What would be a recommendable calorie intake if your wanting to be a serious strongman competitor? I have done tons of research but seem to keep scratching my head! Appreciate all the help.
Brian Carroll Answered question April 28, 2018
Hey Stephen,
I would say that over all your caloric intake should be defined by several individual factors like weight and expected daily expenditure. That being said, if you have a base line of where to start then we can move on to some other factors such as weight class and experience in the sport. If you’re a beginning strongman then those 8-10k calorie diets you see on youtube are not going to be for you. I would suggest that during your first year or years of Strongman, you eat to gain strength, perform and maintain fitness. During your rise in this sport focus on getting as strong and as athletic as possible before starting to really sit down and count exact calories. This is by no means giving you the green light to eat trash food but rather to suggest you eat nutrient rich foods that allow you to feel great on the battle field. As you progress, and also I’m talking to more experienced strongman and women here, you will have to decide what weight class suits your body type and goals and start to eat as many calories you can that continue to produce great results. Unfortunately there are many variables that come in to play to answer this but i wont leave you empty handed! During my heaviest seasons in strongman (231 class) I was eating any where between 4-6k calories of (mostly!) clean foods. This is what worked for me and allowed me to perform at my best while not going over board on body weight or body fat. Start simple, find your caloric base line and lay out a food plan with your coach. Eat full meals and increase your calories slightly on heavy event days. As time progresses and you grow stronger, start to vary your intake as your body composition changes. Another true blue suggestion, and this is true of old pros and beginners alike, is that you sit down with a good nutritionist with an understanding of strength sports and get a plan going. Our team has two great ones (Tucker Loken and Paul Oneid) who I recommend to my Gym often. Hope this gives you a good reference and starting point brother.
Cheers,
MDLP
Mike De La Pava Answered question April 24, 2018
Hey Stephen!
As far as food goes, people generally start wading into articles and trying to learn more, and they just leave more confused. My rule of thumb is this, if I’m asking about something, I go to the experts. If I wanna learn to bench, I ask a powerlifter, if it’s OHP and yoke carries, Strongman. If it’s diet… Bodybuilders. So here goes!
Many great bodies have been built on simple diet plans, and everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. Strongman and powerlifter are obsessed with how much food they need, that they must have a hearty amount of fats in their diet (along with carbs and protein) etc. well guess what! Some egg whites and a couple whole eggs with oatmeal for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch, beef and sweet potatoes for dinner, and some extra protein shakes, Greek yogurt, and healthy stuff like that between have worked for 99% of people.
Keep it simple, have a diet with plenty of protein and carbs in it and a few extra fats to round out the whole thing, and you’ll be good to go.
hit one of us up directly for more info, but just keep it simple and consistent, and eat enough that you’re fueled and satisfied, but not stuffed. Don’t worry about the 8k cals, strongman is tough and calorically taxing, but not 8k taxing. 3k cals is usually PLENTY for most people. I’m working with MDLP on his diet now and we are seeing progress with the same approach – simple and consistent.
hit us back if you have more questions!
Tucker Loken Answered question April 26, 2018
My only input here is it’s not likely as much food as you think. I keep hearing stories of people eating 7kcal a day, clean. But I don’t buy it. Maybe if they are eating crap all day. Read about creating a baseline here.
Brian Carroll Answered question April 28, 2018
