Even Bobby Stroupe doesn’t care what Patrick Mahomes looks like with his shirt off.
In fact, the quarterback’s personal trainer wants Mahomes a little chubby. Stroupe told People this week that his target body fat for Mahomes is 14 percent. That’s a high number for a professional athlete, especially a Super Bowl MVP. Even Stroupe’s preferred workout regimen for Mahomes is called, no joke, the cake system.
“It’s not from an unhealthy standpoint,” Stroupe said, “but from a force-absorption standpoint. You have to be able to take contact.
“We know there’s just not a lot of quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame that have a six-pack and there’s a reason for that. We’ve got to find that fine line of performance and health. And the aesthetic part is a different conversation. I don’t need him to look like a model because the way he chooses to play requires a certain type of physicality, and that physicality needs more body fat. That is a core belief that I do have for him.”
From dad bod to grandpa bod, Andy Reid’s core beliefs for his quarterback probably don’t include a target body-fat percentage. More than likely, Reid cares more about the fact that Mahomes is off to the worst start of his NFL career for the 3-0 Chiefs, who visit the Los Angeles Chargers (2-1) on Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS).
Mahomes already has four interceptions through three games, the fastest he’s ever reached that mark. For context, when he led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title in 2019, Mahomes didn’t throw his fourth interception until Week 15. And, perhaps even more concerning, other than Cam Taylor-Britt’s Week 2 play that wound up on a T-shirt (order here), three of Mahomes’ four picks this year have arguably been his fault.
But, seriously, is anyone really concerned about the Chiefs (more than Jim Harbaugh, who’s wondering whether Justin Herbert will start)? Good teams find ways to win, and that’s why the Chiefs can reach 4-0 for the first time since 2020 and the sixth time under Reid.
Mahomes will make the 100th regular-season start of his NFL career. Per the NFL, he already owns league records for wins (77), passing yards (29,083), passing touchdowns (224) and completions (2,450) by a quarterback over his first 100 starts.