It Starts with Nutrition.
Every athlete has unique needs for their body and sport and highly nutritious foods provides athletes with the optimum fuel critical for enduring the intense physical demands of conditioning and performance. With over 10 years as a personal chef to NBA Champions, Professional and Olympic athletes, Glenn has gained unique insight into the worlds of high performance athletes and what it takes to maximize athletic success.
As a former athlete, Glenn centered his business on a “healthful” approach to cooking and prepared a week’s worth of meals in advance for most of his clients. Rather than providing a brand new diet to his clients, Glenn prefers to prepare food that they are comfortable with and make it healthier than ever before.
“I take foods that are familiar to my clients and make them leaner and cleaner than they have ever had on a regular basis,” Lyman said. “Less oils and fat, a variety of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and leafy greens. I try to translate the science of eating healthy into terms they can understand instead of trying to teach from a text book.”
With a strong emphasis on high quality nutrition and customization, Glenn works closely with each athlete to gain in-depth understanding of their goals, preferences and conditions to develop comprehensive, convenient and customized meal plans.
Glenn Lyman: The Athletes’ Chef
Chef pushes stars from Kelvin Benjamin to LeBron James to eat better at home, and perform better on the field
In June 2015, Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin showed up to mini-camp nine pounds overweight. Glenn Lyman, owner of GCooks, a personal chef service for athletes, was listening as a radio sportscaster lamented about the record-setting rookie returning for his sophomore season out of shape.
“I wish this guy would call me,” Lyman thought to himself. “Nine pounds? That’s easy.”
Lyman had worked with Panthers players in the past, from Josh Norman to Steve Smith Sr., and he’d gotten to know team nutritionist Jennifer Brunelli. He sends many of his corporate clients to her to help diagnose low energy, stomach issues, and food sensitivities. And she, in turn, recommends players such as Benjamin to him. The two work together to determine what the players need to eat.
“Not only can he turn around and make it happen, but he gets creative with it,” Brunelli says of Lyman. “It tastes good, too.”
A month after Lyman started working with Benjamin, coming to his home on Mondays and cooking him healthy meals and snacks for the rest of the week, a headline on Black and Blue Review, a Panthers news site, read, “Healthier, Leaner Benjamin Ready to ‘Go Full.’”
Client Resume
LeBron James, 4-time NBA Champion, 4-time MVP, Los Angeles Lakers, 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Team USA
US Navy SEALs, Culinary instructor to the SEALs
Steve Smith SR., Former NFL 5-time Pro-Bowl WR, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers
Jeff Gordon, 4-time NASCAR Cup Champion, Team #24, Retired *Member NASCAR Hall of Fame
Christian McCaffery, NFL Pro-Bowl RB, San Francisco 49ers
Sam Darnold, NFL Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Brian Burns, NFL Pro-Bowl DE,
New York Giants
Shaq Thompson, NFL LB, Carolina Panthers
Ryan Lochte, 12-time medalist Olympic Swimmer, Team USA, Retired
Patrick Reed, PGA, Masters Champion
Kelvin Benjamin, NFL WR,
Free Agent
Greg Olsen, Former NFL 3-time Pro-Bowl TE, Carolina Panthers
Dan Morgan, Former NFL Pro-Bowl LB, General Manager, Carolina Panthers
Josh Norman, NFL Pro-Bowl CB, Retired
Jon Beason, Former NFL 3-time Pro-Bowl LB, NY Giants, Carolina Panthers, Retired
Charles Godfrey, Former NFL DB, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
Joe Jurevicius, Former NFL Super Bowl Champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nick Richards, NBA Center, Charlotte Hornets
Brandon Miller, NBA, Charlotte Hornets
Ben Wallace, Retired NBA All Star, member *Basketball Hall of Fame
Will Witherspoon, former NFL LB, Carolina Panthers
Troy Smith, Heisman trophy winner QB, OSU
Anderson Varejao, Former NBA Forward Cleveland Cavaliers
Mastering Make-Ahead Recipes with 6 pack fitness
Glenn said his recipes are made in ideal portions for 6 Pack’s meal management bags, and he has recommended the product to many of his clients. He usually prepares a week’s worth of healthy make-ahead meals, thoroughly packages and seals the food, and then provides detailed heating and preparation instructions to preserve the flavor.
“My meals are perfect for the 6 Pack meal management bags,” Lyman said. “The containers are the perfect size and insulated bags are exactly the right vehicle to take these meals anywhere and stick to the plan.”
If you are, or work with, a professional athlete and are interested in learning more about the customized services of G|Cooks, please contact athletes@gcooks.com.
