Usain Bolt’s Workouts and Diet

Usain Bolt at the Anniversary Games in London 2013

Usain Bolt is currently the reigning Olympic champion over 100m and holds both world and Olympic 100m records with a time of 9.58 seconds. He is also World Record holder for the 200m, running at 19.19 seconds in Berlin on 20th August 2009.

Bolt is also the world junior record holder in the 200 meters (19.93 seconds), and Jamaican national record holder in the 200m (19.67 seconds). His name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname “Lightning Bolt“.


In 2009 Usain Bolt was named sportsman of the year. He is one of the most charismatic athletes that have hit the world stage in a long time.

He maintains his 6ft 4in, 196 pound frame (193cm, 13st 8lb / 86kg) in peak condition with a simple but perfectly balanced diet.

Usain Bolt Stats

  • Born 21 Aug ’86 in Trelawny, Jamaica
  • Height: 193 cm / 6 ft 4
  • Weight: 86 kg
  • 100 m in 9.58 (WR)
  • 200 m in 19.19 (WR)
  • 400 m in 45.28

Usain Bolt’s Training Program:

Bolt uses a combination of plyometric training and weight training to build functional strength. The core exercises for improving performance over 100m and 200m are:

  • Weighted Lunges with heavy dumbbells
  • Weighted Squats
  • Cable Leg Drives
  • Explosive step ups with weighted barbell
  • Bunny Hops / Box Jumps
  • Frog Leaps
  • Ankle Rolls
  • High-knee Skips
  • Strides

Lunges and squats are the core weight training exercises to build strength. Ideally performed with free weights, and go heavy. Sets of 8-12 reps are ideal. The bunny hops and frog leaps build explosive strength. See our plyometric workout for boxers to get more information on plyometric training. Circuit training is also an essential part to all round athletic fitness.

In addition to building core functional strength, Usain Bolt’s workout plan includes a lot of flexibility training and sprint drills. Bolt trains for about 3 hours a day, but this is intensive training, followed by rest, massage and relaxation to ensure full recovery before the next session.

Usain Bolt’s Diet and Nutrition


Usain Bolt is one of the few professional athletes who does not take supplements. He admits to taking vitamin C, but nothing else. Instead, Bolt opts for a high-energy diet to maintain his engine, ensuring that each of his six daily meals contain 60% protein, 30% carbs and 10% fats. Sprinters should consume one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to build and maintain muscle. So at approx. 14-stone, Bolt needs to consume 196 grams of muscle-building protein every day. He alleges to achieve this by eating a lot of chicken fillets, pork and fish. On the day that he beat the world 100m record, he described his preparation as:

“I woke around 11am and decided to watch some TV and had some nuggets.” – Usain Bolt

Bolt also loves his yams, which are an excellent source of energy-transporting carbohydrates, digestion-aiding fiber and vitamins C and A. Yams are a tropical root vegetable, but can often be purchased from shops in Caribbean communities. Usain Bolt is currently sponsored by Puma. An Usain Bolt diet will not suit all athletes, and many believe that supplements play a vital role in obtaining peak performance.

Personal bests and World Records

Date Event Venue Time (seconds)
17 August 2009 100 meters
Berlin 9.58 – World Record
20 August 2009 200 meters
Berlin, Germany 19.19 – World Record
5 May 2007 400 meters
Kingston, Jamaica 45.28

Usain Bolt Running Training and Sprint Workouts

(the previous video is no longer available, so here is a new one from YouTube showing him doing some basic sprint training.

Now take a look at Tyson Gay’s training and diet regime.

Web Resources

female sprinter on the blocks
The Gun and the Tape

Usainbolt.com provides some further insights into Usain Bolt’s training and race preparations.


The information is provided by Usain’s coach, Glen Mills. Glen talks about Usain’s strength training and specifically how they try to increase his strength each season. He may time also give more insights into Usain Bolt’s diet and workouts. You can learn more here: http://www.usainbolt.com/page/training.

New Studies in Athletics (NSA) interviewed Glen Mills and from this we can learn a lot about the training methods used to get Usain Bolt into world-class shape.

NSA Interview: Glen Mills” by Lenford Levy, 2009, Column 24, Issue 1.

If you want to keep track of what Usain Bolt is up to then follow his Twitter page: https://twitter.com/!/usainbolt

Photo of Usain Bolt by Phil McElhinney.


 

80 Comments on “Usain Bolt’s Workouts and Diet”

  1. mongrelnick says:

    hey
    on the energy source debate; i suffered gout from an early age, i have excess creatine in my body and historically eat a diet 80% meat + by weight, cant take anti-gout meds. I got sick and tired of the pain; went to see the doctor. He told me to go to the gym and do weights to ‘burn’ it off. He also told me to try different diets during this rehab to see what worked.
    6 months later and i am gout free and 25kg lighter, training 2x a day for football, cricket and a healthy life. I eat very little carbs concentrating on protein; my energy sources in my current 3 month diet are the same %’s that you state for Bolt, which is why i comment. Im down to 9% body fat and have never felt better and according to some of the comments in this stream i should definitely be poisoned by my protein intake which is huge, usually more than 400 grams pr day. Protein is a fantastic energy source, dense, energy rich wihout the problems associated with fats. i see carbs as low quality fodder, and only eat small amounts to aid digestion of proteins. If i stopped exercising however, id be in hospital within a week!

