Within the National Football League, few names carry as much weight as Aaron Donald’s. Well known as one of the vital dominant defensive players in history, Donald’s success on the sector is not any accident. Behind his performance lies a disciplined and rigorous approach to training and nutrition.
In this text, we delve into the critical components of Aaron Donald’s regimen, breaking down the training and dietary decisions that contribute to his success. Donald’s program is a blueprint for what it takes to be one of the best. Whether you might be an up-and-coming football player or need to appear like one, this can be a glimpse into the dedication and commitment required.
Table of Contents:
- Aaron Donald’s Workout Routine
- Who’s Aaron Donald?
- Aaron Donald’s Food regimen Plan
- How You Can Train and Eat Like Aaron Donald
- Aaron Donald FAQs
- The Aaron Donald Workout Routine and Food regimen Plan Key Takeaways
Aaron Donald’s Workout Routine
Here’s a typical week of offseason workouts for Aaron Donald.
Monday: Ab Workout
- Medicine Ball Crunch: 5 sets x 20 reps
- Bicycle Crunch: 4 sets x 20 reps per side
- Toe Touches: 4 sets x 20 reps
- Side Plank: 3 sets x 60 seconds per side
- Heel Taps: 4 sets x 20 reps
- Plank: 3 sets x 60 seconds
Aaron starts his week off unconventionally with an ab workout. I say unconventionally because most individuals start the week with an even bigger muscle group just like the chest, back, or legs. Nonetheless, there may be a technique to his madness. Since most NFL games are on Sundays, it is smart for Monday to be a better workout.
In fact, he would not need to keep up that schedule within the offseason, but for consistency’s sake, he might decide to. One other possibility is that he takes his ab work very seriously and desires to prioritize it initially of the week. Either way, this workout could have your core on fire.
Tuesday: Lower Body Workout
- Squats: 4 sets x 12 reps
- Deadlift: 3 sets x 10 reps
- Burpees: 3 sets x 10 reps
- Lunges: 4 sets x 20 reps
- Calf Raise: 3 sets x 10 reps
The second workout of the week is arguably probably the most difficult. It’s only five exercises, but squats and deadlifts back to back is as hard because it gets. Especially with the quantity of weight Donald throws around. Taking a look at this workout as an entire, it is a typical lower-body workout hitting the quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Wednesday: Speed and Agility Training
- Short Sprints: 3 sets x 10 meters
- Long Sprints: 3 sets x 24 meters
- Agility Suicide Sprints: 3 sets x various distances
- Agility Ladder: 3 rounds
- Burpees: 3 sets x 10 reps
Everyone admires the work NFL players put in the load room. Nonetheless, it’s their work on the sector that’s most significant. And I’m not only talking about playing football. Football is a sport that’s as much (or more) about speed and agility because it is about strength. As a defensive tackle, Donald’s ability to blast off the ball and be agile enough to evade blockers is one in every of his strengths. Search “agility training Aaron Donald” for a ton of video examples. Here is an example:
Thursday: Cardio
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45-60 minutes of low to moderate-intensity cardio. He likes to combine it up and use various cardio exercises, including treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, etc.
The flexibility to be at your best within the fourth quarter in a good game separates elite players from the remaining of the pack. Aaron ensures his cardiovascular system is up for the duty by devoting an entire training day to cardio.
Friday: Upper Body Workout
- Feet Up Bench Presses: 5 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dumbbell Incline Press: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Zottman Curls: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Cable Triceps Pressdown: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
- Lat Pulldown: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Fat Bar Curls: 3 sets x 8-10 reps
- Chin-ups: 3 sets x failure
- Rear Dumbbell Flys: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Ab Circuit:
- Ab Wheel: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
- Stir The Pot on an Exercise Ball: 3 sets x 10-12 reps in each direction
- Medicine Ball Russian Twists: 3 sets x 15-20 reps per side
Aaron Donald is understood for having a jacked upper body. You aren’t getting a giant chest, a large back, and monster traps without some serious upper-body training. Aaron’s Friday upper body training session is an old-school iron sesh stuffed with heavy weights and high volume.
Saturday: Full Body Workout
- Box Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
- Split Squat: 4 sets x 10 reps
- Dumbbell Side Bend: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Sit Ups: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Dumbbell Row: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Rope Kettlebell Curl: 3 sets x 15 reps
- Reverse Lunge: 4 sets x 10 reps
- Plank: 4 sets x 60 seconds
- Weighted Sit Ups: 3 sets x 15 reps
Within the last workout of the week, Aaron does a full-body strength training session consisting of a little bit little bit of every thing. This workout is ten exercises with high reps and high volume. Good luck moving around the following day if you happen to give this one a go.
Sunday: Rest Day
Aaron Donald takes one rest day per week. Even the toughest employee within the National Football League needs recovery time.
Who’s Aaron Donald?
Born on May 23, 1991, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Aaron Charles Donald rose to fame playing college football on the University of Pittsburgh. After 4 productive years at Pitt, he entered the NFL in 2014. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams (now the Los Angeles Rams) because the thirteenth overall pick in the primary round.
Donald quickly made a reputation for himself along with his unmatched agility, strength, and relentless pursuit of quarterbacks. He has earned quite a few accolades throughout his profession, including multiple NFL Defensive Player of the Yr and All-Pro awards, solidifying his status as one in every of the league’s premier defensive players. With a powerful combination of speed and power, Aaron Donald has grow to be a household name, leaving an indelible mark on football.
