Dan Reynolds Workout and Diet
Singer
Daniel Reynolds is from Las Vegas. His family is Mormon and he is the 7th of 9 children. When he was 19, he went to Nebraska for 2 years where he was a full-time missionary. Reynolds attended Brigham Young University for a time, but after winning a battle of the bands competition with the Imagine Dragons, he left school to pursue a career in music. The Imagine Dragons caught their first break in 2009 when they opened for Train. In 2011, the band signed with Interscope Records. Their debut album premiered in 2012, won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album, and remained in the top 10 albums in the US for 3 years running. The single ‘Radioactive’ set a record for longest run on the Billboard Hot 100 (87 weeks). The Imagine Dragons have won a Grammy, 2 AMA awards, and several other awards. Reynolds himself has won a Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. He has 4 children with his ex-wife musician Aja Volkma. Reynolds has millions of followers on social media. He is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs about 190 lbs. His body fat is about 6%.
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Dan Reynolds’ Diet
Diet Summary
Reynolds has been open about his health struggles including with the autoimmune diseases ulcerative colitis and anklosing spondylitis. Due to these issues, Reynolds decided to get help and that involved completely revamping his diet. His trainer is Brad Feinberg and he oversees Reynolds’ diet and fitness regimen. Where he used to eat like a kid, meaning lots of processed food, he has switched over to organic foods. He also eats a lot, often 5,000+ calories a day when he’s on tour. Reynolds takes several supplements including BCAAs, glutamine, and creatine. Water is an important component of his diet. He drinks 2 gallons a day.
Estimated Macros
Medium Fat
Medium Carb
Medium Protein
Diet Details
Taming the Inflammation Dragon
Reynolds admits that he was still eating like a kid well into adulthood, and it was doing nothing for him. His staples of sugar cereal, pizza, burgers, and fries wreaked havoc on his body.
Anti-Inflammatory Dieter
Reynolds had to completely revamp his diet, and that meant getting rid of all of the processed food and replacing it with fresh, whole, natural and preferably organic foods.
Feed the Dragon
Reynolds burns calories like a furnace when he’s on tour, and so his trainer makes sure he eats at least 5,000 calories a day to provide him with sufficient energy.
Water for the Win
Another important component of Reynold’s diet is water: he drinks at least two gallons every day.
What to Eat
- Organic foods
- Water: 2 gallons/day
- Fresh food
- Olive oil
- Whole foods
- Oatmeal
- Berries
- Bananas
- Salads
- Sweet potatoes
- Brown rice
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- BCAAs
What to Avoid
- Processed foods
- Junk food
- Fast food
- Refined sugar
- Artificial ingredients
- Chemicals
Reynolds on his wake-up call
‘Those 2 autoimmune diseases required me not only to change my diet, but also my way of life.’
Reynolds on natural healing
‘Pain medication ruins your vocal cords and immunosuppressants made me get sinus infections all the time. I really had no other option than to completely clean up my diet and exercise every day.’
Reynolds on his health journey
‘[Trainer] Brad was really focusing on me maintaining a proper rest cycle, eating properly, and maximizing my recovery.’
Reynolds’ trainer on his huge intake
‘Those calories are necessary for how much activity he’s doing and to maintain his muscle mass.’
Dan Reynolds’ Workout Routine
Workout Routine
Work Is Work
Reynolds gets a serious workout every time he steps on stage. Nonetheless, he has found that traditional exercise is also essential for his health.
Recovery Is King
Reynolds’ fitness plan may not be typical, but recovery time is most important for his health. Ironically, adding in extra recovery has allowed him to work out harder.
Look Like a Superhero
Reynolds hired Brad Feinberg and told him he wanted to look like a superhero. Feinberg delivered, via a non-traditional route.
Don’t Mess with the Dragon
Reynolds practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In the 2023 World League tournament at UCLA, he won a bronze medal in the white belt division.
Daily Dose
Reynolds trains every day that he is on tour but it’s not always weight training. It may be stretching or yoga. Even when he’s not on tour, he trains at least 5 days a week. His training sessions may last up to 3 hours a day.
Active Recovery
One of the most important things Reynolds does is recovery work, including deep breathing, yoga, and stretching.
No Bro Split
Reynolds’ weight training involves a full-body workout. He is not training to look like a bodybuilder.
Maximizing Efficiency
Reynolds practices a lot of basic movements: push, pull, squat, lunge, and hip hinge.
