Russell Westbrook Workout and Diet
Professional Basketball Player
Born: 1988
Russell Westbrook grew up in California. A late bloomer, he entered high school at 5’ 8” tall and weighing only 140 lbs., he played point guard and only made the varsity basketball team as a junior. An honors student at Leuzinger High, Westbrook did not receive much attention from college recruiters, but he did win an offer from UCLA. In 2007, he was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. In 2008, he entered the NBA draft and was picked up by the Seattle Supersonics (who became the Oklahoma City Thunder a few days later). Westbrook came in 4th in the voting for the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2010, he was selected to play in the FIBA World Championship, which they won. Team USA also went to the 2012 Olympics and garnered another gold medal. Westbrook turned down the offer to play in the 2016 Olympics. He was selected to play in the NBA All-Star game 3 years in a row, 2011-’13 and, despite injuries, returned to be named the NBA MVP at the first NBA Awards Show in 2017. A fashion hound, he has his own line of clothing at Barneys, New York. He met his wife Nina when at UCLA where they both played basketball and they have 3 children. Westbrook has millions of followers on social media. He is 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs about 200 lbs.
Known For:
Russell Westbrook’s Diet
Summary
Westbrook’s career depends on his body working at peak performance and so he takes his diet seriously. He eats a lot of protein to stay strong, and takes a slow-digesting type that boosts testosterone production. For fats, he uses olive oil and coconut oil, both of which offer serious health benefits. Westbrook eats very few carbs. He times his carbohydrate intake for maximum energy and recovery. His plan includes eating carbs at breakfast and after working out. He had to change his diet after suffering an allergic reaction to seafood.
Estimated Macros
- Low-Medium Carb 30%
- Low-Medium Fat 30%
- High Protein 70%
Diet Details
Pick Your Protein
Westbrook makes sure to get protein into every meal. He powers up in the morning with egg whites and cottage cheese, has chicken breast for lunch, whey protein as a snack, and salmon for dinner. He’ll also drink a casein shake before bed.
Time Your Carbs
Westbrook limits his carbs to days when he works out for breakfast and then after hitting the gym. He eats whole grains such as brown rice and the carbs in his post-workout protein shake.
Annihilate Them With Antioxidants
Westbrook makes sure his snacks promote health and recovery too. His snacks are things like goji berries, he uses anti-inflammatory turmeric to season his food, and he drinks green tea.
Break Out the PB&J
Before every game, Westbrook has a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich on toasted wheat bread. It has to be Skippy and it has to be jelly, not jam. And it is always cut diagonally.
Bring on the Cookies
Westbrook loves a chocolate chip pecan cookie, but who doesn’t? He hates lasagna, and he also avoids shellfish due to an allergy.
What to Eat
Egg Whites
Eggs
Cottage Cheese
Brown Rice
Avocados
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli
Chicken
Turkey
Salmon
Whey Protein
Peanut Butter
Strawberry Jelly
Nuts
Stevia
Stevia
Meats
What to Avoid
Added Sugar
Junk Food
Refined Foods
Processed Foods
Fast Food
Shellfish
Lasagna (except when made by wife Nina)
Westbrook on His Pre-Game PB & J
‘The bread has to be toasted. Wheat bread.’
Westbrook on a Secret Extra On His Sandwich
‘Sometimes I put a little butter on the bread as well. It all depends.’
Skippy Spokesperson on Westbrook’s Needs
‘We’ll make sure he’s got enough to fuel him all season long.’
Russell Westbrook’s Workout Routine
Weekly Routine
It Takes Dedication
Westbrook eats, sleeps and breathes basketball. Even in the off-season, he hits the gym hard.
Full-Body Focus
Westbrook dedicates time to every part that he uses. In short, his entire body. He makes sure to have a strong core, quick reflexes and explosive power in his legs.
Stretch It Out
Westbrook makes a point to stretch before working out to make sure his muscles are limber and reduce the risk of injury.
Double Daily Dose
In addition to 2-3 hours of basketball drills 5-6 days a week, Westbrook hits the gym 5 days a week.
Push/Pull
Twice a week, Westbrook does push-pull type exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, snatches and rows.
Compound Exercises
Two days a week, Westbrook works on strength, speed and overall athleticism.
Explosive Legs
Westbrook devotes a day a week to leg strength. He sprints, jumps and does exercises with weights on his legs.
Exercise Style
A Russell Westbrook Off-Season Routine
Monday & Saturday: Push/Pull
Superset: Do 3 sets to failure. 60 sec rest between sets.
