David Laid Workout and diet
Bodybuilder
Born: 1998
David Laid was born in Estonia. His father was killed an accident when he was just 2 years old and his mother decided to move to the US. The family settled in New Jersey. A diagnosis of scoliosis at age 14 prompted a skinny Laid to start working out. He started posting his fitness journey on YouTube in December 2013. In just a few years, he went from being a literal 98-lb. weakling to a social media superstar with millions of views and followers. Laid has his own fitness program and a fitness ebook. He is also sponsored by Gymshark. Laid is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 190 lbs.
Known For:
David Laid’s Diet
Summary
Always the skinny kid, Laid had the opposite problem of most people. He rarely felt hungry and struggled to make gains. When he first started training, he went full-on clean eating. While it wasn’t bad, he still did not make the gains he was looking for as it was too low in calories. He then switched over to eating junk food, which allowed him to bulk up, but, surprise, surprise, he didn’t feel too good. He had to teach himself about nutrition and experimented with his diet quite a bit. He tried veganism for a time but it didn’t last. Still not a big eater, he usually has just has 3 meals a day, but he makes sure they’re substantial and healthy. He aims for 150g of protein per day and consumes plenty of healthy fats and carbs. He mostly avoids dairy because he has found it slows him down. He has also experimented with a lot of supplements, but has since simplified his routine down to whey protein, creatine, a pre-workout, and a multivitamin.
Estimated Macros
- Low-Medium Carb 25%
- Medium Fat 35%
- High Protein 50%
Diet Details
Not an Eater
Laid has never had a big appetite, which is why he was always so skinny. He learned more about macronutrients to discover which foods would give him the quickest gains. He has since found a happy medium between calorie-dense junk and low-calorie lettuce.
Lucky Guy
Laid has never counted calories, primarily because he needs to eat as much as he can stand. He bases his intake needs on how he feels and IIFYM: If It Fits Your Macros.
Fasting Workout
Laid often skips breakfast and goes straight to working out, but when he does eat, he’ll focus on protein and quality fat like eggs, meat, and avocados.
Low-Carb Lifestyle
Laid prefers to avoid carbs before hitting the gym because they make him sluggish. When he does have carbs, it’s often rice or sweet potatoes.
On Veganism
Laid tried eating exclusively plant-based foods in July 2020, but only lasted a month before giving it up. He said the diet made him feel tired.
What to Eat
Organic Foods
Eggs
Chicken
Grass-fed Beef
Avocados
Whey Protein
Vegan Protein
Sweet Potatoes
Rice
Beans
Almond Butter
Buckwheat
Sourdough Bread
Fruit
Veggies
Himalayan Salt
Water
What to Avoid
Empty Calories
Refined Sugar
Processed Food
Junk Food
Fast Food
Processed Foods
Artificial Ingredients
Chemical Additives
Dairy (except whey protein)
Laid on His Lack of Hunger
‘I had a poor appetite. I could not discipline myself to get enough calories.’
Laid on the Evolution of His Diet
‘When I first started working out, I ate religiously clean…not even a milligram of processed sugar. I was as strict as it gets.’
Laid on Why Super Clean Eating Wasn’t Op-timal For Him
‘The foods were very low in calories.’
Laid on Making Gains
‘Gaining weight comes down to calories.’
Laid on Carbs Before Working Out
‘If I don’t any carbs before going to the gym, I just feel better.’
Laid on Dairy Products
‘It congests me.’
David Laid’s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
From Skinny to Strong
Laid literally weighed 98 lbs. at age 14 and said he looked almost emaciated. The desire to build self-confidence and a doctor’s recommendation to strengthen his core muscles to help straighten out his spine led to a life-changing fitness routine. These days, he can deadlift over 600 lbs.
Mission: Muscle Mass
Laid was determined to change his skinny self into a bulky one. He watched a lot of YouTube videos to learn the right way to train, and was inspired by others’ transformation stories.
Don’t Overdo It
Laid said pushing yourself too hard can lead to injury and that basic exercises will still give results. He believes in focusing on the quality of your reps and overall routine rather than maxing out.
Mega Daily Dose
Laid usually trains 6 days a week and sometimes works out up to 6 hours a day. Some of his favorite exercises are deadlifts, squats and bench presses.