  2. You so called nutrionists are a joke you have no idea, the guy is the best in the world. I bet your ideas are from a unworthy education source. All bodys are different, your not a doctor you dont know go hide.

  3. MotleyHealth says:

    Nobody here claims to be a doctor, or a nutritionist for that matter. And we also agree, Usain bolt is fantastic. Sorry you did not appreciate the article.

  4. Two cents says:

    Actually, someone claimed to be a dietitian, and asserted that consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight would lead to kidney damage. This is ridiculous. The studies in this area are far from conclusive, and cite aging, asthmatic geriatrics as their evidence, not world class athletes.

  5. MotleyHealth says:

    Two cents, which dietician said that?

    There are a lot of athletes still around that consumed a lot of protein in their youth and if they were all dropping dead of kidney disease we would have heard about it in the news!

    Anyway, whether or not consuming that much protein is healthy or not is not the point. Athletes, bodybuilders and sports-persons do it for performance, not long term health!

  6. to luke j says:

    you are wrong as the food only contains 60% protein and therefore it would have many different other vitamins and minerals and so forth. so what you just said is rubbish because you just went into specifics hahahahhahahahahaha and I’m only 14 and i can figure it out!!!!!!!!

  7. Hey, im gonna be team captain for my schools track team and i was wondering if you had any advicd or tips for me,and my school hasnt won the county championship in ten yes and i would really like to bring that back to my school so if u can help me then i would be very gratful. Thank you!!

  8. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Jasen, you need to speak with your coach really. Do you have an athletics coach?

  9. No, i have a personal coach but no coach will stay with my school

  10. MotleyHealth says:

    Well, really your personal coach should be able to help you best with your specific needs.

  11. MotleyHealth says:

    Is Usain Bolt going to reach peak form in time for the London 2012 Olympics?

    Yohan Blake is currently the fastest man over 100 m. Last week Yohan Blake won the 100 m in 9.75 seconds – this is certainly Olympic Gold territory.

  12. great work bolt keep it up

  13. 9.58s

  14. Awesomeperson says:

    OMG!!!! THIS IS AWESOME WEBSITE IT HAS EVERYTHING I NEED I AM DOING A POSTER ON USAIN BOLT AND THIS IS REALLY WORTH A HIGH FIVE !!!!! WHOEVER DID THIS YOU ARE TRUELY AWESOME

  15. MotleyHealth says:

    Remember to reference us on your poster!

  16. Did you know that Bolt has Nuggets for lunch and dinner

  17. Did you know that Bolt has Nuggets for lunch and dinner and Jonathan Rules!!!!
    JK is so PROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  18. Bolt just looooooooooooooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeees nuggets!
    He doesn’t eat anything else

    This website has awesome info and i,m doing a poster on bolt so it’s AWESOME

  19. MotleyHealth says:

    I am sure that Bolt eats more than just nuggets.

  20. hiya im Reiham, Usain Bolt is my idol and I look up to him sooo much. im the fastest girl in my whole school and im from Sudan. I think I got it from my dada to cause he is really fast and he was the fastest in his high school too. I think the video gave us all a lot o inspiration. thanx team Jamaica, Reiham xxxx

  21. libanos yohannes says:

    how can i get the annual training plan for aerobics endurance ?

  22. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Libanos, to be honest the best option is to seek an athletics coach who will assess your strengths and weaknesses and provide a tailored plan for you.

    There are some good books on the subject too, such as “Serious Training for Endurance Athletes” by Rob Sleamaker and Ray Browning, and also “The Endurance Training (Complete Guide to)” by Jon Ackland. Both are available on Amazon.

    But your local athletics center should be able to advice you well.

  23. Mohit kumar says:

    How i increase my height?

  24. MotleyHealth says:

    Eat a healthy diet and exercise – your genetics determine your height, but good nutrition and general health help you to achieve your maximum potential. Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to stunted growth.

  25. Balaraman says:

    BOLT is my Roll Model.

  26. MotleyHealth says:

    Mmmm, I think you mean role model. But yes, he is great, and a brilliant role model for all would-be athletes and non-athletes alike.

  27. Rajesh kumar says:

    One day I break usain bolt record if bolt teach to me good traning tips….

    this time i m a simple boy (21)
    but this is my aim…”””””””””””’

  28. That macro breakdown is suspect.

  29. Om jhadotiya says:

    I will break the just 8.5 second. .

  30. Hannah Gangte says:

    I was grateful to mention in my moral value book that Usain Bolt is my Sports Icon..

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