The Terry Crews Experiment: How His Routine Changed My Body & Mind (The Results Shocked Me)

I’ve been working out for a long time, primarily following traditional bodybuilding programming. Now, in my 50s, my fitness goals have evolved beyond aesthetics as I work toward a more functional, athletic physique.

Finding a role model was easy. Terry Crews is a couple of years younger than me but has a body that looks like he’s in his 30s. He undeniably has one of the most awe-inspiring physiques in Hollywood.

Crews may not be as massive as The Rock, but he’s cut, agile, and exudes athleticism, perfectly aligning with my current fitness goals. His combination of strength, endurance, and flexibility is exactly what I’m aiming to achieve as I change my training routine to focus more on functional fitness and overall athleticism.

That’s why I decided to follow the Terry Crews diet and workout for a month. The results I achieved were beyond anything I could have expected. I got more ripped than ever, massively improved my aerobic fitness, and got significantly stronger.

In this article, I’ll give you a bird’s eye view of my month of training and eating like Crews.

The Terry Crews Daily Routine

I began training and dieting like Crews on May 1st, 2024.

The early start was the first thing I had to get my head around. Crews gets up at 4:45 am, so that’s what I did as well. That was an hour earlier than I usually get up. Adjusting took a while, but that extra hour made my day more productive.

At around five a.m., I followed Crews’ lead and downed 24 ounces of water with a scoop of amino acids from a blender bottle. Then, after grabbing my gym bag and keys, I was on my way to the gym.

By 6 a.m., I was on the gym floor. Terry does not follow a traditional bodybuilding style split routine. Here’s what makes his workouts different:

• Each body part is worked just once per week.
• Crews prioritizes compound and Olympic-style exercises.
• Plyometrics and functional fitness exercises take centerstage
• Regular running and stretching

When it comes to sets and reps, Crews focuses on going hard and heavy. His typical rep scheme looks like this:

• Set One: 10 reps
• Set Two: Eight reps
• Set Three: Six reps
• Set Four: Four reps

Most bodybuilders top out at six reps. The extra set of four helps gain strength rather than build muscle.

Crews also likes to go to failure on body weight exercises such as push-ups and dips. On some exercises (like pull-ups), he follows a descending set scheme, starting at 25 reps and working his way down to 10-12 reps.

Being Monday, I was about to experience Crews’ leg workout. But first, there were five minutes of slow, controlled stretching. Here are the stretches that Terry – and I – followed:

Dynamic Stretches:

1. Leg Swings
2. Walking Lunges
3. High Knees
4. Butt Kicks
5. Dynamic Hip Flexor Stretch

Then, it was onto the main course. Here’s what was in front of me:

I’d studied Crews’ squat form in various YouTube clips and noticed that he squats parallel (no more profound). So, that’s what I did. Following his cue, I also rested for 90 seconds between sets.

I did the last set of four reps on each exercise with 85 percent of my one-rep max. That took a degree of mental and physical effort I wasn’t used to. But, boy, what a difference it made! My quads, glutes, and hamstrings were demolished by 7 am.

But that wasn’t the end of my leg torture. After my last set of Smith machine squats, it was onto the treadmill for a four-mile run at 8 miles per hour!

When I finally limped into the gym locker room, I collapsed onto the nearest bench, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. Still, I had another 29 days of this ahead of me!

Usually, after my workout, I’d consume a post-workout containing plenty of protein and carbs to refuel and fast-track amino acids to the working muscle. But that’s not part of the Crews protocol.

Crews is a proponent of intermittent fasting. He follows the 16:8 IF diet, with his eating window being 2 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Fortunately, Crews approves of amino acid powder mixed with water during the fasting window. So, he drinks another 24 ounces of water with a scoop of amino acid straight after the workout. Following his lead, I did the same thing.

I had another two servings of amino acids in water before my first meal at 2 p.m. I spaced them two hours apart (10 a.m. and 12 p.m.).

Even with the amino acid drinks, getting through from the end of my workout at 7:30 to my first meal at 2 pm was a massive challenge. I was ravenous by nine o’clock, especially during that first week.

By week two, though, my body and mind were getting used to the new eating schedule. It was no longer a problem when Week Three rolled around.

My fast-breaking meal at 2 p.m. followed Crews’ model. Here’s what I had that first day:

• Two rashers of bacon
• Three omelet side
• Side Salad

This is a very protein-heavy meal. That doesn’t mean that Crews is anti-carbs. He knows they are the body’s preferred energy source and is needed to keep the muscles fully stocked with glycogen. Those carbohydrates come at dinner time.

Here’s what I had for dinner on Day One:

• Bison ribeye
• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• A slice of bread

I ate that meal at 7 p.m., thinking that would be it for the day. So, I was surprised to learn that Crews finishes each day with a dessert at 9:45. I found it hard to equate his ultra-ripped physique with the concept of eating a sweet treat every evening, but that’s the truth!

So, I followed Crews’ example and finished each day with a slice of cheesecake!

