Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is known not only for his legendary debut album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," and awesome movies, but also for his relentless work ethic in the gym. Even in his 40s and beyond, 50 Cent continues to maintain an impressively muscular and athletic physique. His approach blends old-school bodybuilding, functional training, and boxing. He focuses on high-protein, clean meals with minimal processed food. 50 Cent’s workout routine is a powerful example of longevity through consistency. He trains hard but smart, balancing muscle-building and performance-focused training with enough recovery to avoid overtraining.
Within this article, we’ll discuss 50 Cent’s workout routine, diet, and supplements. We’ve done thorough research on 50’s diet and exercise regime, but this article is not his exact workout routine. It provides an idea of what 50 does when training for a role, based on interviews, his own commentary, and information from trainers.
Current Stats
- Height: 6’1″
- Weight: 205 pounds
- Age: 46 years old
- Birthday: July 6, 1975
Accolades
30+ million albums sold worldwide, 13 Billboard Music Awards, 1 Grammy award, 6 World Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards, 4 BET Awards
Workout Principles
- Burn calories faster by doing supersets, which keep your heart rate up more effectively than other exercises.
- Don’t focus on losing weight. Give all your energy to workouts and your diet plan, and weight loss will come in its own time.
- Use sleep to recover. Sleep helps decrease stress and helps your body achieve peak performance. Your future self will thank you for sleeping more!
50 Cent’s Workout Routine
50 Cent has worked with his physical trainer Jay Cardiello to build his endurance to perform at live shows without missing a beat. While endurance training helps to achieve 50’s incredible body shape, he also lifts heavy weights and works out for two to three hours every day.
Here’s 50 Cent’s workout routine:
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Monday - Core Workout
- Crunches (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Leg raises (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Russian twist with dumbbell (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Scissor kicks (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Plank twister (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Plank hold (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Side plank to a crunch (4 sets, 10 reps)
Tuesday - Arms & Chest
Circuit 1
- Flat bench press (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Incline bench press (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Dumbbell press (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Cable flyes (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Pec flyes (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Low cable flyes (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Chest dips (4 sets, 15 reps)
Circuit 2
- Wide grip lat pulldowns (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Cable rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Dumbbell rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Inverted rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Bent over rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- T-bar rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Deadlifts (4 sets, 15 reps)
Wednesday - Cardio Training
- 10-minute battle rope warm-up
- 3-4 mile run with sprint intervals
Thursday - Legs & Glutes
- Squats (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Hack squats (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Leg press (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Lunges (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Leg extension to curls (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Hip thruster (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Hip extension (4 sets, 12 reps)
- Calf raises (4 sets, 12 reps)
Friday - Boxing & Cardio
50 loves hitting punching bags, so trainer Jay Cardiello incorporates boxing into his weekly workout routine. 50 Cent enjoys boxing because it helps handle stress and he appreciates a workout that keeps his heart rate high.
Here’s a workout that 50 Cent would complete to take a break from lifting heavy weights:
- Warm-up Battle rope or jump rope for 2 minutes
- Round 1
- Jab, cross
- Lead hook, rear hook
- Lead uppercut, rear uppercut, lead uppercut, rear uppercut, jab, cross, jab, cross, jab, cross
- Jab, cross
- Lead hook, rear hook
- Lead uppercut, rear uppercut, lead uppercut, rear uppercut, jab, cross, jab, cross, jab, cross
- Round 2
- Jab, cross, lead uppercut, lead hook, jab, cross
- Lead hook, lead hook, cross, lead uppercut, lead hook, cross
- Lead uppercut, rear hook, lead uppercut, lead hook, cross
- Jab, cross, lead uppercut, lead hook, jab, cross
- Lead hook, lead hook, cross, lead uppercut, lead hook, cross
- Lead uppercut, rear hook, lead uppercut, lead hook, cross
Saturday - Full Body Strength
- Warm-up Stationary exercise bike for 10 minutes
- Squats (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Push-ups (4 sets, 10 reps)
- Dumbbell rows (4 sets, 15 reps)
- Crunches (4 sets, 20 reps)
- Lunges (4 sets, 20 reps)
- Farmer walks (4 sets, 20 reps)
Sunday - Rest Day
50 takes Sunday to rest, where he takes a break from training hard all week and to let his body recover. Rest days can be difficult for most people to follow in a workout routine, but they’re just as important in any workout plan.
