Bryce Harper explains why his upper body is so jacked

Bryce Harper showed up to Washington Nationals spring training this year looking like he spent all of his free time bench pressing during the offseason. Harper, who hit 42 home runs during his first two seasons in the majors, is looking jacked. The 21-year-old provided a logical explanation for his bulkiness.

For starters, Harper is a workout freak. He gets up before 5:00 a.m. to begin training for the day and said he spends hours each day lifting weights in the gym. On Tuesday, Harper told 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier why he is looking so top-heavy. It has to do with his knee surgery.

“I didn’t really have a lower body for two months,” Harper said. “It was like I was in a wheelchair trying to just do the upper body. So I’d go to the gym and only be able to work my upper body. I’d get bored during the day, go to the gym. That’s what I like to do, I like to lift. I work my ever-loving tail off in the gym.”

Harper has trouble keeping his weight on during the season, so he has to make sure he comes into April as filled out as possible.

“I want to be ready when I get [to spring training],” he added. “And then lifting during spring training also and putting on weight and things like that. Coming here I’m able to work my lower half finally, and that’s nice, being able to go in and work my lower half and get squats in and do the things that I need to do to get my lower half stronger.

“But like I said, the first two months of the offseason all I had was my upper body and that’s all I could do. So, I came in pretty big this year.”

For some, big would be an understatement.