It’s almost impossible to search for exercise and training tips online without stumbling upon Elliott Hulse on one of his social media channels.
He’s one of the most followed fitness experts online, and our team loves discussing the tips he shares, as they are so easy to follow.
As a successful strongman competitor, he has a physique that is the envy of all his followers, but the great thing is that you can easily follow his training advice.
We spent a few weeks going through his posts and website content to see if we could come up with a training routine and diet plan that our readers could follow.
Here’s what we found.
His Stats
- Date of Birth: April 10, 1979
- Height: 5’8”
- Weight: 210 lbs
Elliott has competed as a strongman for many years, but his true benefit to the fitness industry is his YouTube channel called Strength Camp.
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He has millions of social media subscribers and has even won the “YouTube Fan's Favorite” award, which just goes to show how much valuable free advice Elliot provides.
He played football in middle school and was good enough to get a scholarship to St. John's University, which is when he started his own gym.
Surprisingly, it was the economic crisis of 2008 that forced him to shut down his gym and start his Strength Camp channel.
It literally couldn’t have worked out better for him and his audience
Elliott Hulse’s Workout Routine
Elliott Hulse, with his strongman background, has devoted half his life to achieving peak strength.
His training, distinct from typical bodybuilding, emphasizes full-body strength in every session.
This approach, which I've applied in coaching my clients, involves intense workouts with weights that push your limits.
The key is the 5x5 method: each exercise consists of 5 sets of 5 reps, with the final rep in each set challenging your utmost strength.
You May Also Like: Elliott Hulse Workout Program PDF
Monday - Full-Body Strength
You’ll notice that these are all compound exercises, and they cover your upper and lower body as well as the core muscles.
- Bent-over single-arm rows
- Squats
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted pull-ups
Tuesday - Cardio
Elliott is a strong believer in getting plenty of cardio into your workouts, a philosophy I've successfully integrated into my clients' routines.
In my experience as a personal trainer, incorporating varied cardio sessions, from treadmill runs to cycling, has not only improved their endurance but also enhanced their overall muscle gains, aligning well with Elliott's training principles.
Wednesday - Full-Body Strength
There’s a slightly higher focus on the upper body here, but that’s often where strongmen need to focus most of their training program.
As a personal trainer, I always emphasize achieving that mind-body connection when lifting weights.
- Weighted chin-ups
- Hanging leg raises
- Deadlift
- Weighted dips
- Weighted push-ups
Thursday - Cardio
Same as Wednesday, set aside an hour to do some running, rowing, or cycling.
You could even head to the pool and swim for speed to get your heart rate up.
Friday - Full-Body Strength
Things shift slightly to the legs on Fridays to make sure you keep your shape in proportion.
- Incline bench press
- Squats
- Glute hamstring raise
- Dumbbell rows
Saturday - Active Recovery
It wouldn’t really be fair to call it a rest day, and Elliot has shared a lot of views about taking an active approach to helping your muscles recover from exercise.
That means going for a walk or an easy hike as an active recovery technique and setting aside some time to go through some stretching routines that are crucial for muscle recovery and overall well-being.
It also involves applying meditation techniques that he covers in his Grounding Camp channel.
Sunday - Rest
Enjoy this rest day, focus on eating healthy, and replenish what you might have lost during the week.
But don’t stay on the couch all day watching Netflix.
Go out for a few walks to loosen your muscles and encourage a faster recovery.
“When you discover that all the challenges in your life are just like the plates on the barbell… you not only learn to accept these challenges, but you beg for them.”
– Elliott Hulse
I strongly suggest that you check out Elliot’s YouTube channels for the above routines, especially for beginners.
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Elliott Hulse’s Diet
So, Elliott hasn’t shared exact details of what his daily meals and snacks look like, but he regularly shares his views about certain types of food on YouTube.
Now, during preparation for a strongman competition, a lot of this will shift to maximize calorie intake. But we wanted to focus more on the average kind of diet plan that anyone can benefit from.
Macro Ratio
Not surprisingly, his diet is heavily geared towards protein, and this is what the macro breakdown looks like:
- Protein: 50%
- Fat: 20%
- Carbs: 30%
Some people might find this excessive, but believe me when I say that the above workouts will require a lot of protein to help you recover.
This breakdown will also minimize the amount of fat stored by most people.
Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are the three dietary macronutrients that your body will absorb and process in very different ways. To determine your best macro ratio, we recommend trying our macro calculator.
In my role as a personal trainer, I've advised clients on similar dietary principles, focusing on high protein and balanced macros.
This approach, inspired by Elliott's insights, has helped many of my clients see significant improvements in their strength and body composition.
Focus On Organic Food
Elliot has been a strong believer in sourcing as much food as possible from organic production. Whether that’s the oats for breakfast, the eggs for his lunch, or the veggies and meat for his dinner, he’ll always prefer anything organic over everything else.
Some of this is based on ethical and environmental reasons, but his focus on bioenergy and body chemicals has led him to avoid things that are commonly used in mass food production.
Boosting Metabolic Rates
The above macro ratio is set up for his own metabolic rate, but he has spoken about adapting it depending on how fast you metabolize carbs.
If you tend to gain weight more easily, reducing the carbs to a minimum is necessary. But for anyone with a fast metabolism, carbs can be helpful to gain muscle mass.
Keep Trying New Foods
One way to constantly try new stuff is to aim to eat only seasonal food. Head to your local farmers’ market and ask what’s in season and grown locally and organically.
You’ll constantly get new things to try out, which will also help to better fuel your workouts.
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What Supplements Does He Take?
Even though Elliott has regularly bulked up in preparation for a strongman competition, he tends to avoid using supplements too much. He prefers getting as much as possible from his diet, but there are a few things he’s talked about.
1. Omega-3s
He takes this either as fish or krill oil to help with inflammation throughout the body. It may also help with heart and brain function, and studies by Frontiers in Nutrition suggest it promotes better muscle recovery [1].
Read More: Best Omega-3 Supplements
2. Creatine
This has been linked to improved strength and reduced fatigue, which could be an important factor if you plan to go through the above workouts. It’s a type of protein, and even a small boost might make a big difference over time.
Read More: Best Creatine Supplements
3. Super Greens
Even if you like your veggies and leafy greens, it can be a bit of a struggle to get a big enough boost, especially when it comes to eating things like algae and seaweed.
A super green supplement can make up for such a gap and provide a significant overall health boost.
Read More:
His Lifestyle
Hulse pays as much attention to how he spends his time in the gym as he does outside.
His day starts at 5:30 am with active meditation as recommended by Byrdie.com [2], which means he’s often in bed before 10 pm.
It’s this daily routine that he credits for maintaining his strength and mental focus to keep up with his YouTube videos as well as his other business interests and being a family man.
That’s a busy life to stay on top of.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6742725/
- https://www.byrdie.com/active-meditation-4685235
About The Author
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I totally trust Elliott Hulse’s program since he’s such an experienced person in this field.