San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram has revealed that he has lost 20lbs in the hope of avoiding further injuries.
The 26-year-old has been plagued with injuries in his first three seasons in the NFL after being selected in the first round of the 2012 Draft by the Chargers.
Ingram has now changed his diet and worked on a new fitness plan to drop to 240lbs and take the stress off his body.
"Being at 260 or 265, 266, wasn't working, really," Ingram told U-T San Diego. "I felt quick but I kept getting injured. You've got to nitpick at your own body, your own self, your own game.
"I felt like playing lighter would be a better thing for me. The lighter you are, the less stress it is on your body, the less stress it is on your knees, your hips, your joints or your ankles, your toes everything."
Ingram has recorded 78 tackles and six sacks in his three seasons in the NFL.
