Aljamain Sterling Workout and DIET
MMA Fighter
Born: 1989
Aljamain Sterling is from New York City and took up wrestling in high school as an escape from the temptation to join a street gang. Sterling attended Morrisville State College where he also wrestled. His interest in MMA began when he met Jon Jones who invited him to train at TheBombSquad gym in Ithaca, NY. Sterling transferred to SUNY Cortland where he earned a degree in physical eduction and became a 2-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler. ‘The Funk Master’ Sterling’s amateur MMA career began in 2009. He went pro and joined the ROC and Cage Fury Fighting before signing up with the UFC in 2014. Sterling is the current UFC Bantamweight champion. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Sterling is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and fights at 135 lbs.
Known For:
Aljamain Sterling‘s Diet
Summary
Sterling’s training camp diet is very carefully calculated, but not so strict he gets fed up with it and quits. He’ll typically have 5 meals per day: breakfast, 2 lunches, dinner, and a snack. He eats clean but his food is not boring and he likes spices. His weakness is sugar, and admits to falling off the wagon when he’s not at camp. But he says being allowed to eat the things he loves is what keeps him going. He’s also serious about his water intake and drinks 5 one-liter bottles per day.
Estimated Macros
- Low Medium Fat 20%
- Low Medium Carb 20%
- High Protein 60%
Diet Details
Drink Up
Sterling drinks 5 liters of water per day, starting by downing his first bottle upon waking.
Scientific Approach
Leading up to a fight, Sterling’s meals are prepared for him. They’re calibrated to hit his macros and help him maintain his weight. His food is packaged and has the macros labeled.
Healthy Doesn’t Mean Tasteless
Sterling eats natural foods, but that doesn’t mean it has no flavor. He loves chimichurri, a spicy South American sauce.
Eat Your Vitamins
Sterling will often have salmon at the end of the day, not only because he loves it, but also because it also contains anti-inflammatory omega-3s.
Healthy Treats
Sterling’s meals are pretty lean when he is training, but he still gets little treats like a cookie made from nuts and eggs. He says they do the trick when he can’t have what he really loves, which is large amounts of sugar.
Food for Mental Health
Sterling admits to giving in to his cravings when he’s not training. He says this helps keep him going for the next fight.
What to Eat
Water
Eggs
Almonds
Lean protein
Salmon
Veggies
Whole grains
Spices
Protein shakes
Sweets (treat)
Water
What to Avoid
Junk food
Processed Foods
Empty-calorie foods
Fast food
Trans fats
Artificial ingredients
Chemical additives
Sterling on his favorite prepared meal
Salmon…so tasty!
Sterling on salmon
This is the dinner of champions.
Sterling on how he eats his meals
Ain’t got no fork. It’s just savage.
Sterling on treats
I got half a cookie here left over from lunch. It’s, like, almonds and eggs. It’s actually pretty good.
Sterling on sugar
I’m big into sweets, so I love chocolate, I love ice cream, I love chocolate cookies.
Sterling on cheats
If I have just this little bit amount, it will make me feel better mentally.
Sterling on freedom to choose his food & fighting
If I have to give up everything completely to do this sport, I don’t think I would be doing it, to be honest.
Aljamain Sterling‘s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
Smart Choices
Sterling opted to join the wrestling team rather than get dragged into the gangs that plagued his neighborhood growing up, and that many of his brothers had joined.
Multitalented Fighter
Besides wrestling and MMA, Sterling has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
High Tech Recovery
Sterling stretches but he also gets treated with a theragun to work out the kinks or muscle soreness.
Set the Mood
Sterling creates music mixes to motivate himself to work out harder. He digs hip-hop, Top-40 and reggae. J. Cole and Drake are two of favorite artists.
Daily Dose
Sterling’s first workout happens in the morning, and lasts for an hour.
Mix It Up
Sterling spars, does strength and conditioning routines, shadow boxes, does wrestling and stuff like handstands until he falls over as part of his training.
No Fancy Equipment Needed
Sterling can create a challenging full-body workout with a single 45-lb. plate.
Exercise Style
An Aljamain Sterling Plate Routine
Equipment: 45-lb. plate.
