It's not uncommon for fathers to gain a little weight alongside their partner's pregnancy. Some dads suggest it's due to the emotional support of their partner "eating for two" so that they don't feel left out but often times it's just because once children come into the mix you're usually in the safe zone to let yourself go a bit. Parenting is stressful after all and late nights with a crying baby aren't any better for your body than eating junk food.
Sometimes though, the "dad bod" never goes away once the child grows up and what's left is an overall softer appearance. In fact, these days dad bods are so in.
Celebrities don't tend to follow the same rules on what it means to have a dad bod. Whether they are an actor, athlete, or musician some dads want to rock their 6-pack for as long as possible. They may be onto something here! And if celebrities don't want to follow the rules and eat for two who are we to stop them from achieving their fit goals.
As you'll see most of these celebrity dads get better, fitter, stronger, and have the best dad bods the older they get which is crazy.
20 Hunky Soccer Legend, David Beckham
David Beckham pretty much wrote the playbook on maintaining a great dad bod. At only 24-years-old he became a father to his first child Brooklyn Beckham while he was playing soccer for Manchester United. With his team in pursuits making it far in the World Cup he had to always stay up to date on training.
During his soccer career, his physique and tattoos earned him several modeling gigs.
Once he retired he was pretty set with ads like Calvin Klein and several GQ and Men's Health magazine covers to showcase his athleticism. Now 4 kids later, Beckham is in just as good shape, maybe even better than at 24.
19 Picture Perfect Model, Tyson Beckford
Well, he is a model after all. Being that modeling is Tyson Beckford’s first and foremost profession he takes extra care on never getting the traditional dad bod which is accompanied by a bit of a belly. Seriously, those abs are ridiculous!
Walking the catwalk is no easy task and neither is giving up the temptation to let go once you have children (his son Jordan Beckford, according to his Wikipedia page, is 19, but still!). There's got to be some tough workout's involved for the 47-year-old model who's youthful looks gives younger models a run for the – errr – catwalk?
18 Chris Hemsworth Who Is Really Thor IRL
There are very few photos that suggest Chris Hemsworth has ever been anything but buff, with the exception of his role in In the Heart of the Sea in which he played a man stranded at sea with no food. Entertainment Weekly reported he was eating only 500 calories a day to undergo the drastic changes of his usual Thor physique.
Other than that Hemsworth, along with his brothers and wife Elsa Pataky, have always been quite the fit family.
Staying true to his Australian roots, the couple is often surfing and enjoying the water purely for fun in addition to workouts with trainers.
17 Cristiano Ronaldo, Our Other Soccer Fave
Cristiano Ronaldo is fit and he knows it with all the modeling gigs that he posts on his personal social media. And if you're watching the World Cup matches right now you know that soccer captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, is crushing it with the Portugal national football team. Look. At. Those. Quads. The Portuguese player seemingly has no body fat which enables him the speed and strength to carry the team as a forward.
Ronaldo is a father to Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., Eva Maria, Mateo, Alana Martina but these four children don't appear to shift his mindset of getting softer. He probably works out with all of them on his back if we had to guess.
16 Channing "Usually Acting With His Shirt Off" Tatum
Channing Tatum most notably played Tyler Gage in the first of the Step Up movie franchise, where he met his now ex-wife Jenna Dewan, who played his co-star lead Nora Clark.
Showing off his dance moves involved a lot of athleticism in addition to the job of acting.
Well, he didn't stop there. In movies like Dear John and She's the Man there are brief glimpses of his chiseled chest but it's in Magic Mike where the dad to Everly Tatum really gives a new meaning to the phrase "dad bod". In many interviews, he even talks about his dancer past as something he doesn't miss, but hey, dad's got moves.
15 Matthew McConaughey Who Is More Than Alright, Alright, Alright
Matthew McConaughey has always been Hollywood's low key player until he met his wife Camila Alves and they had their children Livingston, Vida, and Levi Alves McConaughey. With a model wife, it's no secret that their household is super fit.
