Get Shredded like Lebron James

Today, we’re going to break down of the most sought-after physiques in the NBA: Lebron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Like our other body breakdowns for amazing athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Russell Westbrook, we’re going to dissect Lebron’s physique and show you guys some tips and exercises you can do to get a body like his.

Why is Lebron’s Physique Desirable?

Lebron James is one of the best examples of that muscular, but lean physique that we talk about all the time. He has a shredded six pack, big shoulders and nice sculpted chest and arm muscles. Lebron’s physique is desirable because it combines being very athletic, fast and being able to jump high with being lean and not too bulky. He looks good whether he’s shirtless at practice or dressed up in a nice suit.

Lebron James Diet

In 2015 Lebron started eating a quasi-Paleo diet where he cut out processed carbs, sugar and dairy and focused on eating fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats and fish. He spent 67 days on this diet and lost 15 to 20 pounds of body fat. It’s a good idea to incorporate these foods into your nutrition regimen, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat your favorite foods or have to cut out certain food groups entirely.

If you’re trying to lose fat, you need to eat in a calorie deficit. To do this, you simply need to eat fewer calories than you are expending. You can find out the right number of calories and macronutrients for your body using our Nutrition Calculator. You just type in your information and the calculator will tell you what numbers you need to hit to reach your fitness goals.

If you want a little more information when it comes to dialing in your nutrition, check out our JRD Nutrition System. This program is specifically designed to help you either gain muscle or lose body fat depending on your goals. This system teaches you how you can eat the foods you love and still get the fitness results you want. Now let’s get to Lebron’s workout regimen.

Lebron James Workout Basics

Lifting Weights 3x Per Week

To maintain his muscle mass while losing body fat, Lebron focused on weight lifting. He did some form of weight training 3 times per week to grow his muscle mass. Most of his workouts involved low reps with heavy weights and he did things like bench press, squats and deadlifts.

Yoga 30 Minutes Every Day

Lebron incorporated a combination of yoga and stretching every day for 30 minutes. These exercises ensure your muscles aren’t tight or cramping up before or after your workouts and are really great for protecting your joints and muscles from injuries.

Bodyweight + Plyometric Exercises 5-6x Per Week

Lebron also does bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and plyometric exercises. He does explosion exercises like box jumps and wind sprints to increase his speed and agility.

Sample Lebron James Workout

Monday:

*3 sets of each exercise *Rest 45 seconds between sets

Push-Ups until failure
10 Pull-Ups
5 Dumbbell Snatches on each arm
10 Single-Arm Cable Rows on each arm

Tuesday:

*Do 3 sets of each exercise *Rest 45 seconds between sets

8-14 Dumbbell Squats
10-12 Swiss Ball Hip Raises and Leg Curls
10 Dumbell Step-ups
12 Single Leg Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise on each leg

Wednesday:

Cardio. We recommend doing one of our HIIT jump rope workouts to get your blood pumping and increase fat loss. You can also hit the gym and use the Versaclimber, a machine that Lebron uses regularly. It’s basically a vertical cardio machine that simulates the movement of climbing with three different intensity levels. Some gyms offer classes using the Versaclimber and Lebron sometimes even goes to these classes, or you can just find the machine in your gym and choose one of the pre-programmed workouts. Aim to do at least 30 minutes on the versaclimber or jumping rope. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are pushing yourself and getting intense.

Thursday:

*Do 3 sets of each exercise *Rest 45 seconds between sets

10 Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
10 Lat Pull-down
6-10 Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press each side
10 Single-Arm Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row each side

Friday

*Do 3 sets of each exercise *Rest 45 seconds between sets

3-6 Single-Leg Squat
10 Single-Leg Swiss Ball Leg Curls
10 Dumbbell Side Lunges
45 Seconds Regular Bounce

You can add in a 6th day of workouts if you want. We recommend adding an extra day of cardio with the jump rope or if that feels a bit intense for you, do an active day of stretching with some yoga instead.

Lebron James Nutrition Recap:

Eat in a Calorie deficit if you want to lose weight
Add in healthy foods like fruits, veggies and lean meats
Use the Nutrition Calculator to find the right amount of food for your body
Hit your target calorie and macronutrient numbers every day

Lebron James Workout Recap:

Lift weight at least 3x per week
Focus on low reps and heavier weights
Yoga for 30 minutes every day
Bodyweight exercises 5-6x per week

Do The Thing

You may not have a professional team of experts telling you how to eat or exercise, but with these steps, you can take action to replicate that lean, muscular physique. If you want a program that will help you get a body like Lebron’s, check out our free 4-week challenge. In this program, we give you personalized workouts on a daily basis and you’ll also get access to a community of other people like you that are also transforming their bodies.

#dothething