David Harbour Workout and Diet

Actor
Born: 1975

David K Harbour grew up in a suburb of New York City. His first professional acting gig was on Broadway in a revival of The Rainmaker in 1999. He then found small roles on Law & Order and a recurring role in Pan Am. Harbour also appeared in films including Quantum of Solace, Revolutionary Road and Hellboy, but he is probably best known for his role on Netflix’s Stranger Things. Harbour has been nominated for several awards including a Tony, a Golden Globe and an Emmy, and in 2017, he won an ensemble SAG award for Stranger Things. Harbour married singer Lily Allen in September of 2020. He has millions of followers on social media. Harbour is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs about 250 lbs.

Known For:

David Harbour’s Diet

Summary

Harbour was always a big guy, but for Hellboy he underwent a total body transformation to become a monster of a man. While he didn’t actually lose any weight, he went from chubby to fairly ripped, although he himself admits prosthetics were involved. For about 2 months before filming started, Harbour enlisted the help of a trainer, and while he did hit the gym pretty hard, he says he didn’t make too many changes to his eating habits. His diet isn’t the cleanest, but he says a little sugar is the only way he gets through 4 am wake-up calls and long days on the set. Because he’s a big guy and he works out hard, Harbour can get away with eating more than most.

Estimated Macros

  • Medium Carb 30% 30%
  • Medium Fat 40% 40%
  • Medium Protein 40% 40%

Diet Details

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Lucky Guy

Harbour’s trainer Don Saladino actually encouraged him not to be too strict with his diet, a directive Harbour was more than happy to follow.

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Donut King

Harbour’s character on Stranger Things is more likely to pick up a donut than a green smoothie, and Harbour himself has the same tendencies.

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Burger King

To cater his his Las Vegas wedding, Harbour hired the services of In-N-Out burger. Both he and new wife singer Lily Allen enjoyed digging into burgers and fries.

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Necessary Sugar

Harbour says strict eating plans that include things like chicken breast and broccoli don’t work for him. He needs a little soda and candy to make it through the day.

What to Eat

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Everything in Moderation

R

Meat

R

Vegetables

R

Whole Grains

R

Fruit

R

Burgers (in moderation)

R

Fries (in moderation)

R

Candy (in moderation)

R

Soda (in moderation)

R

Whatever helps you get through the day

What to Avoid

Q

Overeating

Q

Things that slow you down

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Junk Food (in moderation)

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Processed Foods (in moderation)

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Chemicals

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Artificial Ingredients

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Harbour on his Hellboy Diet

‘My diet did not change dramatically.’

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Harbour on his Trainer, Don Saladino

‘I did a lot of training with Don, who is amazing.’

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Harbour on How Hellboy Changed Him

‘The love handles are a little weaker, but they’re still around.’

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Harbour on Being Objectified for His Physique

‘I can eat all the french fries I want and everybody is still like, “You’re beautiful.” What a wonderful world we live in.’

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Harbour on Some of His Must-Have Food Items

‘I have to drink a Coke and eat a Snickers bar to get through the day.’

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Harbour on Mental Health

‘If I write a self-help book, it’s going to be like, “Sit on the couch and play some video games.”’

David Harbour’s Workout Routine

Weekly Routine

Pro Help

To get into his Hellboy character, Harbour worked with celebrity trainer Don Saladino who has transformed other stars, including Ryan Reynolds and Sebastian Stan, into superheroes. 

One Hell of a Plan

Harbour trained intensively for 9 weeks leading up to filming Hellboy. He and his trainer focused on functional movement and athleticism.

Suit-Up Saturday

While lifting heavy would be an expected component of Harbour’s routine, he actually did a lot of loaded carries, which his trainer loves because they burn fat while they build strength.

On Getting Ripped

While Harbour did wear prosthetics for Hellboy, but he also developed some real muscles, so much so, he almost ripped his special suit.

Exercise Style

Z

A David Harbour Hellboy Workout

Warm up
Perform 2 rounds of each of the following:
Forward bound: 3-5 jumps
Bear crawl: 5 crawls on each arm
Medicine ball slams: 5 reps
Lateral bear crawl: 5 in each direction
Pivoting medicine ball slam: 3-5/side

Circuit Training
You will need dumbbells or kettlebells. Walk 25 yds in each position; repeat for any exercise that has a single-arm component.
Double overhead carry
Single overhead carry
Overhead rack carry
Overhead down carry
Double rack carry
Single rack carry
Double farmer’s walk
Single suitcase carry

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Harbour on Why he Needed Special Training for Hellboy

‘I did a lot of training to be able to do the stunts in the movie.’