McConaughey is constantly spotted by the paparazzi running outside shirtless, because why not flaunt it if he's got it? The actor also has to stay in tip-top shape for roles like Dallas in Magic Mike and then quickly losing weight less than a year later for his role as Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. Snapping into shape never really seems hard for McConaughey.
14 Chris Pratt Who Transformed Into A Chiseled Dad
What a transformation! Chris Pratt used to be the big funny guy known for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation. Then when his movie career started to take off he really did the work to fit more diverse roles whether it was Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Passengers – all of which debuted his new and improved dad bod.
In preparation for Guardian's of the Galaxy, he told People.com,
"I actually lost weight by eating more food..."
"but eating the right food, eating healthy foods and so when I was done with the movie my body hadn’t been in starvation mode." Whatever the case Chris Pratt’s Dad body is a force to be reckoned with what it hits the cinematic screens.
13 Hugh 'The Wolverine' Jackman
Hugh Jack(ed)man is almost 50-years-old with a ripped body that competes with a lot of actors way younger than him. In fact, he could probably bench many young actors. With that being said, we're not even sure if he knows that it's ok to cool down and embrace a more comfortable dad body.
According to Men's Journal, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gave him some tips on how to prepare for his role in X-Men: Days of Future Past, "He told me that if in a six-month period you want to put on 25lbs of lean muscle and not fat, eat natural and eat 6,000 calories a day".
6-THOUSAND CALORIES. Wow.
12 So Good You Need A Doctor, Jesse Williams
9-1-1, we have an emergency. This actor is just too gorgeous! Oh, and make sure Dr. Jackson Avery from Grey's Anatomy takes care of us as we fawn all over Jesse Williams. Rockin' dad bod aside, the father to Marceo and Sadie Williams, is known for his piercing gray, blue, um, green eyes? They appear to change in every photo but you get the point!
The actor is also super passionate about activism which is why he is such a great role model for his children.
Between his brain and brawn, Jesse Williams sets a whole other standard for attractive Hollywood dads.
11 Funny Guy, John Krasinski
Nobody expected this glow up to happen, people were honestly quite happy to crush on John Krasinski before he muscled up. On the hit show, The Office, on NBC, John played Jim Halpert who had a pretty average dad bod once he and Pam became official, got married, and had children. He wasn’t packing a belly but he was definitely not near this ripped state that he is here.
We’ll call this the Chris Pratt effect because first his body transformation, then Jonah Hill and now John Krasinski - the formally funny actors are becoming fitness goals!
10 Looks As Good As His Music, Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz is such an underrated celebrity father. Even though his daughter Zoë Kravitz is way into her adult years, we still have to acknowledge how good of a dad bod the 54-year-old rock n' roll musician and actor is.
His signature nose piercing and tattoos prove that he is forever the ultimate cool dad.
Even his most recent album called Strut, which was released in 2014, features Kravitz posing practically shirtless with his abs peeking out of his blazer. And in 2016 he told BET he was on a raw foods diet meaning he has no plans to get rid of his abs.
9 Orlando Bloom Is Here To Make You Swoon
He has always been the subtlety really attractive dad of Flynn Bloom. Orlando Bloom is another teen heartthrob turned gorgeous with age and we’re not mad about it. With tousled curly black hair, a few cheeky tattoos, and a swoon-worthy British accent, it's easy to see why the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings actor is always surrounded by models.
Even when the actor is not filming for a role that may have him shirtless, it's obvious the actor cares a lot about his body as he's always spotted surfing or doing other active sports. Keep up the good work, Orlando!
8 Golden Globe Winner, Idris Elba
Idris Elba is one buff Brit. The actor is consistently in roles that require him to be in great shape such as Beasts of No Nation, Luther, and a few roles with Marvel live-action comics.
There have even been rumors of Elba becoming the next James Bond as people think his physique and British nationality earn him the spot.
Despite popular demand, Elba told Buzzfeed that it was unlikely, simply because it's not up to him.
It seems that whatever role is next for the father to Isan and Winston Elba, his sculpted dad bod will be ready without any additional training.
