Just a couple of months ago, action star and father-of-three Vin Diesel was the subject of fat jokes after he was spotted with a bit of a softer, flabbier belly while relaxing in Florida.

The ‘dad bod’ jibes didn’t jive with the actor who’s claimed to have had ‘the best body in New York City for decades’ and now he’s pressing that message home.

In a selfie he shared via Instagram on Wednesday, Vin poses shirtless on the beach with impossibly ripped abs and a very firm six-pack.

Ripped! Vin Diesel shared this photo on Wednesday showing off his super-toned torso with rock hard abs and huge shoulders as he prepares to film XXX:The Return of Xander Cage

He’s wearing just a pair of shorts and sunglasses as he stands with his back to the ocean as the sun sets to one side of him.

‘Xander Zone… Returning..’ he captioned the snap.

It’s a hint that he’s about to start shooting a sequel to his 2002 movie XXX in which he starred as an extreme athlete and stuntman who’s recruited by the NSA to work for them as a spy.

And he’s clearly been pumping the iron and hitting the gym in preparation.

Softer side: The high-octane movie star took exception to being accused of having a ‘dad bod’ after shirtless photos of him in Miami in October appeared to show a bit of a flabby tummy

Thoughtful: The actor’s bulging biceps aere plain to see in another selfie he shared this week

In another Instagram selfie taken on the same beach, the close up shot clearly shows the star’s bulging biceps as he puts a hand to his chin in pensive thought.

He captioned the snap: ‘Excited to make magic… Xander…’

Vin has enjoyed fantastic success with the Fast And Furious franchise and is hoping to be able to salvage the Xander Cage series after he had to pass on 2005’s XXX:State Of The Union that starred Ice Cube instead and was a box office flop.

It was recently announced that Samuel L. Jackson will also reprise his role as the NSA agent who recruits Vin’s character for XXX:The Return of Xander Cage, set for a 2017 release.

Action-packed outing: In the sequel to 2002’s XXX, Vin reprises his role as an extreme athlete and stuntman who’s recruited to spy for the NSA

Meanwhile, Vin Diesel has been spending quality time with his young children during the hiatus between projects.

He’s been pictured taking son Vincent Sinclair, five, to a NBA game where father and son sat courtside,  and taking his duaghter Hania, seven, out for dinner in Beverly Hills.

Vin is also dad to baby Paulina, his third child with partner Paloma Jimenez, whom he named in memory of his late friend and co-star Paul Walker.

Vin has been enjoying some down time between projects for the past couple of months. He’s pictured at Sean Combs’ birthday party in LA in November