The Supplements and Diet of the World's Strongest Man (2019) – Martins Licis
At 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm) and 355 pounds (160 kg), Martins is actually a bit smaller than some of the other strongest men in the world. But that didn’t stop him winning the World’s Strongest Man competition in 2019, beating giants like Brian Shaw and Hafthor Bjornsson.
Martins Licis: Supplements, Diet, and Best Lifts
Obviously, to grow and fuel his body, Martins has to eat right. Let’s take a look at some of the supplements and food he consumes before checking out some of his incredible lifting records.
Martins Licis: Supplements
Martins is a little secretive about the supplements he takes. In this video on Martins’ amazing YouTube channel, he raises a finger to his lips when he mentions meal replacements. In the same video, you can see a shelf filled with whey protein, which is likely an essential part of his strategy for muscle regeneration following workouts.
Obviously, protein is king – Martins Licis
As well as supplements taken before and after training, he shared in a Men’s Health Interview that he takes potassium and other electrolytes while working out if he gets especially hot and sweaty. In line with this, studies indicate that electrolytes like potassium regulate blood pressure during workouts (1), ensuring muscles receive the nutrients they need and that the athlete doesn’t pass out!
Martins Licis: Strongman Diet
Talking with USA Today, Martins reveals that he typically eats 7,000–10,000 calories when preparing for competition. So, where do these calories come from?
In the video mentioned above, Martins goes to a shop and buys his day’s food: eggs, meatballs, potatoes, spaghetti, oranges, and spinach (a great source of magnesium, an important micronutrient for protein synthesis [2]).
Eating is basically 70% of the real work – Martins Licis
In another video on his YouTube channel, he has a breakfast of 12 eggs, bacon, spinach, and pancakes (from pancake mix).
Martins Licis: Best Lifts
So, how strong is Martins Licis? Ridiculously strong:
Some of his most notable personal bests include:
- Deadlift of 970 lb (440 kg)
- Squat of 956 lb (433.5 kg)
- Overhead press of 441 lb (200 kg)
- Giant dumbbell press for 3 reps at 276 lb (125 kg) – he shows the technique here.
How much did Martins Licis lift when he won WSM in 2019?
In the finals, his lifts included:
- 750 lb (340 kg) squat lift for 9 reps (first place)
- 710 lb (320 kg) deadlift hold for 41.25 seconds (second place)
- 5 Atlas stones (330–460 lb, 150–210 kg) in 27 seconds (first place)
Final Thoughts
If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in this article about the supplements, diet, and best lifts of Mark Felix or this one about the supplements of some of the strongest men on Earth. You might also like this article about the supplements, diet, and best lifts of Mitchell Hooper.
You might also enjoy these posts comparing glutamine and BCAAs, creatine and BCAAs, and BCAA powders and pills.
About the Author
Dave Robinson, a co-founder of ukfitness.pro, has a background in psychology (BSc) and neuroscience (MSc, PhD). As well as strength training, he enjoys endurance challenges and has run ultramarathons, cycled across several countries, and completed the Three Peaks Challenge. When writing, he draws on scientific evidence to understand the pros and cons of different diets, supplements, and training regimes.
References
1. Cappuccio, F. P., & MacGregor, G. A. (1991). Does potassium supplementation lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of published trials. Journal of Hypertension. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004872-199105000-00011
2. Terasaki, M., & Rubin, H. (1985). Evidence that intracellular magnesium is present in cells at a regulatory concentration for protein synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 82(21), 7324–7326. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.82.21.7324