Last Updated on October, 2024
Would you like to lose up to 100 pounds in 2 months?
We all want to lose weight, achieve our best body, and be the best in every aspect of our lives. But, it takes a lot to achieve that position.
And, when it comes to someone who had nothing but gained everything and became the toughest man alive, the only name pops up everywhere is David Goggins.
I read his book, saw all his interviews, and read almost every possible article on him. He is a game-changer and inspiration for everyone who wants to turn around their lives.
In this article, you will learn everything about David Goggins workout routine and diet plans. So, let’s get started with an inspiring quote from David Goggins, “Denial is the ultimate comfort zone.”
Table Of Contents
- Who is David Goggins?
- David Goggins Current Body Stats
- Four Important Phases That Make David Goggins the Toughest Man In America
- David Goggins Daily Routine
- David Goggins Workout Routine
- David Goggins Diet
- David Goggins Diet Plan (Daily)
- Supplements Recommended By David Goggins
- Tips That Helped David Goggins Stick to the Workout Routine
- Final Words
- FAQs
Who is David Goggins?
David Goggins is an American ultramarathon runner, triathlete, motivational speaker, best-selling author for Can’t Hurt Me, and a retired NAVY SEAL. He is 47 years old.
David Goggins is also known as the Toughest Man Alive. He has a never-ending number of achievements in his entire life. Like, breaking a Guinness world record, working in the air force and navy seals to becoming a best-selling author, he has experienced everything in his life.
In US Defense history, he is the only person who has completed navy seal training, army ranger school, and air force tactical air control training.
However, David wasn’t privileged like most of us. He had an abusive father who used to beat him up brutally and force him all day to work on his Skateland. After a few years, David and his mother escaped and started a new life of struggle.
David wasn’t good at studying at all. In fact, he used to pass all his exams through cheating. He also faced severe racism and many other problems in his life. But, one day, he decided to change himself and never looked back.
David Goggins’s life is full of adventurous stories. You’ll learn about his many achievements, and that’ll motivate you too.
David Goggins Current Body Stats
Age: 47 years old.
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 190 Pounds
Four Important Phases That Make David Goggins the Toughest Man In America
You see, David didn’t become the world’s toughest man in one day. Earlier, he used to be a sloppy and aimless kid who always wanted to look cool. He used to pass exams through cheating & had no plan.
But, one day, his life drastically changed because of an incident at his school. From being a wannabe cool guy who used to wear 2x more oversized clothes like a hip-hop star started dressing like a nerd and, instead of wasting time, started preparing for the Air force.
Preparing for Air Force
Preparing for the air force was a life-changing decision for him. David’s grandfather was the air force’s cook. He wanted to be as proud as his grandfather.
That’s why he started to prepare for the air force and continued his regular study. He kept trying, and finally, he made it to the air force tactical control party.
After that, he served in the air force tactical air control party for five years and left the air force. He always wanted to get into the pararescue unit, but he gave up because he was extremely uncomfortable with a water course.
After resigning from the air force, he started working as an exterminator in a pest control company, and he hated this job. David’s obesity was at its peak, and he wanted to do something.
That’s when he started preparing for the pre-navy seal out of interest. Following challenging workout routines and diet plans helped him lose 100 pounds, and he made it to the navy seal.
It was one of the toughest parts of his life. It was because he had to start studying, and due to obesity, no recruiting officer wanted to give him a chance. However, one officer showed him some confidence, and he worked very hard and made it to the navy seal.
Navy seals training is known as one of the most challenging training globally. During the navy-seal training, he had got seriously injured. In fact, he was hospitalized too. Even After all these, he didn’t give up.
From ground-level tasks to exams, he gave his 200%. After everything, he finally made it to the Navy Seal Team Five. In fact, after that, he took army ranger training and graduated from army ranger school.
He’s well-known for his contribution to the Iraq-Afghanistan war.
Life After Retiring From the Military
After retiring from military forces, most officers take small jobs or start small businesses. But, David was different. He got himself into the most strenuous sports like ultramarathons, triathlons, etc.
He completed the deadliest ultramarathons like Badwater and broke the Guinness world record of most pull-ups in 24 hours. David has done most of these to raise the special operations warrior foundation funds. (1)
Then, he became the best- selling author of can’t hurt me. This book has motivated hundreds of thousands of people and made him the icon of hustlers.
