Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Terron Armstead had a spring in his step as he introduced his retirement from soccer over the weekend. That’s as a result of the five-time Professional Bowl choice has been intently specializing in his well being, dropping as a lot as 57 kilos since his freshman yr of school.
In an unique interview with M&F, the 6’ 5” sort out explains why he determined to make some positive lifestyle changes throughout this low season and, excitingly, what’s subsequent for this unstoppable drive at simply 33 years of age.
The indicators that Terron Armstead would go on to turn out to be an distinctive athlete have been not possible to overlook. Born in Cahokia, Illinois, he towered above most of his friends and displayed distinctive energy. Throughout his time on the College of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he was a mainstay on the soccer subject whereas additionally competing in observe as a shot putter, discus, and hammer thrower.
In truth, Armstead had such arm that he hit a shot-put private report of 18.73 meters throughout the 2012 NCAA West Regional competitors. He additionally had a career-high discus throw of 50.37 meters. “It was time-consuming, for certain, whereas making an attempt to maintain up with my teachers” displays the participant of juggling each sports activities and an training. “However fortunately, my head soccer coach and my head observe coach labored extraordinarily effectively collectively, and so they made it doable for me to be absolutely invested in each. I used to be solely in a position to do three years [of track], although. I ended up leaving faculty after my senior soccer season, in order that I might prepare and prepare for the draft. However I strongly really feel like I had an opportunity to win the Nationwide Championship at shot put if I had been in a position to stick with observe for that final season.”
Terron Armstead Is a Report-Breaking Offensive Lineman
Moderately than throwing shot places or the discus, the choice to throw himself into the NFL Mix in 2013 would pay dividends. The massive man shocked scouts when he made a 40-yard dash in just 4.71 seconds, incomes the quickest time of any offensive lineman — a proud report that also stands as of this writing. Armstead factors out that there are many gamers with longer arms or greater palms, however the important thing to his progress was all the time owed to honing his greatest attributes. “I don’t have the largest measurables, however explosion… I received that,” he confirms. “Being fast throughout the sphere, having that energy and that pop is what I’ve.”
With such energy and breakneck pace, it’s little surprise that Armstead was chosen within the third spherical of the NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. There, he made a huge effect on the staff and continued to be a daily fixture regardless of the challenges of concussions and knee points. Accidents would comply with Armstead frequently throughout his soccer profession, however they might all the time battle to maintain up. In 2017, he tore his labrum in coaching however returned faster than medical doctors predicted. Pushing via his knee issues, Armstead secured three Professional Bowls whereas with the Saints, however he additionally discovered that his immense energy had a flip facet.
Terron Armstead By no means Stopped Evolving as a Soccer Participant
“What goes up, should come down,” jokes the baller, and he’s proper. Soccer followers like to see 300-pound-plus gamers operating, leaping, and tackling, however they don’t all the time concentrate on the toll that this takes on a participant’s physique. “I’ve been via it, that’s a truth,” says Armstead. “Lots of accidents, a whole lot of robust occasions, a whole lot of adversity. I’ve been knocked down fairly a bit and persevered. ‘Perseverance’ is a phrase that I attempt to embody… by no means give up. Hold getting up. Hold going. I’ve had conditions the place accidents have are available on the worst doable time, simply horrible. Whether or not it’s massive video games or playoffs developing, issues like that.”
In his personal phrases, Armstead impressed his teammates and followers by all the time “taking every harm on the chin.” The passionate participant all the time discovered a solution to come again as a significant risk to any lineup. Armstead’s epic energy was answerable for scoring vital factors and making for thrilling motion. He would throw himself into the combo with the identical sort of depth he’d throw the shot places. Fortuitously, throughout his latter days with the Saints, he additionally started to grasp, underneath the recommendation of staff coach and therapist, Beau Lowery, that his epic drive required some harnessing.
“I’d simply go, and carrying a lot weight, and put out a lot explosion,” he displays. “I picked up a whole lot of tender tissue accidents. My muscle groups wouldn’t have the ability to maintain the drive, so I tore a whole lot of issues.” Regardless of his uncompromising bodily fashion, Armstead factors out that he by no means broke a bone in his profession, however to manage his torque, he shares that Lowery helped him to grasp the “different facet of it” by specializing in deceleration work and understanding when to “throttle down.”
Nonetheless, accidents are an inevitable actuality on the gridiron. In 2022, Armstead suffered {a partially} torn pectoral muscle whereas enjoying his first season for the Miami Dolphins. Regardless of the numerous harm, he returned that season and earned a Professional Bowl choice. He then adopted that effort together with his fifth Pro Bowl in 2023.
Terron Armstead Used the 2025 Off-Season to Deal with His Bodyfat Stage
As the favored participant started the 2025 low season, Armstead determined to drastically change his physique composition. He tells M&F that he’d hit his heaviest whereas nonetheless a freshman in school. “The biggest quantity I’ve ever seen on a scale was 327 kilos,” he shares. “I used to be nonetheless round 320 kilos after I was with the Saints.”
Within the final couple of years with the Dolphins, nevertheless, Armstead had been tentatively tackling his bodyfat, dropping right down to someplace between 300 to 310 kilos in current video games.
“As I used to be getting older, I needed to maintain taking weight off and take some strain off my joints. I really feel prefer it helped me within the latter a part of my profession,” says Armstead, noting that after the numbers on the scales started to fall, he needed to maintain going by making extra of a concerted effort.