Aaron Donald’s Food regimen Plan
Here’s what a typical day of eating looks like for Donald. The dietician for the Los Angeles Rams helps him along with his food regimen, and he also has a private chef cook his meals.
Breakfast: Breakfast Tacos
- 10oz Spicy Turkey Sausage
- 4 Eggs
- Chopped onion and bell pepper
- Six whole wheat tortillas
- 1oz cheddar cheese
Lunch: Baked Chicken
- 8-10oz Baked Chicken Thighs or a lean fish
- 2-3 cups of rice
- Veggies
Snack: Protein Smoothie
- Two scoops of protein powder
- 1-2 large Bananas
- 2 cups of milk
During Training and Practice
Dinner: “Dancing Meatballs”
- 6oz Ground Turkey
- 6oz Ground Beef
- 2 Eggs
- Chopped Onions and Peppers
- 1 cup Ground Croutons
- Seasoning
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- Two servings Pasta
- 1oz Mozzarella Cheese
Every day Nutrition Breakdown: 245g of protein, 616g of carbohydrates, 164g of fat, and 4920 calories
Complement Stack
Supplements play an integral role in fueling elite athletes. It’s difficult for a highly lively 285-pound man to eat enough protein, electrolytes, and micronutrients that he needs. After exploring multiple brand deals over time, in 2019, Aaron partnered with Ready Nutrition, a complement company from his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. Ready Nutrition offers a combination of protein powder, sports drinks, and healthy snacks. Listed below are the supplements Aaron uses.
1. Protein Powder
Protein powder is a fast and simple option to make sure you eat enough protein. Aaron typically has not less than one protein drink per day.
2. Electrolyte Drinks
Electrolyte drinks help athletes replenish essential minerals lost through sweat during intense activity, stopping dehydration and supporting optimal muscle function, energy levels, and overall performance. Aaron drinks electrolytes during workouts and practices.
3. Multivitamins
Multivitamin supplements provide a convenient option to make sure you get all of the essential vitamins and minerals for overall health, energy metabolism, and immune function. A well-formulated multivitamin is a dietary insurance policy.
4. Vitamin D
Supplementing with vitamin D is helpful because it helps support bone health, immune function, and overall well-being, particularly in individuals with limited sun exposure or those vulnerable to deficiency. Take 2,000 IUs day by day.
How You Can Train and Eat Like Aaron Donald
Training and eating like Aaron Donald doesn’t guarantee you grow to be a future Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, but these three suggestions can 100% show you how to improve your fitness.
1. Prioritize Ab Training
For many of us, ab training is an afterthought, if we do it in any respect. It is the few exercises we throw in at the top of a workout that act as more of a cool-down than the rest. Aaron Donald does core work a little bit otherwise.
He starts his week with an entire workout dedicated to abs and sprinkles more direct ab training into Friday and Saturday’s workouts. To emulate Aaron Donald’s workouts, you have to prioritize your abs. Train them two to 3 times per week, starting your workout with abs not less than once.
2. Have a Blue Collar Mindset
Aaron is the son of blue-collar staff in Pittsburgh, and he has brought that mindset into his training. All of us wish to give attention to the little details of a workout. We fret over picking the appropriate exercises, training split, and volume to create an optimal program.
There’s nothing unsuitable with this. I do it, too. Nonetheless, not even one of the best program on the earth will take our execution out of the equation. The one option to make sure you maximize your progress is by giving maximum effort.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of Eating Fat
It’s possible you’ll be surprised that Aaron consumes over 160g of fat day by day. It is not an accident that fat makes up 30% of his calories. Eating fat is important because it is a vital energy source, aids in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, supports brain function, and optimizes testosterone production.
A part of eating like Aaron Donald is including some higher-fat protein sources in your food regimen, including eggs, turkey sausage, chicken thighs, and pork.
Aaron Donald FAQs
Listed below are just a few answers to common questions on Aaron Donald and his workout program.
How is Aaron Donald so lean?
Aaron maintains a lean physique as a consequence of genetics and high energy output. He trains and practices football 5 or 6 days per week year-round.
What’s Aaron Donald’s max squat?
It’s reported that Aaron Donald can squat 800lbs and bench press 500lbs.
Who trained Aaron Donald?
Aaron Donald’s first “personal trainer” was his father. They used to coach together within the basement gym of their family home. His father taught him many life lessons within the gym. It seems they were each cut from the identical intense cloth.
What’s Aaron Donald’s 40?
On the NFL Mix, Aaron ran a 4.68 40-yard dash.
The Aaron Donald Workout Routine and Food regimen Plan Key Takeaways
It takes so much to face out in a sport comprised of one of the best athletes on the planet. Superior genetics might get you to the dance, however it takes greater than that to succeed once you might be there. For Aaron Donald, it’s about greater than success; it’s about legacy.
The excellent news is that becoming great is a call. And it’s a call all of us are capable of creating every single day. Aaron made that call way back and has continued to make it throughout his NFL profession. The training, the food regimen, the recovery, and the discipline all play a task.
Now it’s our turn. Aaron Donald’s workout routine is a template for what greatness looks like. Although he uses it to get well at chasing quarterbacks, we will use it to pursue our own goals.