David Goggins Daily Routine
Well, David’s lifestyle isn’t fixed. He has followed a different daily routine in the pre-seal period than a completely different daily routine in seal training and after his retirement.
No matter what his target was/is, he always follows a restrictive lifestyle. Everything is restrictive and burdensome to follow, from his diet plan to workout routines.
You must be wondering how challenging his daily routine could be? So, here are the short glimpses of two daily routines he followed for pre-sealing and navy-seal training.
Pre-Sealing
He followed this workout plan to put down 100 lbs in 2 months. So, if you were wondering how he has done it, go through this:
4:30 AM: Wake up
4:45 AM: Freshen up
4:55 AM: Have a banana
5:00-6:00 AM: Ride the exercise bike
6:00-7:00 AM: Study for AVSB
8:00-10:00 AM: Swimming
11:00 AM-2:00 PM: Full-body workout (Based on calisthenics and body-weight exercises)
2:00 PM-3:00 PM: Rest
3:00 PM-5:00 PM: Riding exercise bike and studying (simultaneously)
7:30 PM: Dinner
8:00-10:00 PM: Riding exercise bike and study
10:30 PM: Sleep
Repeated again in the morning for the next two months.
Navy Seals’ workout and training programs are highly confidential, and sharing them outside is a criminal offense. That’s why David Goggins never shared it, but we can see a glimpse of seal training in his everyday workout.
So, here is his daily routine in navy seal training (based on his book can’t hurt me and interviews).
3:00-4:00 AM: Wake up
4:00-6:00 AM: 10-15 miles running
6:00 AM: 25 Miles Biking (towards office)
11:00 AM: 5-8 miles running (lunch hour)
3:00-5:00 PM: 25 miles biking (towards home)
After work: 3-5 miles running
Navy seal workouts are out enhancing endurance. That’s the reflection we can see in his daily life. It also helps him with ultramarathons and triathlons.
David Goggins Workout Routine
Well, the navy sealing workout routine is his regular workout routine. Even after his retirement, he follows a strenuous workout schedule.
According to David, he never enjoyed biking, running, or swimming, but he had to do it to boost and balance his endurance. However, he follows his full-body workout routine sometimes.
Despite not enjoying running and cycling, he does it every day. And the entire world says the secret of David Goggin’s success is his never giving up attitude.
Workout Principles
In this section, you’ll learn what made him the toughest man in the world—the Workout Principles of David Goggins. In every possible interview with David, he mentions that he is at the peak of his fitness goal only because of his workout principles.
So, let’s see what workout principles David follows!
Suck it Up (Run, Cycle, Swim)
As you already know, David never enjoyed running, cycling, or swimming. Still, he does it anyway. That’s why he is known as a famous ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, and pro swimmer worldwide.
Lesson #1: Even if you don’t enjoy doing it, keep doing it, and be persistent.
Timing the Workout
David Goggins used to follow a strict training routine. He used to wake up at 3 AM and finish 15 miles running. After that, he had a shower, ate a quick breakfast, and rode 25 miles toward the base.
At lunch break, he used to run/ride another 5-8 miles, and then he would go back home again by cycling for 25 miles.
Lesson #2: Timing the workout matters!
Regular Stretching
Stretching is the best solution, whether it’s building endurance, recovering from workout pain, or post-workout rehabilitation.
That’s why David spends several hours behind regular stretching. David Goggins has an extensive stretching routine that he follows for recovering from pain, warming up, and for cooling down too.
Lesson#3: Stretching boosts your overall exercise experience.
Focusing on the Core
Your entire body won’t be vital if your core isn’t strong. It’s a basic rule. That’s why he focuses on the core and does core exercises. That’s why he follows a cardio routine full of intense cardio exercises.
His highly intense cardio routine caused him a lower heartbeat rate by 32 per minute (whereas 60-100 HB per minute is normal)!
Lesson#4: Focus on your core, and your whole body will be more muscular.
Weight Training
According to David Goggins, he always enjoyed weight training. In the beginning days, he used to have a routine called “lift Goggins weight routine”. He mostly spent his time in the gym bulking up. He likes to workout deadlifts and other challenging lifting exercises.