7 Justin Timberlake's Forever Our Childhood Crush
Justin Timberlake went from N'Sync hottie wearing denim on denim with Britney Spears to wearing even less clothing in the movie Friends With Benefits alongside Mila Kunis. In between all that time, it seems like he never said "bye, bye, bye" to his N'Shape body (Ok, I'm done).
As Justin Timberlake continues to create new albums the one thing he's never stopped doing is dancing in music videos and live performances with the same intensity as his younger years which most likely contributes to how he stays so fit even as a dad to Silas Timberlake. He really is the triple threat as a singer, actor, and dancer.
6 John Legend We Love All Of You
We all know facially John Legend looks like a baby, particularly identical to his first daughter Luna Stephens (Stephen's is John Legend's real last name). But his body tells a different story. If you follow his wife Chrissy Teigen on any social media platform you'll know that the model mom is always cooking up healthy meals for her family.
Good food and some exercise are the simple ways John Legend keeps his body looking more mature than his face.
It was reported by Page Six that for his role Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert Legend had been juice fasting for his shirtless scenes and it definitely paid off.
5 'Riverdale' Daddy, Mark Consuelos
On the CW television show, Riverdale, Mark Consuelos plays the manipulative big city gangster, Hiram Lodge, who brings violent crime to a small town, all while putting his wife Hermoine and daughter Veronica at risk. Just because he’s not the greatest dad on TV doesn’t mean him and Kelly Ripa aren’t awesome parents IRL.
The two fan over each other all the time which definitely means they loving household for children Michael, Lola, and Joaquin Consuelos. The picture above was posted by Ripa herself calling him the best looking "man alive EVERY YEAR. Year after year!" and yes, the Rip(ped)a pun also applies to Consuelos.
4 Brad Pitt's Still Got It
The man, the myth, the legend. Brad Pitt has had a great body through his younger teen heartthrob days to young adult greatness in the movie Fight Club to now as a fully gray dad to Shiloh, Maddox, Vivienne, Pax, Zahara, and Knox Jolie-Pitt. We're starting to think his role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is loosely based on his ability to never age.
In recent year's it seems as though Pitt has switched gears and taken on more serious roles so sadly his dad bod is not on display.
But from paparazzi snapshots, it's clear that the grayer he gets the fitter he appears.
3 90's Sitcom Dreamboat, Will Smith
Now, this is a story all about how.... Will Smith managed to muscle up more as he aged than his days on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He's come a long way from his skinny, tall frame that he sported back in the 90's. His two children with Jada Pinket-Smith, Jaden Smith, and Willow Smith also resemble his figure from back in the day.
Even in his role as Hitch, in the movie Hitch, the actor was leaner. Fast-forward a few years to his role of Robert Neville in I Am Legend, and the fit and muscled Will Smith came to be and was here to stay.
2 Ryan Phillippe Hasn't Aged One Bit
Ryan Phillippe definitely hasn't aged when it comes to showing off his beach dad bod to lingering paparazzi.
There’s something about Ava and Deacon Phillipe's parents' (we’re including you here Reese Witherspoon) where they barely age past the years of their prime.
If you investigate his most famous roles like Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer and compared the images, you'd barely notice a difference even in his face.
Honestly, we just wish he would talk to the press and give out his anti-aging secrets, there's got to be something he's not telling us that keeps him so youthful.
1 Liam Payne Isn't Missing His Touring Days With 1D
Lastly, the youngest dad of the bunch, Liam Payne, has in the years since One Direction totally transformed his body. Even though his other bandmate Louis Tomlinson is also a dad, Payne deserves more recognition for how far he's come. When the band formed Payne was looked at as the boyish Directioner.
It was reported by the Daily Mail that part of his struggle was due to touring, "It’s always something I’ve wanted to do keeping fit,' he said. 'With the lifestyle that we have being on the road so much you have to keep fit. It’s survival of the fittest at the end of the day." Liam Payne has become so comfortable flaunting his toned dad bod that he even wrote a songdedicated to taking it off.
References: Wikipedia.com, People.com, MensJournal.com, EW.com, BET.com, Buzzfeed.com, PageSix.com, and DailyMail.co.uk