To that finish, he now stands earlier than us right now at round 270 kilos. “That is the primary time I’ve seen two-hundred-and-anything on a scale, since in all probability junior highschool,” he laughs. The advantages have been severe, nevertheless. “My knee has been a extremely massive difficulty for me the final couple years, so I simply needed to take some weight off that, and my again, simply coping with taking bull rushes for thus lengthy, a lot affect and pounding with these collisions. So, it’s been about taking the strain off my again and truthfully, it’s been an enormous distinction, a drastic distinction… I really feel higher.”
Armstead tells M&F that he kicked off his severe weight-loss journey by beginning a three-day water-only quick with the purpose of resetting his digestive system and reviving his mobile stability. It’s an approach that has been backed by scientific studies, too “I didn’t make the total third day,” he admits. “I folded and ate a salad for my dinner as a result of I used to be working actually onerous on the identical time.”
After his fasting interval, Armstead says he went “chilly turkey” This previous New 12 months’s on processed meals and chips. The celebrated athlete additionally talked to specialists like Dolphins’ nutritionist John Paranti and the staff’s energy coach and Director of Participant Efficiency, Dave Puloka to be taught extra about creating a greater relationship with meals.
Armstead explains that they each advised him to ensure his consuming regime remained sustainable. “Simply don’t go fasting and ravenous your self, and reduce weight too quick, otherwise you’ll lose muscle,” he says, sharing the smart recommendation that he obtained. “I didn’t need that. I needed to get match and to be extra wholesome, take some weight off, and a few strain off the joints. That was my objective.” Now, 57 kilos lighter than throughout these freshman days, Armstead feels brisker than ever, concentrating on excessive protein, low carbohydrate meals, with plenty of greens.
Armstead has labored together with his chef, Ronnie King, to turn out to be extra observant about the whole lot that he eats—from these horrendous hidden energy in salad dressings, to the vastly totally different dietary values in varied kinds of breads, and he’s additionally swapping out his beloved chips for some nutrient-packed fruit as an alternative, that means that his salt consumption has been considerably diminished.
“If I’ve received to decide on between this and that, now I’m going to show the package deal round and see the substances,” he says of his new-found mindfulness round mealtimes. “I like meals. I wish to have enjoyable with it, and I wish to attempt various things. So, I’ve expanded my palate — consuming much more sushi now, and nigiri, and sashimi than I ever have earlier than. “I’m not essentially counting energy or making it a troublesome job… I’m having enjoyable with. I nonetheless eat so much, I’m simply consuming much more super-lean gadgets!” One other calorie crusher has been boxing coaching. It’s superior to see that Armstead is embarking on retirement with such a wholesome outlook. And he seems to be tackling his longevity with the identical gusto that earned him all of these athletic accolades.
Terron Armstead’s Athletic Highlights
- Illinois State Champion, Shot Put (2009)
- 4.71-second report breaking 40-yard sprint for an offensive lineman (2013)
- Highest draft selection for a participant from Arkansas-Pine Bluff (seventy fifth general choose)
- 5 Professional Bowl alternatives (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)
- 6-time staff captain (2018-2023)
Pound for pound, Terron Armstead will probably be seemed again on as one the best athletes within the historical past of the NFL. However with this new-found spring in his step, anybody who thinks he’s saying goodbye to soccer can assume once more. As an observer and as a mentor, Armstead nonetheless needs to provide again to the game that has offered a lot for him and his household.
Terron Armstead Is Excited for the Future After Saying His Retirement
Along with his well-established Team Armstead Foundation, the inspiring athlete is eager to proceed giving a leg-up to members of our youth who’ve fallen into the chance hole. He additionally tells M&F that he’s enthusiastic about quite a lot of different potentialities that may open up now that he has some extra time on his plate. “I really feel like I’ve already had my palms in so many various avenues of life,” he explains. “I’m busy in enterprise, and as an investor, as a philanthropist, and with my basis, the group heart. I’m busy as a father. I like my three children: Triniti, Tatiana, and Tristan. They’re athletes. My twin women play basketball and my son performs basketball and soccer. So, we’re tremendous busy with that alone and touring and all these good issues.”
Nonetheless, don’t be shocked in the event you sooner or later see Armstead within the broadcast sales space. “However for me, I feel career-wise, I’m moving into this this media and broadcasting area that I take pleasure in. I like speaking the sport and never simply soccer, both. It might be basketball. It might be enterprise and finance, tech, no matter, you understand what I imply?”
Along with his thirst for health data, maybe Armstead might proceed to share what he’s discovered within the health area too. “Muscle & Health, we might try this, completely,” he enthuses. “I imagine that I’m in a position to clarify issues the place it’s simply digestible. So, after I’m explaining soccer, I wish to get an opportunity to interrupt down the main points of the sport. Particularly O-Line play and D-Line play that individuals don’t actually know or perceive. I would like to have the ability to be a voice. Most significantly, I’ll have the ability to spend extra time with the children. I’ll have the ability to go to all of the video games and go to practices and see their growth, their development. And as they proceed to go up with their stage of competitors, I’ll be there. I’m tremendous excited for that half.”
For all his blood, sweat, and tears, Armstead seems to be again on his soccer profession with nice fondness. “I wouldn’t change a second,” he shares. “Wouldn’t change a play, wouldn’t change a second. I’d not. It’s made me who I’m, and it’s all been part of my journey and my story. I wouldn’t change one second. I’m blessed!”