Special training and adventurous sports requires endurance more than muscles, that’s why he limited gym and weight training, so he doesn’t bulk up more.
Lesson#5: If you want to be more energetic, focus on building endurance instead of muscles.
Workout Routine
David Goggins is well-known for his fantastic workout routine. At least half of David Goggins daily routine is covered with his regular exercise routine. Here’s the entire workout and bodyweight routine.
Running
Running is one of the core parts of David Goggins workout routine. He runs at least 10-20 miles every day.
Biking
Biking is another daily exercise that he follows from the beginning. David cycles 50 miles a day.
Lifting Heavy Weights
Lifting heavy weights is one of David’s favorite workouts. He follows a bodyweight routine of at least 1.5 hours every day.
Earlier, when David was in the military, he spent most of his time in the gym to build muscles. After a while, he started focusing on endurance training.
Stretching
Stretching is another significant segment of David’s workout. He spends hours behind stretching only. Stretching helps him rest down the muscles and prevents internal damage and muscle fatigue.
Core Workouts
A core workout is essential to make your body more muscular than ever. David Goggins follows these core exercises (minimum of three sets).
- Russian Sit-ups: 10 reps
- V-Ups: 10 reps
- Swiss-Ball Obliques: 25 reps
- Broomstick Obliques: 10 reps
Weight Training
Well, David never shares his workout routine outside. However, these are some weight training exercises that he has mentioned in his book, youtube videos, and interviews as well.
Note: He follows all these workouts for 4-5 sets (8-15 reps each set).
Chest Workout
- Bench press
- Push-ups
- Chest press
- Dumbbell press
- Dumbbell flyes
- Cable cross
Shoulder Workout
- Shrugs
- Rear delt flyes
- Military press
- Arnold dumbbell press
- Lateral raise
- Front raises
Back Workout
- Deadlift
- Lat pulldown
- Close grip lat pulldowns
- Back lat pushdowns
- Cable rows
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Arms Workout
- Tricep extension
- Tricep kickbacks
- Tricep pushdown
- Barbell curls
- Preacher curls
- Isolation curls
- Skull crusher
- Bicep curls
Legs Workout
- Leg Press
- Leg Curls
- Leg Extension
- Walking Lunges
- Calf raises
- Squats
- Stiff-leg deadlift
David Goggins Full Body Workout
David came live on Instagram during the pandemic and shared his full-body workout. Which follows:
- Jumping Jacks (with & without push-ups, 400 reps)
- Sit-ups (120 reps)
- Planks (both up & down, 150 reps)
- Walking lunges (150 reps)
He also does squats, burpees, pull-ups, box jumps, etc.
Run. Bike. Swim. Repeat: Triathlon
Being an extreme ultramarathon runner and cyclist, David must maintain his endurance. In order to keep his endurance on point, David practices running and biking every day. He practices triathlons for 150 miles every week.
David Goggins Diet
David Goggins is quite serious about his diet, and he follows two types of diet at a time. Those are:
- Ketogenic diet
- Intermittent fasting
Diet Principles of David Goggins
When David was preparing for pre-sealing, he had to cut off 100 pounds within no time. And he did this by following intermittent fasting and the keto diet.
Well, many have tried the diet plan of David Goggins and faced keto-flu. It is because this diet requires super discipline (unless you have other medical conditions).
Intermittent Fasting
David Goggins is a big fan of intermittent fasting. Fasting is like a two-edged sword. If you do fasting and eat more or have junk food and unhealthy fats, you won’t see any better results. Instead, you’ll gain more weight. (2)
Whereas, if you follow the fast with discipline and follow a healthy diet, you’ll see better results faster. David wakes up at 3 AM and doesn’t eat until 11 AM.
Keto Diet
Keto, aka ketogenic diet is something that kept David going during strenuous training. David consumes a little more healthy fats than the regular keto diet recommends (due to the heavy exercise). He takes 40% healthy fats, 40% protein, and 20% fat.
The Keto diet is a low-carb and calorie deficit diet that promotes lowering your carb and consuming more healthy fats.
