Eddie Hall is one of the world’s strongest men. He won the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2017 and set a world record deadlift of 500 kg (1,102 lb) in 2016. To achieve such incredible feats of strength requires an equally incredible diet. Eddie Hall consumes around 10,000 calories per day to fuel his intense training regimen. His diet is meticulously planned to optimize muscle growth and performance. Let’s take a look at what a typical day of eating looks like for Eddie Hall.
Breakfast
Eddie kicks off his day with a massive breakfast, consuming around 3000 calories. This gives him the energy he needs to start his intense training sessions. His breakfast often includes:
- 8 eggs
- 6 slices of bacon or sausage
- 4 slices of toast with jam or honey
- Bowl of oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit
- Protein shake
- Fruit juice
Protein is key at breakfast to build Eddie’s huge muscles. Eggs, bacon, and protein shakes provide a hefty dose to start his day. Carbs from toast, oatmeal, and fruit juice also give Eddie long-lasting energy. The fat from bacon, eggs, and nuts keeps him feeling satisfied. Overall, his breakfast provides a balance of protein, carbs, and fat.
Mid-Morning Snack
About two hours after breakfast, Eddie will have a mid-morning snack to keep his energy levels up. This might include:
- Greek yogurt with granola and berries
- Peanut butter sandwich
- Protein bar or shake
- Fruit and nuts
Again, Eddie focuses on getting adequate protein, carbs, and healthy fats. The goal is to fuel his muscles and avoid hunger until lunchtime.
Lunch
Eddie piles his plate high at lunch, eating around 1500 calories. He’ll often have:
- 10 oz grilled chicken or lean steak
- Baked potato with butter and cheese
- 2 cups cooked rice or pasta
- Large mixed salad with oil and vinegar dressing
- Bowl of vegetable soup
- Fruit juice
You can see the emphasis is on getting enough quality protein for muscle growth. The potato, rice, and pasta provide Eddie with complex carbs. He tops his carb sources with butter, cheese, and salad dressing to incorporate beneficial fats. Vegetables and fruit round out his nutrient intake.
Afternoon Snack
In the mid-afternoon, Eddie has another snack to prevent fatigue and hunger before dinner. Good snacks include:
- Trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
- Tuna salad sandwich
- Cottage cheese with fruit
- Nutrition bar
- Smoothie
The goal here is to combine protein, fat, and carbs into a snack that’s easy to prepare and eat. This holds Eddie over until his huge dinner.
Dinner
Dinner is Eddie’s biggest meal, with around 3500 calories. He focuses on lean proteins, complex carbs, and vegetables. A typical dinner may consist of:
- 16 oz grilled steak or salmon
- 2 cups brown rice
- 4 cups roasted vegetables
- Large garden salad with dressing
- Bowl of chili
- Protein shake
Eddie always emphasizes protein at dinnertime, going for at least 16 ounces of lean meat or fish. Brown rice and roasted vegetables pack his meals with complex carbs and nutrients. Salads with oil-based dressing provide healthy fats.
Evening Snack
Before bed, Eddie often has one more snack to help his muscles recover overnight. Good options are:
- Ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Cottage cheese with pineapple
- Protein shake or bar
- Peanut butter on toast
The key is to choose a snack with protein to support muscle growth as he sleeps. The carbs from yogurt, fruit, or toast help replenish his muscle glycogen stores overnight.
Hydration
In addition to his food intake, Eddie stays well hydrated by drinking 1-1.5 gallons (4-6 liters) of water daily. He consumes:
- Water
- Coconut water
- Fruit juice
- Smoothies
- Milk
- Tea or coffee
Getting enough fluids is critical to support Eddie’s muscle growth and performance. It also allows him to eat such a high volume of food each day.
Key Components of Eddie’s Diet
Looking at Eddie’s typical daily food intake, we can summarize the key components that allow him to get so incredibly strong:
- High protein: 300-400g per day from eggs, meat, fish, protein shakes, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese.
- Plenty of complex carbs: Mainly from oats, rice, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit.
- Healthy fats: From oils, butter, nuts, seeds, avocado, cheese, and salad dressings.
- Lots of calories: Around 10,000 per day split into 5-6 meals and snacks.
- Adequate hydration: 1-1.5 gallons (4-6 liters) of water and other fluids daily.
This extreme diet provides Eddie with abundant protein to build huge muscles, carbs to fuel intense workouts, healthy fats to regulate hormones, and plenty of calories to support his body weight of around 400 lbs (180 kg). Drinking sufficient water allows him to avoid dehydration and digest all that food.