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50 Cent’s Diet
50’s diet plan is pretty strict, which explains his killer abs! While he may occasionally sneak his favorite food - a cheese sandwich and cranberry juice, 50 Cent remains dedicated and committed to healthy eating, which includes non-inflammatory foods and natural melatonin. 50 Cent may be eating continuously, but he’s watching calories with every bite.
Here is 50 Cent’s diet:
- Breakfast
- Egg whites
- Protein smoothie
- Lunch
- Lettuce chicken wraps
- Tart cherry juice
- Dinner
- Filet mignon
- Steamed broccoli
- Spinach salad
Supplements
50 Cent eats more calories to help him bulk up, but he also relies on the use of supplements to keep his energy and focus, increase muscle mass, and improve sleep.
- Fat Burner
- Natural Sleep Aid
Bodybuilding: Turning Adversity into Strength
50 Cent’s foray into bodybuilding began at a time of overwhelming personal hardship. After being shot nine times in 2000, he faced immense physical and emotional challenges. Using fitness as a catalyst for recovery, he not only strengthened his body but also regained confidence and took control of his life.
Through relentless training, he rebuilt himself physically, becoming stronger and healthier than ever before. For 50 Cent, this transformation wasn’t just a recovery plan; it was the beginning of a new lifestyle. His physical fitness became symbolic of his resilience and determination, inspiring millions to follow his lead. Just as he healed himself, he taught others that fitness is not merely about aesthetics-it is about finding mental clarity, building courage, and overcoming life's obstacles.
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How a Balanced Routine Drives Results
Training like 50 Cent involves structure, consistency, and variety. He incorporates both weight training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) because he understands that building a muscular, functional body requires targeting multiple areas of fitness. Weight training focuses on strength and muscle growth. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are staples of his workouts. Meanwhile, HIIT ensures that he maintains cardiovascular health while staying lean.
His approach is methodical, with each session designed to target specific muscle groups while allowing others to recover. For example, a chest-focused day might include bench presses and push-ups, while leg days are dedicated to squats and lunges. These exercises are not just about building mass but also about fostering overall functionality-making sure that the muscles work cohesively for strength and endurance.
This approach underscores the importance of consistency. By adhering to a structured regimen, 50 Cent demonstrates that fitness results are not achieved overnight but through perseverance and dedication to routine.
Fueling the Body for Performance
Nutrition sits at the core of 50 Cent’s approach to fitness. To fuel his demanding workouts and maintain a lean yet muscular physique, he focuses on clean eating. His diet is filled with whole, unprocessed foods such as lean proteins, including chicken and fish, which aid in muscle repair. To sustain his energy levels, he includes complex carbohydrates like quinoa and sweet potatoes, as well as healthy fats like avocado and nuts. These essentials are paired with fresh vegetables that provide fiber and essential vitamins.
He avoids processed foods, sugary drinks, and empty calories, ensuring every meal contributes to his overall fitness goals. To further maximize his performance, he appoints strategic meal timings. For instance, immediately after his workouts, 50 Cent consumes protein-rich meals that promote muscle recovery. This focus on nutrition demonstrates that long-term fitness success goes beyond what you do in the gym-it’s how you manage your overall lifestyle.
Transforming Culture through Fitness
50 Cent’s influence on bodybuilding goes beyond his personal achievements; it is a cultural movement. The world of hip-hop often featured references to luxury and excess, but 50 Cent altered this narrative by highlighting discipline and personal wellness. Through his social media presence, interviews, and public appearances, he has shown that fitness is not a vanity project but an integral part of self-development.
