Bryce Harper Workout Routine and Diet Plan

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Baseball player Bryce Aron Max Harper, professionally known as Bryce Harper, is an American professional. The date of his birth is October 16, 1992, and he was born and grown in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Currently, he plays right field for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Bryce Harper

The young Harper made his debut with the team at 19 years old and played for the Washington Nationals Club. Known as the "LeBron James of Baseball" for his athletic body, 29-year-old James keeps his fitness regimen up daily, which has inspired millions of fans around the world. To improve Harper's strength, skillfulness, timing, and power, he pursued the following workout routine and diet plan. But first, let's go through his body statistics.In this article, we will talk about Bryce Harper and his workout routine. He also eats quite a fairly healthy diet for his profession which makes him one of the favorites among his fans. So we have compiled a list of everything that you need to know about his fitness mantras. Take a read ahead.

Bryce Harper Body Statistics

  • Birth Year: 1992
  • Birth Date: October 16
  • Height: 6 ft 3 in or 190.5 cm
  • Weight: 98 kg or 216 lbs

Bryce Harper Awards and Achievements

  • 6× All-Star (2012, 2013, 2015–2018)
  • 2× NL MVP (2015, 2021)
  • All-MLB First Team (2021)
  • NL Rookie of the Year (2012)
  • 2× Silver Slugger Award (2015, 2021)
  • 2× NL Hank Aaron Award (2015, 2021)
  • NL home run leader (2015)
  • Golden Spikes Award (2010)

Bryce Harper Daily Routine

Aside from his physical gifts, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was voted National League MVP for 2015. His 23 years of age haven't spoiled him, he's disciplined beyond his years and he knows what makes his body throb. “I work on my hips, my glutes, my tiny muscle groups,” he confides. “And I put as much good food and water into my system as possible.” Despite his height of 6' 3" and weight of 215 pounds, Harper is a man of ritual. Check out a typical day at Nationals Park by watching it from the end of a night game to the start of another.10:15 p.m. — Harper arrives at the locker room and begins the process of recovering and preparing for the next night's game. “I change, talk to the media, take my amino and glutamine,” he explains. “Then I eat my dinner.” Meals consist of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. Four nights a week, Harper eats steaks or chicken, and the rest of the week he eats fish like salmon or tilapia.

Bryce Harper

11 p.m. — Harper receives an intensive massage in the training room focused on his legs and feet. “That’s my stable base,” he remarks. “It all starts with the feet.” He runs for five minutes to flush away lactic acid from his legs, followed by five minutes in the cold tub and eight minutes in the hot tub. His routine consists of three switches. Matt Eiden, the Nationals strength and conditioning coach, says Harper benefits from this procedure because it eliminates inflammation and other byproducts of exertion, thereby speeding up his recovery.1 a.m. — Harper usually falls asleep between 1 and 2—“Depends on my levels of adrenaline”--and he tries to sleep for more than 10 hours every night. “Everyone talks about eight, but I prefer 10 during the season. It’s the best for your body.”Noonish — A typical breakfast for Harper is a large serving of avocado because he wants to fuel his body quickly. The breakfast menu usually consists of three sweet potato pancakes with chocolate chips, turkey sausage, and bacon, two whole eggs mixed with two egg whites, plus avocado on gluten-free bread. For the past two years, he has been gluten-free, as well as limiting his dairy intake, though he has a weakness for ice cream. “Mint chocolate chip or anything with caramel,” he delights in. “I go into the freezer and I’m like, ‘Ah, all right! Just a spoonful isn’t bad.’”2 p.m. — Harper goes to the park and runs a quick pacing workout. Eiden supervises Harper's full-body lifting three times a week. “Weights, med balls, plyometrics,” explains Eiden. Occasionally, they concentrate on core strength, balance, flexibility, and speed. “I’m trying to get a sweat going, and keep my muscles toned,” Harper explains his approach to training. “And my core is where everything comes from for my swing.” After the workout, it's time to get back into the hot and cold tubs.

