my diet. I’m trying to eat clean every day. Of course I have cheat days and cheat moments, but 90 percent of the time, Von is gonna be 100 percent on the nutrition beat.

Take me through it. What does a typical day look like for Von Miller food-wise?

I never really get too far away from three meals a day with two snacks in-between. That really helps keep me consistent and in the NFL, consistency is what we all battle with. So first and foremost, I’ve got to have breakfast, straight off the top. They say it’s the most important meal of the day—I’m not sure if that’s 100 percent scientifically proven. But for me, I really do need breakfast to wake up. If I’m up at 7:30, I’m going to be eating breakfast by 7:40.

And what’s for breakfast?

Cage-free eggs, every day. I never get tired of it. A typical breakfast is four eggs with five slices of turkey bacon, some type of starch, some type of potato, and some type of fruit with a cold-pressed juice. I start the day like that every day.

Take me now to lunch then.

I like to have some type of protein. Some legit, real protein, like a chicken breast. I’m always having something different for lunch, but it’s going to be some type of meal that is packed with protein and starches. I like to really stay in line with complex carbs because my body uses those to death and I can burn those the fastest. And another cold-pressed juice. Or water. Definitely water.

Does dinner sort of mirror lunch?

The thing about dinner—meal-wise, it’s the same. But timing is different. I try to always eat before 9 o’clock. That way I have plenty of time to burn calories throughout the night. I never like to eat right before I go to sleep. If I have to eat at nine, then I’m going to go to bed around 11:30. I like to eat and stay up for a little bit to burn off some of those calories before I get right into bed. But I’m strange in my timing of when I eat. I try to eat at the same exact time every single day.

Your job is obviously physically demanding. In terms of recovery, is there a specific food or certain supplements you look to? A favorite protein shake?

There are all different ways to do protein shakes, but I’m actually not concerned with the taste when it comes to protein shakes. I know that sounds bad, but so long as it has everything in it that I need—from the aminos to the proteins to whatever else it may be—I just need those in there. And I need it right after a workout.

You just pound it down and move on?

I just need that fuel. I look at it like premium gas. It might not taste the same, but I know what it’s going to do for my car.

Courtesy of Chef's Cut

I know you’re eating clean the majority of the time, but when you do indulge in a cheat meal, what’s your go-to?

The funny part about cheating for me is that I’ve even created a way to cheat healthy. So my chef makes all the cheat meals I like in a healthier way. If I like fried rice from the Chinese restaurant, my chef might make it with brown rice cooked in a healthier way. I get the benefit of “cheating,” but I don’t have to feel completely bad about it.

Total mind manipulation.

But sometimes I do need to just eat ice cream and drink a soda. If I’m going to cheat, I’m probably just going to have a soda. Not a diet soda, but a real soda with sugar.

There are just some days where you go to a restaurant and all you’re craving is a soda.

Having it come out with the ice and the straw? Oh, yeah.

You had to have had an epic meal after winning the Super Bowl, though, right?

You know what, I didn’t even eat after the Super Bowl. I was just so into the moment that I didn’t eat until 12 o’clock the next day. After the game, all night, all morning, I didn’t eat at all. But that was a pretty cool night.

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