For Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs, having a balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals is an essential part in his training routine. Men’s Health recently interviewed the Olympian to break down what he eats on a typical day and how being consistent helps him both on and off the mat.

“Wrestling’s one of the few sports where you actually have to maintain a certain weight,” Burroughs tells the camera from his Lincoln, NE, kitchen. “Nutrition is imperative.” Everything that Burroughs puts into his body is essential for fueling him—from the time he steps into the gym to when he leaves to go home to his family at night.

“As I got older,” Burroughs says, “I needed to understand that what I put into my body would be what I got out. The better the fuel, the better the performance.”

So what does Burroughs’ day usually look like? It starts at 6:30 a.m., when he wakes up to make his green smoothie. The ingredients: Some spinach, avocado, almond milk, seeds, turmeric, almond butter, and some plant-based protein powder. And this is all before he goes to his 9:00 a.m. gym session.

“I try to eat an hour or two before I train,” he says. “I like my body to be relatively hungry—not full, not weighted down. I like to get the nutrients I need, but also still be able to perform at a high level.”

At around 1:00 p.m., the wrestler breaks for lunch, which usually consists of a high-protein omelette with sautéed veggies and a fruit salad on the side. It might seem like a lot of food, but it all helps him to recover before going back to the gym for another session.

As for dinner, Burroughs’ dinner is relatively simple. A seafood-lover since childhood, the New Jersey native often will consume some salmon with a sautéed spinach/mushroom combo and a sweet potato, all stirred up in a bowl.

“I want to be consistent in everything that I do—that goes from breakfast to dinner time,” Burrough says about his daily diet. “I want to recover at a high level and perform at a high level.”

“I want to make sure that I’ve got the right things prepared to replenish my body after a long day.”



Adrianna Freedman Adrianna Freedman is the editorial fellow for Men’s Health, where she focuses on entertainment, music, health and fitness.

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