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Harbour on Training for Hellboy

‘Here’s the thing about the training, there’s so much fake news around this. I did a lot of training, but the training was for strength and power. In terms of actual body aesthetic, there’s a lot of prosthetics. It’s, like, not me.’

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Harbour on How to Get in Shape Quickly

‘If you really want to get in shape and get strong, there’s these things called “sleds.” You take a weighted sled and you just push it across the floor and then you drag it back. And basically, if you do that for 20 minutes a day, you’ll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger.’

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Harbour on Being Targeted Due to His Size

‘Because I’m a big guy, a lot of people feel they can come up to me and hit me a lot…It’s generally pretty good, but sometimes I get smacked around.’

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Harbour on Being Hit by Men vs Women

‘I’d prefer a woman hit me. That would be nice, actually.’

David Harbour’s Supplements

Harbour’s keeping quiet about his supplement choices, so below are supplements that could benefit anyone on a similar diet.

Protein Powder

protein

If you’re looking to burn fat and build muscle, protein is always a smart move.

See best products

Pre Workout

pre workout

Harbour may not have taken especial care with his Hellboy diet, but he did hit the gym pretty hard, making a pre workout a smart choice to keep his endurance and energy up.

Get it here

BCAA

BCAAs or branched-chain amino acids

BCAAs or branched-chain amino acids are another popular choice with those looking to boost muscle growth and decrease recovery time.

Get it here

Glutamine

Glutamine

Glutamine is another fave with athletes who want more lean muscle and to improve gym performance.

Get it here

Omega 3 Fish Oil

Omega-3s

Omega-3s are essential not only for gym rats, but everyone. They combat inflammation and improve brain health and mood.

Get it here

Fat Burner

fat burner

If you’re not keen on love handles or other signs of a dad bod, try a fat burner such as green tea extract or nitric oxide.

Get it here

Multivitamin

multivitamin

If your diet is less than ideal like Harbour’s, a multivitamin never goes amiss.

Get it here

Milk Thistle

milk thistle

Also useful for detoxing after overindulging in the junk food are milk thistle, artichoke extract and grapefruit extract.

Get it here

Ginseng

red ginseng

As a newlywed, Harbour may not need any help in this department, but if you feel your libido waning, you could try red ginseng, saffron, fenugreek or maca root.

Get it here

Beta Alanine

beta-alanine

Another amino acid that allows you to work out for longer is beta-alanine. It also offers cognitive benefits, particularly under stress.

Get it here

David Harbour’s Lifestyle

Rough Road

Harbour has recently opened up about his struggles with mental health and drug addiction. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 25 and his parents checked him into an mental health clinic for a time.

Natural Air Purifier

Harbour has plants everywhere in his loft. He says he likes them because they make the place feel alive and messy.

Charming Chapel of Cheese

David Harbour and Lily Allen tied the knot in Vegas at the Graceland Wedding Chapel with an Elvis impersonator officiating, natch.

Lofty Dreams

When Harbour was ready to buy his first home, he knew exactly what he wanted: a Manhattan loft. But it took about 3 years for him to find what he wanted because of New York’s insane real estate prices. When he finally found something in his price range, it needed a total overhaul, which took almost a year to complete.

It’s All in the Mind

Harbour thinks it’s amusing that people admire his ‘dad bod,’ but he says he too finds older women sexy, including Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Winona Ryder, and also one of his former acting teachers who was in her 80s.

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Harbour on his Stint in a Psychiatric Ward

‘I have one thing to say about the mental asylum…Really not as fun as you think.’

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Harbour on Fame

‘It can get a little bit overwhelming sometimes.’

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Harbour on NYC Real Estate

‘The prices were sort of outrageous.’

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Harbour on Houseplants

‘It’s the best sort of air purifier you can buy.’

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Harbour on Sins

‘I’ve never understood tremendous ego and tremendous greed. I’m very naïve.’

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Harbour on Sharing the Wealth

‘I do believe in things like sharing and things about shared humanity.’

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Harbour on How to Become a Sex Symbol in Your 40s

‘This is so cliché but I will say it: the biggest erogenous zone of the body is the brain.’

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Harbour on What he Finds Attractive

‘What’s really fun is somebody who’s creative, who’s crazy, who’s wild.’

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Harbour on Differences Between Men and Women

‘Women are different to men in certain ways, and, in my mind, more capable of running things in a better way.’

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