He has also started conversations about body image in the hip-hop and entertainment industry. Traditionally, the emphasis in these spaces focused on style or appearance. 50 Cent, however, demonstrated that health and strength are attainable and desirable goals regardless of one’s background. His transformation inspired many in the community to embrace fitness as an empowering tool for personal growth.
A Journey to Empowerment
50 Cent’s bodybuilding lifestyle exemplifies a holistic approach to health. By training the body, fueling it with proper nutrition, and maintaining discipline, he has achieved far more than physical transformation. His journey is one of self-empowerment, turning struggles into victories and weakness into strength. Each lift and each meal represents a commitment to self-betterment, which inspires others to begin their paths toward health and perseverance.
Ultimately, his story teaches us that bodybuilding is about more than exercise-it’s about adopting a mindset. When individuals follow his example, embracing fitness as a lifestyle, they cultivate the physical and mental fortitude to face challenges head-on. Transforming one’s life, as 50 Cent has shown, is possible with determination, consistency, and a drive to improve.
50 Cent's Treadmill Triumph: From Near-Death to "In Da Club" Icon
For Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, the treadmill scene in his now iconic "In Da Club" video is symbolic. Before he got there, he’d been famously shot nine times in 2000. Nerve damage prevented him from walking unassisted. He relocated to the Poconos from the Jamaica, Queens, neighborhood of New York City, where he was raised and nearly killed. Eventually, he skipped the grueling four-hour round trips to Jamaica Hospital to get (free) physical therapy in favor of a personal treadmill regimen.
Two years later, the entire world saw his chiseled triumph in all its shirtless glory, jogging to a Dr. Dre beat while on the verge of releasing a debut album that would go on to sell 12 million records. “I put the gym in the middle of the video because, to me, that’s where I looked the coolest,” says Jackson. “That’s where I learned strong is not all muscle; it’s about being mentally and physically strong.”
The Turning Point: From Liquid Diet to Muscle Constellation
Ironically, the attempt on 50’s life was the tipping point for him becoming the 200-pound (plus six percent body fat) herculean MC who bullied music artists and the charts for much of the aughts. One of those nine bullets pierced his jaw, placing him on a liquid diet for six weeks. He shed nearly 54 pounds off a frame that had been stocky since he began boxing at age 12.
“[As a kid] I didn’t do well in team sports,” he says mid-reflection. “I would always identify with why we lost. So it was perfect to get into boxing, because there was no one to blame anything on. Boxing gave me a discipline that gives you an advantage.”
That discipline was necessitated by tragedy. After the murder of his mother, he became an orphan at age eight. This led to his role models and father figures primarily being neighborhood criminals who occupied public-housing projects and went by Five Percenter monikers like “Allah” and “Understanding.” For better or worse, these hustlers took young “Boo Boo” (a childhood nickname given to him by his aunt Geraldine) under their wings and landed him in the ring.
“I learned from people who didn’t have excuses,” he says. “They looked at it like, ‘Curtis, if you would’ve [trained] like you was supposed to, you wouldn’t have gotten tired in that last round.’ So you can figure it out or go home punch-drunk. I’d rather do the work.”
The Revelation: Muscle, Paranoia, and D'Angelo
While being shot several times is unequivocally traumatic, unfortunately, it’s also common in underserved communities like South Jamaica, Queens. But 50 refused to let an attempt on his life kill his dreams. The weight loss caused by his assault gifted the MC two observations that would forever change him:
For the first time in Fif’s life, he could see the muscle constellation his weight had hidden throughout his years. “When you slim down, you see everything,” he says before identifying the paranoia in his initial fitness journey. “I’m also working out to get myself stronger, ’cause who’s to say you’re not gonna get hit again?”
The second observation was not in the mirror but instead on television. He saw D’Angelo’s “How Does It Feel (Untitled)” video and the subsequent female reaction to the Brown Sugar crooner’s defined physique. “They were talking about a Brad Pitt line!” says 50, referring to the Fight Club actor’s famously defined pelvis. “I’m like, ‘Wait, what’s that?! Oh, nah, that’s important!’”
