Tamra Dae Workout and Diet

Bodybuilder

Born: 1990

Tamra Dae is from Los Angeles. Both her parents are bodybuilders. Dae started playing soccer when she was 5 and went all the way to college with it, but an injury cut her career short. After taking a few years off from athletics, she felt sluggish and out of shape so she gave bodybuilding a try. She had only 5 weeks to prepare for her first show. Dae studied fashion design in college and had a dream of getting involved in that industry. Her first modeling gig came through a former coworker. Dae has a fitness brand called Brick Haus Body and a sunless tanner called Privé. She has over a million followers on social media. Dae is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 115 lbs.

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Tamra Dae’s Diet

Diet Summary

Dae prefers whole foods to hit her daily macros, and only drinks protein shakes occasionally after a heavy lifting session. She eats every few hours, adding up to about 5 meals per day. She includes protein at every meal except for her night snack which is something like an apple with peanut butter. Staples include eggs, lean meat, veggies, brown rice, oatmeal, apples, and peanut butter. She takes a multivitamin every day and always drinks plenty of water.

Estimated Macros

Medium Fat

Low-Medium Carb

High Protein

Diet Details

Rise & Shine

Dae kicks off her day with coffee. It wakes her up and gets her ready to tackle her busy schedule.

No One-Size-Fits-All Diet

Dae isn’t into complicated, super-strict diets or telling other people what to do. She says there’s too many variables. She eats whole foods and focuses on protein, but says everyone must figure it out what works best for themselves.

Count the Macros

Dae isn’t super strict about her macros, but she does at least eyeball the portions. She’ll have 3-5 oz of meat at a sitting, a 1/2 cup of beans, 3 oz of a low-carb veg like Brussels sprouts or asparagus, and 2 oz. of a carb like brown rice.

Carbs Are Okay

Dae doesn’t avoid carbs, but she does keep them in check. She’ll have 1/2 a potato but only on days when she is lifting heavy. Other healthy carb choices are fiber-filled brown rice, quinoa, and apples.

What to Eat

Eggs
Egg Whites
Oatmeal
Lean Meat
Chicken
Fish
Beef
Beans
Veggies
Potatoes
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Apples
Peanut Butter
Coffee
Water

What to Avoid

Huge Portions
Added Sugar
Fast Food
Junk Food
Chemicals
Artificial Additives

Dae on her must-have in the morning

‘I always start my morning off with coffee!’

Dae on protein shakes

‘I only drink a protein shake after a heavy lifting session. Otherwise, I stick to food for my protein sources.’

Dae on diet

‘I think it’s really all about finding what works for you and will give you the best results.’

Dae on supplements

‘I take a multivitamin and a vitamin for my immune system in the afternoon; that’s it!’

Tamra Dae’s Workout Routine

Workout Routine

Always Active, Sort Of

An injury cut Dae’s soccer career short, and the sudden stop was hard on her body and her mind. After 3 years of inactivity, bodybuilding filled the need and helped her get fit, and launch her career.

Genetic Jackpot

Both of Dae’s parents were bodybuilders, and Dae benefited from both their expertise and their genes which allowed her to quickly put on muscle.

Mix It Up

Dae likes to keep things fresh at the gym. She’s always trying new exercises.

Exercise After Surgery

Dae had to change her exercise routine while recovering from having her breast implants removed, and recommends low impact exercises, such as stationary bike.

Regular Dose

Dae works out regularly, but her training schedule depends on what she does. If she lifts heavy, she may take as many as 3 days off to recover.

Use It All

Dae uses free weights, Nautilus machines, the Smith machine, TRX equipment, kettlebells, medicine balls, basically everything the gym has to offer.

HIIT It

Dae loves high-intensity routines and devotes one of her workout sessions each week to it. She does jumping jacks, uses a box, and does side shuffles all to get her blood pumping.

Preventative Training

Dae cares more about preventing injury than sticking to a strict routine. If she needs an extra day to recover, she takes it.

