San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, known for power and running people over, saw his weight drop after offseason core muscle surgery.
Kittle told the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast this week that he lost nearly 30 pounds following the Super Bowl. He typically plays around 250 pounds but lost significant weight because he couldn’t work out for a month.
“I couldn’t lift,” Kittle said, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “I couldn’t do any upper body because of my shoulder and my rib, and I couldn’t do lower (body) because of my core surgery. … I didn’t lift from the Super Bowl until like almost mid-March. I went a month without doing anything, I wasn’t supposed to do anything.”
For a self-proclaimed gym rat, Kittle said his “anxiety” was high not being able to lift to keep his physique in the offseason. The 30-year-old noted that he still wants to add around 10 pounds to get back to playing shape.
“It was tough, but I’m feeling great now, which is fantastic,” Kittle added about the recovery process. “I’d say I’m almost back to 100 percent.”
Despite dealing with injuries last season, Kittle sat out just one contest — a meaningless Niners Week 18 tilt. The five-time Pro Bowler has the next month to finish tweaking his offseason workout plan before San Francisco veterans report to training camp on July 23.