How many calories does Eddie Hall consume per day?

Eddie Hall is one of the world’s top strongmen. He is known for winning the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2017 and for breaking the world record deadlift at 500 kg (1,102 lbs) in 2016.

To achieve and maintain his massive size and strength, Eddie Hall needs to consume a huge number of calories every day. But exactly how many calories does the Beast consume on a daily basis? Let’s take a closer look.

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Calorie Needs for Strength Athletes

Strength athletes like Eddie Hall have very high calorie needs in order to support their muscle mass and intense training regimen. Some key points:

The more muscle mass an athlete has, the more calories they need to maintain it.
Intense weight training sessions like strongman training burn a lot of calories.
Athletes need extra calories to fuel recovery from tough workouts.

Larger and more muscular athletes require more calories than smaller athletes at the same activity level.

So exactly how many calories does a strongman like Eddie Hall require on a daily basis? Let’s examine some estimates.

Estimating Eddie Hall’s Calorie Needs

At his competitive peak, Eddie Hall weighed around 190 kg (419 lbs) with very low body fat. He was estimated to have around 160 kg (353 lbs) of lean muscle mass.

Some estimates of Hall’s daily calorie needs:

One estimate suggests strongmen need around 50 calories per pound of body weight. So for Hall, that would equate to around 20,000 calories per day.
Another estimate says strongmen need 30-60 calories per pound of lean body mass. For Hall, that would be 10,600 to 21,200 calories daily.

Using metabolic rate calculators, estimates for Hall range from around 8,000 to 15,000+ calories per day.

Based on these estimates, a reasonable estimate for Hall’s daily calorie needs would likely range from 10,000 to 15,000 calories per day. However, he may require 20,000 calories or more on his heaviest training days.

Eddie Hall’s Diet Plan

So how does Eddie Hall manage to consume so many calories each day? Let’s take a look at some details about his diet and nutrition plan:

His baseline diet contains around 5,000-6,000 calories on rest days.
On heavy training days, his calorie intake swells to around 10,000 calories or more.
To hit his calorie goals, Hall eats around 7-8 meals per day.

His diet focuses on lean, high protein foods like chicken, fish, beef, eggs, rice, potatoes, vegetables, protein powder and supplements.
He limits sugar and junk food, but will add high-calorie shakes or treats when needed.
His calorie target changes depending on his competition and training season.

Here is an example of what Eddie Hall may eat during a heavy 10,000 calorie training day:

Meal	Foods	Calories
Breakfast	Oatmeal, eggs, protein shake	1,200
Snack	Protein bar, fruit	500
Lunch	Chicken, rice, vegetables, yogurt	1,500
Snack	Protein shake, nuts	700
Dinner	Steak, potatoes, veggies	1,500
Snack	Cottage cheese, toast	500
Snack	Mass gainer shake	1,200
Snack	Fruit, nut butter	500
Snack	Protein pudding	1,000
Snack	Protein shake	500
Total		10,100

As you can see, getting in 10,000+ calories per day requires eating frequently and focusing on calorie-dense foods. It’s a full time job for Eddie Hall to consume enough to maintain his massive frame!

Supplements

In addition to his heavy food intake, Eddie Hall uses supplements and protein powders to boost his calorie intake:

Protein powders – Hall uses whey and casein protein extensively for quick nutrition.
Weight gain powders – He uses mass gainers to add calories.
Creatine – Creatine improves workout performance and aids muscle growth.

BCAAs – Branched chain amino acids reduce muscle breakdown during workouts.
Multivitamin – To cover any nutritional gaps in his diet.

By combining a tailored diet plan with strategic supplement use, Hall makes sure he gets the calories and protein needed to maintain his elite strongman physique.

Changes When Not Competing

During offseason periods or when not preparing for competition, Eddie Hall likely reduces his calorie intake substantially:

His calorie intake may drop to around 3,000-5,000 calories on rest days.
On training days, he may consume 5,000-8,000 calories or more depending on his regimen.

He still trains intensively in the offseason but not at peak levels.
The calorie drop prevents excess fat gain and gives his body a break.
He avoids rapid weight loss or gain between competitions.

Even in the offseason, Hall requires a lot more food than most people. But by adjusting his diet, he can reduce his intake by almost 50% while maintaining his elite physique.

