Cody Rhodes Workout and Diet
Pro Wrestler
Cody Rhodes grew up in Georgia. Pro wrestling runs in his family: his dad is Dusty Rhodes, and his uncles are Jerry Sags and Fred Ottoman. Rhodes began training in wrestling at age 12, and in high school he won the Georgia state tournament at 189 lbs. in both his junior and senior years. He considered going to college but instead attended acting school for a year in LA, and then went into pro wrestling, debuting with the WWE in 2006. Rhodes is a 2-time Intercontinental Champ and holds many tag team titles. In 2016, the ‘American Nightmare’ left the WWE to go independent, and in 2019, he was named executive vice president of the AEW, where he also wrestled. Rhodes re-signed with the WWE in 2022 and as of 2024, is the Undisputed WWE Champ. He has appeared on the tv show Arrow and in a dozen video games; he is also a brand ambassador for Gillette. Rhodes is married to former wrestler Brandi Reed and they have a daughter, born in 2021. Despite a limited presence online, he has millions of followers. Rhodes is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 220 lbs.
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Cody Rhodes’ Diet
Diet Summary
Rhodes considers his diet to be an essential part of his fitness regimen, and a key to longevity. He refuels every 3 hours and eats simple foods, such as egg whites and dry toast at breakfast. He also says he must eat dinner by 6 pm for an 8 o’clock show or else he feels off. He avoids salt and fatty foods. He is not a fan of vegetables. He drinks lots of water every day.
Estimated Macros
Medium Fat
Low-Medium Carb
High Protein
Diet Details
Protein Focus
Rhodes makes sure to get protein in at every meal, even when he’s traveling.
Pro Help
Rhodes got diet advice from other pros like Bob Holly and Triple H who told him not to be afraid to eat.
Eat This, Not That
Rhodes says he learned a lot from the book Eat This, Not That as it taught him how to eat healthy on the road.
Diet Hacks
Rhodes has lots of little tricks he uses for healthy eating on the road, such as getting a burger without a bun, and that kebob shops are open late in England so he isn’t stuck eating carby french fries at midnight.
Veg H8R
Rhodes is not only not a fan of vegetables, he actually says he hates them. He either shreds them or drowns them in Thai peanut sauce.
What to Eat
- Clean protein
- Egg whites
- Wheat toast (dry)
- Rice
- Minimal vegetables
- Thai peanut sauce
- Water
What to Avoid
- Added salt
- High sodium foods, like breakfast meat
- Unknown ingredients
- Refined sugar
- Processed foods
- Junk food
- Artificial additives
- Chemicals
Rhodes on fellow wrestlers’ diet advice
‘You can’t be afraid to eat.’
Rhodes on Eat This, Not That
‘That book was a big thing because meal prep wasn’t as prominent yet.’
Rhodes on meal prep
‘It’s a godsend…because otherwise you’re improvising and you’re not totally sure what you’re putting in your body.’
Rhodes on eating veggies plain
‘[When] I start taking sauces out…that’s where [eating] becomes a little miserable.’
Rhodes on easy ways to eat clean
‘It’s these little hacks that really show people’s commitment.’
Cody Rhodes’ Workout Routine
Workout Routine
Always Active
Rhodes began training in wrestling with his father when he was 12. He had a successful high school career and planned to continue at college, but went pro instead.
On Longevity
Rhodes has been wrestling professionally for nearly 20 years. He says the secret is to be moderate rather than going hard all the time.
Consistency Is Key
Unlike many pro wrestlers who say they’re exhausted from their schedule, Rhodes says wrestling on the regular has been great for his fitness level.
HIIT It
Rhodes does high-intensity interval training in the form of circuits of weight lifting and sprints on the elliptical.
Back to Basics
Rhodes picks a single basic move: squat, bench press or deadlift to do as his principle lift for the day.
3 x 3
To not overdo it, Rhodes typically does 3 different exercises for 3 sets.
Exercise Style
A Cody Rhodes Routine
HIIT
- 1 principle lift: squat, bench press, or lift
- 2 supersets of 3 exercises x 3 sets
- Elliptical: 14 minutes: 40 sec moderate/20 sec sprint
Rhodes on wrestling longterm
‘You can’t over-motivate. When you over-motivate, it almost discourages you from doing all the work.’
Rhodes on going the distance in an athletic career
‘If you don’t treat your body like a pro athlete, if you don’t make all those investments, you’ll regret it.’
Rhodes on his gaining goals
‘I’ve tried really hard to put weight on. At one point, I had this silly goal of getting to 240 pounds. Not going to happen.’
Cody Rhodes’ Supplements
Rhodes isn’t dishing on his supplement routine, so below are options that may benefit anyone following a similar diet plan.
Protein
Rhodes considers protein to be essential.
Greens Supplement
He also isn’t big on veg, making a greens supplement a wise choice.
Omega-3s
He maintains a pretty busy work and wrestling schedule, so anti-inflammatory omega-3s would also be a good idea.
Multivitamin
A multivitamin would fill in any nutritional gaps.
Cody Rhodes’ Lifestyle
Minimum Sleep Requirements
Rhodes credits wrestler Bob Holly with cluing him in to the importance of sleep. Minimum requirement: 6 1/2 hours.
Pro Change
Rhodes’ given name is Runnel, but he changed it legally to Rhodes when he was a teenager.
Record Setter
In 2024, Rhodes earned the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. He is the only wrestler in history to have held WWE, NWA and ROH World titles.
High Profile Family
Rhodes’ father and uncles were pro wrestlers, as was his godfather, Magnum TA. His half-brother Dustin is also on the circuit, and his half-sister Kristin was a cheerleader for the Dallas cowboys.
Proud Moment
Rhodes and his half-brother Dustin inducted their father into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. Dad Dusty passed away in 2015.
Go Everywhere
Rhodes left the WWE in 2016 because he wanted more freedom to wrestle anywhere. Many were skeptical that anyone outside the WWE could book a big show, but Rhodes proved them wrong, selling 11K seats the Sears Centre in Chicago in under 30 minutes.
Zelda FanBoy
Rhodes is a big fan of video games, particularly the series The Legend of Zelda. He also loves X-Men, and incorporates elements of both into his wrestling gear.
Rhodes on sleep
‘Bob Holly…was the first guy who explained to me that I needed to sleep 6 1/2 hours minimum and that we needed to go to the gym on work days.’
Rhodes on his wrestling idols
‘Sting was probably the #1 example of “I want to look like that.”’
Rhodes on his inheritance from his father
‘These massive calves…I just didn’t get them. I wish I did.’
Rhodes on failure
‘You have a few nightmares, I imagine, before you reach your dream.’
Rhodes on steroids
‘I’m still natural. I was lucky and smart enough early in my career not to get into anything performance-enhancing that I would then later depend on as I got older. I will say, though, at 35, it’s getting hard.’
Recommended Products
Gillette
Cody Rhodes Merch
Elliptical Trainer
Eat This, Not That