Foods David Goggins Recommends
‘When we cut down carbs completely, we have only a few options left.’ We all have heard this. But, David Goggins nutrition plan proves it wrong. There are a few protein sources that you can use to create plenty of delicious meals. These are:
- Dairy (low-fat dairy)
- Butter, cream, cheese
- Eggs
- Meat and poultry
- Green leafy vegetables
- Fish and Seafood
- Nuts and Seeds
- Healthy cold pressed oils
Foods David Goggins Avoids
In order to get the best weight loss result, the fundamental rule is to focus on foods you should avoid. That’s why there is a list of foods that David strictly avoids. Also, as he follows a ketogenic diet, he is not allowed to consume some food groups. Which are:
- Sugar
- Starchy vegetables
- Bad carbs like cereal, pasta, and bread
David Goggins Diet Plan (Daily)
As you already guessed, David follows a strict diet plan. But sometimes, it varies. He consumes lesser carbs, but it entirely depends on his goal.
If he’s preparing for something dead serious like Badwater, he may increase his carbs and protein. But, on regular days, he prefers to consume as little carbs as possible.
So, here’s an example of David Goggins diet plan table that he mostly follows.
Breakfast Meal
- Oatmeal with protein (Steel-cut oatmeal)
Pre-Workout Meal
- Fruits & nuts (walnuts)
Lunch Meal
- Chicken Breast
- Salad
- Veggies
At pre-seal and seal training, David used to skip lunch.
Pre-Dinner Meal
- Fruits and Nuts
- Other sources of proteins
Dinner
- Fish/Chicken
- Veggies
- Salad
Note: It’s a sample meal plan with five meals a day. David changes his diet plan, and he fasts every day.
Supplements Recommended By David Goggins
Though David doesn’t really take supplements that much as all of his nutritional needs are filled with whole foods. But sometimes, if he misses a meal or something wrong happens, that’s why he keeps some supplements as a backup. These are:
- Coffee (he loves coffee)
- Whey Protein Powder (gives him more protein)
- Post-workout protein formula (packed with amino acid)
- Multivitamin
So, these are the supplements David prefers to have. But he doesn’t take it every day. He only takes these supplements when he needs them.
Tips That Helped David Goggins Stick to the Workout Routine
David Goggins workout routine is not easy to follow. What keeps him going is his principles and mental toughness. This section will share some tips that you should follow to be like David Goggins.
Create Your Own Destiny
We all should focus on our destiny. If you think there is something you cannot achieve, work hard for it, and give your all! Don’t let your present or others decide what you can accomplish. David was a bad student, a fat guy. If he can make it, then you can do it too.
Get the Visual ASAP
Imagine what you have to do during the training, what obstacles you may face, and how you will make it. Get the visual of yourself succeeding in every aspect of your life.
Don’t Lose the Last Rep (If You Do Punish Yourself)
Accept the hardship! There will be times when you’ll feel like giving up, dropping the last set or the very last rep. You’ll think, what can one single rep do to my body? That one rep will make a difference between you and successful people like David Goggins.
If you miss the last rep/set, go back and finish it. In fact, punish yourself. Instead of one missed rep, do a complete set. This will help you to experience an improved mental clarity.
The Accountability Mirror
Successful people hold themselves accountable. The accountability mirror is the best concept in his biography.
The accountability mirror is a mirror full of sticky notes. There will be things written in the sticky notes that you hold yourself accountable for. Before sleeping, you have to stand in front of the mirror and say what you have done straightforwardly.
Celebrate…
Once you have accomplished what you have wanted, don’t hesitate to celebrate. Have a cheat meal or do what makes you happy.
Even after seal’s hell week, David enjoyed a large pizza.
Other amazing celebrity physique:
Final Words
David Goggins’s lifestyle proves that humans can achieve anything if they really want it. He is a true inspiration for everyone. Even after his retirement, he motivates everyone as an author and motivational speaker.
David Goggins workout routine offers many health benefits. So, if you also want to achieve your dream body shape, don’t hesitate to learn from his story. If you want faster weight loss, be a fat burning machine like David, and accomplish your goal!
So, let’s wrap it up with a beautiful quote by David Goggins, “Know why you’re in the fight to stay in the fight! And never forget that all emotional and physical anguish is finite!”
FAQs
REFERENCES:
- https://www.navytimes.com/2015/09/29/sailor-sets-world-record-for-most-pullups-in-24-hours/
- https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting
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