Standing tall at a staggering six feet and seven inches, Chris Tremlett arrived on the international circuit as a menacing seamer whose bowling was as intimidating as his towering frame that looked like it was cut from stone.
His height and muscles bolstered his bowling with pace and bounce, while he backed the natural abilities with pinpoint accuracy.
On his ODI debut in 2005, a 23-year-old Tremlett immediately made an impact and almost pulled off a hat-trick before, eventually, finishing with figures of 4-32 against Bangladesh.
But, England and their fans will always be grateful to Tremlett for memories of the 2010-11 Ashes series win where he finished with 17 wickets in just three Tests.
However, the gifts of his body, that allowed him to become a key bowler for England, also led to his downfall.
ust like Andrew Flintoff, a tall and muscular frame invited consistent injury concerns which, eventually, forced Tremlett to bring an early end to his international career in 2015.
While a premature end to his cricketing journey would have surely left his fans feeling blue, but, for Tremlett, it became a blessing in disguise.
With no need to bowl for countless hours in nets or the playing field, Tremlett reignited his passion for bodybuilding. Five years after announcing his retirement, the England star, today, boasts of a physique that will make strongman competitors proud.
A director of a property investment firm based in London, the 39-year-old has been making incredible physical gains in the gym too.
The Englishman is not only muscular but noticeably bigger in frame too – something that has earned him a lot of praise from cricket fans on social media. This is his journey to becoming cricket’s very own incredible hulk.
Getting Bigger
After retiring from cricket, Tremlett hit the ground running in the gym to get as big as possible.
“For a couple of years I just basically tried to get as big as I possibly could and to do that you do have to eat an obscene amount of calories if you’re a big guy like me. I was eating around 8,000 calories a day and I did find taking in that amount quite hard work”, he told Sportsmail.
“There were times when I was eating rubbish as well just to get the calories in. I got to around 135 kilos but I didn’t feel particularly great with it,” he added.
Shaping The Body
Eating obscene amounts of calories, as opined by Tremlett, is neither easy, nor healthy and that’s when the big man began shaping his muscular frame.
“You stop enjoying food so a lot of those calories came from breaking it down and blending it and making high calorie shakes to get them in at the right time,” the Englishman revealed.
“It got to the point where we had a baby (with fiance Kimberly who is a keen trainer too) and I wanted to feel fitter again so I kept up all the strength stuff but leaned down a bit. To keep this weight I have to eat 4,000 calories a day and when I was playing cricket I was probably only eating 2,500 to 3,000,” he added.
Four Stone Bigger
Obscene eating and, then, tireless hours in the gym gave Tremlett the superpower of capturing everyone’s attention. The hardwork eventually paid off and, today, he is an inspiration for fitness enthusiasts.
“I’m four stone bigger now than I was then. When I was playing cricket I was 105 kilos but I’m probably between 125-130 now. It is a bit of a Bryson Dechambeau physique change. Some people retire and then let themselves go but this is something I enjoy. It’s my hobby,” the Englishman said.
Can The Hulk Bowl?
Boasting of a frame which is bigger than before, the most obvious thought that comes to mind is: can he bowl at the same pace?
While many would feel more muscles could add more speed to his bowling, Tremlett feels otherwise. “People comment on my pictures and say ‘you must bowl 95 miles per hour now’ but I’m like “no”,’ he insisted.
“I still play a couple of games a year and bowl off five or six paces and I can still get it down there. I’m still hitting the gloves pretty hard so I don’t think I’m too far off where I could bowl when I finished. I’m probably around 80mph but I don’t think I’d be able to bowl off my full run now. I’ve probably got two or three overs in me then I’m done,” the gentle giant added.
Not The One For Competitions
Given his incredible body transformation, Tremlett participating in a body-building competition would surely make for an exciting watch. But, the England star has no aspirations of competing.
“I’m not a body-builder and I’m not trying to be a strength athlete. I don’t have any aspirations to stand on a stage with a pair of pants on and flexing my muscles. It’s not really my thing. I like to do this my own way. I don’t take steroids because it’s an unhealthy thing to do and that’s not really the route I’m going down. I’m just trying to improve and we’ll see what happens,” he claimed.
CREDIT: Mensxp