Warm Up
Laid considers it essential to be properly warmed up before lifting. He’ll often start with an empty bar before doing bench presses to prep his muscles and his joints.
DUP
Laid is a proponent of daily undulating periodization (DUP) which he says has been clinically proven to give the highest returns on strength.
Exercise Style
A David Laid Routine
Chest
Perform dynamic warm-up, such as a set of lifts with an empty bar.
Incline bench press: 5 reps x 5 sets
Dumbbell incline press: 8-10 reps x 5 sets
Flat bench press: 6-8 reps x 5 sets
Incline bench press: 1 set to failure
Flat bench press: 1 set to failure
Back
Dumbbell rows: 6-8 reps x 4 sets
Seated wide-grip lat pulldown: 6-8 reps x 4 sets
Seated cable row: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Close grip chin-up: 4 sets to failure
Hex bar shrug: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Cable shrug: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Close grip lat pulldown: 6-10 reps x 4 sets
Shoulders
Perform dynamic warm up first: use light dumbbells and move shoulders in all directions before lifting
Seated dumbbell press: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Seated behind the neck overhead press: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Dumbbell lateral raise: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Seated machine overhead press: 8-10 reps x 4 sets
Cable lateral raise 10-12 reps x 4 sets
Front plate raise: 10-12 reps x 4 sets
Rear delt seated fly machine: 10-12 reps x 4 sets
Rear delt seated cable row: 10-12 reps x 4 sets
Legs
Barbell squat with pause: 3 reps x 4 sets
Barbell squat: 5 reps x 6 sets
Machine leg press: 20 reps x 3 sets
Lying hamstring curls: 10 reps x 5 sets
Arms
Seated hammer curls: 10, 8, 6 reps x 3 sets
Bodyweight dips: 15 reps x 3 sets
EZ bar curls: 10, 8, 6 reps x 3 sets
Triceps cable pushdowns: 10, 8, 6 reps x 3 sets
Barbell curls: 1 set to failure
Dumbbell seated triceps extensions: 1 set to failure
Laid on Self-image
‘Every aspect of my life was heavily impaired by how insecure I was and how I looked. I was an absolute twig.’
Laid on Patience
‘Physical changes don’t occur overnight.’
Laid on Working Out
‘I quickly fell in love with strength training.’
Laid on his Fitness Plan
‘I would watch YouTube fitness videos, eat, go to the gym, go home, watch more videos, go to bed, repeat. That’s all I would do. That and go to school.’
Laid on Typical Training vs his DUP Method
‘Ditch the pump and fluff workouts and cookie-cutter bro splits…Stick to a workout regimen that integrates the most optimal methods…to fulfill your long-term fitness and physique goals.’
David Laid’s Supplements
Protein
Creatine
Pre Workout
BCAAs
David Laid’s Lifestyle
Recovery Matters
Laid uses a Theragun massager to help loosen up his muscles. He also does some good old-fashioned yoga.
Many Passions
Laid played ice hockey when he was younger, but he gave it up to focus on bodybuilding.
Core Strength
Losing his father and being bullied by other kids led to low self-esteem. Laid used weight training to help him take charge of his life.
Silver Lining
As a teenager, Laid managed to break the ball at the top of his femur in a skating race and was bedridden for many long weeks. Boredom led to him deciding to create a transformation video of his fitness progress.
Top Influencers
Laid was inspired by people he saw on YouTube to start training and post his own videos. He names Greg Plitt, Marc Fitt, Jeff Seid and the Hodge twins among his top influences.
Finding the Middle Way
Laid admits to struggling to find the right amount of exercise. When he goes full-out, he pays in the form of feeling so lethargic afterward, he doesn’t work out at all for a few days or weeks at a time.
Laid on His Start on YouTube
‘I made a video…out of complete boredom, didn’t have any expectations whatsoever.’
Laid on Missing Out
’The only person to blame for your shortcomings is yourself.’
Laid on Himself
‘I’m a very extremist person. I want to do something all out, 100%, or I don’t want to bother doing it at all.’
Laid on His Full-Throttle Approach to Working Out
‘This is not a fun or sustainable way to live life.’
Laid on His New, Moderate Approach
‘I’ve been…more easygoing and chill with my workouts. Throughout doing that over the past couple of weeks, I notice my workouts are more sustainable. I feel better…I’m not as burned out.’
Recommended Products
DUP Program