Bryce Harper

3 p.m. — Harper begins batting practice by spending about 25 minutes in the cage, which he finishes about an hour before the on-field practice. Afterward, it's time for lunch, with yet another protein, carb, and veggie combination. In the middle of the season, Harper eats quite clean, but he admits that he craves cereal and Oreos - just like those other 23-year-old dudes.4:30 p.m. — Harper takes his cuts during team batting practice, while also stretching, running to loosen up, throwing outfield, and shagging fly balls.5:15 p.m. — A light pregame snack: fruit, or grilled chicken salad, followed by video games in the clubhouse - Harper notes that "Mario Kart on the Wii" is a favorite. He won't eat another thing until the post-game dinner. “I don’t like gum or sunflower seeds,” he admits, “If I need something during the game, I might have a Gatorade Fuel Bar to give a burst to my system.” He drinks water as well—a lot. “It’s ridiculous how hard it is to put a gallon and a half of water in your system every day,” he adds. “A lot of times you’re bored and you want to eat. That’s usually because you’re dehydrated.” Harper drinks water before bed to prevent becoming dehydrated in the morning.6:15 p.m. — The team gets stretched and Harper puts on his uniform. He hits the sauna after that! The 10-minute sauna period harkens back to Harper's high school days in sweltering Las Vegas, where you could soak through your jersey before you even went on the field. The best environment for Harper is when he is completely relaxed and his body is warm.6:45 p.m. — After running on the field and recovering from his sprints, Harper takes a moment to prepare mentally. Among the top players in the National League is about to embark on another game and another day in his life.

Bryce Harper

That was his daily routine. In the following section, we would focus more on the kinds of workouts that Bryce does.

Bryce Harper Workout Routine

Despite his crazy schedule in the gym, this baseball star works out every day to keep his body strong, healthy, and as limber as possible.

“I work on my hips, my glutes, my tiny muscle groups. And I put as much good food and water into my system as possible.” [...] I’m trying to get a sweat going, and keep my muscles toned. And my core is where everything comes from for my swing.” -Bryce Harper, American Professional Baseball Player

In many respects, Bryce Harper's off-season workout routine does not differ greatly from his March-October routine. The workout consists of stretching out, a 45-minute full-body workout with heavyweight lifts, squats, bench presses, deadlifts, yoga, Pilates, running, swinging, etc.

Bryce Harper

The focus, rather than building muscle mass, is on Harper's overall strength, balance, flexibility, speed, agility, and overall fitness.To keep his mind on track, he avoids social media like Twitter. However, he posts some workouts on his Instagram page, where you can see some pictures and videos.The following information provides a more detailed breakdown of what he does.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M773LEiUUagFour times a week, he reports to the training facilities around 5 am to join a group of his teammates for a 90-minute workout (which may even last several hours on leg days).The athlete warms up with 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercises, such as running or stationary biking, before working out.As well as bodybuilding, he does full-body strength training three times a week (heavyweights, plyometrics, exercise ball, and similar).The workout regimen includes 25-minute sessions in the batting cage followed by team batting practice on the field, where he snags fly balls, perfects his outfield throws and works on other fundamental baseball skills.Keep hydrated throughout your workouts by drinking lots of water or energy drinks prior to starting Bryce Harper's workout program. Remember to warm up before your workout and stretch out your muscles afterward for a cool down. It will help you to perform workouts and exercises with minimal risk of injury.Throughout the off-season, Harper consistently attends the gym and indulges in powerlifting, deadlifts with trap bars, and squat sets. In addition to performing Pilates exercises every now and then, he posts short videos and pictures of his workouts on his Instagram account to inspire others.

