Indefatigable, chiseled and unrelenting, Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips shares his secrets

MIAMI GARDENS — To understand how Jaelan Phillips came up with a tackle for loss of Najee Harris followed by a sack of Kenny Pickett in the third quarter on the next play, one has to understand the preparation.

To process how Phillips seemed to play with a similar speed and similar pursuit and a similar determination in the final 10 Dolphins snaps as he did in the previous 50 on Sunday, one has to understand the preparation.

Phillips is 6-foot-5, 263 pounds, shredded like a Greek god. And to understand how Phillips had so much darn energy at the end of Miami's 16-10 victory on Sunday, The Palm Beach Post asked him to outline that preparation.

Yes, physical fitness is a critical factor. And Phillips did outline for us his routine, which includes nutrition, conditioning, sleep and strength and exercise training.

But Phillips wanted to make sure to highlight the mental aspect. Phillips, who has consulted with a mental edge coach, outlined how he approaches the challenge.

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As a rookie, Phillips played 54% of the Dolphins' defensive snaps, 12th on the team.

This season, Phillips is playing 70% of the snaps, sixth on the team.

In the third quarter on Sunday, Phillips made two huge plays that led to a punt. In the fourth quarter, Phillips racked up four of his eight tackles.

"You have that mental toughness because it's easy to quit," Phillips said in Miami's locker room Wednesday. "It's easy when you're tired to tap out, say, 'Coach, replacement' or whatever it is, when the game's on the line. I feel like I need to be out there for my teammates.

"And so that's when you really just got to go to a dark place and just dig deep. That's where the passion and the love that I have from our teammates comes in moments where you know everything, your whole physiological being, is telling you to quit like your body is telling you to quit, but your mind you got to be stronger than that."

Phillips, 23, is a rising NFL star. But it's not just talent. It's effort. And it's a commitment to fine-tuning a motor that will run strong in the fourth quarter, not just the first half.

"I saw some of the best effort that I’ve witnessed," Miami coach Mike McDaniel said this week of Phillips' last game. "He’s known as a strainer and a hard worker, but he was playing at a speed at the end of the game that his teammates noticed and felt."

There might not be a player on the Dolphins who wouldn't sign up to trade bodies with Phillips, who is able to defeat opponents with speed, agility and power. Phillips is lean but strong.

Phillips' tips to turning his body into NFL machine

And so, Jaelan, what are the tips? Well, glad you asked. Take note:

Extra conditioning as well as recovery. Shocker. Phillips put in extra conditioning during the work week. This is especially helpful when opponents are wearing down during hot games at Hard Rock Stadium. Phillips also values the importance of recovery. Yes, he uses hot tubs, ice baths and compression for his legs. But Phillips really believes in dry needling, which he'll often do on Tuesdays and Fridays.

"That's my favorite. Calcium deposits build up when you have soreness and then your muscles are tight," Phillips said. "With the needles, it gets right to the spot. And then they hook up electrical stem to it sort of stimulates the muscles and basically just flushes out all the bad stuff."

Fruits and veggies. Phillips tells his young cousins to sub some chicken nuggets and french fries for some fruits and vegetables. It seems obvious, but for Phillips, the body really is a temple.

"The best medicine is natural food," Phillips said. "I don't like to deal with just like chicken and rice every single day, you've got to have a variety. You've got to have some red meats, you got to have some fish, you got to have some chicken, different types of grains and different types of vegetables or fruits. And I think that's really the easiest way to have. It's fueling your body the way that it needs to."

Phillips also consumes multivitamins, omega-3 supplements, creatine and protein.

Specialized training. Phillips said that heavy lifting such as the bench and the squat are relevant and essential. "That's what builds the muscle because it breaks down the tissue and builds it back," Phillips said. "But you can't just bench and just do squats and just do like RDLs (Roman deadlift), you have to do functional lifts."

Phillips finds value in doing football activities with weights. He wants to emphasize change of direction and flexibility. Phillips specifically mentioned the Keiser machine and the transverse swing.

The Keiser machine is powered by air resistance and uses versatile cables. The transverse swing focuses on body rotation and the stretching and straining of interlinking muscle chains.

Sleep and mental preparedness. Phillips said getting optimum sleep can be a bit of a challenge with long days of meetings and practice. And like all of us, sometimes he gets caught up in a Netflix series and he loses track of time.

"If you don't get the sleep your body is not going to recover and you're not going to reap the benefit of the extra work," Phillips said. "I've always been a big routine guy. I want to always be confident in myself, knowing that I did everything I can to prepare the best."

Last Sunday, Phillips was highly effective despite playing 60 snaps, which really is a lot for a linebacker/edge rusher. It was especially needed with defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah out with a back injury.

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Over the past four weeks, Pro Football Focus grades Phillips second only to Myles Garrett among NFL edge rushers.

Over the course of the season, ESPN says Phillips is the fifth-best edge rusher in the NFL in run-stop win rate.

Phillips is becoming a complete, reliable NFL defensive player. And it's a commitment to preparation and consistency that has really caught the attention of both coaches and teammates.

"He takes care of himself like he's a vet," Ogbah said of Phillips. "He does the right things. Nutrition, strength, conditioning, and also mental. He takes care of the mental side and his body and he's doing a good job.

"I'm proud of him and his hustle. I told Jaelan I have never seen a guy run that (darn) much in a game. You could tell he was extremely tired, but he was still going. And that just inspires the guys around him. He knew and we all knew the team needed him to do that."

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips brings relentless energy