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Knox, fellow Bears receivers get stronger in offseason

Hester: 'We kind of started taking the right supplements'

By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter

BOURBONNAIS — It's hard not to notice Johnny Knox's biceps bulging through his arm tattoos. He is far from the skinny little receiver who led the Bears in receiving yards last season with 960 on 51 catches.

No, Knox hasn't reached Terrell Owens status in terms of his physique, but he obviously did some heavy lifting during the offseason.

"I just had to get stronger up top," said the 6-foot, 189-pound Knox, who said he put on 10 pounds. "That was my goal during the lockout. When I curl, I curl light for repetition. When it comes to bench or incline, that's when I do heavy stuff."

Knox's legs still look a little thin, but he promised they're also stronger.

"I did a lot of lower body, too, but my legs are little," he kidded. "They're not going to get much bigger than this."

Knox wasn't the only one who bulked up. Fellow receivers Earl Bennett and Devin Hester added some muscle.

"We kind of started taking the right supplements," said Hester, who put on 6 pounds. "Protein after workouts really helped out a lot. When you start building your body up with protein, that's when the muscles come."

Knox and Hester, like a handful of their teammates, spent a portion of the offseason at EFT Sports Performance in Highland Park. Owner Elias Karras put the players through a rigorous training regime that included a climb up "The Hill" off the expressway near Lake Cook Road. The duo joined Matt Toeaina, Rod Wilson, Chester Taylor, rookie Robert Hughes and ex-Bear Tommie Harris in making the climb twice a week.

"We'd run up, walk down backward, come down and go through five, six drills, take a minute break, then run up again," Knox said. "We would do it like five times."

Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake was encouraged to see his guys taking the necessary steps to become stronger receivers. He has scolded them in the past for their struggles against the Packers' defensive backs. Yet with Knox and Hester bulking up and the additions of big receivers Roy Williams and Sam Hurd, the Bears should be better prepared to combat a physical secondary such as Green Bay.

"For a receiver, you have to be strong in the legs (and) you can't get pushed around," Drake said. "Devin has always been lean and strong in the legs. Johnny needed to get a little bit stronger in his upper body. He also needed to get stronger in his legs. Those are the things that make the difference."

We'll see how much of a difference when the Bears face the Falcons in the Sept. 11 regular-season opener.