Functional Training

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJoANTdC_V4A significant part of Harper's training regimen consists of functional training. He is practicing these moves in order to increase his physical strength on the baseball field. Typically, functional training consists of heavy compound movements such as squatting, deadlifting, and bench pressing. As part of his training regimen, he also exercises his body three times a week with heavyweights, plyometrics, and exercise balls. The goal is not to build massive amounts of muscle like bodybuilders, but to build overall strength rather than to build more muscle.Normally, Harper wakes up at 5 am every morning and meets up with his teammates at the training centers around four times a week. On leg days, he usually works out for about 2 hours, and on other days, he works out for about half an hour. His goal is to strengthen his core so that he can train baseball. Harper needs to exercise every day for about 10 to 15 minutes to strengthen his core. Running or hiking for up to 30 minutes gets him warmed up before his workout sessions.As an example of the kind of complex full-body exercises one of the best baseball players performs during his functional training sessions to reduce body fat, improve balance, increase muscle mass, sharpen physical capabilities, and ensure top-notch performance on the diamond:

  • Exercise 1: Hard row or exercise bike - 10mins
  • Exercise 2: High-to-low cable chops - 3 sets of 12 reps per side
  • Exercise 3: Squats on top of an exercise ball - 3 sets of 20+ reps
  • Exercise 4: Barbell power cleans - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
  • Exercise 5: Jump squats on a box - 3 sets of 20 reps
Bryce Harper

High-to-low cable chops

The fiery attitude of Harper makes him one of the best all-around ballplayers in the major leagues, but his clownish acts and workout regimen are not for children. In addition to cable exercises, Harper uses lighter weights to strengthen his lower body and his midsection. He uses a movement called the high-to-low cable chop as an example. It requires the use of a pulley at a height above your head to complete this exercise. Simply strap your hands to the handle and chop your way to your toes. By performing this oblique exercise, you can strengthen your ability to pivot and turn to crush baseballs. Perform 12 repetitions each on each side, over three sets.Squats on an exercise ballThe ways Harper trains are unique for a multitude of reasons, including his unconventional approach to squats. During Harper's workouts, she does squats on top of an exercise ball without using one. In order to perform sets consisting of 20 or more repetitions, this exercise requires a high level of balance and agility. When you have difficulties controlling your movement while standing on an unstable surface, such as an exercise ball, performing a squat may become extremely difficult. According to an ESPN interview with "Body Issue" from 2015, Harper reportedly can barbell squat 405 pounds as well, which is quite challenging.

Bryce Harper

Power cleansOriginally known as "The Chosen One," this phenomenon maintains a large number of heavy lifting exercises for the purpose of demonstrating functional output in the field of work. In Harper's extreme workout program, power cleans are just another example of what he does. Using power cleans will help you build muscle and burn fat while performing the exercise. In order to perform them, you must engage in explosive, full-body movement, which demands your entire body to act in harmony. The shoulders, posterior, back, and legs are especially stressed. You should never perform a power clean without proper execution. It is recommended that you seek guidance from a certified personal trainer if you are unsure how to properly perform a power clean.Jump squats on a boxExercises that promote plyometric training burn body fat while simultaneously increasing metabolic output, and enhancing lower body explosive ability. An excellent example of this training method can be seen in Harper's jump squats on a box. Jumping squats help the quadriceps develop powerful power as a result of explosive training. Try three sets of 20 repetitions per set to get maximum benefit. Given how much power is available through Harper's lower body, it is no surprise he smashes baseballs over outfield walls at ballparks across the country. By maintaining an explosive workout regimen, he is able to keep his levels of performance high.That was all about the workouts that Bryce does in his daily routine. In the next section, we will discuss some of the tips that he applies while working out so that he could get maximum benefits out of it.

Bryce Harper Workout Tips and Tricks

In case you are wondering how Bryce makes it up the top and slams his workouts every single time here is a list of all the workout tips that he uses. Take a look.

UNDER PRESSURE

“There’s going to be pressure, there’s going to be expectations every single year,” tells Harper. “That’s just how sports are in general for everyone.” So how does he deal with it? “I have a very small circle of people who are there for me every single day. It starts with my wife, and I got great teammates.”The player is also aware he won't be able to consistently perform at an MVP level and has accepted that there will be times he fails to do so. “If I can look myself in the mirror and say I worked hard that day and did everything I could to help my team win, but I just didn’t play that well—well, that’s just going to happen.”People who are struggling to perform their best would do well to follow his advice: “Your mind will shut down before your body does, so if you can push through that, then you’ll be where you need to be.”

