Joey Bosa says working with personal trainer makes him better athlete

SAN DIEGO -- Figuring that it's hard to argue with results, Joey Bosa saw no problem with missing the last two weeks of voluntary workouts in order to spend time with his personal trainer in Florida.

Bosa was back with his Los Angeles Chargers teammates on Tuesday for the start of a two-day voluntary minicamp for veterans.

The defensive end said his work with his trainer is "nothing magical," but it works for him.

"I just found a guy who really knows what he's talking about, and my body changed in ways I never could have imagined and changed last year," he said. "Pain in certain parts of my body that I've had chronically for years and years has suddenly gone after going through this process and this program. After the year I had last year, I saw no reason why I would ever change what I'm doing, so I wanted to continue on with it."

Bosa was named The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 10-plus sacks in 12 games in 2016.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Bosa got off to a rough start with the Chargers when he missed all of training camp during a contract dispute. After he signed, he injured a hamstring and missed the first four games.

He had two sacks in his first NFL game and four in his first three games.

Bosa said new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and line coach Giff Smith have no problems with his plan and he has been "over-communicating with the team for months now" about his plans.

"All the guys on the team, you can ask them if I'm out there just sitting on the couch or I'm working," said Bosa, who declined to name his personal trainer. "It is voluntary. There are guys missing, and there will be guys in the future who will miss. But when it comes to your body, you've got to do what in your mind you think is right. It's nothing against the team. It's just what I think is right for my body."

He said the offseason work with his trainer is "really not about specific football aspects. It's about making me faster, making me stronger, having joint integrity and being able to stay healthy throughout the season. The football is what Giff and Gus are for when I get here. That's when I really refine my craft of pass-rushing and actually playing the game of football. But just to become a better athlete is what I've been working on this offseason."

Bosa "looked good," new coach Anthony Lynn said. "He had a good day on the field today. He's in great shape. He's a hard worker."

Lynn didn't have a problem with Bosa's working on his own.

"I trust him. I know he's a hard worker. He's one of the hardest-working guys on the football team," the coach said. "I'm not worried about his conditioning or anything like that."

The Chargers are coming off a 5-11 season and dealing with all the disruptions involved with relocating. Chairman Dean Spanos decided in January to move to Los Angeles after voters rejected his plan to use an increase in the hotel tax to build a new stadium and convention center annex. The team will vacate Chargers Park by June 30 and move to Costa Mesa. The Chargers will play for two seasons at StubHub Center, a 27,000-seat soccer stadium in Carson, before they move to the stadium in Inglewood being built by Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Tuesday marked the first time in the offseason workouts that the offense and defense went against each other, albeit in helmets, jerseys and shorts.

Quarterback Philip Rivers said he had "good butterflies," which he usually does on the first day back on the field.

"It may sound crazy, but it is the biggest break you have, from the last game till almost four months since we've been out there," he said. "Obviously, we're not at full strength, but the energy was good. I thought we competed well. It was a good first day."

The Chargers won only nine games the past two seasons, which cost coach Mike McCoy his job. They have been to the playoffs only once in the past seven seasons.

"We have a very hungry group of guys that really are tired of losing," Rivers said. "The climate is good right now for what we want to accomplish heading toward the season."