The Rest of the Month

Every day of the week, it was the same routine. I was up at 4:45 and in the gym at 6 a.m. Here’s a rundown of the workouts for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: Chest/Arms

• Dynamic Stretching
  • Push-ups: 1 x 50
  • Incline Bench Press: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Flat Barbell Bench Press: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Pull-ups: 4 x 25/8/15/10-12 reps
  • Dumbbell Curls: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Barbell 21 Curls: 3 x 7 reps
  • Push-ups/ Dips Superset: 3 x failure
• 4-mile run

Wednesday: Stretching/ Abs/Cardio

• Warm-up
  • Push-ups: 1 x 50
• Static stretching routine
  • Side lateral raise: 1 x 10 reps
  • Reverse flyes: 1 x 10 reps
  • Hanging leg raises: 3 x failure
  • Crunches: 3 x failure
• 4-mile run

Thursday: Back

• Dynamic stretching
  • Barbell deadlift: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Pull-ups: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Side-to-side chin-ups: 1 x 6 reps
  • Reverse grip bent-over rows: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Smith machine bent-over rows: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
  • Seated cable rows: 4 x 10/8/6/4 reps
• 4-minute run

Friday: Shoulders / Plyometrics

• Dynamic stretching
  • Upright barbell row: 1 x 5-6 reps
  • Power clean: 1 x 5-6 reps
  • Romanian deadlift: 1 x 6 reps
  • Front dumbbell raise: 1 x 10 reps
  • Arnold press: 1 x 10 reps
• Plyometrics
• 4-mile run

The Friday plyometrics workout consisted of a circuit of four exercises:

• • Box Jumps

• Lateral Jumps
• Burpees
• Weighted Sled

The first three exercises would be done for 45 seconds. Then, I’d push the weighted sled (with 100 pounds on it) a distance of 7 yards and back. After a two-minute break, I’d do it again.

There was no official training on the weekends. However, like Crews, I did some active recovery exercises each day. For me, this consisted of cycling, playing basketball, and hiking in the woods.

Crews follows the 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol six days a week. Sunday is a cheat day, on which he can eat anything he desires. I followed the same routine. My Sunday treats consisted of pizza, ice cream, and cake.

My Results

Before I started my month-long Crews transformation challenge, I recorded my body measurements, weight, and body fat percentage. I did the same thing at the end of the month. I also recorded the differences in the weights I could use for each exercise.

This allowed me to get an objective assessment of how effective the program had been for me.

Here’s an overview of my before and after statistics:

Before (April 31st 2024)

• Deadlift: 4 reps with 325 pounds
• Squat: 4 reps with 275 pounds
• Bench Press: 4 reps with 240 pounds
• Measurements:
  • Chest: 46 inches
  • Arms: 17.25 inches
  • Legs: 26 inches
  • Waist: 37 inches
• Body Fat Percentage: 16.5%

After 30 days of following Terry Crews’ workout and nutrition plan, I retook my measurements to see the changes:

• Deadlift: 4 reps with 345 pounds
• Squat: 4 reps with 290 pounds
• Bench Press: 4 reps with 260 pounds
• Measurements:
  • Chest: 46.5 inches
  • Arms: 17.25 inches
  • Legs: 27 inches
  • Waist: 35 inches
• Body Fat Percentage: 15.25%

These improvements show a significant increase in strength across the deadlift, squat, and bench press, along with a noticeable reduction in waist size and body fat percentage, even as other measurements remained consistent. This reflects a leaner, more athletic physique and enhanced overall fitness.

This is precisely what I was hoping to achieve in this program, though I never expected it to happen so fast. I was especially amazed that I dropped 1.25 percentage points of body fat while eating cheesecake every night and pizza and ice cream on Sundays!

Why it Works

Intermittent fasting promotes rapid fat loss by creating a caloric deficit and enhancing the body’s ability to burn fat for energy. Eating within an eight-hour window will reduce insulin levels, allowing the body to access stored fat more effectively. This approach also boosts metabolism and increases norepinephrine levels, a hormone that helps mobilize fat stores.

According to a meta-study in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, intermittent fasting is as good as or marginally better than continuous energy restriction for weight management. [1]

The low rep range, especially sets of four reps, is highly effective for promoting strength gains. This rep range targets the fast-twitch muscles with the greatest potential for strength and power.

A 2021 study by Brad Schoenfeld showed that a rep range between 1-5 with 80-100 percent of one-rep-max is best for optimizing strength increase. [2]

Lifting heavy weights with lower reps stimulates the central nervous system, increasing the efficiency of muscle recruitment and enhancing overall strength. Combining this with functional and compound exercises engages all major muscle groups, leading to balanced and comprehensive strength development.

Wrap Up

Terry Crews’ workout and fasting protocol got me in the leanest shape I’ve been in 30 years — and it did it in just four weeks. I’ve become a Crews workout convert, and I’ll be sticking with this program for at least the next three months.

If your goal is to develop a more athletic, defined, stronger, and functional physique, I highly recommend this program.

References

1. Lange MG, Coffey AA, Coleman PC, Barber TM, Van Rens T, Oyebode O, Abbott S, Hanson P. Metabolic changes with intermittent fasting. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2024 Feb;37(1):256-269. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13253. Epub 2024 Jan 10. PMID: 37786321; PMCID: PMC10953463.
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.

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