AJ Styles discontinued appearing inside the WWE ring for over a month after his cameo during the September 29, 2023, episode of SmackDown. However, fans noticed a significant transformation in his physique after Styles returned to the ring during the December 15, 2023, episode of SmackDown following his timeout.
Styles’ noticeably jacked physique also had a few wrestling pundits accusing him of using steroids to build his stature. But has ‘The Phenomenal One’ ever confessed to his steroid usage, or are those allegations just like the other rumors that keep flying around in the community? He hasn’t confessed to using steroids, but he does have a few tricks up his sleeve that clearly work, judging by the transformation people are seeing. What are they? Let’s find out!
AJ Styles Stepped out of His Comfort Zone To Build His Physique
Styles’ TNA colleague, Vince Russo, was among the most prominent wrestling figures who questioned ‘The Lone Wolf’s’ steroid usage after watching his jacked version during the December 15 episode of SmackDown. Russo provided his take on Styles’ transformation in one of his YouTube videos, saying (via Vince Russo on YouTube):
I first worked with AJ like, 20 years ago, and I saw his body. I had a talk with Disco [Disco Inferno, former WCW star] about it, and I guess we’re in a day and age where you are w orking with people, whether it’s testosterone or whatever it is, but you’re working with a professional and taking this stuff, safely, and a lot of the boys are doing it.
However, in an interview with Adrian Hernandez (via YouTube) at the WrestleMania XL media day in 2024, Styles disclosed how his jacked physique was a result of his dedication to working out, maintaining a healthy diet, and being “comfortable with being uncomfortable.” He said:
I can tell you this, it starts with the diet. I’m a meat eater, that’s the majority, 98% of my diet, it’s all meat. I don’t play around. Every now and then, I may have something with sugar in it, but I just cut out carbs. I have to dedicate 2 hours to my workout, and that’s not because I am in the gym the whole time…So cold plunge, workout, and then sauna. The whole thing with me is that I am trying to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I think my body is able to adjust.
While Russo speculated that his former TNA colleague used TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) and steroids to build a buffed-up physique, Styles has never admitted to using the juice to achieve a more muscular body. However, the 48-year-old often uses an unusual method to achieve his desired look.
AJ Styles’ Diet and Training: How Fasting Helped Him in Transformation
Most think that a jacked physique comes from maintaining a nutritious diet, besides being dedicated to working out regularly. However, Styles often steps out of this regular path to achieve his desired physique.
In a six-month-old appearance on Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube show, INSIGHT, the 48-year-old disclosed how he added “fasting” to his usual routine to achieve his desired shape in 2025.
I lost weight. I was not any heavier than I was before, but fasting is a big part of my diet as well. I’d done a three-day fast, just water. I’d done that maybe a week before I came back so I was shredded. I literally just got through doing a six-day fast, just water. That su*ked too.
Styles also detailed other activities he regularly does to keep himself in shape at 48. During the interview, ‘The Phenomenal One’ reiterated that getting “used to being uncomfortable” was indispensable for achieving his jacked look. As he also added,
All you gotta do in a sauna is just sit there. All you gotta do is not eat and drink water, these things are easy to do, or they should be, but we’re addicted to so many different, lifestyles of being easy and nice. You know what the worst time to get the cold plunge is? Is when you’re comfortable. It’s perfect outside, it’s perfect inside. Oh, it’s great. And then you get the cold plunge like. But if you can get used to being uncomfortable, it’s not that hard to be uncomfortable.
Hence, it’s pretty apparent that Styles has consistently advocated for working hard and staying disciplined to build an appreciable physique instead of using steroids.
But do you think there’s something about Styles’ jacking up that he doesn’t want to publicize? Let us know in the comments below.
