How Liverpool's Mo Salah got his incredible abs

He's scored more goals for Liverpool than any other player in the Premier League,  including 100 at Anfield, and now Mo Salah looks like he could set the bar for the fittest player the club has ever had.

The 31-year-old forward recently showed off his jaw-dropping physique that in a shirtless holiday snap on Instagram, revealing a chiselled torso that would leave the actors who play Marvel superheroes looking positively flabby by comparison.

Dubbed the Egyptian King, the father-of-two showed off his  impressive six-pack in swimming shorts, displaying incredibly defined abs, side abs and obliques.

The talented athlete has certainly come a long way fitness-wise since joining the Reds from Serie A side Roma in the summer of 2017 - he has never been out of shape by any stretch of the imagination.

But prior to 2017, he had a more slim athletic physique compared to his muscular look of today. So how has he done it?

The Liverpool star has in past documented himself starting workouts as early as 2.40am - during Ramadan - and discussed cutting down on fast food and filling his house with fitness and medical machinery.

Recent social media clips show the focused pro working his legs out in what appears to be a home gym, as well as doing push-ups with dumbbells.

Speaking to FEMAIL, a fitness expert has revealed that it's likely Mohamed's routine is optimised to include a balance of exercises, especially cardio.

Fitness trainer Isabella Murray added that Mohamed's alcohol-free lifestyle also likely plays a huge role.

PILATES AND WEIGHTLIFTING FOR MUSCLE DEFINITION

'Whilst weightlifting is essential for muscle growth, Mo definition is also from Pilates,' she said.

'Muscle definition from Pilates can be different from weightlifting due to its difference in training principle and targeting different muscle fibres for an overall full toned look.'

Weightlifting typically involves 'lifting heavy weights for a few repetitions', Isabella explained.

'Using a few repetitions targets fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for strength and power which can lead to hypertrophy (muscle growth) and increased muscle mass if supported by strict protein intake, hydration, calories and enough sleep.'

Meanwhile, Pilates focuses on 'controlling each movement slowly'.

'[This] will engage both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibres, focusing on muscle lengthening and control.'

Because of this, 'muscle toning, endurance, definition and increased core strength, stability and posture alignment' all come together to create a fully sculpted physique.

WEIGHTED AB WORKOUTS TO COVER ALL ABDOMINALS

'Mo would have also been doing weighted ab workouts, focusing on all areas of the abdominals, transverses abdomens, rectus abdomens, external obliques and internal obliques,' Isabella added, commenting on the footballer's beyond impressive abs.

'This would include movements like crunches, bicycle crunches, plank, sitting punches and wipers to cover each area of the abdominals.'

CARDIO AND AVOIDING ALCOHOL TO KEEP VISCERAL FAT LEVELS LOW

The trainer also said Mohamed's routine ensures that he keeps his visceral fat levels low.

'High levels of visceral fat (abdominal fat) can increase risk of some cancers, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, and the appearance of a pushed out belly,' she explained.

'To keep visceral fat levels low, Mo's cardio routine and no alcohol would be been a big factor in helping him achieve his physique.

'[He] no doubt does cardio, which plays a role in visceral fat breakdown by stimulating interleukin-6, which then stimulates lipolysis and is released from skeletal muscle during exercise.

The fitness pro said Mohamed also ensures that he maintains low overall body fat percentage.

'Everyone, has abs, but what's in front of the abs is body fat,' she said.

'The essential body fat for men is 3% and for women it's 15%. So to showcase his abs, Mo keeps both types of body fat (subcutaneous and visceral levels low) lower body fat % so the abs can show through.'

AND FINALLY... GENETICS

And Isabella says that - to an extent - Mohamed is, simply born with it.

'Genetics plays a HUGE role when it comes to our body, even our ability to have a six pack,' she explained.

'So part of it is… no matter how hard you try to get a six pack you may not get one due to your genetics.

'We all have the rectus abdominis muscle, it is divided into left and right side, this muscle group is what gives the six pack look.

'However, your genes determine the length and size of it, that's why some really lean people (people with really low body fat percentage) abs differ, some have never abs, some have a eight-pack, four-pack, a two-pack etc… For Mo, his genetics allow him to have the six-pack look in addition to the above.'

Meanwhile, Mohamed could be the next high-profile player to make a move to the Middle East after a Saudi Arabian official urged clubs to go after the Liverpool star.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which owns an 80% stake in Newcastle United, have made quite the splash since announcing they had taken control of four leading clubs in the country earlier this month.

