Brock Lesnar is an American professional wrestler, WWE performer, and UFC mixed martial artist famous for his fighting skills, aggression, and monster strength. “The Beast Incarnate” is also one of the most muscular wrestlers of all time.
Lesnar is a total badass — also evident by the dagger tattooed across his abdomen — and delivers one heck of a show every time he steps inside a combat sports arena.
Brock Lesnar is built like a tank and quick like a cheetah — a deadly combination for a fighter. His mountainesque traps, broad shoulders, wide chest, thick arms, and sprawling back can put many pro bodybuilders to shame.
After making a name for himself in WWE, Lesnar — aka The Conquerer — started competing in the UFC in the heavyweight division. He has defeated big names in WWE and UFC and is an A-lister in both organizations.
Brock grew up on a farm and lifted farm equipment to build muscle and strength. He started competing in wrestling tournaments in high school and won several major statewide competitions. Saying that he showed promise since his early wrestling days would be an understatement.
After high school, Lesnar won a scholarship to wrestle at The University of Minnesota. He finished college with a record of 106 wins to five losses. Shortly after graduation from college, he was scouted by the WWE (WWF, at the time) as a rising talent.
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Brock Lesnar became the youngest “WWE champion” of all time by winning the title at the age of 25 by defeating The Rock at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2002.
Brock Lesnar Stats
- Name: Brock Lesnar
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 265-275 pounds
- Arms: 22″
- Chest: 55″
- Waist: 39″
- Birthdate: July 12, 1977
- Birthplace: Webster, in South Dakota
- Accolades:
- 4X WWE World Heavyweight Champion
- UFC Heavyweight Champion
- IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Brock Lesnar Diet Program
While Brock might have experienced a lot of ups and down in his wrestling and UFC career, one thing has stayed constant throughout — his training and diet program.
The hard-hitting heavyweight, Brock Lesnar (said in his long-time manager, Paul Heyman’s voice) works hard to stay in shape. He follows a balanced diet to ensure muscle and strength gains and optimal body functionality.
Diet Principles
Brock Lesnar made a lot of dieting mistakes while transforming his physique. He started as a carnivore — only relying on meat to meet his daily calorie goals, but that soon landed him in trouble.
He adheres to the following dieting principles to stay in shape throughout the year:
1. Game Meat over Domesticated Meat
Having spent his early years in South Dakota, Lesnar always prefers eating game meat over store-bought meat. This type of meat is from non-domesticated and free-range animals. Joe Rogan is another celebrity who is a fan of game meat and likes to hunt his own food.
Game meat is considered one of the healthiest sources of meat as it is low in fat and cholesterol. Additionally, game meat does not have any hormones or antibiotics typically found in grocery store meat.
Related: Joe Rogan Workout and Diet Program
2. Go Big or Go Home
Brock Lesnar is a unit. You do not build a physique like him while following a calorie deficit diet. Paul Heyman once revealed that Brock’s dining bill alone goes north of $1400 when they eat out for dinner.
“When we go to a steakhouse, it’s usually 2 or 3 porterhouses, some vegetables because he now mixes it up, a small amount of complex carbs and a lot of water.” — Paul Heyman
3. Don’t Forget About the Fiber
Lesnar followed a carnivore diet for a big part of his pro wrestling and UFC career. However, shortly after winning the UFC World Heavyweight title, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis and diverticulitis. The condition is caused when an individual is not eating enough fiber.
Diverticulitis is a disease of the digestive tract in which tiny pouches form on the colon. It allows food to become trapped and causes major problems like inflammation and bleeding. In Lesnar’s case, it had gone on for a while and was so serious he needed surgery to repair the damage and was considered lucky to be alive.
“I have a high threshold for pain, higher than most guys, and I couldn’t deal with it.” — Brock Lesnar on dealing with diverticulitis
Notably, after recovering from the disease, The Beast Incarnate revealed that he had never been ill his whole life.
He encountered the illness probably because he had been consuming a high-protein diet while ignoring the other nutrition groups.
The lack of fiber intake caused his intensities to rupture, and Lesnar’s bodyweight dropped from 275 pounds to 248 pounds during the period.
After recovering from the illness, Brock now follows a balanced diet and focuses on meeting his daily macro and micronutrient goals through a whole food diet.
“What got me here was a total protein diet, not enough fiber, and that’s where I was, I totally changed my diet, got on some natural healing medicine, and was just doing a lot of praying.” — Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar Diet Plan
The WWE superstar rarely speaks about his diet in public. However, he had once stated that his daily caloric intake goes up to 3,200 calories.
Lesnar added that he consumes around 300 grams of protein every day to maintain his monster physique. In other words, he eats close to one gram of protein per pound of body weight every day, which is more than the recommended 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. (1)
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Here is what Brock Lesnar eats in a day:
Meal 1
- 2 Cups Oats
- 6 Whole Eggs
- 2 Cups Egg Whites
Meal 2
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cups Brown Rice
- Vegetables
Meal 3
- 2 Scoops Whey Protein
- 1 Banana
Meal 4
- 1 Large Steak
- 2 Baked Potatoes
Meal 5
- Omelet with 2 Cups Egg Whites
- 4 Slices Bacon
- Cheese
Foods to Eat
You could substitute some of the food items on Brock Lesnar’s diet with the following items:
- Chicken Breast
- Whole Eggs
- Egg Whites
- Steak
- Cheese
- Brown Rice
- Potatoes
- Veggies
- Fruits
Foods to Avoid
Although the WWE superstar follows a high-calorie diet, he does not use it as an excuse to binge on unhealthy foods. Stay away from the following foods on Lesnar’s diet program:
- Junk Foods
- Chemical Additives
- Added Salt
- Processed Foods
- Refined Sugar
- Artificial Ingredients
- Simple Carbs
Brock Lesnar Training Program
While growing up on a farm in South Dakota, Lesnar ran across a field with a 180-pound tree trunk placed across his shoulders to build core and leg strength.
