Something that is particularly common with a lot of sports stars is the way in which their body balloons following retirement. While they may have had a body that was the envy of most people in the world at one point, when retirement occurs everything goes downhill. After putting their body through intense training every day they are suddenly met with a completely different lifestyle - and the pounds start to accumulate as a result.

This is certainly the case with Brendan Fevola. The former AFL player has lost 16 kilograms after embarking on an intense fitness regime in 2016. The regime focussed on both diet and exercise and considering the fact that Fevola is now 37-years-old, the results are impressive to say the least.

After sharing the results on his Instagram account, Fevola was praised from all quarters by fans who couldn't quite believe his new-look appearance.

Furthermore, it was clear from the evidence on Instagram that Fevola was utterly proud of his appearance. After all, he donned his new look with a pale pink shirt, orange tie and outlandish blazer.

The image was in stark contrast to what followers of the former athlete may have recently seen. Fevola had posted in early 2017 a photograph of him lounging on a bed, with a bare stomach. Suffice to say, it was hardly flattering and was the polar opposite to what fans are now seeing. Many likened the "before" photo as a "dad bod"; which is not surprising considering the fact that Fevola is a father-of-three, with a baby on the way shortly.

How did Fevola's transformation occur?

Fevola's transformation can be linked to the previous point we have been talking about, regarding the photo he posted in 2017. It was around this time that he revealed he was "horrified" to see his body, with his despair compounded through the cellulite he found on his stomach. This was the call-to-action that he needed to get his former athletic body back.

As he said in an interview, he used to be very fit. Let's not forget he had bulging muscles and abs, but all that seemed a distant memory as he gazed into the mirror.

Some might suggest that Fevola had something of an advantage in comparison to the Average Joe as well. While he might have been the same size as the so-called average person, he at least had the athletic background which gave him the insight on how he could shed the pounds and ultimately impress his Instagram followers.

If we turn to the types of training that an AFL player carries out, there is a huge emphasis on training your core here. This is for the simple reason that most AFL players need to break into tackles, without falling. It means that exercises such as upper-body lifts are very much commonplace and if we were to hone in on a couple of examples, medicine-ball throws are very common. This will typically involve throwing the ball with a colleague, with the weight alternating between your left and right foot.

During his career, Fevola will have also placed a lot of emphasis on compound exercises. AFL players give a lot of attention to the likes of the bench and shoulder press, for the simple reason that they develop the big chest and shoulder muscles which are invaluable during the peaks of the game. As Fevola's new physique has also highlighted, these exercises play a big role in creating that toned body that society almost demands nowadays.

There's every chance that there will have been a heavy aerobic influence in Fevola's training as well. The nature of AFL means that having a good engine is paramount to success and ideally, you need a combination of speed, endurance and power to really succeed.

It means that hill sprints are very common, while 3km runs are also par for the course. In relation to the latter, twice weekly is not a surprise and is a sure-fire way to fuel the physique that Fevola is sporting.

In relation to Fevola's new-look diet, it could be suggested that this will have been turned on its head. Like a lot of retired athletes, now that he no longer has regular training or game time to concentrate on, his diet will have had to adapt. Many retired professionals struggle with this, as for the last ten or fifteen years they have been used to a set dietary schedule that has meant taking on a lot of carbohydrates. This has been to fuel all of the physical excursion that is required through the course of a day.

Well, as soon as this stops, it goes without saying that the carbs need to fuel something else. Suffice to say, there just isn't enough exercise to fuel, and this is where the added weight comes from (and the belly, which Fevola was once sporting).

So, it's doubtful that he will have been turning to a full AFL diet, as his exercise requirements just aren't the same. However, as a former sportsman in this field, he will know the importance of diet on muscle-building, and just how paramount it is that he turns to protein to fuel this. Another positive element of protein is that he is able to make himself feel fuller for longer, which is really important now that he will be suddenly stripping so many carbohydrates out of his diet.

A summary on Brendan Fevola’s transformation

As the images show, Fevola has now completed a stunning transformation from where he was a short time ago. Some will point to the fact that he holds a major advantage due to his previous sporting background, but at the same time this can work the opposite way as his diet now has to be completely different to what he is used to as he is no longer playing on a full-time basis. Regardless of the reasons, there’s no doubt that Fevola has pleased many Instagram followers courtesy of his transformation.