HIIT It
DescripReynolds’ workouts include a lot of supersets so he gets conditioning at the same time as his weight training.tion
Exercise Style
A Dan Reynolds Routine According to Men’s Health
Monday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Front squat: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Bent-over row: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Plank: 30 sec x 5 rounds
- HIIT cardio: 6-10 rounds of 1 minute on/ 1 minute off on treadmill
Tuesday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Clean & jerk: 1 x 6
- Kettlebell swing: 10 x 5
- Turkish get ups: 1 x 5
- Broad jump: 3 x 5
- Low-intensity cardio: 20+ min steady pace on treadmill
Wednesday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Hinge movement (usually deadlift): 10 reps x 4 sets
- Overhead strict press: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Bench press: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Weight crunch/sit up: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Low-intensity cardio: 20+ min steady pace on treadmill
Thursday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Snatch: 1 x 6
- Double kettlebell snatch: 10 x 5
- Turkish get up: 3/arm x 3 sets
- Vertical jump: 4 reps x 4 sets
- Low-intensity cardio: 20+ min steady pace on treadmill
Friday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Weighted lunge: 10 reps x 4 sets
- Pull ups: 4 sets to failure
- Cable twists or weighted Russian twists: 10 reps/side x 4 sets
- Medium intensity cardio: 3-5 min on/1 min off x 3-4 rounds on treadmill
Saturday
- Warm up: 10 min
- Clean: 1 x 6
- Single arm kettlebell swing: 10 reps/arm x 5 sets
- Turkish get ups: 5 reps/arm x 2 sets
- Box jumps 5 x 3
- Low-intensity cardio: 20+ min steady pace on treadmill
Sunday
- Recovery & mobility work
Reynolds on his fitness goals
‘[Trainer] Brad’s major focus from the very beginning was all about recovery, which I had never really thought about.’
Reynolds on the learning curve of fitness
‘When you’re weight training as a novice, you think, ‘Let me exhaust my muscles and build muscle.’”
Reynolds on the importance of recovery
‘Before I met [Brad], I did not allocate much time for recovery.’
Reynolds on the benefits of changing his approach to fitness
‘I don’t wake up in pain and go to bed in pain pretty much every day, like I had done for the previous 8 years before meeting Brad.’
Dan Reynolds’ Supplements
BCAAs
In addition to eating very clean, Reynolds takes many supplements, including branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) which increase muscle growth, decrease fatigue while working out, and also reduce post-workout soreness.
Creatine
Another one of Reynolds’ staples is creatine, which boosts brain function while maximizing athletic performance and muscle growth.
Glutamine
Glutamine is another top pick for those serious about fitness. Reynolds takes it because it maximizes muscles gains and exer-cise performance as well as immunity.
Pre-Workout
Reynolds gears up for his intense workouts with a pre-workout. Pre-workouts can be found with and without caffeine.
Vitamin C
Reynolds takes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory vitamin C which is good for your heart, blood pressure and overall health.
Vitamin B-Complex
Reynolds supplements with B vitamins that offer many benefits, including boosting energy, brain function, and digestion.
Calcium
Reynolds also takes calcium. It not only promotes strong bones, but also improves muscle function.
Magnesium
Magnesium is also on Reynolds’ supplement list. Besides helping to convert food into energy, it is also essential for muscle relaxation and sleep.
Zinc
Reynolds takes zinc on the regular because it boosts the immune system. The mineral also regulates blood sugar and blood pressure.
Dan Reynolds’ Lifestyle
Natural Recovery
Reynolds was most interested in healing himself without drugs because medication impacted his singing.
Seek Professional Help
Reynolds has been open about his health issues, including dealing with depression. Many songs on Night Vision reflect his struggles with depression. He encourages fans in a similar situation to seek professional help.
Non-Mormon Mormon
Reynolds has had disagreements with the LDS church and calls himself ‘non-Mormon,’ although the rest of his family including 8 siblings and their 40-plus kids are all practicing Mormons, so it is still a part of him.
LOVELOUD
Reynolds organized the charity music festival to encourage the acceptance of LGBTQ youth. Their first festival was held in Orem, Utah, in 2017 and it has raised millions.
Monster Pain
Reynolds partnered with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to bring awareness to the little-known anklosing spondylitis which causes debilitating pain and affects more than 200,000 Americans each year.
Major Influences
Reynolds names bands like U2, Nirvana, the Beatles and Cold Play for his musical inspiration.
Reynolds on creating music
‘The reason I started writing in the first place was for refuge.’
Reynolds’ stance on religion
‘I’m not raising my kids in any religiousness…I’m more spiritual and religion hasn’t really been my cup of tea.’
Reynolds on acceptance
‘I invite all the political and religious leaders of Utah to join us as we show our LGBTQ youth that they are not just loved, but truly accepted and appreciated.’
Reynolds on classic rock inspo for his 6-pack abs
‘It’s a statement. It embraces the spirit of rock ’n’ roll.’
Reynolds on beating depression
‘I’ve finally resolved a lot of these issues in my life. This has been the first time in 10 years that I can say I have no depression.’
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