USA Today via Reuters

Nobody can argue against the fact that even in the offseason, Caitlin Clark was the headline. And while she had a whole bunch of moments that had fans hooked, there’s one pic that basically broke the internet. Remember that shot by Bri Lewerke? The one of Clark cheering for Iowa during the Big Ten tourney? People weren’t even looking at the scoreboard, everyone was busy zooming in on her biceps. CC’s arms had their own moment.

Well, turns out, CC had “get stronger” scribbled at the very top of her offseason to-do list. Like, bold, underlined, maybe even highlighted. “That was my biggest focus in the offseason, just trying to get stronger and really working on that,” she said during Fever practice.

We know that last year she didn’t even get a proper break. She went from that absolutely heartbreaking NCAA Finals loss straight into the WNBA chaos with Indiana. She had, what, less than a month between the natty and training camp. “I really admire the college players that come from a 40+ game college season and then straight into the W,” Fever coach Stephanie White said.

But this time around, Clark wasn’t about to let that happen again. She made a whole different game plan for the offseason. No summer leagues, no pickup tournaments, not even a Messi-level bag from Unrivaled could lure her into suiting up. Instead, she chose the grind. Gym time, lifting, strength training, working on the court, and doing a bunch of speaking gigs, too.

“I knew (strength) was going to be a huge part of it, and it’s going to help me offensively, it’s going to help me defensively, it’s going to help me not get as tired throughout games,” she added. “So yeah, definitely one of the focus points of my offseason is just getting stronger.” It’s this kind of self-awareness and work ethic in just Year 2 that makes a fan favorite.

After soft-launching her muscles at various public events, the former Iowa finally posted her pictures after Fever’s media day, and you could tell she’s been putting in the WORK. She dropped the snaps on her gram with a four-word caption, “We are so back.” She followed it with “YEAR 2 ❤️‍🔥” and you could almost hear the internet explode. Fans couldn’t help but look straight at the arms. The comment section basically turned into an appreciation party.

Caitlin Clark’s muscles got fans talking

One fan pointed it out, “Looks like Caitlin Clark hit the gym in the offseason.” The 2024 ROTY consistently worked toward it for six straight months, and standing with her through every set and rep was the Indiana Fever’s coaching staff. “Really thankful to Sarah, our strength and conditioning coach… we were in here consistently,” CC said. Both head coach and player development coach Keith Porter were with the Connecticut Sun last season, where they actually gameplanned against Clark. So now, with her on their side, they used that very scouting intel to tailor a regimen that hit every weakness exposed in her rookie season. One of those was strength.

One user posted, “Caitlin Clark has been LIVING in the gym this offseason 👀” You must remember how Fever’s staff even surprised her on her birthday…in the gym. That says she didn’t even take that day off. Instead, she casually made 50 out of 54 three-pointers in a workout that day. That’s 92.6% for anyone counting. Twenty-three of those were made in a row, by the way. It’s the consistency she talked about.

“MUSCLES 💪,” one fan commented. While folks earlier debated whether her arms were just Photoshop magic, Clark’s recent media day pics shut that conversation down fast. In both pics, it’s the muscles that do the talking. And well, another fan added what most of us were thinking, “No way in hell CC is getting pushed around this season.”

In her rookie year, Clark got hit hard, literally. One brutal screen from Breanna Stewart even burst her eardrum less than a month into the season. She also had a tough time dealing with contact in the paint and staying locked in defensively. But increased strength changes everything. Teammate Kelsey Mitchell even confirmed it, saying, “I think her strength, for one… from a physical standpoint, her strength, her ability to now make plays that people don’t think about… for a person of her caliber, it seems small, but it can be the difference between her having 25 or 28 (points), 10 to 12 assists.” 

Then came the ultimate “Demon CC loading” moment. CC averaged 19.2 points per game last season, broke the rookie record for total points, dished out 8.4 assists per game, and topped the league in total assists with 337. She missed out on a unanimous Rookie of the Year title by one vote and still finished fourth in MVP voting. And this year, she’s made it clear that success means one thing: a championship. This ain’t just a personal glow-up. Fans are fully onboard the MVP train already, no brakes in sight.

But it’s not just Clark who’s bringing the heat this season. The body transformation trend is everywhere. A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu both said they’re in the best shape of their careers, and you can bet they’re not alone. So yes, between MVP campaigns, offseason glow-ups, gym grindsets, and a league full of storylines already brewing, this W season’s gonna be insane.