Retirement has had little effect on J.J. Watt's ridiculous physique.
The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and minority investor in Burnley recently treated fans to a glimpse of his rock hard abs while enjoying the high life on a luxury yacht with wife Kealia. The former Texans and Cardinals defensive end wore blue shorts and posed on the edge of the boat in a series of envy-inducing Instagram snaps. Watt captioned the photos, which included fancy dinners and stunning sunset vistas aboard the vessel: 'Training Camp 2024'.
"Physique and pictures on point," one fan remarked. "Beast," wrote another. "Please eat a donut," joked a third.
That's unlikely to happen anytime soon as the five-time Pro Bowler is famously militant about his diet and training regimen. The 35-year-old, who retired at the end of the 2022 NFL season, consumed 7,500 calories and six meals a day during his quarterback-sacking days - although that figure has come down now he's no longer playing in the league. Watt appeared on the Stick To Football podcast alongside Gary Neville , Roy Keane , Jamie Carragher , Jill Scott and Ian Wright recently where he discussed his once gargantuan calorie intake.
"When I was playing my average was probably 7,500 a day," Watt stated. "Wow!" a stunned Ian Wright exclaimed. "Right now I'm on about 4,500 calories a day," Watt went on.
"At my peak it was two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners. "It was like a job. "And it all had to be healthy.
It was a lot of chicken breast, a lot of white rice, a lot of basic stuff, which is harder to get your calories in. "I train weights four days a week and I do cardio three days a week," he said of his current weekly training split. The 6ft 5in, 289 lbs star has been open about his diet in the past, telling GQ in 2016 that his day started with about 900 calories of oatmeal and a half-dozen eggs before a second breakfast a few hours later with another four or five eggs along with two slices of wheat toast layered with peanut butter, banana, and honey.
A typical lunch would consist of three chicken breasts with whole wheat pasta and Italian dressing with a side of broccoli while a second lunch in the afternoon featured more of the same - chicken breasts, alongside mashed sweet potatoes, and steamed carrots. Dinner would see Watt consume lamb chops with whole wheat pasta and grilled asparagus. His daily calorie intake would end with a second dinner, usually a filet with whole wheat pasta and steamed broccoli.
That may seem a little OTT to the average man, but Watt was putting in serious gym work to sculpt his Adonis-like physique. He'd usually wake up between 5am-6am and engage in a 30- 40 minute warm up that consisted of planks, glute extensions, side planks with a raised leg, lateral leg walks with bands, bird-dogs, and dead-bugs. The All-Pro DE would then work out for around 90 minutes a day, mixing in free weights, functional training, conditioning, footwork drills, and resistance band exercises.
Watt called time on his Hall of Fame-worthy career over two years ago, but recently left the door open for a sensational return. In May, he told reporters in Houston at his charity softball event that he would go back on his retirement to rejoin the Texans if head coach DeMeco Ryans 'absolutely' needed him. "I told DeMeco last year, I said, 'Don't call unless you absolutely need it, but if you ever do call, I'll be there.
' And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it," Watt said, via SportsRadio610 . "This is the last year I'll tell him that, because I'm not going to keep training the way I've been training, but he knows that if he ever truly does need it, I'll be there for him. I don't anticipate that happening.
They've got a very good group. "I very much don't want that to ever be the case [that Ryans calls because of injuries]. I hope everybody stays extremely healthy and they dominate and they don't need any other bodies.
And I just get to watch and enjoy from the couch." Watt spent nine years with the Texans between 2011-2020. He established himself as one of the greatest defensive players in the NFL during his time in Houston.
He joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 before retiring a year later..
