Dustin Poirer Workout and Diet

MMA Fighter
Born: 1989

From Louisiana, Dustin Poirier dropped out of high school in the 9th grade for getting into fights. He went professional in 2009 and currently competes in the lightweight division of the UFC in which he has ranked as high as #1. Poirier is a brand ambassador for Onnit nutritional supplements. He is active in charitable giving and has auctioned his UFC kits on eBay to raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank, and to buy backpacks for school children in his hometown of Lafayette, LA. He also donated 1,000 meals to hospital employees during the pandemic. Poirier is married and has a daughter. He has millions of fans on social media. Poirier is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs about 155 lbs.

Known For:

Dustin Poirer’s Diet

Summary

Proper diet is essential for a professional athlete, and Poirier takes his very seriously. He eats clean, refuels every couple of hours, weighs and measures his food, takes supplements including plant-based protein shakes, and always stays hydrated with plenty of water. He also drinks a lot of probiotic kefir and eats low-fat greek yogurt. For years, he maintained strict discipline to get his weight down to 145 lbs., but then decided it was better to go up a class and now fights at 155 lbs. In the off-season, he may go as high as 185 lbs., but he still follows a diet plan that tells him when and how much to eat.

Estimated Macros

  • Medium Carb  30% 30%
  • Low-Medium Fat  30% 30%
  • High Protein 60% 60%

Diet Details

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Fuel the Body

Poirier eats specifically to keep his body in top form. He eats whole, natural, nutrient-packed foods like egg whites, oatmeal, chicken breast, and leafy greens.

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A Step Too Far

Poirier decided to go up a weight class because he said he was spending way too much time worrying about his weight rather than how he was going to defeat his opponent.

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Bacteria Is Good for You

Poirier is a fan of probiotic-rich kefir and yogurt and has it several times a day to help keep his digestive tract humming.

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Fruit Is Good for You

A lot of professional athletes avoid fruit because it contains sugar, but not Poirier. He sees the value in the nutrients fruit has to offer, including bromelain in pineapple which is an important digestive enzyme.

What to Eat

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Water

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Kefir

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Oatmeal

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Kale

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Bananas

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Avocado

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Chicken Breast

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Egg Whites

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Tilapia

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Spinach

R

Low-fat Greek Yogurt

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Berries

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Pineapple

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Grapes

R

Lemon

R

Brazil Nuts

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Protein Shakes

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Flaxseed Oil

What to Avoid

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Empty-Calorie Foods

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Fast Food

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Junk Food

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Refined Sugar

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Chemicals Ingredients

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Hydrogenated Oils

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Poirier on Cutting

‘Cutting to featherweight took months of intense weight cutting and training. Going to lightweight, I can fight more often.’

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Poirier on The Difficulty of Cutting Weight

‘The cut made me hate the process fo getting ready for a fight. I was focused on how to make weight instead of how to beat my opponent.’

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Poirier on His Fighting Weight

‘I probably should have been fighting at 155 for a long time, but I was so close to the top of 145.’

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Poirier on Fighter Physique

I think a lot of fighters are cutting way too much weight.’

Dustin Poirer’s Workout Routine

Weekly Routine

Natural High

Poirier says he loves the uncertainty and adrenaline rush of fighting. He also says he has a ‘high fight IQ.’

In His Blood

Fighting runs in Poirier’s family; both his father and grandfather were fighters. But he says he doesn’t think a person needs a rough upbringing in order to to a great fighter.

Eyes on the Prize

While Poirier says he’s proud of all of his accomplishments, his goal is to be the champ.

Daily Dose

Poirier hits it hard. He works out for hours 5 days a week, sparring, wrestling, doing jiu-jitsu, strength training, and ground work.

Strength Training

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Poirier does strength training and explosive work including box jumps, tire flipping, and sled-pushing with weights. He also incorporates resistance bands.

Wrestling Time

On Mondays and Wednesdays, he wrestles for 2 hours in the morning and works with his boxing coach.

TGIF

His Friday routine is a little different, often jiu-jitsu or a run, or working on specific coaching for an upcoming match.

Exercise Style

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A Dustin Poirier Circuit Routine

Do 5 circuits total, taking 45 sec rest after each exercise. If you need more rest, do a minute of shadow boxing plus 1 min of true rest between rounds.

Medicine ball rotational throw: 5/side
Medicine ball overhead throw: 5
Medicine ball slam: 5
Landmine push press: 5
Rack pull: 5
Zercher good morning: 5
Side plank: 30 sec/side

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Poirier on Challenging Himself

‘I’m the kind of guy that grows, and that’s what I do every day in the gym. Work on new stuff and stay relevant.’

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Poirier on Being a Champ

‘Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy self-belief — everything it takes to be a champion, I have that.’

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Poirier on His Jump Rope Routine

‘Twice every week, I do boxing. Right now, I’m progressing to five 3-minute rounds of jump rope for a quarter-hour total.’

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Poirier on His Boxing Routine

‘Three-minute rounds on a heavy bag doing drills, every circuit is 3 different exercises, rotating from straight punches to body punches to a mix.’

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Poirier on Running

‘I run 3 miles. Nothing crazy, simply 7- or 8-minute miles.’

Dustin Poirer’s Supplements

Onnit Shroom Tech Sport

Mushrooms

Poirier uses Onnit brand’s Shroom Tech Sport to boost his endur-ance and energy before a training session.

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Onnit’s recovery protein

Post Workout

Poirier takes Onnit’s recovery protein with creatine, BCAAs, and coconut water to help with rehydration. He says it really helps after an intense session.

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Organic flaxseed oil

Flaxseed Oil

Poirier also puts flaxseed oil in his recovery shake. Flaxseed is high in omega-3s which reduce inflammation throughout the body, and are also good for the brain and heart.

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Dustin Poirer’s Lifestyle

Takes a Licking & Keeps on Ticking

Poirier has taken his fair share of hits over his decade in the biz, including a broken nose and torn labrum in his hip for which he underwent stem cell treatments.

Humble Roots

Poirier says back in his early days of fighting, he didn’t even have a car. His wife would drive him to his weigh-ins, and they would stay in cheap, run-down motels.

Unique Addiction

Poirier says that although fighting hurts and even scares him somewhat, he finds it oddly addictive.

Giving Back

Poirier is known for his charity work. His nonprofit is called The Good Fight Foundation and it has orchestrated local food drives, provided school supplies for underprivileged children and readiness kits for the homeless.

Sweet Love Story

As tough as he is, Poirier has a soft spot: his family. He started dating his wife Jolie when they were just 14 and tied the knot at 20 in 2009. Their daughter was born in 2016.

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Poirier on Adversity

‘I’m familiar with adversity.’

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Poirier on Winning:

‘Winning solves everything.’

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Poirier on His Family

‘My father was a fighter. My grandfather was a fighter. It’s just in my blood.’

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Poirier on Fighting

‘That grit of fighting is addictive. I’m scared of it. It’s a very weird thing.’

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Poirier on Priorities

‘Being a father has helped me put fighting in perspective and realize what’s really important in life.’

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Poirier on His Career

‘My whole career, the ups, the downs, the victories, the defeats, the lessons I’ve learned and kept rolling, that’s what’s made me the fighter I am today.’

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