Here’s a comprehensive routine and diet plan used by LeBron James.
LeBron James made his NBA debut in 2003 at the age of 18 with extremely high expectations bestowed upon him as an athlete. He was touted as the heir to Michael Jordan’s throne and was expected to become one of the best basketball players of all time. Despite facing unprecedented pressure and scrutiny on his way to greatness, LeBron has exceeded every expectation and seemingly gotten better with age, now approaching his forties. He recently became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and his resurgent Los Angeles Lakers are making a playoff charge. Through dedicated training routines and a careful diet, LeBron has avoided injuries and prolonged his longevity far beyond what would be expected of most athletes. Beyond his high-flying dunks, athletic defensive prowess, and scintillating scoring ability, LeBron’s dedication to training and diet has elevated his game and made him a dominant basketball force who will go down as one of the greatest to ever do it.
Have you ever wondered how LeBron James manages to stay on top of his game after two decades as a pro athlete? Fortunately, we don’t have to wonder anymore. Fitness expert Total Shape has compiled the future hall-of-famer’s workout regimen and nutritional plan so that you can incorporate LeBron’s training into your routine. However, a word of warning: this program isn’t for the unmotivated. From high-intensity interval training to a strict diet, it’s no wonder LeBron has managed to consistently perform at the highest level.
There’s a saying that the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. Talk to any player, and they’ll likely tell you that’s true. With 82 regular season games plus playoffs, playing in the NBA is a grueling and arduous endeavor. And LeBron has undertaken that challenge for 20 years with few breaks in between.
Similarly, breaks are also minimized during LeBron’s workouts. The 38-year-old utilizes high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to maximize his strength and endurance, which is necessary for an athlete who needs to regularly sprint up and down a 28-meter basketball court. LeBron works out six times each week. Three of those workouts are weight sessions, and the other three focus on plyometrics and cardio.
To promote endurance and longevity, LeBron James suggests a 30-minute warm-up before every workout session on an elliptical machine, bike, or treadmill. His personal favorite method of warming up is a 10-minute uphill bike ride to build stamina. Similarly, James also ends his workouts with a cool-down, typically doing 20 minutes of yoga practice to absorb the post-workout effects.
Due to the lengthy season and his busy schedule, James’ routine is subject to change throughout the year depending on game days, travel arrangements, and other commitments. But he upholds many of the same high-intensity principles in every workout. A typical training week for James looks like this, in addition to on-court practice and shooting:
Monday: James begins the week with a focus on his upper body. His Monday workout targets his chest, back, shoulders, and arms for an all-round upper body burn.
– Incline dumbbell bench press (3 sets of 10)
– Wide grip lateral pulldowns (3 sets of 10)
– One-arm military press (3 sets of 10)
– One-arm dumbbell rows (3 sets of 10)
– Barbell curl and skull crusher superset (3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise)
On Tuesday, the focus is on plyometric exercises, which are simply exercises that involve speed and force. LeBron takes spin fitness classes on Tuesdays that last between 30 minutes to an hour, followed by other plyometric exercises like stair climbing on a machine, lunges, push-ups, jump squats, push-up hops, and skipping.
As we reach mid-week, Wednesday is all about the back, biceps, and traps. LeBron doesn’t slow down on hump day and powers through the week with more high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to maximize the burn.
He does pull-ups (3 sets of 10), bicep curls (4 sets of 12), chin-ups (3 sets of 15), bent-over barbell rows (4 sets of 12), and wide grip pull-ups (3 sets of 10).
Thursday…
The main focus for Thursday’s workout routine is cardiovascular exercise, specifically targeting the stamina. James starts his day by jumping rope for 30 minutes, which he considers his favorite exercise, to get his heart pumping before moving on to weightlifting. Once he finishes with weightlifting, LeBron completes his workout with a 15-30 minute high-intensity treadmill run. His weightlifting routine includes pull-ups, dumbbell bench press, single-arm cable rows, cable flies, single-arm overhead press, and leg curls, each consisting of 3 sets of 10 or 8 reps.
Friday marks the end of the week, but LeBron James does not let up when it comes to leg day. He engages in both compound and isolation exercises to target all his leg muscles. He follows up his leg workout with a series of calisthenics, including weighted jumps, jumping lunges, box jumps, and push-ups, completing three sets of 15 reps for each exercise.
On Saturday, as the new week begins, LeBron switches to plyometrics and attends another spin class. He also targets his core with resistance band exercises.
Sunday is a day of rest.
Even the greatest athletes need to take a break sometimes. After a busy week of training and playing, LeBron James reserves Sunday for a rest day. He spends the day with his family and pursuing his passion projects, proving that occasionally the best workout is taking a break.
Like all high-performance athletes know, training hard will only get you halfway there. Solid nutrition courtesy of a strict diet plan is just as important. And LeBron clearly agrees with that sentiment. The 38-year-old prioritizes a high-protein nutritious diet for muscle maintenance and a lean physique that allows him to keep smashing records.
LeBron begins his day with protein and fruit. His typical breakfast includes egg whites, omelets, yogurt, smoked salmon, berries, and gluten-free pancakes. That’s quite a lot – but on the days LeBron doesn’t feel like eating much, he says he’ll simply have a bagel with peanut butter.
Lunch and dinner are not mentioned in the original content.
LeBron James enjoys eating lunch and dinner meals that are high in protein and green vegetables, such as rocket salad and chicken breast with some pasta for carbohydrates. He also loves a family dinner, especially on Taco Tuesday, where he indulges in one of his favorite meals, tacos. Despite being told that snacking is unhealthy, LeBron sometimes enjoys a healthy snack of fruits like apples, bananas, and berries. He even used to own a fresh fruit juice store with his wife in Miami. During halftime breaks in his games, LeBron likes to snack on apple slices topped with almond or peanut butter.