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Updated 11/11/2021
Though he’s never portrayed the Incredible Hulk on the big screen, it’s a role that professional wrestling star Dave Bautista (or Dave Batista as he was billed) could easily handle. Even after age 50, the actor has done a phenomenal job of maintaining his huge body, and he credits his determination and discipline with his success at the box office and in his personal life.
If you’ve been searching for a workout routine that produces results without lots of complicated effort, you’ll definitely want to consider the Dave Bautista workout routine. Despite having an intimidating stature that looks like it requires countless hours at the gym, Bautista fervently denies being a gym rat. Instead, he follows a strict diet and consistent exercise schedule to enjoy his envious results.
Keep reading to learn more about the food Dave Bautista eats to fuel his body (you’ll probably be surprised!) and the exact routines (lying leg curls, reverse wrist curls, and more) that he follows to build each of his major muscle groups.
The Dave Bautista Diet
If you’ve spent any time researching a workout routine, you know that exercise alone doesn’t transform a body. It’s a healthy mix of good diet and consistent exercise that produces the best results.
Dave Bautista has had several distinct phases in his career, and with each change, his diet has also seen adjustments. Because he doesn’t practice body building anymore, he’s no longer in the “eat everything in sight” mind frame. Instead, the one-time professional wrestler now focuses on nourishing his body with whole, nutritious foods.
Nutrition
Right now, Bautista’s diet plan consists of mostly plant-based foods. He’s expressed his desire to eventually go vegan, but so far, he still relies heavily on eggs and fish to meet his protein needs.
During a house tour with Men’s Health, the professional wrestling star gave viewers a peek into his refrigerator, where he listed the following as his top pantry staples:
- Eggs
- Fish
- Vegetables
- Rice
- Beans
You’ll notice the lack of protein diversity on that list, which may be surprising considering the actor’s ripped physique. But that’s because Dave Bautista’s diet has changed drastically over the years.
In 2005, he cut out dairy after realizing that he had a severe allergy that was affecting his asthma. In 2010, he gave up red meat, pork, and gluten after joining a diet plan with fellow actors while shooting a movie.
Finally, in 2021, Dave Bautista made one more big move towards a plant-based diet by eliminating chicken. He’s said that this was tough for him as he especially loves the adobo chicken that he grew up eating, but he was willing to make the sacrifice to get closer to practicing a vegan diet.
As far as specific meal plans, Dave Bautista’s not really got one. He eats eggs nearly every morning because they’re convenient, and he tries to eat at least every four hours to give him the fuel he needs to get through workouts and the rest of his day. He doesn’t count calories and isn’t worried about consuming carbs.
When he’s peckish between meals, he often turns to some almond butter on a banana or a vegan grilled cheese sandwich as snacks. And when he’s in need of comfort food, his go-to is sushi.
Supplements
Dave Bautista generally begins his day with a serving of fat burners. Within an hour, he’ll enjoy his breakfast of eggs or opt for a shake.
At the gym, he uses protein powder as fuel for his workouts. He’s named Sunwarrior as one of his favorites; it’s a vegan powder that fits right in with his dietary preferences. He’s also used a protein supplement called Isobolic.
After his workouts, Bautista takes a post-workout supplement that contains more high-quality protein, BCAAs, and carbs for muscle growth and recovery.
The actor’s also joked that he also takes a lot of boring supplements for general health, like CoQ10, vitamin D, and fish oil.
Dave Bautista’s Workout Routine
You might be surprised to learn that there is no single Dave Batista workout routine. Instead, the former WWE champion varies his workouts based on his current goals, whether that’s getting into shape for the wrestling ring or gearing up for another blockbuster movie.
No matter his current routine, there are some constants when it comes to the actor’s workout habits.
For starters, he doesn’t see the gym as merely a place to exercise. Instead, it also serves as a sanctuary, a place he can go to relieve stress and clear his head. As such, he tries to work out every day — and sometimes twice a day.
While he practices a consistent weight training routine involving his legs, arms, chest, back, and shoulders to promote muscle growth and maintain his bulk, his favorite exercise is probably one you wouldn’t expect. While talking to Men’s Health recently, he happily declared squats as his favorite, telling them: “I love squatting — love it!”
Keep reading for a further breakdown of how Bautista spends his time at the gym.
Dave Batista Workout Routine: Weight Training
Squatting may be an essential part of Dave Bautista’s workout routine, but he has to do a lot more to maintain that incredible overall physique.
In an interview with Men’s Journal, the former bodybuilder revealed that he likes exercising in “chunks that are very targeted and specific” rather than try to work in dozens of different moves. This has led him to three specific weight-lifting programs that he uses to pack on the muscle. Each group of exercises targets a particular part of his body, like his legs or arms and chest.
As part of Dave Bautista’s workout routine, he typically performs them all each week, one regime per day, with a rest day or two between each.
Legs
Bautista has said in interviews that he used to have a complex about having skinny legs, so his workout regime for this area is grueling. It consists of:
- Hack Squats, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Leg Extensions, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Leg Presses, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Seated, Standing, and Lying Leg Curls, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Seated, Standing, and Lying Calf Raises, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
Arms and Chest
To develop the massive arms and chest that take center stage in his action-packed movies, Dave Bautista completes the following once per week:
- Cable Crossovers, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Crunches, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Dumbbell Bench Press, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Dumbbell Curls, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Hanging Leg Raises, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Incline Bench Press, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Normal and Reverse Wrist Curls, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Preacher Curls, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Triceps Extensions, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Triceps Presses, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
Back and Shoulders
The next part of Dave Bautista’s workout routine for building muscles targets his back and shoulders. These are the exercises he does for those huge traps and defined back:
- Barbell Behind-the-Neck Presses, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Bent Laterals, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Dumbbell Shrugs, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Front and Rear Pull-Downs, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Lateral Raises, 3 to 4 sets, 10-15 reps per set
- Seated Cable Rows, 2 to 3 sets, 10-15 reps per set
Dave Batista Workout Routine: Cardio Workouts
Despite being best known for his insane muscles, Dave Bautista clarified to Men’s Health that he’s definitely not a “big musclehead”. As such, he incorporates plenty of cardio into his workout routines too.
The professional wrestler says he really likes cycling and used to do it often, but now that he’s bigger, he thinks he looks like a “gorilla on a bike” when he tries.
These days, he gets in some of his cardio through use of an assault bike, but his preference by far is to practice martial arts and boxing. He told Men’s Health that these were easily his favorite types of training, calling them, “the best cardio in the world”.
He typically starts each day with some boxing. He says that in addition to it being a great warmup, it’s also therapeutic. While talking to Men’s Health, he highly recommended it to anyone with anger issues or in need of a way to physically release stress.
Depending on his schedule or mind frame, the former mixed martial artist will continue with boxing or transition into some Jujitsu. He’s said that this is his preferred form of martial arts because he likes being on the floor grappling more than fighting upright.
Conclusion
Like many diets and workouts, the Dave Bautista workout routine isn’t some big secret. While the actor has a specific moves that he likes to perform, such as hanging leg raises to sculpt his abs and the incline bench press to target his chest and shoulders, the foundation of his exercise and diet plan is whole, nutritious foods and consistent exercise.
Ready to develop your own workout plan to sculpt your body and look as good as Dave Bautista? Check out our unique workouts for serious muscle gain for ideas to help you get started.