Eli Goree

Actor
Born: 1994

Eli Goree is Canadian. He grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and started acting at age 6 on the Canadian version of Sesame Street called Sesame Park. As a teenager,Goree also worked in radio and as a freelance journalist. In 2006, he hosted the final season of Street Cents. After graduating from high school, he played in Da Kink in My Hair. Goree has played in several tv series, including in The 100 and he has a recurring role in Riverdale. His first major film role came in 2016 with Race, but he is perhaps best known for playing Muhammed Ali in One Night in Miami.… Goree has also appeared on stage. He has over a hundred thousand followers on social media. Goree is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 225 lbs.

Known For:

Eli Goree’s Diet

Summary

To play the role of The Greatest, Goree put on 40 lbs., then, 2 months prior to shooting, he cut 20 lbs. of fat. The cutting phase meant a keto-style diet that was high in quality fats, moderate in lean protein and low in carbs with just a single serving of rice and a piece of fruit daily, with a weekly carb reload. Hydration was also extremely important so he made sure to drink plenty of water.

Estimated Macros

  • Variable Carb 30% 30%
  • Variable Protein 50% 50%
  • Variable Fat 65% 65%

Diet Details

Bulk Up

The bulking phase was obviously more fun for Goree, getting to eat over 4,000 calories per day.

Counting Macros

Despite the high calorie count, Goree’s diet wasn’t a no-holds-barred type deal. His trainer still counted all his macros and calories to be sure he stayed on track with growing muscle and not gaining too much fat.

Lean Out

To get cut, Goree’s caloric intake was slashed in half. Protein was lean, things like chicken breast and bison and carbs very limited with a once-weekly carb replenishment.

Stay Hydrated

When following a keto-type diet, hydration is especially important and Goree took care to drink plenty of water all day long.

What to Eat

R

Eggs

R

Chicken Breast

R

Steak

R

Ground Beef

R

Bison

R

Olive Oil

R

Healthy Fats

R

White Rice

R

Vegetables

R

Fruit

R

Water

What to Avoid

Q

Junk Food

Q

Prepackaged Foods

Q

Fast Food

Q

Carbs (cutting phase)

Q

Chemicals

Q

Artificial Ingredients

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Goree’s Trainer On His Diet

‘We tracked his macronutrients daily, increasing every week, maxing at about 4,500 calories.’

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Goree on The Importance of Mental Health

‘A lot of people give 110% at whatever it is they’re doing without focusing on their mental wellbeing.’

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Goree on Muhammed Ali’s Approach To All-Around Health

‘It’s nice to see that he spent some time on himself…I think that positively translated to a better, more successful career.’

Eli Goree’s Workout Routine

 

Weekly Routine

More Than Just Looking the Part

Although Goree had long dreamed of playing Ali, actually transforming himself was a whole other level of work. He trained for 8 months before filming began, and continued during the 2-month-long shoot.

Targeted Training

Goree worked especially hard on his legs to build them and make them look more like Ali’s.

Get Help

Goree worked with a personal trainer Kenneth Oh and a fight coordinator to help him float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Mega Daily Dose

Goree trained 6 days a week with his trainer, then he’d have  3-4 sessions a week with his boxing coach.

Master the Moves

Goree worked with boxing trainer Robert Sale to master lightning-fast punches and the signature Ali shuffle.

The Positives About Negatives

Goree liked to do an inverted pyramid style training, starting with 10 reps and reducing each set by one until he hit zero.

Strong & Loose

Goree’s training also included a lot of mobility work to keep him loose and avoid injury.

Exercise Style

Z

Some Eli Goree Routines

Lower Body Workout

Warm up:
Jump rope: 2 min x 3 rounds

Core:
Dead bug w/ medicine ball: 10-15 reps x 3 sets

Workout:
Bulgarian split squat: 12-15 reps x 3 sets
Hack squat: 10-15 reps x 3 sets

Shadowboxing
Sparring
Drills
Heavy bag
Long walks for slow, steady cardio.

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Goree on His Physicality

‘Obviously, I’m not a professional athlete.’

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Goree on Prepping For The Role of Muhammed Ali

‘It was just a lot of hard work and I hope I honored it at some level.’

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Goree on Muhammed Ali’s grace

‘Guys don’t move like that at that size, and they’re not that fast or agile.’

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Goree’s Boxing Trainer on His Determination

‘Eli had the mechanics, the physicality and the work ethic.’

Eli Goree’s Supplements

 

Goree is keeping quiet when it comes to his supplement routine, so below are options that can benefit anyone following a similar diet plan.

Protein Powder

protein

Protein is a smart choice to bulk up, cut cravings, and rev up metabolism.

See best products

Creatine

creatine

Another top pick of pro athletes is creatine to help you endure long training sessions.

Get it here

Pre Workout

pre workout

A pre workout with or without caffeine can also help you last through marathon workouts.

Get it here

BCAA

BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids)

BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) are also popular with the pros for their beneficial effects on muscle growth and for shortening recovery time.

Get it here

Glutamine

Glutamine

Glutamine also builds muscle. Fish oil contains essential omega-3s which help combat inflammation and boost brain health, and has been shown in research studies to stave off Parkinson’s disease which Mohammed Ali suffered from.

Get it here

Calcium

Calcium

Calcium and vitamin D are essential for strong bones and muscles, and also for brain health.

Get it here

CoQ10

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant and another smart option to reduce damage from free radicals.

Get it here

Eli Goree’s Lifestyle

 

Sleep When You Can

Goree’s days on set could be long. Between training and filming, his work schedule often went 16 hours.

No Pulled Punches

In One Night in Miami…, Goree faced off an actual pro boxer, Sean Monaghan, who did not pretend to hit. Goree had to be prepared to fend off real punches.

Lucky Break

Goree’s mom’s friendship with a junior TV producer lead to her son being cast in the Canadian version of Sesame Street when he was 5 years old. This then led to playing a correspondent on a teen news show and regular work on Canadian TV.

It Had to Be Fate

Goree grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia where Ali famously promoted a bout back in 1987. Goree says is friends had pictures of Ali visiting them in their homes, and people always told him he look like a young Cassius Clay which made him think he might get to play The Greatest one day.

Be Prepared

Goree auditioned to play Muhammed Ali in a different film but didn’t get it. He continued to train as if he did, and eventually he was right.

It’s All in the Details

Goree wasn’t a shoe-in for Ali in One Night in Miami… either. It was the director hearing him talking like Cassius Clay and using his mannerisms when he wasn’t auditioning that sealed the deal.

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Goree on His First Agent

‘It was like a perfect mix because we were both awful. He was always on vacation, and I was always not knowing my lines, and we both didn’t know what the hell we were doing.’

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Goree on filming One Night in Miami…:

‘It felt like I had been preparing for a real fight.’ 

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Goree on Ali’s Influence On His Life

My grandmother had Alis picture up in her house.

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Goree on His Resemblance to Muhammed Ali

‘I’ll be in a store, and someonell be like, You know who you look like?I mean, I get it constantly.

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Goree on Missing Out on Playing Ali in Ang Lee’s Film

‘I didn’t find out until later, which is good because I was devastated.’

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Goree on his Competition

‘I’m just glad he aged out of Cassius because I don’t want to be auditioning up against that brother no more, ever!’

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Goree on Boxing & Life

‘Stay on your toes, always moving, always dancing, never a stationary target, never able to be kept in one place by what people expected.’

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Goree on Mortality

‘You don’t know when your time is going to come…I have a gift, I have an opportunity. I’m going to do everything I can in this world to make a difference.’

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