Louis Rees-Zammit slams speed critics and details ruthless NFL muscle transformation

Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit has disclosed the brutal way he piled on muscle whilst playing American football, and has offered insight into exactly how rapid he is now.The former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver has recently made his major comeback to rugby following an 18-month period attempting to break into the NFL.

He has now returned to the sport he originally adored, and is featuring for Bristol Bears in the PREM. The Welshman played his second game back against former side Gloucester at Kingsholm last weekend, helping Bears secure triumph in the PREM Rugby Cup.

He endured a dramatic match - finding the try line, scrapping and receiving a yellow card all within 80 minutes.

Clips shared online by PREM Rugby displayed his frantic performance, with numerous supporters observing how much more muscular he appeared, alongside remarks regarding his pace: "Still got the wheels, then," noted one spectator.

Last month, the 24-year-old addressed the media for the first time since his rugby return, and disclosed that he had gained considerable muscle mass whilst training with Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs across the pond.

Rees-Zammit was consistently celebrated for his breathtaking velocity and explosive attacking prowess, but rather less for his physical stature.

Nevertheless, circumstances have now altered. He revealed that he reached 105 kilograms (16 stone, seven pounds) in American football, and for comparison, when he played rugby he was sitting at 96KG (15 stone). Despite being at a heavier weight for the NFL, Louis Rees-Zammit confirmed that he was still reaching speeds of 23mph.

The Penarth-born speedster also noted that American football requires less conditioning as plays only last four to six seconds before a break. Rees-Zammit recently joined former Scotland star Jim Hamilton, ex-England international Andy Goode and Wales legend Dan Biggar on The Rugby Pod. During the chat, the Bears wing discussed his speed and referenced comments he made to the media last month.

"Yes, I remember I did that interview and I said I put on 10 kilos and I mentioned miles per hour," he recalled. "I said 23 miles per hour and my record was 24. Everyone was like, 'He's bigger and he's slower', I've lost a lot of that weight, that fat that was on me, purely because I wasn't doing any conditioning over there.

"I'm back now to probably about 98, 99 kilos and I'm definitely quicker than I was before. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at at the minute. I've been doing a load of conditioning the past three or four weeks just to try and get match fit.

"I'm definitely faster and I've kind of just filled out a bit at the top because I used to always have a little kid's upper body basically. All the boys used to let me know about it as well. I'm glad I've filled out a little bit."

His recent score against the Cherry and Whites perfectly showcased his speed. You can check out that score below.

Rees-Zammit also shared insights into his rigorous American training regime, stating: "The programs out there, obviously everyone mentions because they're so big and strong and fast, everyone mentions boys do steroids and stuff out there but genuinely our programs in the gym... some days we would have 20 exercises and the gym session would be about an hour and a half.

"It is non-stop and we'd be gymming every day. That's probably not something you can do in rugby with how your body feels after a game and how much you have to put yourself through. You obviously have a day off in the middle of the week.

"In American football, in the NFL, we didn't really have that so it was a lot of gymming, a lot of short shots, speed work. I'd say the programs out there would just get big and strong because ultimately even if you're a wide receiver, it's not about how fast you can run - you have to block big boys as well. You have to be physically strong enough."

Rees-Zammit is set to make his debut in the league against Leicester Tigers on Sunday afternoon.