The NFL star is looking shredded and strong amid offseason training.

The Arizona Cardinals' defensive lineman JJ Watt is looking ripped and ready for action ahead of the start of football season in September, if a new photo that the NFL star posted to social media is any indication.

"Dad bod loading…" Watt wrote on Twitter, accompanied by a distinctly un-dad-bod-like photo which showed off his visibly shredded abs, jacked biceps, and enormous quads.

As anyone who has been even remotely online over the last few years will know, the term "dad bod," originally conceived to describe a fuller-figured man, has been misused and reappropriated by conventionally fit guys so much that it has become almost entirely divorced from its initial meaning. In Watt's case, though, given how utterly hulking his physique appears to be in this picture, we're going to go ahead and assume he was being intentionally playful and ironic in his use of the phrase. Or perhaps he was even describing himself as "daddy" and his phone simply autocorrected.

Watt, who staged an impressive comeback from a back injury in 2017 then again from a leg injury in 2018, has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to his training, as well as calling out people who overstate their own physical prowess on Instagram. As NFL strength coach Buddy Morris recently told Men's Health, that level of dedication is rare.

"You look at those guys and they have tremendous, tremendous focus and perseverance," said Morris. "They have tunnel vision. It's just not one day, one week. It's 365 days a year. They understand that success is leased, and the rent is due every day. So they look at every day as a way to get better. And I've adopted that in my own profession. They inspire me to train. Those guys have really taught me the value of perseverance and, just overall, just be the best. And it's a short period of time where you're going to be the best. So give it everything you got."

"But also, dealing with elite athletes—especially highly motivated elite athletes—one of your jobs is to protect them from them," he continued. "So it's part of my job to protect... JJ Watt from JJ Watt... Because they just go and go and go. They don't understand. There's days I've got to take it easy, and there's there's days to push. There's a time and place for everything. That's been the hardest thing that I teach these guys, these elite guys, because there's a period of time when you kind of back it down a little bit."

Watch Martins Licis Train With Lifter Rauno Geinla

Take Up to $400 on These Top-rated Recovery Boots

What's in Damian (Dame) Lillard's Gym Bag?

The Best Gear From REI’s Labor Day Sale 2022

We Reviewed the Gungnir Dumbler Dumbbells

Shop These Early Labor Day Sales on Bike Gear

Peloton Bikes and Gear Are Now Available on Amazon

3 Side Plank Level-Ups to Build Strong Obliques

How to Train Around Lower Back Pain

This Curl Superset Will Blast Your Biceps

We Tried Hyperice's New Compression Boots

This Kettlebell Move Will Grow Your Glutes

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site.

©Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.