Notable names joining Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed up for the project in December after his acrimonious divorce from Manchester United, have been Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.

While Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva draw closer to deals and rumours persist over interest in a host of Chelsea castaways such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy.

The elite level acquisitions have led to calls from Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for the Premier League to look into the unprecedented spree for which Mohamed could be the latest target.

HOW OTHER PROS STAY IN SHAPE

Mohamed isn't the only one flaunting his muscles around, as the summer season has seen footballers throwing their shirts off to enjoy the sun.

Some other recent features include the ever-sculpted Cristiano Ronaldo, who took to Instagram to post about his 'vacation mood' while lounging on a sofa in only his boxers.

And elsewhere Jarrod Bowen enjoyed some family time with his partner Dani Dyer and their recently-born twins - no doubt enjoying getting a tan while settling into fatherhood.

Meanwhile Luke Shaw is cutting a relaxed figure in France, where he and some pals were yesterday pictured cooling off on a boat day.

And Spanish player Marc Bartra also had commenters in awe when he posted a shirtless snap while on holiday this week.

Here's what these Adonis-esque athletes have said of their fitness regimes in the past...

CRISTIANO RONALDO

The Portuguese superstar, now earning £175million-a-year in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, is famously obsessive about his health and fitness routines.

But it clearly works - indeed, a test found the outrageously toned 38-year-old veteran had the body of an athlete 14 years his junior, with seven per cent body fat — (the average footballer's is 11), and 50 per cent muscle mass.

In addition to training with his club, Ronaldo supplements squad sessions with a personal workout plan.

He swears by Pilates, regular swims and five trips to the gym a week.

These include 25-30 minutes of cardio, high-intensity sprinting and targeted weights to increase muscle strength.

In total, he works out for three to four hours a day.

And the football star also has some unusual wellbeing routines.

Rather than sticking to the traditional three-meal structure of breakfast-lunch-dinner, Ronaldo prefers to refuel with six smaller 'mini-meals' throughout the day: Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, supper, dinner.

Ronaldo also does get seven-and-a-half hours of sleep, which most people should aim for, but gets it in an unusual way: with five 90-minute naps rather than one big sleep.

When he returned to Manchester United in 2021, Ronaldo reportedly had a £50,000 cryotherapy chamber brought to his home. Cryotherapy chambers use freezing liquid nitrogen to rapidly plunge the air within to -200C (-328F).

JARROD BOWEN

The 26-year-old player is likely to be getting the workout of his life having recently welcomed twins with his partner Dani Dyer.

But in past, the England team pro revealed his unusual go-to fitness instructor.

Born in Hereford into a family of farmers, in 2020 the athlete said he returns home each summer for a bespoke fitness programme put together by his father Sam.

'I call it my old man's boot camp,' he added, laughing. 'Usually we have two weeks at it hard before my club pre-season and it's very old school.

'The worst one is a wheelbarrow full of muck that I have to push up a hill, empty it and carry back. I have to do that again and again for an hour. Dragging tractor tyres is another one — though we didn't do that one this year.

'This summer it was mainly running in my uncle Stu's potato fields. The ground is so heavy it's like running on sand and means that when you finally get back to grass it feels like a breeze.

'Dad is a real country boy and has loads of ideas. I could say "no" I guess but he says that nobody else will be doing it and he has a point. It's just an hour a day, isn't it? Get out there and get it done.'

LUKE SHAW

The Manchester United left-back, 27, has shown off his sculpted physique in recent snaps, but has in past opened up about facing harsh criticisms about his body.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2018, Luke said some overlook the fact he has a naturally larger frame than the average footballer.

'People can say I'm fat but I know my own body,' he explained. 'I always look big because I'm bigger built.

'You could say a Wayne Rooney type of body. I worked hard, and not just for them.

'I wanted to get in the best shape for myself and that wasn't my best shape. Now I'm working harder than ever...

'You've just got to take it because there is always going to be negative and positive criticism, but both can make you stronger.'

MARC BARTRA

It may surprise few people to hear that Marc, 32, who plays for Süper Lig club Trabzonspo and the Catalan nantional team, frequently posts clips of his fitness regime on social media.

The toned and sculpted player appears to have a home gym fitted with multiple treadmills, frequently seen to be working up a sweat while running and training with weights.

And it would seem football isn't the footballer's only forte.

A recent sweet Instagram video shows him and girlfriends Jessica Goicoechea arduously powering through a dance routine in workout clothes.