The Flash's Grant Gustin Got Buff During The Pandemic Before Season 7

The CW

The Flash was one of several Arrowverse series that had to end the 2019-2020 TV season early due to production shutdowns, so the Scarlet Speedster sped into hiatus between Season 6 and Season 7 earlier than expected. Star Grant Gustin hasn't spent the months since the premature sixth season finale back in May sitting idly by. Gustin got buff during the pandemic!

Grant Gustin took to Instagram with the Season 7 premiere of The Flash only a little over a week off to reveal that the Barry Allen dealing with the crises of Central City in the next batch of episodes will look different from the Barry Allen of the sixth season. According to the actor, getting buff wasn't about just changing his appearance during the long break caused by the pandemic. Take a look:

A photo posted by on

According to Grant Gustin, eating better and working out were part of his decision to break a cycle of not taking care of himself and deal with his anxiety. The pandemic gave him the motivation to start making changes to "be more present" and happy with who he is. The Flash star confirmed that he's proud of himself for the work he has put in mentally and physically, and even previewed that Flash viewers are going to notice a difference in Barry Allen, presumably once The Flash finishes telling the stories that were planned to end Season 6 and gets going into Season 7 in earnest.

Grant Gustin might not yet have the Flash suit that he wants to play Barry Allen, but his happiness with taking care of himself is definitely nice to see. Gustin has dealt with body shaming online over the years, specifically when it came to a previous new version of the Flash suit, which he addressed via social media. That said, as Gustin noted in his caption, he hasn't been especially active on social media lately, and he no longer has a Twitter account.

Still, the Flash star has used Instagram recently to share some good news even beyond the progress report on his well-being. Just a couple of months after celebrating his two-year wedding anniversary, he posted an image revealing that he's expecting a child with his wife, with their three dogs quite literally in hand to share the news. Take a look:

A photo posted by on

See Grant Gustin back in action as the Scarlet Speedster with the Season 7 premiere of The Flash on Tuesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. The seventh season, which will feature a long-awaited villain, was originally intended to premiere a week earlier, on February 23, but The CW tweaked the schedule to give Superman & Lois a 90-minute series premiere as the newest series in the expansive Arrowverse.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).