The G-Unit Era and Beyond: A Metamorphosis
It’s been 20 years since "Get Rich or Die Tryin’" and its abdominal ad of an album cover consumed the world and ignited what many rap purists have deemed the “G-Unit Era,” the four-year run when 50 and his G-Unit Records roster dropped an onslaught of undeniable rap releases that seized both the streets and Billboard charts.
Today, Jackson is a metamorphosed hybrid in the entertainment business with a professional resume that's transcended the rap booth. He’s spent the last decade learning and imposing his will on the motion picture industry-similar to his entry into the music biz-and now his rap legend tag is accompanied by the distinction of being a highly successful film and TV exec. He boasts “30 different shows across ten different networks,” including several spin-offs from his initial Power series, which continues to break nearly every existing Starz ratings record; an animation project with Nicki Minaj; and an 8 Mile scripted series. All while continuing to keep a finger on the pulse of Hip-Hop.
“Culturally, things move way faster now,” he says. “We have subcultures, street music like Drill. If I were [actively rapping] in this era, I would’ve fallen into that subgenre of rap.”
Influence and Evolution
Although he’s two generations removed from today’s MCs, his influence on young Black men desperately using spoken word to escape the trappings of inner-city underworlds is as undeniable as it is current. 21 Savage remade 50’s grave classic “Many Men.” Fif also agrees that no other music artist of this era resembled him more than the late Pop Smoke.
“I saw so much of myself in him,” says Jackson about the slain Brooklyn rapper before providing levity. “I was like, ‘What’s your mother’s name again?’” 50's new career also came with 20 more pounds than he had 20 years ago. During the pandemic, he swelled to 235 pounds but defends the fatty gains as intentional and occupational. “I put more weight on for the role on the ABC show [For Life]. I was eating everything to get as big as possible. Because it was a jailhouse [role], so it didn’t matter if I wasn’t cut up.”
The Final Lap: Returning to "In Da Club" Form
On the set of the September Men’s Health cover shoot, he’s down ten pounds since the pandemic and a month away from his 48th birthday. While Method Man showcases his gym results for the photographer, 50-sporting an all-black tank top, jeans, and fitted cap-vacillates between comedic, fitness, and business conversations with cover mate Busta Rhymes. Busta is on a mission to bulk up; 50 aims to drop more body fat. The vanity focus is attributed to both rappers preparing for late-summer ’23’s “The Final Lap Tour,” Jackson’s last global run as rapper 50 Cent.
When Fif walked on set, he had 83 dates secured. That was before he was informed at the photo shoot that 20 more shows had been added. That many flights and performances will certainly tax a middle-aged body. This is why the Grammy and Emmy winner is determined to return to “In Da Club” form.
“When I’m in top shape, I’m not sweating until song four,” he says before taking a dig at out-of-shape performers. “They sweatin’ on the second verse. Like, ‘You just got out there and you soaking wet!’”
The Enduring Drive
50 Cent may not feel as urgent as he did in 2003, but the multihyphenate’s ambition and business intuition is as present as the discipline he gained in those South Jamaica boxing gyms. While in some ways he’s changed over the couple of decades (i.e., marginally less aggressive, with no recent threats against anyone’s life), he’s essentially the same Queens kid eager to remove impediments by any means necessary. He is and has always been his greatest competition.
He still aches for a challenge. So whether that calls for dominating network television or Ja Rule or relearning how to walk, triumph is his only option-especially when the stakes and obstacles are at their highest. “It’s more important to get back in shape now than it was then,” he says with his signature imp smirk. “Simply because I’m getting older. It’s harder.”
50 Cent's Sunday Routine: A Glimpse into the Habits of a Mogul
Despite having a hit single titled "Candy Shop," Curtis James Jackson III, better known as the rapper, actor and business mogul 50 Cent, actually has some pretty healthy ways. 50 Cent, who currently lives in the Midtown West area of Manhattan, recently revealed to the New York Times his Sunday routine, which includes habits that many other successful leaders -including Mark Cuban and Richard Branson - swear by.
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