Introduction
“Eat, sleep, conquer, repeat” (Lesnar). Seen from this point of view it may be easy to achieve anything you are pursuing. The real world behind these words is Brock Lesnar’s world. This multifaceted man has demonstrated to everyone the power of discipline and perseverance. Being ten times world champion should have a good and original strategy behind it. Let’s discover who is Brock Lesnar, what does he do, how does he train and of course, what does he eat.
Who is Brock Lesnar?
Brock Lesnar was born on July 12th, 1992, in Webster, South Dakota, United States. He is the third son of Stephanie and Richard Lesnar; his siblings are Troy, Chad, and his youngest sister, Brandi. Brock was raised on his parent’s farm until he was 17 when he decided to join the Army National Guard. Lucky or unfortunately, he could not perform as a soldier due to his red-green colorblindness; instead, he was working at an office but after some time, he was thrown out for failing a computer typing test.
Brock attended high school playing both American football, as a defensive tackle, and soon after competing as an amateur in wrestling. He won third place in his senior year and then, he won in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) heavyweight wrestling championship when he was in college.
Thanks to his ability in wrestling, he got a scholarship to the University of Minnesota where he met Shelton Benjamin, his friend, and coach. The next years were full of victories for Brock and he ended up his four years of college with a record of 106-5 overall.
His professional career began in 2000 when he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Immediately, he was paired with his friend Shelton and they became commonly known as “The Minnesota Stretching Crew”; they won three times.
After two years of winning several matches, Brock debuted on WWF television in 2002 and he was given the nickname “The next big thing”. He did justice to his nickname as he continued defeating his opponents and he even won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament wiping out his rival in the first round.
In August of the same year, he defeated The Rock to become the new WWE Undisputed Champion and youngest WWE Champion, being just 25. He continued retaining the WWF championship by beating John Cena in February 2003. Rumors about Lesnar leaving the WWF filled the crowd at the end of 2004 right after Goldberg defeated Lesnar in a terrible match.
Brock returned to the MMF in 2012 and since that moment, he participated in several Raw episodes as well as in the WWE championship until 2017. That year Lesnar was highly criticized because it was argued that first, he used a lot of suplexes in his matches, and second, the matches were short-length.
Brock Lesnar's Workout Routine
As the majority of athletes and competitors, Brock has some tips or principles in order to have an effective workout routine and achieve his goals:
- As the idea is to get more energy, do not miss a snack before training.
- Eating rightly is the key to build a body like his. The purpose is to find a balance between food and training avoiding muscle catabolism.
- Water needs to become your best friend; you will need it.
Brock follows a series of routines with a different focus every day. Sometimes he rests on weekends, sometimes he does not.
He usually trains twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It all depends on his near goals. Something to take into account is that his routine has been created for people with great strength and resistance; it is not recommended for an amateur to do the same routine without meeting these requirements as the effects can be unintended.
His routine is mainly based on weight lifting and fighting; the perfect combination for bodybuilding. The following are the sets of exercises he does depend on the part of the body he wants to work out.
Chest and triceps workout:
- 6 sets, 10 reps each set — Bench Presses
- 4 sets, 10 reps each set — Incline Dumbbell Presses
- 3 sets, 8 reps each set — Dumbbell Flys
- 3 sets, 8 reps each set — Cable Crossovers
- 4 sets, 10 reps each set — Triceps Dips
- 4 sets, 10 reps each set — Triceps Pushdowns
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Skull Crushers
Back and biceps workout:
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Wide Grip Pull Ups
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Medium Grip Pull Ups
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Narrow Grip Pull Ups
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Seated Cable Rows
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Deadlifts
- 4 sets, 12 reps each set — Preacher Curls
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Hammer Curls
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Incline Dumbbell Curls
Shoulder workout
- 4 sets, 10 reps each set — Overhead Barbell Presses
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Seated Dumbbell Presses
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Dumbbell Front Raises
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Smith Machine Upright Rows
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Barbell/Dumbbell Shrugs
Leg workout
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Leg Extensions
- 3 sets, 10 reps each set — Leg Curls
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Narrow Stance Smith Machine Squats
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Medium Stance Smith Machine Squats
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Wide Stance Smith Machine Squats
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Leg Press
- 4 sets, 6 reps each set — Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Brock normally does chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesday, and legs on Thursday. He may repeat any training on Friday or not depending on his needs and purposes.
Brock Lesnar's Diet Plan
As eating and sleeping are really important to build muscle, Brock follows a strict diet based on his height and weight so that he can keep his muscle mass. Therefore, he opts for clean, organic, and healthy food. The following is his usual diet with a total of five foods per day:
For breakfast:
- Two cups of oats
- Six whole eggs
- Two cups of eggs whites
For lunch:
- Two chicken breasts
- Two cups of brown rice
- Vegetables
First snack:
- Two scoops of whey protein
- A banana
For dinner:
- One large steak
- Two baked potatoes
Second snack:
- Omelette
- Two cups of eggs whites
- Four slices of bacon
- Some cheese
As you can see, Brock sets as a priority the protein. For him, it is really important to consume some source of protein after his workout routine. As he grew up in South Dakota, he is familiarized with hunting and in this sense, he prefers to consume game meat; this is food from non-domesticated and free-wild animals.
The philosophy behind his choice is basically related to meat healthiness as it does not contain high levels of fat, cholesterol, or any type of hormone. The game meat can be purchased from a local farm or legally hunted.
Apart from his daily diet, Brock recommends some food to eat and some food to avoid.
Food to eat:
- Animal Protein
- Whey Protein
- Vegetables
- Complex carb
- Water
- Fresh fruits
Food to avoid:
- Refined Sugar
- Processed Food
- Fast Food
- Junk Food
- Added Salt
Based on this, the more organic and natural you eat, the healthier you will be and so, the more processed food you consume, the unhealthier you will be.
Finally, do not forget to drink a lot of water each day; this will clean your body. Brock drinks a galloon or more every day and he states that this is what matches perfectly with his workout routine and his diet plan.
A curious fact about Brock Lesnar
Even though his career was basically dedicated to wrestling, he also got into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He joined the UFC in 2006 and defeated several opponents until his diagnosis in 2010; mononucleosis. This infection took him under surgery and fortunately, it was a success taking into account that the infection had been in his body for at least one year. (according to his doctor).
He retired once in 2011 due to difficulties; he was operated on and has his colon removed. After he recovered, he came back to the UFC and continued fighting until his final retirement in 2018. It is said that the main cause behind his retirement was related to legal issues.
Conclusion
Life is about looking for new opportunities and not giving up if a door is closed in front of you. Brock did not have luck at the Army National Guard so he continued pursuing his dreams and he finally reached them.
Not everyone becomes a monster in three sports and not everyone keeps fighting regardless of the difficult times. As Lesnar said, eating and sleeping are crucial to get and keep in shape but conquering and repeating are the actions that take you up and move you forward.
If you do it well, then continue, repeat what you have done; if you do it badly then review, correct and go conquer the world. If you follow these principles, surely you will get what you want and more.
Marko Rakic is a trail runner and fitness enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. He is the lead writer for The Ultimate Primate and believes the best way to live a happy life is through constantly challenging yourself.