Did you think that an athlete’s success was all down to their talent? Think again. While their innate abilities may be the initial spark for their success, plenty of work remains to be done. As they always say, determination tends to beat talent; when you have talent and determination, then you’ll be on your way to superstardom.
There’s more to determination than simply the number of hours you put in at practice. Determination to succeed is something that permeates every facet of an athlete’s life. One of the most overlooked components is diet. The best of the best follow diets that optimise their bodies for success, and sometimes, that involves eating a lot of food.
In this post, we will look at some of the highest-calorie diets from known athletes. Some of these would be impossible for an average person to consume, but then again, most of us aren’t looking to become the best in the world at our chosen sport.
Michael Phelps: 12,000 Calories a Day
Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer there’s ever been, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Phelps didn’t just spend significant hours in the pool — he also gave his body enough calories to make your eyes water. The American Olympic champion ate an average of 12,000 calories per day during the height of his training regime. That’s the equivalent of more than 40 Big Macs, every single day. Well, you don’t win 28 medals at the Olympics by eating salads.
Thon Maker: 6,000 Calories a Day
You can be a good basketball player if you’re tall — but if you’re going to succeed as a professional, you’ll need to be tall and muscular. Alas, it’s often difficult for people who are extremely tall to put on weight. After all, they already have a pretty big body that needs to be taken care of! To compensate, they have to overeat a lot. This is the case with Thon Maker, a basketball player who clocked in at over 7 feet. Too thin to compete in the big leagues, the player ate the equivalent of 23 Big Macs daily. He was able to become a professional basketball player, so you can say that the plan worked.
Team Columbia: 9,000 Calories a Day
You’ll have noticed that cyclists tend to be pretty thin. So, you may be surprised to learn that they tend to consume a lot of calories. Their body needs it — you can’t cycle up steep mountains without having a lot of energy in the tank. Team Columbia, a Tour de France team, consumes 9,000 calories a day. They have to be thankful that they’re not paying for all that food themselves!
Andy Murray: 5,500 Calories a Day
Andy Murray was the best tennis player on the planet for a brief period. He did this thanks to hard work, an enviable sponsorship deal with Adidas, excellent coaches, and a lot of food. When he was in training mode, Murray would eat some 5,500 calories a day, which he burned off during more than 5 hours of training. You can use Adidas discount codes to get the clothing Andy wore on his way towards winning Wimbledon, but unless you can get a sponsorship deal, you probably won’t be able to match his diet. After all, you’d need to eat a week’s worth of food in just a day or two, and who has the money for that?
Usain Bolt: 5,000 Calories a Day
Usain Bolt is the fastest human to have ever lived, and as you might expect, your body needs to have a lot of energy to burn if you’re going to run the 100 metres in record time. During the height of his career, the Jamaican star ate some 5,000 calories a day. What’s somewhat surprising is the food he chose to eat. When he was at the Olympics, the running star wasn’t eating high-quality pasta dishes like most athletes — he was eating chicken nuggets! According to one report, he ate 1,000 of them during his time at the Beijing Olympics.
Hafthor Bjornsson: 10,000 Calories a Day
Hafthor Bjornsson, one of the world’s strongest men, played a character called The Mountain on Game of Thrones, so that probably tells you everything you need to know about how big he is. He eats more than 10,000 calories a day and prioritises eating quality food. You don’t become a giant by eating salads!