Sample Meal Plan
Here is an example of a full day of eating for Eddie Hall:
| Meal | Foods | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 8 eggs, 6 bacon slices, 4 slices of toast with honey, oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit, protein shake, orange juice | 3000 |
| Mid-morning Snack | Greek yogurt with granola and blueberries, protein bar | 700 |
| Lunch | 10 oz chicken breast, baked potato with butter and cheese, 2 cups pasta, mixed salad with dressing, vegetable soup | 1500 |
| Afternoon Snack | Trail mix, apple | 400 |
| Dinner | 16 oz salmon, 2 cups brown rice, 4 cups roasted vegetables, garden salad with dressing, protein shake | 3500 |
| Evening Snack | Ice cream, cottage cheese with pineapple | 500 |
| Total | 10,600 |
This provides an example of how Eddie hits his 10,000 calorie goal each day by eating 5-6 high protein and carbohydrate meals and snacks. His food choices and portion sizes are precisely planned to maximize his strength gains.
Supplements
In addition to his massive food intake, Eddie also uses certain supplements to support his training:
- Whey protein: Provides extra high-quality protein for muscle growth.
- Creatine: Allows him to train with higher intensity and boost strength.
- BCAAs: Helps prevent muscle breakdown during workouts.
- Multivitamin: Provides micronutrients missing from his diet.
- Fish oil: Provides anti-inflammatory omega-3s to aid recovery.
- Pre-workout: Gives energy, focus and power for training sessions.
While food makes up the majority of his diet, these supplements provide Eddie with additional support for building strength. He consumes them at strategic times around his workouts.
Changes When Cutting Weight
During training periods where Eddie is attempting to cut weight, he reduces his calorie intake substantially. On a cutting diet he consumes around 4000-5000 calories per day, often focusing on:
- High protein, moderate fat, low carb
- Higher intake of vegetables
- Reduced portion sizes
- No caloric beverages
- Intermittent fasting
This type of lower calorie plan allows Eddie to lose fat while maintaining his muscle mass. He also increases his cardio to burn extra calories when cutting weight.
Cheat Meals
While Eddie’s regular diet is very clean and strict, he allows himself occasional “cheat meals” for both psychological and physiological benefits. For example, he might have:
- Pizza
- Burgers and fries
- Donuts or pastries
- Chips and chocolate
- Ice cream
- Indian or Chinese takeout
These higher calorie choices provide Eddie a mental break from his regular diet. Physiologically, the spike in calories, fat, and carbs may boost his metabolism and hormone levels. He keeps these cheat meals to 1-2 times per week when not prepping for a competition.
Diet Before Strongman Competitions
In the 12 weeks before a strongman competition, Eddie goes into serious “beast mode” with his diet, consuming up to 14,000 calories per day. His goals are to:
- Maximize muscle strength and size
- Increase body weight as much as possible
- Build fat as well as muscle
- Improve energy levels
To achieve these goals, his pre-competition diet includes:
- 7-8 meals per day
- Higher protein intake up to 500g daily
- Increased healthy carbs and fats
- Mass gain shakes between meals
- Minimal cardio training
- Higher calorie cheat meals
In this bulking phase, Eddie eats virtually non-stop to support maximal muscle growth and weight gain. This helps him achieve peak strength and power for strongman shows.
Diet On Competition Day
On the day of a strongman competition, Eddie’s diet changes to provide energy and strength in a more portable form:
- Breakfast of eggs, meat, toast, yogurt, juice and coffee
- Smaller meals and snacks every 2 hours
- Portable foods like nutrition bars, sandwiches, bananas, and rice cakes
- Liquid meal replacement shakes
- BCAAs before and during the competition
- Caffeine for extra focus and intensity
Because he’s competing all day, Eddie can’t sit down for his usual huge meals. Instead, he relies on smaller snacks eaten quickly between events. The priority is getting enough protein, carbs and fluids for sustained energy and strength.
Alcohol
Given his strict diet and training regimen, Eddie avoids alcohol most of the time. But he does enjoy an occasional night out drinking beer or spirits 2-3 times per year, usually after a competition. This gives him a chance to unwind and celebrate his hard work. Interestingly, studies show that occasional alcohol use may have some health and recovery benefits for athletes. So his strategy here aligns with the science.
Conclusion
In summary, Eddie Hall’s incredible 10,000 calorie strongman diet provides the protein, carbs, fats, and total calories he needs for unbelievable size and strength. While the quantity of food is huge, he chooses quality sources and structures his eating schedule strategically around workouts. His diet adjusts depending on whether he needs to cut fat or gain weight before a competition. Occasional cheat meals provide psychological benefits and carb cycling effects. Supplements provide micronutrient support. Staying well hydrated allows Eddie to digest all this food and perform at his best. This meticulously planned nutrition plan gives Eddie the power to be one of the world’s strongest men.
