For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double (meaning his per game average for points, rebounds, and assists is in the double digits.) Oscar Robertson is the only other player to have accomplished this feat, and he did it once, in 1962. Westbrook is also now just three triple doubles shy of passing Oscar Roberston for the most in NBA history. Breaking a record that until recently was thought to be untouchable requires oodles of basketball talent, and also Energizer Bunny levels of energy. Westbrook has both. At 32, hes still playing more than 35 minutes a game, thanks to a dialed-in diet and routine that involves wake-up push ups, less sleep than youd expect, hydrating with Flow Alkaline Water, and a pregame PB&J (two actually) that hes been having since high school. GQ caught up with Westbrook to learn what powers one of the NBAs most productive players.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to high-performing people about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: What time does your day usually start?
Russell Westbrook: Well, given that I have little children in the house, it starts pretty early. 6:30 or 7:00. That varies if I'm in season, so that can change, but normally about 7:00 AM.
Was it later before the kids?
No, it was about the same. I'm an early bird, I like to get up early, get my day started early.
What's the first thing you usually do in the morning?
Sometimes I do push-ups to wake my body up. That's how I start most of the time.
How many push ups will you usually do?
That varies too, based on how long Ive been up that night. But I try to knock out anywhere between 25 and 50, get my blood flow moving.
How many hours of sleep are you aiming to get?
Probably about five or six. If I get more than that, I'm very grateful.
That's not a ton of sleep.
Yeah, you know, I feel like when I sleep longer, I don't feel the best. Going nonstop, that's kinda how my life is. That's kinda how I function.
Did you used to sleep longer?
I'll get seven or eight hours of sleep every once in a while, but that's not my norm by any means. I've alway been kind of like this: stay up late, but I'm up early.
What's breakfast?
That's my favorite meal of the day, so I usually eat a really big breakfast. Fruit. Green juice, orange juice. Breakfast can vary, I pretty much eat anything: omelette, avocado toast, pancakes, waffles, hash browns.
As the day progresses, what are you eating for lunch and dinner?
Fish for lunch. Salad for lunch. Snacks I like to eat are peanuts, parfaits, yogurt, smoothies when I can. Dinner, lots of veggies, pasta. Right now I can only eat fish, no meat for awhile.
Why only fish?
I wanted to change up some things. I wanted to lose some weight, but also keep my strength and body together. So I am trying something new. Especially throughout the season, as I get older, I have to figure out better ways to keep my body in the right shape and healthy, to be able to do what I want to do, especially while playing.
You're obviously still playing at an incredibly high level. It sounds like you've had to tweak your diet and workout to maintain that endurance as you've gotten older?
I wouldn't say that's the case. I was fine before, I just wanted to lose some weight because I felt like I was too heavy. It was a personal feeling for me. That was kind of the only reason behind it, honestly.
If you have a late game, will you eat after?
It's tough for me to eat after games. I'll eat when I can. I'll do smoothies or shakes, just to recover. It takes me a while to wind down, and eat. But eventually I'll get some food in my system, for the next day.
Originally posted here:
The Real Life Diet of Russell Westbrook, Who Uses Push-Ups to Wake Up - GQ