Bryce Harper

BOUNCING BACK

It's common for players and teams to experience slumps. The key to getting back to the top is to avoid becoming overwhelmed by success, says Harper. “You can’t really think about or dwell on what you did the night before,” he says. “If you’re 0 for 4 or 4 for 4, it doesn’t matter. It’s that fifth at-bat that matters.”

NO OFF SWITCH

During the off-season, Harper's fitness regimen is not too different from what he does from March to October. In this baseball workout, he stretches and performs a 45-minute full-body workout before working on swinging, running, and other baseball fundamentals.Even after becoming a father, he keeps the same regimen. His wife, Kayla Varner, and he welcomed their son Krew into the world in August 2019.“I married an athlete, so it’s great,” he says. In high school and college, Varner was a star soccer player.) “She takes him in the morning if I need to train, and I’ll take him in the afternoon or evening.”

GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR

Ahead of Covid-19, which halted most sports in the United States for 2020, Harper told Muscle & Fitness that preparing for his division's ruthless pitchers was his main concern. “The NL East is a juggernaut of pitching. Having to face [Jacob] DeGrom, Max Scherzer, Noah Syndergaard—it’s going to be tough,” he expresses.

Bryce Harper

That was all about the tips and tricks that Bryce adopts in his daily routine. In the next section, we will also read more about his diet plan that will help us understand how he gets so much energy from.

Bryce Harper Diet Plan

Among his diet, Bryce Harper mostly consumes organic, non-GMO whole foods without nitrate, dairy, or gluten, such as grass-fed beef, steak, fish, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables.Homemade meals made by his mother, including spaghetti, ranch dressing, and grilled chicken, are some of his favorites.This guy typically has a rich breakfast around noon, when he eats:

  • Turkey bacon/sausage,
  • Two whole eggs mixed with two egg whites,
  • Avocado on gluten-free bread, and
  • Three sweet potato pancakes with chocolate chips.

For lunch and dinner, he usually combines:

  • Veggies,
  • Carbs, and
  • Protein from steak, fish like salmon or tilapia, or other meat.

A late-night snack that he sometimes eats is an avocado and cucumber sandwich.

Bryce Harper

As the season progresses, Harper eats clean and avoids much-processed food because it makes him feel sluggish.While sometimes he enjoys frozen Eggo Waffles with peanut butter and honey before the game, ice cream, a spoonful of mint chocolate chips or caramel, cereal, Double Stuff Oreos, Klondike Bars, and Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, or just a sip of Mountain Dew carbonated drink.In addition, he avoids drinking alcohol and energy drinks, as these products contain high levels of sugar and caffeine. Fresh homemade organic juice made from oranges, apples, cherries, cucumber, green tomatoes, or kale is his preferred alternative to Red Bull.For better recovery and prevention of cramps, Harper uses natural supplements such as glutamine powder mixed with yogurt, amino acids, and fruit.

Bryce Harper ESPN Body Issue Diet

"The Body Issue" in ESPN The Magazine's top-selling publication year after year according to their representatives (and, really, why would they lie?) During the Body Issue, 20 other athletes were naked including Bryce Harper, Odell Beckham Jr., Ali Kreiger, and Aly Raisman. According to the press release, it offers the chance to see the body of a pro athlete, which (to us, at least) sounds like the article equivalent of people saying they bought Playboy for the articles.As he worked on his body ahead of the photoshoot for this year's edition, the 23-year-old Harper ramped up his diet and exercise regimen for maximum results. In addition to the fact that it seems to defeat the purpose of showing us an athlete's functional body, it also makes it seem like a modern-day version of renting some shit right before MTV Cribs stops by your house.

Bryce Harper

A Washington Post article stated the following about Harper's crunch-time routine:

"[It] consisted of three workouts and six meals a day until it consisted of none, that final week when Bryce Harper consumed only juice. Seven different raw juices. Over the final two weeks, before he exposed each of his muscles to ESPN’s photographers, he put salt in his drinking water so he could hydrate himself without gaining weight.On the final day, before he stripped naked and recorded the results for the world, he rose for one final workout, but when he went to refresh himself, he spit the water out. When he arrived at the field at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for the shoot, his system was completely depleted. He shoved raw, white potatoes down his throat because he knew the glucose and glycine they contained would run straight to his muscles — which yearned for something, any kind of nourishment they could find.'It makes you pop,' Harper said. 'It makes you stand out.'"

