Find out what it took to become the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of all time.
Between the 30-second brutal knockouts, menacing stare, and jacked physique, no one embodied the “baddest man on the planet” persona more than Mike Tyson in his prime. But how did he go from being a street kid in Brownsville to the youngest heavyweight champion ever?
Mike had a troubled childhood. As a street kid, all he knew was poverty and crime. Mike’s life took a turn when, at 13, he found himself in a juvenile detention center. Here, he crossed paths with Bobby Stewart, a former fighter known for teaching the young detainees the sport of boxing. Mike’s entry into Stewart’s group was a game-changer.
Realizing he could only guide young Mike so far, Stewart reached out to the legendary boxing trainer, Cus D’Amato. Cus was like the real-life version of Mickey from the Rocky movies. He knew that D’Amato had to meet this kid with a mountain of potential. And from that moment, the rest, as they say, is history.
The first time Cus saw 13-year-old Mike Tyson spar, he said, “That is the future heavyweight champion of the world.” D’Amato took Mike into his home in Upstate New York and trained him during his teenage years. From that moment on, boxing became Mike Tyson’s life. He was obsessed, training full-time.
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As any sports lover is likely to know, Mike Tyson’s workout and diet plan was initially overseen by former trainer Cus D’Amato. Employing some forward-thinking tactics, D’Amato stressed the importance of eating healthy foods and mostly kept Tyson away from the workout benches and weight machines.
Mike Tyson in his prime
Mike Tyson's Training Regimen
The day began with an early morning run. Mike’s first boxing session of the day was around noon. In this workout, he did mitt and pad work, the speed bag, and the slip bag. One unique aspect of Mike’s training was the emphasis on the slip bag. After the skill work, Mike would do a ton of sparring. Cus was old school and felt that sparring was the most important thing a fighter could do. So, he would have Mike spar the equivalent of an entire fight.
What Made Mike Tyson a Champ: His Training Routine Revealed!
The workout would end with another 500 situps, but he would also add 500 air squats. After lunch and some relaxation, Mike returns to the gym for the second boxing session. One of the most intense aspects of his training was the volume of the bodyweight exercises. He would do 2,500 situps, 2,000 air squats, 500 pushups, 500 bench dips, 500 barbell shrugs, and ten minutes of bridges six days a week.
After dinner, Mike would wrap up the day with some light work on an exercise bike. This last cardio session was lower intensity and was a form of active recovery from the day’s training. Mike also made it a point to wind down before bed. He did this by watching old fights or reading old fighting books.
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You might find this hard to believe, but early in his career, Mike did not lift weights. He built his physique with bodyweight exercises and fighting. Remember, it was rare for boxers to lift weights when Tyson was coming up. There was a misconception that lifting weights would make you slow and clumsy. Plus, his trainer, Cus D’Amato, was old school in this regard. He didn’t think Mike needed much physical training outside of sparring.
Mike started lifting weights for the first time in the mid-90s while in prison. By then, strength and conditioning information had become more available. Boxers began to recognize the benefits lifting could have.
Mike Tyson's Daily Workout Routine
A typical daily workout looked like this:
- Early morning: 3-5 mile run at 4 AM
- Noon: 3 rounds of calisthenics, 10 rounds of sparring
- Mid-afternoon: Sparring (4-6 rounds), punching bag work, jump rope, 60 minutes on a workout bike, 3 sets of calisthenics
- Early evening: 5 sets of callisthenics, shadow boxing
- After dinner: 30 minutes on a stationary bike
- Late evening: Study fight films
The Mental Game
Mike Tyson’s psychological training during his prime was crucial to his success. Unlike his views on strength and conditioning, his trainer, Cus D’Amato, was ahead of his time using sports psychology. Cus understood that controlling the mind was essential to success in the ring. He began by teaching Tyson to detach from his feelings and use his mind to bolster his confidence. This detachment allowed Tyson to make fear work for him.
He wanted Mike to realize every fighter experiences fear. But fear is like fire. You can use it to warm yourself up or cook with it. One critical technique D’Amato used to improve Mike’s confidence was daily affirmations.
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He had Tyson repeatedly tell himself, “Day by day, in every way, I’m getting better and better,” and “I’m the best fighter in the world; nobody can beat me.” By constantly affirming these positive thoughts, Tyson gradually built an unshakable belief in his abilities. Alongside affirmations, D’Amato also famously harnessed the power of hypnosis. He would take Mike to see a hypnotherapist, and once he was in a relaxed state, D’Amato would reinforce his identity as a champion, saying things like, “You are a fighting machine, Mike. The best fighter God has ever created.” He did this for years.
Mike Tyson with his trainer Cus D'Amato
Mike Tyson's Diet Plan
Much like his workout routines, Mike’s diet is a testament to the power of consistency. Before we get into his daily meal plan, there are some things to remember. For one, Mike was a big dude who trained all day long. Although this seems like a lot of food, it’s not when you consider his workload and that he weighed upwards of 220 pounds. I also don’t want you to get the impression that Mike ate like this year round. Most of the time, he didn’t eat clean. This meal plan is what Mike would follow during a fight camp. When Mike wasn’t preparing for a fight, he would have big bowls of cereal for breakfast and ice cream for dessert. Mike was disciplined but loved food.
According to legend, Tyson used to consume anywhere from 3,000-4,000 calories a day. He would turn that energy into muscle by way of an equally extreme workout routine, which involved cardio, calisthenics, stretches, and boxing exercises.
Here’s an example of the average Mike Tyson meal plan, according to various sources:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal and milk, vitamins supplements.
- Lunch: Chicken breast with rice and orange juice.
- Dinner: Steak, pasta and orange juice.
| Meal | Food |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Oatmeal, Milk, Vitamins |
| Lunch | Chicken Breast, Rice, Orange Juice |
| Dinner | Steak, Pasta, Orange Juice |
The most important meal of the deal. Mike Tyson wasn’t afraid of a few carbs in the morning. His breakfast regularly stuck to a formulaic set of principles, with a basic source of complex, low-GI carbohydrates for energy.
For lunch, he prefers high in protein and low in fat and carbs chicken breast, along with rice,and ends his meal with some orange juice, says the report.
For dinner, he prefers steak, which is loaded with iron, vitamin B6, and healthy fats.
Apparently, even stone-cold Cus D’Amato wasn’t going to rip that bowl of cereal from Tyson’s hands. Otherwise, one could say that D’Amato was ahead of the curve when it came to Mike Tyson’s training diet. Generally speaking, the boxing legend stuck to the kind of food staples that most health experts are touting today.
If there was ever a time to revisit Mike Tyson’s workout routine and diet program, that time is now. In an unlikely turn of events, the former boxing champ recently stepped back into the ring. The news should come as a surprise to pretty much anyone who follows sports and for any number of reasons. On the other hand, Iron Mike is perpetually full of surprises so maybe we should’ve seen this coming.
With his unlikely comeback, one can only wonder: will Mike Tyson pick up the same fitness regimen he employed way back in the day? If so, he’s in for quite the intense diet and workout program.
Success doesn’t happen by accident. Excelling in any sport, especially one as physically demanding as boxing, requires a total commitment to training. The good news is that we can get in great shape by following just a part of Tyson’s routine. It won’t be easy, but we don’t need to make it an all-day affair. By incorporating just a few of Mike’s principles, one can look like a fighter without getting punched-unless you want to.