I’m typically hesitant to share my daily nutrition, not because I care whether people know the details of my health routine, but because I think this is a problem endemic to the fitness industry. A coach, athlete, or fitness model describes exactly what they do or eat on a daily basis, and then people start duplicating this. Emulating someone else comes from a good place. “Heck, if it is good for them, then it must be good for me!” However, this is a logical fallacy. We are all unique and thus need a tailored approach to fitness, due to:
- Different taste preferences
- Varied anthropometrics
- Wide-ranging body fat percentages and amount of skeletal muscle mass
- Mixed training ages
- Diverse biological ages
- A motley of health concerns and training objectives
Training and Nutrition Split
Jesse O’Brien - 35 years old, 180 lbs, 6'1"
8% Body fat
Basal Metabolic Rate - 1950 kcal (as measured on InBody Scanner)
Water intake - 120 oz/day
Bedtime - 10 pm, Wake time - 6:45 am
Typical High Carb Day (4x/week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
Breakfast (8:00 am - 9:00 am) - Intent is nutrient density and blood sugar management
- 2.5 cups of spinach
- 1 handful shredded carrots
- 1 mini cucumber, sliced
- ½ avocado
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 6 oz chicken
- 1 T dulse
- ⅛ cup pumpkins seeds
- 2 T homemade dressing (dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice)
- 6 oz blackberries or fruit of choice
Lunch (11:00 am - 11:30 am) - Intent is to have a solid base of food before training
- 8 oz chicken
- 1 cup sushi rice
- 1 handful shredded carrots
Preworkout (12:00pm - 12:30pm) - Intent is energy for training
- 2 cups unflavored grass-fed kefir
- 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
- 2-4 frozen strawberries
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries
- 2 T cacao nibs
- 2 T goji berries or raisins
Intra-workout (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm) - Intent is energy during training
- 12 oz orange juice
Post-workout (4:00 pm - 4:30 pm) - Intent is fuel to recover from training
- Higher carb territory meal
Dinner (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm) - Intent is to feel full and manage blood sugar
- Meat
- Veggies
- Handful of fruit
Typical Low Carb Day (3x/week - Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday)
Breakfast (8:00 am - 9:00 am) - Intent is nutrient density and blood sugar management
- 2.5 cups spinach
- 1 handful shredded carrots
- 1 mini cucumber, sliced
- ½ avocado
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 6 oz chicken
- 1 T dulse
- ⅛ cup pumpkins seeds
- 2 T homemade dressing (dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice)
- 6 oz blackberries or fruit of choice
Lunch (11:00am-11:30am) - Intent is blood sugar management
- 8 oz chicken
- ½ avocado
- Handful of berries
Snack (4:00pm-4:30pm) - Intent is blood sugar management
- Lower carb territory meal
Dinner (6:00-7:00pm) - Intent is blood sugar management
- Meat
- Veggies
- Handful of fruit
Training
- Monday - Upper Functional Resistance Training + walk 5 miles
- Tuesday - Lower Functional Resistance Training + walk 5 miles
- Wednesday - Walk 5 miles
- Thursday - Upper Functional Resistance Training + walk 5 miles
- Friday - Lower body strength training + walk 5 miles
- Saturday - Walk 5 miles
- Sunday - Walk 5 miles
Supplements
- Wobenzym Plus (musculoskeletal)
- Rosmarinus Officinalis (endocrine)
- Pregnenolone (endocrine)
- DHEA (endocrine)
- Calcium aspartate (nutritional)
- B complex (nutritional)
- HMF Intensive 50 (immune/digestive)
- Zinc Picolinate (nutritional)
- CurcumaSorb (musculoskeletal)
- A.I. Enzymes (digestive)
- Vitamin D 5000 (immune/endocrine)
- Ultra-Pure Fish oil 800 (nutritional)
- HMF Metabolic (immune/digestive)
- Magnesium glycinate (nutritional)
- Tilia Tomentosa (nervous system)
- Bilberry Young Shoot (cardiovascular and circulatory system)
- GI Fortify (digestive)
- Nat Phos (digestive)
- Nat Mur (digestive)
One of my top priorities is health and fitness. I shifted from corporate America to the health and fitness industry. I have forged an identity out of being an intelligent, knowledgeable, fit, and healthy individual who can guide people effectively towards their goal. My habits are likely unnecessary for others, as they will not have the desired effect and have been personalized for me through decades of experience and professional guidance. However, over the years I have accumulated what I consider axioms. These are my “big rocks” and habits that I do not sway from:
Axioms
- MOVE DAILY - I move a lot. I train for two hours, four days per week and consistently walk 10,000 - 15,000 steps per day. With this in mind, I can consume a lot of whole foods and stay lean. I can occasionally eat out and have it generally not affect my body composition.
- RELAX AND ACCEPT OUR MORTALITY - Life is too short; you’re not going to get out alive. Eat and do things that bring you joy. Being neurotic about your health and fitness routine is not inspiring anyone.
- RESILIENCE - If we choose to “suffer” in a safe environment, we can endure suffering in the real world without breaking. We build mental resilience by doing tough things every day.
Through building upon the giants within the strength and conditioning industry, combined with my own personal experience, Central Athlete has created a blueprint for helping individuals achieve their version of success. It takes hard work, consistency, and a degree of trust. What we do at Central Athlete IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. However, for those who possess a growth mindset and are willing to be challenged and supported in a professional setting, I would suggest you schedule a time to chat with one of our professional coaches. It is our belief that fitness is a vehicle to live a fulfilling and empowered life.