Exercise Style

A Tamra Dae Routine

Mon: Hamstrings/Glutes

Smith machine squats: 10/8/6/4 reps increasing weight
Goblet squats: 12 reps x 3 sets
Bulgarian split squats: 12 reps/side x 3 sets
Leg press: 25/15/10 reps increasing weight
Cable kickbacks: 25 reps x 4 sets

Tues: Shoulders/Triceps

Dumbbell flys: 12 reps x 3 sets
Cable extension rotations: 12 reps x 3 sets
Overhead rope extensions: 12 reps x 3 sets
Incline dumbbell shoulder press: 12 reps x 3 sets
Bent-over cable extensions: 15 reps x 3 sets
Pushups: 1 set to failure

Wed: Back/Abs

Wide grip lat pulldowns: 12 reps x 3 sets
Bent-over barbell rows: 12 reps x 3 sets
Seated rows: 12 reps x 3 sets
TRX inverted rows: 12 reps x 3 sets
Hanging leg raises: 15 reps x 3 sets
Russian twists w/ medicine ball: 25 reps x 3 sets

Thurs: Rest

Fri: Legs/Plyos

Leg extension: 25/15/10 reps increasing weight
Barbell front squats: 3 sets to failure
Skiers: 20 reps/leg x 3 sets
Toe touches to box: 60 reps x 3 sets
Jumping jacks: 100
Box jumps: 12 reps x 3 sets
Side shuffles: 10/side x 3 sets

Sat & Sun: Rest

Mix things up.

Dae on how she found bodybuilding

‘I was a former soccer player, and after 3 years of inactivity, I couldn’t stand being out of shape anymore.’

Dae on prepping for her first show

‘I signed up for my first show and gave myself 5 weeks to get into shape!’

Dae on the benefits of bodybuilding

‘It has taught me another level of self-discipline.’

Dae on motivation

‘I’ve never had anyone in my life push me to do anything.’

Dae on her favorite workout

‘I love to incorporate the training I learned while playing soccer with weights and HIIT.’

Dae on recovery

‘Depending on how my body feels, I might add another day, or choose to rest for 3. It’s crucial to understand this because I think it’s more important to listen to my body than to follow a strict program.’

Dae on fitness

‘Once I found fitness and realized I could make something for myself in this arena, I set my sights on bigger dreams and goals.’

Tamra Dae’s Supplements

Multivitamin

Even though she eats pretty clean, Dae takes a multivitamin every day to be sure she’s covering it all.

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Protein

Although it’s not a daily staple, Dae will have a protein shake after a particularly intense session at the gym.

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Antioxidants

Dae also takes a vitamin for immunity, although she doesn’t specify which one. A few that are high in antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium.

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Tamra Dae’s Lifestyle

From Shrimpy to Sexy

At 5’ 2”, Dae says she never expected to be successful in modeling, but she wanted it bad enough to keep trying.

From Injury to Inspiration

Dae says she still regrets not taking better care of herself when she was playing soccer in college, but having to drop out of the sport led her to her current career, so it all worked out.

Breast Implant Illness

Dae has spoken openly about the downside of breast implants. BII can cause an inflammatory, auto-immune response, and many other symptoms, including muscle weakness, pain, fatigue, and anxiety. Dae opted to have hers removed in 2019 and is in a support group on Facebook.

Work Is Fun

Dae says she absolutely loves going to work every day. It’s creative, fun, and her very favorite thing to do.

Hardcore Modelling

Dae says one of her most challenging shoots involved being out in the Nevada desert as the sun went down. Already cold, she had to get into an even colder body of water. Adding insult to injury, she got eaten up by mosquitos.

Netflix & Chill

Dae unwinds by watching cooking shows, documentaries, comedy or travel-related shows on Netflix.

Dae on her success with modeling

‘I for sure never would thought it would ever happen for a short, muscular girl with bad skin.’

Dae on her soccer career-ending injury

‘I didn’t take care of my body and I worked 2 jobs while going to school. I think I wore myself out…I regret it to this day.’

Dae on motivation

‘I have always been very self-motivated and driven. I have never had anyone in my life push me to do anything.’

Dae on her career

‘I am in love with building my business.’

Dae on a modeling challenge of shooting in a cold lake

‘As soon as my feet went into that water, they went completely numb and it took me hours to feel my body again!’