Running Up That Hill: How Jaylen Warren Got Jacked in the Offseason

PITTSBURGH — When Jaylen Warren showed up at OTAs, it was clear that he was absolutely jacked. The second-year running back has made a change to his physique after his first season, but it doesn’t appear that it was all that intentional on his part.

For the first time since high school, Warren had some stability to simply focus on lifting and getting fitter. In the hills of Salt Lake City, Utah, Warren ran the hills relentlessly, just as he always has. Then, he went relentlessly back into the weight room to do more lifts. He never paid close attention to the progress he made, but when he first got back to Pittsburgh, his teammates pointed out to him the progress he made.

Jaylen Warren looks for space as the Steelers face the Ravens on Jan. 1, 2022 in Baltimore. (Mitchell Northam / Steelers Now)

In fact, Warren is unsure how much weight he actually put on in muscle over the offseason. However, he does know that he shed a lot of body fat. So much so, that Warren’s body fat percentage is the lowest it’s ever been in his time as a football player. That transformation, unintentionally, is startling.

“It’s kinda crazy because I didn’t really notice it until others told me,” Warren said. “I know I feel great and my body fat percentage is the lowest it’s ever been. I didn’t do anything different, I just did it more often.”

Regardless of how he did it, Warren feels stronger, faster and more explosive than he did a year ago. When he puts his foot on the ground, he feels like he has a bit more juice out there. Sometimes, he even surprises himself with how many gears he has in his arsenal.

“Sometimes, I honestly surprise myself,” Warren said. “I feel stronger, faster, and a little bit more explosive. There’s definitely a change from last year.”

Jaylen Warren is making his next step to being focusing on what to do on the field. Regardless of that, he has plenty of hills to run in Pittsburgh and more weights to lift at the facility. Pittsburgh is looking for him to have a huge role in the offense heading into his second year.