Mike Tyson is arguably one of the most successful boxers of all time and an International Boxing
Hall of Fame inductee. He may not have been as graceful or as political as Ali,
or undefeated like Floyd Mayweather but he was the most ferocious and feared fighter
that we ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Ever wonder how he trains and what he eats
to get such champion physique? If you do, it's time to find out. Let's get started.
Iron Mike Tyson was born on June 30, 1966 and grew up in a tough section of Brooklyn with a
lisp and a high-pitched voice which got him into a lot of fights from his early years.
He was also into petty crime, and by age 13, he had been arrested more than three dozen times.
His father was not in the picture and his mother passed away when he was only 16. Tyson’s boxing
trainer and manager, Cus D’Amato, eventually became his legal guardian. He dropped out of high
school in his junior year but he won gold medals in the 1981 and ’82 Junior Olympics, and went pro
in 1985. He became the youngest boxer to win the heavyweight at age 20, and reigned undisputed for
2 decades. Tyson is considered to be one of the best heavyweight fighters of all time, defending
his title for 8 consecutive years. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the
World Boxing Hall of Fame, and was ranked #1 by ESPN.com for Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight
History, but he is equally well-known for getting disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear.
Iron Mike had retired from boxing at the age of 39 and made a comeback for an exhibition match at the
age of 54, the age where most people are planning their retirement, tinkering with a new hobby like
gardening, and spending time with their families. But the retirement life is not for Tyson.
About his physical stats, Mike is 5 feet 10 inches tall and in his prime weighed between 213-221 lbs.
His chest is 52 inches, waist is 36 inches and his biceps are 18.5 inches. The fact
that he is still in shape at the age of 55 now and trying to get better is admirable.
Mike Tyson was known for being one of the most terrifying presences in the ring.
His speed and power were only matched by how unstoppable he was.
That kind of exceptional praise doesn’t come from nowhere, he had to work to become Iron Mike.
During the height of his career, Mike Tyson is said to have trained between 50 and 60 hours
a week. He was trained by Constantine “Cus” D'Amato who was also behind other champs like
Lloyd Patterson and José Torres. When you break it down, his workout routine was just about strength,
conditioning, and boxing. As a boxer, they need the strength and conditioning to even
keep their arms up throughout the duration of the match, as well as an incredible amount of
endurance to keep their body running. Mike Tyson started his day at 4 am every day and
kicked off his workout with a 3-5 mile run. He then has three rounds of calisthenics,
including sit-ups, push-ups, shrugs, and neck bridges and 10 rounds of sparring.
At noon, Mike has 6 rounds of sparring and bag work and study fight films. Before bed,
Tyson would do a no-resistance 30-minute ride on the stationary bike for recovery purposes.
Mike Tyson would stick to this schedule 6 days of the week. He would take all of Sunday to encourage
muscle growth and give his muscles the opportunity to push it even harder the following week.
Looking at how intense his training schedule was you can see that he was working as hard as
he possibly could have. However, the results don’t just come from his training. He sharped his mind
the entire time he was working out. His intense training schedule made him resistant to the idea
of giving up. He was constantly pushing himself to break through his limits, and even when he
made it to a rest day he was watching training videos, taking notes, and training his mind.
Your fitness is as much about your diet as it is about the actual exercise you’re doing every day.
Mike Tyson’s diet was strict, full of protein and the kind of energy he could immediately
convert into more training. As reported, Tyson was eating up to 4,000 calories per day when training
for a fight. His breakfasts would consist of oatmeal, milk, and his daily vitamins.
Giving him a boost in glycogen to start his day and get his morning run and first
full workout underway. After his sparring and calisthenics, he would have a lunch of rice,
chicken breast, and orange juice. After continually pummeling his body,
he would take a break for a protein shake and a huge amount of fruit, usually 6 bananas.
Finally, he would top off his day with a hearty dinner with something like pasta,
steak, and a hearty helping of vegetables paired with a glass of tropical juice. But,
he also had a sweet tooth and was known to cheat regularly with things like ice cream and cereal.
After retirement, Tyson briefly followed a vegan diet and said it helped him drop over
100 lbs and cured many of his health problems including arthritis and high blood pressure.
Tyson on veganism: "The greatest gladiators, the greatest ones in Roman times, they were
all vegan. When I reduced the amount of meat I was eating, the pain went away…It’s like a miracle."
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