How Patrick Mahomes' 'Dad Bod' Helps Him Stay NFL-Ready Through a Gruelling Season
Patrick Mahomes’ “dad bod” has drawn much attention, but his longtime trainer Bobby Stroupe has a different reason for the Chiefs quarterback’s physique and the specialised workouts behind it.
Patrick Mahomes has never trained simply to look like a typical NFL quarterback. His longtime trainer Bobby Stroupe has built his programme around the way Mahomes actually plays, from throwing while off balance to absorbing contact and finding unusual positions when a play breaks down. That approach has also shaped the physique fans often call his “dad bod”, although Stroupe sees Mahomes' build as part of a much bigger fitness plan.
The idea is not to turn Mahomes into the leanest or most muscular athlete in the room. His workouts are designed around movement, strength, stability and the physical demands of playing quarterback in a sport where the next play can put his body in a completely different position.
Why Patrick Mahomes Does Not Train For Looks
Stroupe has trained Mahomes since he was nine and has developed what he calls his “cake system”. The programme has eight layers: movement literacy, force absorption, force transmission, pattern stability, tissue resiliency, mobility, stability and flexibility. Rather than focusing only on adding muscle, the system is built around how Mahomes needs to move on the field.
That philosophy is also behind Stroupe's defence of Mahomes' physique. “I don't need him to look like a model because the way he chooses to play requires a certain type of physicality,” Stroupe told PEOPLE. He added that he believes an NFL quarterback should have at least 14% body fat because players need to be able to absorb contact.
Mahomes' workouts can look unusual compared with a conventional quarterback programme. Stroupe has incorporated gymnastics, martial arts and javelin-based exercises, while his strength work has included trap-bar deadlifts, heavy rows, medicine-ball throws, jumps, hops and sprints. The trainer explained that the exercises are selected around Mahomes' movements and the positions he repeatedly reaches during games.
Stroupe revealed the idea in another interview by saying, “I want him built like a bumper car. I kind of need that. He chooses to play that way.”
Mahomes has offered a similar explanation of the process. “What my trainer does is he watches tape, just like I watch tape,” he told Muscle & Fitness. “He sees the positions that I'm put in, and then we train at those positions.”
How His Training Has Supported His 2026 Comeback
The specialised work took on another dimension after Mahomes suffered an ACL tear in his left knee during Kansas City's Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers in December 2025. The injury ended his season, and he underwent surgery before beginning a long rehabilitation programme.
Mahomes spent the offseason working towards his goal of returning for the 2026 opener. By July, Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed that the quarterback had been fully cleared to participate in training camp. Mahomes described that as another step in a recovery process that still required him to keep building his strength and football conditioning.
He eventually received clearance to start Kansas City's Week 1 game against Denver in September, roughly nine months after the injury. The NFL reported that Mahomes had no injury designation after being a full participant throughout the final practice week before his return.
In Mahomes case, fitness has never been about copying a standard quarterback physique. His training has been built around the movements that make his game different, while his 2026 rehabilitation added another demanding phase to that preparation.