Steelers defensive lineman Ziggy Hood says he’s gained two pounds this offseason, from 305 to 307. But through intense workouts, Hood says he has radically transformed himself from a fat 300-pounder to a muscular 300-pounder.
According to Hood, his offseason workouts and an improved diet led to him losing 18 pounds of fat and gaining 20 pounds of muscle, and he’s going to be a much different player on the field as a result.
“What better way to help my speed and help my agility but to lose body fat?” Hood told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I play better when I feel good. When I don’t feel good, I don’t do as well as I want, and I didn’t feel good all the time last year.”
Hood and the gym where he’s been working out this offseason have posted videos of his feats of strength on YouTube, including a 50-inch box jump, a 700-pound deadlift and a 1,210-pound sled drag.
Hood said he wants to dispel any notion that defensive linemen need to be fat.
“You can be big and lean and still do your job correctly,” Hood said. “That’s what I am trying to do here. . . . All that big and looking sloppy, that’s out the window,” Hood said. “We are sexy now.”
