Whether you’re just training so you can reach your health and fitness goals or you’ve got a prizefight coming up in the next month or so, there’s a lot you can learn from those who’ve been there before.
Winning fighters like Mike Tyson have intense workouts behind their championships and you can get a lot done when you start training like the champ.
This is an intense workout and for many, it can become too much to bear.
Working out like Mike Tyson means you’ll have to be committed to working out 6 days a week and sticking to a strict diet plan. But the results are worth the sacrifice!
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Before we dive straight into the workout plan this champion of champions follows, it’s a good idea to step back and look at who he is and what he’s done.
After all, following along with a workout plan just because it has a famous name is never a great idea!
Mike Tyson made a name for himself as a boxing and heavyweight champion throughout the 20th century.
He recently made plans to step back from boxing to pursue other ventures including pushing his workout plan to other users.
Tyson himself has been dedicated to making this workout plan a success and the level of commitment he exhibited is nothing short of extraordinary. Workouts for the champ regularly started around 4 a.m. and didn’t finish until 8 or 9 p.m. with short breaks and meals in between.
All of his workouts, contrary to other training programs at the time, were focused on calisthenics with little to no weight training. Only later in his career did Tyson turn to weight training as a way to prep for his fights.
This workout ends up being a grueling trek but once you get into it and stick with both the diet and the workout plan, results will be spectacular!
Tips and Tricks to Get Started
There are a few things that Tyson always did to make sure his workout was a success. To ensure your success, stick to his plan and work through these tips and tricks as well.
Start Early
Mike Tyson did one thing with every workout through his career and that was to start early.
Usually, his workouts began at 4 a.m. and started with cardio. This typically encompassed a 3-5 mile run to begin with and then transition into the more typical calisthenics workout.
Don’t Forget the Fuel
Fueling your body is just as important as training it and with the MikeTyson workout you end up working your way through a diet plan as well as an exercise routine.
In typical Tyson fashion, this is a tough diet but the results are amazing. The diet plan is designed to help you fuel your body rather than just feed it so stick to the plan to see the result.
Get Quality Rest
Simply going to bed isn’t enough when it comes to strengthening your body and going through such a grueling workout.
Quality rest is when your body has the chance to cool down and repair itself before starting the entire routine over again. Good, quality sleep helps your body reach new levels of fitness when you’re attempting a workout plan like this one.
The Plan
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty: all the details of Mike Tyson’s workout plan!
You’ll need to dedicate yourself to this plan for it to work so don’t be afraid to get down and dirty and sweat a lot when it comes to each day’s workout!
Warm-Up
Tyson started each of his workouts at the bright and early time of 4 a.m. with some cardio. Typically, he’d end up doing 3-5 minutes of a cardio workout before transitioning into the other calisthenics-based moves that make up the bulk of his plan.
Warm-ups remain important as they help get your blood flowing, wake you up, and loosen your muscles to do the workouts properly.
As tempting as it may be, don’t skip this warm-up! If you need to adjust the time down or the distance you run, adjust it as needed but keep at least a short 10-15 minute warm-up in the schedule.
Bodyweights Training
This is where Tyson differed from other boxers of his day and age. Rather than rely on old-school weight training, he switched over to bodyweights which made it easier to keep up with workouts on the road and trained his body in more functional strength than just showy muscles.
Tyson’s workout:
- 2000 squats
- 500 tricep extensions
- 500 push-ups
- 500 shrugs with 30 kilos
- 500 neck crunches
Likely, you won’t be able to do all of these the first time you set out to do the workout yourself!
Adjust accordingly and push your body to your limit. By reaching your limit you’ll know how much further you can go.
Don’t go beyond what you can endure as you’ll most likely cause yourself an injury if you’re too intent on sticking to exactly what Tyson does for his workout.
Boxing/Sparring
Tyson was and is a championship boxer so of course, he spent some serious time in the ring!
