John Cena is 70% In the Gym After Shoulder Surgery

The beast is (almost) back!

John Cena says he's making insane progress in the gym since undergoing shoulder surgery back in January ... telling TMZ Sports he's at 70% ... but vows to be back at full strength VERY soon.

The WWE superstar was out in NYC with his girlfriend, Nikki Bella, when he told us he's been putting in serious physical therapy work in hopes of a full recovery.

"I'm probably 30% off of what I was operating at November 2015 ... but being at 70% is still pretty damn good."

He also gave a shout-out to his strength trainer -- Rob MacIntyre at Hard Nocks South ... the same guy who pushed him to bust out a 481 POUND BENCH PRESS back in the day.

#Beast