The Cost of 10,000+ Calories Per Day

Eating like Eddie Hall does not come cheap. Some estimates on the potential cost:

To consume 10,000 calories per day from whole foods could cost $50-$100 per day or more.

Adding in supplements and protein powders could add another $30-$60 per day.
Over the course of a year, Hall may spend $25,000 or more on food.
Prepared weight gain meals could reduce costs but still require thousands per month.

Brand sponsorships provide some free supplements but the majority of the cost falls to Hall.

Hall needs world class genetics and intense dedication to transform these calories into muscle and strength. But the thousands of dollars per month he spends on food are also critical to fuel his strongman goals.

Comparing Eddie Hall’s Intake to Other Athletes

How does Eddie Hall’s calorie intake compare to other top athletes? Here are some examples:

Michael Phelps – The Olympic swimmer consumed around 8,000-10,000 calories at his peak training periods.
Hafthor Bjornsson – Another elite strongman who eats upwards of 10,000 calories on heavy training days.
Brian Shaw – Strongman and Hall’s rival who eats around 10,000 calories daily when training hard.

LeBron James – The basketball star eats around 6,000 calories per day to fuel his performance.
Andy Bolton – World record deadlifter who consumes 8,000-10,000 calories daily when training.

While Hall’s daily intake is massive, it’s relatively normal for elite strength athletes like strongmen. Competitors in aesthetic sports like bodybuilding often aim for a calorie surplus but consume far less than powerlifters or strongmen. Endurance athletes like marathon runners also have relatively low calorie needs.

Among strength sports, Eddie Hall sits at the top end for calorie consumption due to his extreme size and strength. But his intake matches up with similar world class strongmen.

The Importance of Calories for Strength Sports

Consuming sufficient calories is absolutely critical for success in strength sports like strongman:

Strength sports require large amounts of muscle mass, which requires a calorie surplus.

Without enough food intake, muscle mass and strength will be limited, regardless of genetics or training.
The greater a strength athlete’s size and strength, the higher their calorie needs become.
Strength athletes must force feed themselves past comfortable fullness to get enough calories.

Appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin adapt to enable massive eating capacity.

For Eddie Hall to reach a 500 kg deadlift and 160+ kg of muscle mass, his nutrition had to match the demands of his training. Without consuming 10,000+ calories a day, Hall could never have achieved such world record levels of power.

Potential Downsides of a 10,000 Calorie Diet

While enabling his strongman success, consuming 10,000+ calories per day does come with potential downsides for Eddie Hall:

Significant cost and time required for cooking and eating.
Potential for unhealthy weight gain if intake isn’t adjusted after retiring.
Health issues if diet is poor quality with excess junk food.

Strain on the digestive system and metabolism.
Reduced lifespan has been linked to very high calorie diets.
Requiring constant eating can interfere with social life and travel.

Rapid weight loss after competition may negatively impact hormones and strength.

Hall works closely with his nutrition coach to avoid pitfalls and stay as healthy as possible. But downsides are inevitable to some degree when eating in surplus to this extent long-term.

Keys to Make a 10,000 Calorie Diet Work

If you want to attempt to eat 10,000 calories per day like Eddie Hall, here are some tips:

Gradually increase calories over time so your body can adapt.
Time your largest meals around your hardest workouts.
Choose nutrient dense whole foods for the majority of intake.

Include protein powder, healthy fats, nut butters, mass gainer shakes.
Eat 5-8 smaller meals throughout the day.
Listen to your body and adjust intake based on your goals.

Avoid excessive junk food, sodas, sweets and processed carbs.
Stay well hydrated and get enough fiber to support digestion.

The most important key is matching your calorie intake to your body’s needs and training demands. Consuming 10,000 calories without Hall’s genetics or activity level will just lead to excessive fat gain.

Conclusion

In summary, strongman legend Eddie Hall consumes an incredible 10,000 to 15,000 calories per day at the height of his training periods to support his 190+ kg frame and elite strength levels.

Eating around 8 substantial meals and using supplements, his customized nutrition plan provides the fuel for his intense workouts and remarkable feats of power.

While cost prohibitive and exhausting for most people, Hall’s massive calorie intake allowed him to build world record breaking size and strength. He provides an extreme example highlighting the critical link between diet and performance at the highest levels of strength sports.