Weighted plate push-ups
Weighted pull-ups
Superset: 3 sets.
Dumbbell snatch: 10-12 reps
Single-arm cable row: 10-12 reps
Bottoms-up abdominals: Do 3 sets to failure.
Tuesday & Sunday: Compound Exercises
Stretch: 10 min
Select 4-5 exercises and do 6-8 reps per set for 4 sets total. 2 min rest between sets.
Barbell incline bench press
Barbell front squat
Dumbbell walking lunges
Standing barbell row
Weighted wide-grip pull-ups
Dumbbell flat bench press
Barbell shrugs
Underhand grip barbell row
Barbell power snatch
Stiff leg deadlift
Barbell sumo deadlift
Wednesday: Lower Body
Single leg kettlebell squat
Dumbbell squat jumps/drop sets w/ declining weight
Dumbbell side lunges w/ explosive foot swings
Weighted jumprope/box jumps superset
Speed parachute springs w/ quick feet Carioca
Full court sprints w/ single-leg weighted jumprope between sets
Westbrook on Self-Improvement
‘I’m never satisfied. I’m always trying to get better and learn from my mistakes.’
Westbrook on Playing Hard
‘Every day, when I get on the floor, I give it my all and play because you never know what tomorrow holds.’
Westbrook on the Rewards of Hard Work
‘Once you put in all the work pre-practice and post-practice and see it in a game and see it in play, that’s a great feeling.’
Russell Westbrook’s Supplements
Whey Protein
Casein Protein
Coconut Oil
Westbroook uses coconut oil as part of his evening meal. Coconut oil is high in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which benefit your joints, heart, brain, kidneys, and liver.
Olive Oil
Omega-3s
Antioxidants
Russell Westbrook’s Lifestyle
Warmup Nap
Before a game, Westbrook takes an hour-long nap. He’s pretty much a go-go-go kind of guy otherwise, so he needs it. How does he keep from feeling tired? He tells himself not to.
Tragic Loss
Westbrook’s childhood friend Khelcey Barrs died in 2004 from an undiagnosed enlarged heart. Westbrook wears a KB3 wristband in his honor.
Super Scoring Hero
Westbrook says his favorite player when he was growing up was Magic Johnson. Westbrook surpassed Johnson’s 138 triple-doubles (double-digit tallies in scoring, assists and rebounds) and is now in second place behind Oscar Robertson who has 181.
On FOMO
Even famous people suffer from the fear of missing out. Westbrook says he thinks a lot about the family time he’s missing when he’s on the road.
Fashion Plate
Westbrook says that while he likes fashion, he doesn’t care about fancy stuff. He wears everything only once, then gives it away.
Fancy Feet
As much as Westbrook is a clothes horse, he’s even more into shoes and owns at least 700 pairs. He says shoes make the outfit.
Why Not?
Westbrook lives by the phrase, Why not? He says it makes him go for more, and is the only way to win.
Neat Freak
Westbrook says he needs his personal space to be neat and tidy or else he feels on edge and irritated.
Giving Back
Westbrook works with several charities. He was involved with opening several Russell’s Reading Rooms in various Oklahoma City public schools, has donated to COVID relief and also gave a large donation to UCLA where a practice court proudly wears his name.
Westbrook on Fear
‘I have fears, but I do not fear anything or anybody on the court.’
Westbrook on Shopping
‘I don’t shop high-end, honestly. I shop at Zara, I shop at TopShop, I shop at H&M. I shop everywhere.’
Westbrook on Being Messy
‘Messy stuff irritates me. I don’t like messiness. If you leave something around my house, I’ll tell you to move it back, clean it up, throw it in the trash, don’t matter, just get rid of it. I need stuff neat, organized.’
Westbrook on His Challenges
‘I’ve always had to prove myself to people growing up. I had to show them that I could do this…and paying no mind to what the critics said.’
Westbrook on Going For It
‘That’s what I believe in. Just continue to tell yourself, “Why not?” Continue to strive and make the right play to help your team win.’
Recommended Products
Skippy peanut butter
References
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3468/russell-westbrook
https://superhumanyou.net/workouts/athlete/russell-westbrook/
https://www.azquotes.com/author/46860-Russell_Westbrook
https://heavy.com/sports/2019/04/russell-westbrook-wife-kids-nina-earl-girlfriend/
https://oklahoman.com/article/5608077/a-timeline-of-russell-westbrooks-surgeries
https://www.nba.com/news/russell-westbrook-passes-magic-johnson-triple-doubles
