600lb Deadlifts, Draft Night, and Casey's Pizza: Gennings Dunker's Exclusive Men's Fitness Interview

Between tossing hay bales and his massive pre-game-meal-gone-viral, Steelers offensive lineman Gennings Dunker has captured the attention of many football fans in the past few months.

Recently, the former Iowa Hawkeye joined Men's Fitness for an exclusive interview to talk about his diet, training, transition to NFL, and a Casey's sponsorship years in the making.

Diet

Dunker's pre game meal is not just a free-for-all. On paper it may look that way, but Dunker works with a dietician and makes meticulous changes on a week-to-week basis. They would make adjustments based on his energy levels and performance from the previous week.

In addition, they would look ahead to the temperature of the next game, and potentially program in more glucose and electrolytes to compensate for increased sweat rate.

As far as his general diet goes, Dunker utilizes a 40/40/20 macronutrient split. This means 40% of his calories come from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fats. He is adept at counting macros and uses MyFitnessPal to help him track. The total calorie intake depends on whether it is a training day or not.

Training

A self-proclaimed meathead, Dunker has a love for strength and conditioning. He used to write his own programs, inspired by the old Westside Barbell methods. Wide stance barbell squats, hang cleans, and power cleans were a major part of his programming.

He grew up loving to deadlift, but hasn't done it since he was 16 years old. He hit his goal of deadlifting 600lbs by his 16th birthday (yes you read that correctly) and decided to scale back. At his size and strength, the risk/reward proposition just wasn't worth it, since he would need to lift so much weight in order to progress. At Iowa they would mainly use the trap bar deadlift rather than conventional.

His love of lifting has clearly paid off. Just watch highlights of him mauling people on the field and you'll see why.

Getting Drafted

Coming into the draft, Dunker figured he would be a day 2 pick, which includes rounds 2 and 3. He credits his versatility, being able to play multiple positions, for being selected that high.

After conversing with some of the Steeler coaches, the first person he called was Logan Lee. Lee currently plays for the Steelers, and was also a teammate of Dunker's at Iowa. The two are good friends and even train together in the offseason.

Dunker is in a unique position heading into the NFL. He has two former college teammates, Logan Lee and Kaleb Johnson, currently on the Steelers' roster. The Steelers also selected another Iowa player, return specialist Kaden Wetjen, in the fourth round. He has great relationships with all of these players and feels like this will be an advantage in transitioning to the NFL.

On draft night, Dunker had a party in his small town (population 2,600). It was an open community event which also raised money for the local football program. He said "I know the day was about me, but I didn't want it to be about me."

Switching Positions Between Guard and Tackle

Dunker started his career at Iowa at guard, before finishing as a tackle. Insiders believe the Steelers will move him back to guard.

According to Dunker, the biggest difference between the two positions is speed. At guard, there's a man right in your face once the ball is snapped. At tackle, the defender is typically lined up a bit wider, giving you more time to react.

Casey's Partnership

When Casey's came to his hometown of Lena, Illinois, it was a big deal. Weekly pizza orders were the norm for Dunker and his family. He also has an unreal amount of Casey's points that he's accumulated over the years.

Many athletes are sponsored by companies that they've never used, or never would use. This was not the case for Gennings. He was ecstatic when they reached out, and it was an obvious fit from the jump. Casey's catered his draft party and, in his own words, there were "no leftovers."

Dunker's story is a refreshing one in a league full of manufactured images and polished personas. From a town of 2,600 to the steel city, he's carried the same authenticity that made him a fan favorite before he's even played a regular season snap. Whether he's tossing hay bales, cleaning out Casey's pizza, or opening holes in the trenches, Gennings Dunker is exactly who he appears to be.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM.