Khabib Nurmagomedov, popularly known as the eagle, is a retired professional mixed martial artist. He’s undoubtedly one of the best MMA artists in the lightweight division of UFC. He was known to have unique grappling moves on the cage, and this was his biggest strength.
But how did the Russian eagle manage to dominate his opponents? The answer lies in his strict diet and rudimentary workout routines. To get 29 wins and losing zero games, Nurmagomedov relied on his routine training techniques and eating well.
You must be pretty excited to know Nurmagomedov’s workout routine and diet plan. Before discussing his routines, let’s talk about his background and what inspired him to become a fighter.
Who Is Khabib Nurmagomedov?
Born on September 20, 1988, in Dagestan, ASSR, an autonomous republic in the Soviet Union, Khabib Nurmagomedov found an interest in wrestling and martial arts since he was small. His father was a military person, had a passion for wrestling too since childhood, and trained in sambo and judo.
To keep his passion alive, Nurmagomedov’s father had converted his ground floor into a gym. A young Khabib got the inspiration to join the gym, and soon he began being more interested in martial arts than wrestling.
Khabib knew no boundaries from his younger years, and he has always wanted to push his limits. In fact, at one point, he trained with a bear to gauge his fighting potential. Soon he became lethal, and word spread around. UFC approached him in 2011, and since then, Khabib fame grew in leaps and bounds thanks to his successes that ended in 29 wins and zero defeats.
His secret? Well, apart from his dedication, he religiously followed his specific diet and training routine. Let’s start with his workout routine.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov Workout Routine
We can term Khabib Nurmagomedov a complete fighter as his workout routine revolves around various training programs targeting different areas of his body. His full-body fitness is what has propelled him to the top level and perform his best.
Khabib has an intense workout routine that makes him have an athletic appearance even now.
In summary, here is Khabib Nurmagomedov workout schedule:
- Running – He runs for 90 minutes every morning
- Martial Arts Training daily in the afternoon
- Sparring/grappling sessions daily in the evening
- Hitting the Russian sauna once a week
KHABIB’S WORKOUT ROUTINE IN DETAILS
If you were to follow Khabib’s workout routine, you’d need to be ready to invest massive effort and be dedicated to seeing it to the end.
Here Are the Types of Workout Khabib Does:
RUDIMENTARY TRAINING
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a believer in traditional workouts that didn’t involve tech. He doesn’t fancy high-tech training programs. His exercises are basic and conventional and have shown effectiveness in delivering results. Some of his preferred rudimentary exercises include running, calisthenics, shadow boxing, and lifting rocks.
REGULAR RUNS
In an effort to build his stamina and flexibility, Khabib Nurmagomedov integrates running into his workout routine. He runs for 90 minutes on typical days, but as a fight approaches, he doubles the distance.
UPPER BODY WORKOUT
MMA sport demands its players to have tremendous upper body strength. As such, you have to work on your core, shoulders, chest, back, and arms. Khabib always wants to give his best shot every time he gets into the MMA ring, which is why he follows strict upper body training targeting all his upper body muscles.
Some of the exercises targeting core muscles that he does include:
- 14 sets of push-ups with shoulder taps with a 40 second rest time
- 12 sets of superman hold with 30 seconds rest time
- 12 sets of clapping push-ups with 30 seconds rest time
- 90 seconds high plank sets with 40 seconds rest time
- 24 sets of bicycle crunches with 30 seconds rest time
- 16 sets of narrow push-ups with 40 seconds rest time
- 30 sets of crunches with 50 seconds rest time
All these bodyweight movements enhance your upper-body strength, conditioning, and explosiveness.
Narrow push-ups and push-ups with shoulder taps enhance your upper body balance and strength, while exercises such as superman hold help improve the back muscles and lower back.
Bicycle crunches help the abdominal muscles and also engages the oblique and hips. Also, it helps to improve the agility of the hip flexors.
Clapping push-ups help to improve spontaneous strength on one hand and cardio-effectiveness on the other hand.
Regular crunches are known to improve the conditioning and strength of the abdominals.
TRIPLE THREAT
Khabib makes runs in the morning, do sparring sessions after lunch, and alternates sparring and grappling in the evening.
FIGHT TRAINING
To stay on top of his game, Nurmagomedov performs martial arts training and shadow boxing on a daily basis. This helps him improve his form, technique, and muscle memory.
SWEATING OUT
Water weight can bog you down, which is why Khabib goes to the Russian sauna once a week to help in muscle recovery and sweating out excess water.
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Khabib’s Diet Plan
Khabib eats about five meals a day, with most of his diet being proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. He eats lean meat such as fish and chicken and tries to eat as many fruits and vegetables to help build immunity by supplying the body with essential minerals and vitamins.
Here is one of the day’s meal plans for Khabib:
- Breakfasts – A cup of smoothie made up of one cup of vegetable leaves, one portion of grass-fed whey, one banana, pea protein powder, mixed with water and ice.
- Post-workout snack – One cup of Greek Yogurt, half cup blueberries, and two tablespoons of crushed walnuts.
- Snack – Two red peppers with cucumber and three boiled eggs with one yolk.
- Dinner – A handful of asparagus or zucchini in olive oil and pink salt, ½ cup of black beans with sodium in moderation, a quarter ounce of slow-cooked or grilled turkey or chicken, and Pico De Gallo topping.
Nurmagomedov doesn’t compromise on his diet – he has to eat clean to keep his body in peak shape for optimal performance.
He starts his day with a pre-workout smoothie that consists of leafy vegetables, a banana, pea protein or whey protein, and some water.
Khabib monitors the micronutrients in his diet chart, and in every meal, there must be some form of proteins like chicken or eggs. His carbs sources are vegetables and brown rice, while he gets healthy fats from olive oil and nuts.
However, as much as he’s a professional, he’s still a human and has moments when he likes to enjoy fast foods like everyone else. Therefore, he has some cheat meals to serve his taste buds, which includes a pizza or burger when he is not training intensively. He put on 20lbs when he’s on holiday.
HERE IS WHAT TO EAT IF YOU WERE TO FOLLOW KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV DIET PLAN
Khabib Nurmagomedov was nicknamed the eagle because of following the “Eat like the Eagle, Fight like the Eagle” ideology. Eating right helps him perform optimally and helps minimize the possibilities of injuries during training.
He recommends the following foods for people who would like to copy him:
- Lean meat
- Eggs
- Poultry
- Fish
- Beans
- Fruits
- Leafy greens
- Vegetables
- Berries
- Brown rice
- Pea protein
- Whey protein
- Greek yoghurt
- Water
- Nuts
WHAT NOT TO EAT
Khabib believes that you are what you eat, and thus he doesn’t recommend any food that will make your body add unhealthy weight.
The foods he avoids, which you too should avoid, are:
- Processed foods
- Excess sodium
- Refined sugar
- Hydrogenated fats
- Chemicals
- Artificial ingredients
Khabib Nurmagomedov Supplements
To give his diet a boost, Khabib Nurmagomedov consumes supplements in between meals.
Some of the supplements he incorporates into his diet plan include:
- Fish oil. Nurmagomedov consumes a spoonful of fish oil every morning. Fish oil is rich in omega-3s, which helps combat inflammation and is beneficial for the brain and heart.
- Pea protein. In his morning smoothie, Khabib Nurmagomedov adds whey protein or pea protein. Pea protein has essential amino acids to help with protein synthesis in the body for muscle growth.
- Whey protein. Khabib alternates between whey protein and pea protein. Whey protein is easy to digest than pea protein and helps in building muscles. In addition, it helps to lower blood pressure and combats type 2 diabetes.
- Himalayan pink salt. To monitor his sodium intake, Khabib Nurmagomedov sprinkles a little pink salt into his dinner. Himalayan pink salt is known to be high in potassium, magnesium, and other trace minerals. It naturally balances electrolytes in the body.
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Conclusion
Although Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired from active fights, he still keeps fit and follows his usual workout and diet routine.
We do hope our summary of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s workout and diet plan has inspired you to push yourself to better fitness levels.
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.