If you're wondering what juice he had so that you can reproduce it without doing any further research, he provided the following information:

"Green four times a day, a watermelon-strawberry combo in the morning, a red cayenne-and-coconut concoction midday, and an almond-milk protein mixture before bed."
Bryce Harper

Moreover, Harper explained why he went au natural since baseball players tend to get a bad rap when it comes to athlete perceptions. Despite the fact Babe Ruth was the most famous player of all time, the game is seen as having players who don't look like athletes. In Harper's opinion:

“I did it for baseball,” he said. “Baseball players have such a bad rap of, like, we don’t work out or we’re not strong or this or that. Guys work so hard in baseball, it’s incredible. But people don’t know that. I wanted to show them, ‘Hey, this is our sport. This is who we are.’”

That was all about his diet plan which makes him special on the field. In the next section, we will see a fitness interview given by him where he discusses a bit more about his fitness levels and how he keeps up with it.

Bryce Harper Fitness Interview

Talk to me a little bit about what a typical day of training looks like, starting with what time you're waking up in the morning?

During the season I’m up between 11:30 a.m. and 12 o’clock since we get home so late. Some nights, we don’t even have dinner until around one in the morning. I try to sleep as much and as often as I can. I’m usually at the field by 2:30, 3 o’clock. I get my treatment in, work out, and do whatever needs to get done before batting practice. Then we all hit, throw, stretch as a team. I come back in, I eat, hang out for a bit, and do a full-blown workout right before the game. Then, I go out and play.

Bryce Harper

Full-blown workout before playing?

It's usually like 25 to 30 minutes of high intensity. This way, I'm firing every single muscle in my body and I'm doing everything I can to get things going in the right way. It helps me when I’m out on the field. Granted, the things that work right for me, may not work for somebody else. But I’m finding the things that work for me. And granted, it's the same thing over and over and over again during the season. So you better like the routine that you're in, or you picked the wrong profession.

When there are tens of thousands of people watching your every move, how do you stay focused mentally on the task at hand?

The field, that's my sanctuary where I love to be. It’s somewhere where I'm very calm and nobody can really interfere with what I do. I really enjoy being in front of 45,000 people a night, screaming and yelling with their children. I enjoy going out there and being a baseball player and doing what I do. It definitely takes a lot out of you in those three-and-a-half hours that you do play—mentally and physically. It's a grind for 162 games. But I’d rather be on a baseball field than doing anything else.

Any mantras you go back to?

This sounds funny, but I try not to think at all. The more you think, the worse you are. I want to feel, you know, what I do and how I do it. I'm not trying to get into my own way. I just want to do the things that can help my team win.

Bryce Harper

What about your diet? Strict, or Nah?

I’m about 90 percent gluten-free, dairy-free. And I say that because there are definitely times where I grab a cup of ice cream and I just can't help myself. But otherwise, I’m just trying to eat healthy consistently. I’m constantly doing tests to figure out what's going to help my body recover faster, what's not going to help my body recover faster. I eat the rainbow, pretty much. That’s what we call it. Eat organic grass-fed, non-GMO, nitrate-free the best I can. And you know, I love juicing [Harper says he digs turmeric and apple blends] and things like that. Bulletproof coffee. Kombucha. Tart cherry juice. Turmeric shots. A lot of water. A lot of beverages.

You have an opportunity right now to offer a piece of advice to that 16-year-old everyone’s watching. What do you tell him, the guy that’s just starting out?

I got so caught up in having to do this, having to do that, at 19 years old. I had to grow up in front of a million people on the highest stage in sports. I would tell him to just be himself. Be who you are. I wish I wouldn't have done some of the things that I did, but as I said, I was young. I’m happy as heck with what I've been doing and who I am. I look forward to the next 15 years of what I do as a baseball player, on and off the field.

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