This is where all of the calisthenics and bodyweight training comes in handy. Rather than just having some show-off muscles that may or may not be useful, each aspect of Tyson’s training came into play in the ring.
- 10-20 rounds in the ring
- 2 sets of aerobic exercises
- 45 minutes with technical training and technique
Boxing and sparring have always been a high-intensity way to train and hone your muscles for even regular workouts.
Getting involved with a club or ring is a great way to work with a team and build up a community of like-minded workout fanatics as well!
Cool-Down
The cool-down, much like the warm-up, is simple: 1 and a half hours on the stationary bike.
While most of the workout is calisthenics-based, there is a bit of equipment you’ll need for this portion of the workout.
You can hit the gym or just head out on your bike for this cool-down but remember to set the pace for yourself and don’t try to overdo it by mimicking Tyson’s routine to the letter.
A Day in the Life
You might be wondering how all of these pieces come together in a day that doesn’t just seem boring and overwhelming for the average person.
There’s plenty that makes this a great schedule to follow so don’t be discouraged by the high numbers of reps just yet!
Tyson started his day at 4 a.m. with that 3-4 mile run then went back to bed most days by 5:30 a.m. Getting plenty of high-quality rest makes sure that your body is ready to go when the next circuit comes around.
Tyson then woke up for the day at 10 a.m. and had breakfast then hit the gym around noon for 10-12 sparring rounds with calisthenics exercises worked in.
Lunch happens around 2 p.m. before they head back to the gym for 4-6 rounds of sparring, bag work, jump rope, and speed bag. This is followed by 60 minutes on the stationary bike with calisthenics exercises worked around these processes.
Five p.m. has more calisthenics and shadow boxing before heading to dinner at 7 p.m. After dinner, the final cool-down is on the exercise bike for 30-45 minutes before slowing down to study or relax at 9 p.m. and hitting the hay shortly thereafter.
Mixing and matching all of the different techniques breaks up the monotony that doing straight blocks of calisthenics or cardio might offer.
Sticking to this schedule can be tough at first but once your body gets used to it, you’ll be up there with the greats!
The Diet
The second part of Tyson’s workout routine is a strict diet that helped him stay on track during all of his prime boxing years.
Diet and exercise work together, hand in hand, to help you reach your health and fitness goals! Don’t shirk the dieting aspect of your workout plan and make an effort to follow along with the best one for your goals and lifestyle.
Breakfast
This is the most important meal of the day and the meal Tyson had was a simple one: oatmeal with milk and vitamins.
Oatmeal is a slow-burning carbohydrate so it releases its energy over the morning and day. It helps keep you fueled up and focused while you’re intensely running at 4 in the morning.
Lunch
Keeping things simple with this diet, Tyson usually fueled up with a lean protein of chicken breasts with rice and a sugar kick of orange juice. These lean proteins are released again slowly throughout the rest of the day.
The starches in the rice give your body a needed kick so you can keep pushing on toward your goals without running out of fuel.
Snack
A snack in the afternoon keeps things moving forward!
Tyson regularly did a protein shake with 6 bananas as a way to stay healthy and give his body enough energy to finish out the day.
The potassium in the bananas helps relieve stress on the muscles and keep them from cramping while working out.
Dinner
As the last meal of the day, dinner is where your body is rested and refueled so the entire process can start again in the morning. Tyson advocated for pasta, steak, and a vegetable of your choice with some tropical juice.
The carbs within the pasta feed your tired muscles and mind while the high protein of the steak gives your muscles specific building blocks to end the day bolstered.
Takeaway
This is a tough workout but once you dive in and get adjusted, you’ll start to see results fast. One of the biggest drawbacks to this workout is that it takes all day to accomplish.
There’s a reason that Tyson dedicated all day to completing his workout!
If you’re just looking to get fit and reach your goals, you can easily adapt this program down to suit your needs without spending your entire day at the gym!