However, running with a tree trunk on your back alone cannot help you exchange blows with the top fighters in the world in a UFC cage or beat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. So, Lesnar switched to a training program that helped him transform into a fighting machine.
According to The Beast Incarnate, the game is mental as much as it is physical. He works to stay focused on his goals, and he is always working on strengthening his weak spots.
Training Principles
Here are the training principles Lesnar swears by:
1. Weight and Circuit Training Hybrid
Brock Lesnar was arguably in the best shape of his life during his MMA days. Since Brock Lesnar is a wrestler and an MMA fighter, he follows a training regimen that helps him prepare for both sports.
Besides, for Lesnar, having big muscles is not enough. He also works on improving his speed, agility, and endurance to enhance his performance in the ring. For that purpose, his workout program includes HIIT drills, skipping plyometrics, cross-training, etc
Lesnar might spend up to 2-3 hours in the gym on a typical day. However, he breaks down his MMA and weight training routines into two different sessions. He completes his MMA training in the morning and follows it up with a resistance training routine later in the evening.
2. A High Volume Training Regimen
Lesnar follows a high-volume training regimen and performs at least 21 sets in each workout. Most people will dismiss this as a sure-shot way of overtraining, but not Brock Lesnar.
Additionally, the former WWE World Heavyweight champion ensures that he is keeping his workout intensity high by limiting rest between sets to less than 60 seconds.
3. Importance of Rest
Being in the WWE is an exercise in endurance. Many wrestlers perform some 200 days a year. Training and wrestling without a proper recovery program can lead to mental and physical exhaustion.
Lesnar has learned the importance of taking recovery time and prioritizes it. Besides, he uses a personalized diet and supplementation program to help with his recovery. He also drinks at least a gallon of water every day to keep himself hydrated.
Brock Lesnar Training Plan
Lesnar works out six days a week, including his MMA, gym, and circuit training routines. Without any further ado, let’s dive into his training regimen.
Lesnar’s MMA Workout
The Beast Incarnate’s MMA training plan includes:
The smirk of a champion. #WrestleMania
Posted by Brock Lesnar on Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Grappling Training (4 times a week)
- Five 1 Minute Rounds
- Five 1 Minute Standing Drills
Striking And Ground-&-Pound Training (twice a week)
- 5 x 5-minute rounds
- 1-minute breaks
- 25-minute workout
Brock Lesnar Strength Training Workout
The former UFC Heavyweight champ follows a four-day strength training regimen to build muscle mass and strength. Here is what his gym routine looks like:
Day 1: Chest and Triceps
- Bench Press: 6 Sets of 12 Reps
- Incline Dumbell Press: 4 Sets of 10 Reps
- Dumbell Fly: 3 Sets of 8 Reps
- Cable Crossover: 3 Sets of 8 Reps
- Triceps Dips: 4 Sets of 10 Reps
- Triceps Pushdown: 4 Sets of 10 Reps
- Skull Crusher: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Day 2: Back and Biceps
- Wide-Grip Pull-up: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Medium Grip Pull-up: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Narrow Grip Pull-up: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Seated Cable Row: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Deadlift: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Preacher Curl: 4 Sets of 12 Reps
- Hammer Curl: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Incline Dumbbell Curl: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Day 3: Shoulders
- Overhead Barbell Press: 4 Sets of 10 Reps
- Seated Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Dumbbell Front Raise: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Smith Machine Upright Row: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Barbell/Dumbbell Shrug: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
Day 4: Legs
- Leg Extension: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Leg Curl: 3 Sets of 10 Reps
- Narrow-Stance Smith Machine Squat: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Medium-Stance Smith Machine Squat: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Wide-Stance Smith Machine Squat: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Leg Press: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 4 Sets of 6 Reps
Brock Lesnar Circuit Training Routine
Lesnar performs one set of each round in his circuit training routine. You are allowed a thirty-second rest in between exercises. His circuit training regimen includes:
Round 1 (pushing):
- Spiderman push-up
- Plyo box push-up
- Punching from mount
- Tire push
- Hand switch
Round 2 (pulling):
- Reclining pull-up
- Wide-grip pull-up
- Tire push & pull
- Jump-style pull-up
- Heavy bar twirls over shoulders
Round 3 (cardio):
- Airdyne bike @ 70 rpm
- Upper body UBE machine work
- Treadmill (steep incline)
- Standing wind sprints on a bike
Round 4 (strength training):
- Explosive hammer strength jammer machine
- Single-arm sledgehammer
- Medicine ball sprawl
- Bear crawl
Round 5 (intensity):
- Airdyne bike @ 70 rpm
- Upper body UBE machine
- Treadmill (steep incline)
- Standing wind sprints on a bike
Supplements
Brock Lesnar uses the following supplements to remain in a fight-ready shape throughout the year:
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Wrapping Up
Brock Lesnar is a star wrestling entertainer and UFC fighter. He is one of the strongest and most muscular athletes in combat sports. The Beast Incarnate follows an elaborate training and diet program to keep his physique in top condition.
Lesnar has learned most of his dieting and training principles the hard way. However, you can benefit from his experience and use the transformation program above to shorten your learning curve and carve a physique like The Conquerer. Best of luck!
References
- Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD. Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Feb;42(2):326-37. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181b2ef8e. PMID: 19927027.