Nick Bare Workout and Diet
Fitness Influencer
Texas-born Nick Bare comes from a family of dairy farmers. While still in college getting a degree in nutrition at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he took out a $20K loan to start a supplement business. But his initial venture failed and so he joined the military and did nutrition as a side gig. Bare was eventually promoted to Platoon Leader, and he discovered that he loved being in charge of a team. He started a YouTube channel in 2014, and his breakthrough came while deployed to South Korea. His ‘Day in the life of an infantry platoon leader’ showing his diet and workout went viral. By 2020, Bare’s Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) business was grossing over $22 million a year. He is the author of 25 Hours a Day: Going One More to Get What You Want. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Bare is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 225 lbs.
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Nick Bare’s Diet
Diet Summary
Bare is all about health and fitness now, but that wasn’t always the case. As a teen, he had an eating disorder which made him feel weak. Today, he is an all-around athlete. He eats plenty of carbs to support his endurance sports. He tracks his macros and does lots of carb-backloading for his strength training. He eats every couple of hours, adding up to 5-7 meals per day. Staples include chicken, rice, grass-fed beef, and veggies, often in the form of a green smoothie. He supplements with whey protein and vitamins, and he always takes in plenty of fluids.
Estimated Macros
Medium-High Protein
Low-Medium Fat
Medium Carb
Diet Details
No One-Size-Fits-All Diet
Bare has 3 distinct diets: bodybuilding, running, and ironman. He’ll eat 7 times a day when training for an ironman competition, but only 5 times for the other two.
Rise & Shine
Bare kicks off his day with coffee and his own electrolyte and carb blend called G.1.M Sport.
Get Those Calories
When training for an ironman competition, Bare will consume upwards of 5,000 calories a day.
Supps Up
Bare takes a long list of supplements every day. Besides his electrolytes and carbs, he has 1-2 protein shakes, and adds in a multivitamin, reds and greens, and a serving of Strong Joints.
Classic Faves
Bare often makes a meal from protein shakes, but he eats regular food too. Steak, salad, and potatoes are a typical dinner, and when he’s training for an ironman competition, he’ll have a big bowl of cereal with reduced-fat milk and blackberries before bed.
What to Eat
- Coffee
- Whey protein
- Electrolytes
- Eggs
- Spinach
- Berries
- Beef
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Veggies
- Rice
- Dave’s Killer bread
- Chia seeds
- Peanut butter
- Coconut oil
- Cheerios
- Low-fat milk
- Water
What to Avoid
- Processed food
- Refined sugar
- Junk food
- Fast food
- Artificial additives
- Chemicals
Bare on eating
For years, I had unhealthy relationships with food.
Bare on his health journey
My fitness journey started as a young teen recovering from an eating disorder and transitioning to a healthier and happier me.
Bare on health
My biggest passion in life is helping people reach their greatest potential.
Nick Bare’s Workout Routine
Workout Routine
Slow Start
Bare got into fitness as a teenager recovering from an eating disorder. He says it was casual at first, and involved a lot of hanging out with friends, but he eventually got hooked on being fit.
Incredible Athlete
Bare can run a sub-3-hour marathon even though his main focus is strength training.
Go One More
Bare’s philosophy is that pushing yourself to discomfort is the only way to achieve results. However, he is careful to point out that while pain is a normal part of growth, you should take care not to injure yourself.
Mega Daily Dose
Bare works out 6 days a week and takes Sundays off. His workouts vary based on what he’s training for.
Ironman Training
To prep for an ironman competition, Bare will run 11 miles in the morning starting at 4:30 am, do a weight lifting routine in the afternoon, and take a 40-minute recovery bike ride in the evening.
Focus on Strength
Even when Bare is training for a marathon, he almost always includes a weight training session in his day.
Exercise Style
A Sample Nick Bare Ironman Training Routine
Run 11 miles: 2 mile warm-up, 4 miles, 2 miles, 2 mile cool-down.
Compound lifting: Legs
Barbell squats: 5 reps x 5 sets
Hip thrusts: 10 reps x 4 sets
Lying leg curls: 10 reps x 3 sets
Dumbbell step-ups: 10 reps x 3 sets
Walking lunges: 10 reps x 3 sets
Stationary bike: 40 min
Bare on getting fit
Initially, it wasn’t serious — a lot of hanging around…Gradually, it became an enormous interest.
Bare on his teenage fitness breakthrough
I was hooked on the fitness lifestyle.
Bare on pain
The hurt is fuel — it is your body’s response to pushing its comfortable limits. Being injured takes you out of the game.
Bare on achievement
Most of us severely underestimate our capabilities.
Nick Bare’s Supplements
Electrolytes + Carbs
One of Bare’s top go-to supplements is G.1.M Sport, an electrolyte/carb blend to fuel his endurance training. He has it first thing before his early morning run.
Whey Protein
To build muscle and improve recovery, Bare has at least 1 whey protein shake each day. He also has a nutrition bar which makes an easy on-the-go meal.
Greens
Also on Bare’s must-have list is his supplement Strong Greens which offers all the energy- and focus-boosting phytonutrients of plants but without tasting like grass.
Reds
Bare also takes Strong Reds, which contains fruit extracts full of antioxidants and digestive enzymes that improve energy and absorption of nutrients.
Multivitamin
Bare eats clean, but he takes a multivitamin every day to optimize health, mood, energy, and sleep.
Joint Support
Bare hits the gym and the trail hard, and takes a Strong Joints supplement to keep everything running smooth.
Nick Bare’s Lifestyle
No Sleep ’Til Success
There were a few years where Bare and his brother/business partner were only sleeping a couple of hours a night. Bare was so stressed, he had to take lots of melatonin to get even that much.
Ranger Training Pays Off
Bare was warned that going into the infantry division would offer him no skills that would help him get a job, but he says that advice was wrong, and the hard work of Ranger training and being a Platoon Leader turned him into a sharp businessman.
Go One More
Bare’s motto is ‘Go one more.’ He says most of us seriously underestimate our capacity, and by pushing a little harder each day, we can achieve great things.
Core Values
Bare’s core values are integrity, transparency, and service. He wants to be completely trustworthy and he loves to help people achieve their goals.
Lucky Break
Bare was devastated when he heard he’d been deployed to South Korea, thinking he’d have no downtime. He took his camera just in case, and discovered that in fact he had lots of free time, which he immediately poured into his business.
Make Every Second Count
For years, Bare did not date, watch tv, or hang out with friends. He spent every minute he wasn’t at work on growing his brand.
Lesson Learned: Don’t Cheap Out
Bare was mixing his own supplements in college, using a cheap scale from Walmart. It was so imprecise, he messed up the amount of caffeine he put in a supplement, accidentally giving himself and his friends way too much, leaving them miserably wired. After that mishap, he hired a professional manufacturer.
Bare on his brand
I have a burning passion.
Bare on getting his nutrition business off the ground
We were running on straight passion and no sleep.
Bare on Ranger training
It sucked. It was hard as hell and I was miserable.
Bare on his experience in the army
The training I received as an Infantry Platoon Leader was a goldmine for business building.
Bare on being a Platoon Leader
I loved it; loved leading a team and helping develop people.
Bare on integrity
We all have an obligation and responsibility to do what is right.
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