So the past few articles have talked about Isaac Caldiero, winner of American Ninja Warrior and the parkour diet. Mash those up together and we have Isaac Caldiero's Real-Life Diet, brought to you by GQ's article "The Real-Life Diet of American Ninja Warrior Jesus". Read on:
The allure of American Ninja Warrior is hard to explain. Maybe it speaks to the audience’s appetite for the over-the-top and the melodramatic. Arguably, though, it’s the sheer physical difficulty of American Ninja Warrior that couch potatoes love, the way contestants ranging from professional acrobats to waiters to pest control workers run, climb, swing and jump through a padded Mousetrap-maze of death, except unlike Dancing with the Stars or Top Chef, no winner is guaranteed.
This is what Isaac Caldiero, the 33-year-old rock climber who trained on a homemade, backyard obstacle course diet consists of.
We start the day with lukewarm water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice. It helps wake up the body and digestive system.
Outside of ninja training, Caldiero’s diet is pretty low key. He spent so much time traveling and staying with friends while climbing, that he learned to accept and eat anything that his hosts offered him. Being a good guest means letting your host be a good host.But when it came time to transform himself into a ninja, he needed something more disciplined. He and his girlfriend devised a diet plan that prioritized protein and concentrated on a large morning meal that would keep him fueled throughout the day.
“We start the day with lukewarm water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice. It helps wake up the body and digestive system. A lot of people wake up and eat food, or pound some coffee, and it’s very harsh on the body to wake up like that. Then for breakfast I like to eat something that will last me throughout the day. I don’t like to eat a lot while I’m being physical, so if I can eat something that will last a long while, that’ll work best for me. I cook up oat bran with almond milk, molasses, cinnamon, blueberries and a tablespoon of chia seeds to thicken it. All the good morning nutrients you need and I could keep working without lunch.”
Over the rest of the day, that’s followed by a light smoothie, maybe nuts, and finally dinner built around some meat. While Caldiero isn’t a vegetarian per se, his normal, non-ninja diet is pretty sparing with animal flesh (despite the occasional bacon and bleu cheese bison burger). But to be a ninja, he need that extra power.Caldiero’s ninja diet emphasizes tuning into his gut. No exercising shortly after a meal, no heavy snacking during workouts—just laser-like focus on what keeps your body feeling energized. Or as he puts it: “You don’t want to put regular unleaded fuel in your Ferrari.”
Caldiero’s ninja diet emphasizes tuning into his gut. No exercising shortly after a meal, no heavy snacking during workouts—just laser-like focus on what keeps your body feeling energized. Or as he puts it: “You don’t want to put regular unleaded fuel in your Ferrari.”
Pre-breakfast
Glass of lukewarm water with fresh lemon juice
Breakfast
Gluten free oat bran with almond milk, molasses, cinnamon, blueberries and chia seeds
Midday
Small smoothie with plant protein, strawberries, and banana
Snack
Walnuts
Dinner
Salmon with quinoa
Kale and spinach salad with feta and lemon-olive oil dressing
Read the full article here.