Perform each exercise for 30-40 sec, taking a 5-second break before moving on to the next exercise. Repeat the circuit for a total of 20 minutes.
Overhead press
Lunges
Squats
Curls
Triceps extensions
Rows
Around the Worlds
Bus drivers
Sterling on his plate workout
I treat a plate workout like I would a fight.
Sterling on his plate routine, take II
This is a great workout if you find yourself getting bored in the weight room.
Sterling on HIIT training
That’s what it’s like in a fight because you explode, then you circle and catch your breath.
Aljamain Sterling‘s Supplements
Other than his fat burner, Sterling is keeping quiet on the topic of supplements. So, below are options that may benefit anyone following a similar diet plan.
Fat Burner
Sterling endorses the fat burner brand Burn Lab Pro to help him burn fat and make weight while retaining muscle.
Vitamin Drinks
Sterling also endorses the brand of sports drinks called Bodyarmor. It contains vitamins A, B, C and E, electrolytes, coconut water, and is gluten free, contains no caffeine or artificial sweeteners or flavors and comes in many flavors.
GET IT HERE
protein
It’s likely Sterling takes protein to build muscle, rev up his metabolism and burn fat.
SEE BEST PICKS
multivitamin
Sterling admits to ‘falling off the wagon’ from time to time, and his training diet can be limited as well, making a multivitamin a smart choice.
omega-3s
He eats plenty of fatty fish, but if you don’t, try adding omega-3s for their anti-inflammatory and brain-boosting effects.
Aljamain Sterling‘s Lifestyle
Get Your Zzzs
Sterling takes his time getting up in the morning, rising around 8:30. He heads into the gym around 9:30.
Rough Start
Sterling had a tumultuous childhood and endured years of physical and mental abuse by his father.
Mega Family
Sterling has 7 full siblings and at least 12 half-siblings.
Lucky Break
A chance encounter with MMAer Jon Jones caused Sterling to get interested in the sport, and changed the course of his life.
Unlucky Break
A neck injury lead to Sterling having an artificial disc placed into his neck in the spring of 2021. He opted to do that over a fusion to reduce stress on the neck while retaining more flexibility.
The Funk Master
Sterling earned his moniker for his unusual fighting style of kicking and grappling.
Dig the Curl
Sterling takes care of his hair. He wears a durag when he works out, and he likes to wear his hair a little longer on the sides to get a some good curl action, then picks the top to create a nice, tall ‘fro.
Helping Out
Sterling has a foundation called Fighters for Cerebral Palsy that helps children with special needs.
Sterling on his bouts
I’m not about trying to hand-pick my fights and tiptoe around the competition.
Sterling on fighting as a career
We don’t have the luxury of being paid like NBA, NFL…They have that cushion where they can kind of hang out…But for us, we don’t fight, we don’t get paid, and that’s the scary reality to it all.
Sterling on his future
You can’t keep a star from shining, and my star’s going to shine bright.
Sterling on his neck surgery
I want to get this thing done and taken care of so that I can get back out to compete as soon as possible. It’s not going to be 9 months…But I’ve got to be smart about it.
Sterling on celebrity influence
You change the mind and world of 1 individual and that’s huge, man…That’s the one thing as an athlete we should all focus on doing and that’s striving to give back in a positive manner.
Sterling on his support team
We got a good crew.
Recommended Products
Bodyarmor Sports Drinks
Burn Lab Pro fat burner
Theragun
MMA shin guards
MMA gloves
Everlast boxing gloves
Durag
Wrestling mat
Kettlebells
Robot pool cleaner
https://generationiron.com/this-ufc-fighters-diet-will-rid-you-of-water-weight-and-body-fat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cpSHMzrNhk
https://www.ufcultimatesound.com/aljamain-sterling-contributes-to-ufc-ultimate-sounds-growing-selection-of-mixes/
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/mma-strong-with-one-plate/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTjpK4g1yEE
https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/aljamain-sterling/
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/aljamain-sterling-quotes
https://www.burnlabpro.com/blogs/fitness/aljamain-sterling-profile
