David Laid is an Estonian-American fitness model, bodybuilder, and social media personality known for his transformation videos on YouTube. His journey is an inspiration to many, showcasing the power of dedication and a well-structured approach to fitness. This article delves into David Laid's diet plan, workout routine, and supplement choices, providing a comprehensive overview of how he maintains his physique.
David Laid: A Profile
David Laid was born in Estonia in 1998. He faced early life challenges, including the loss of his father at a young age and, later, a diagnosis of scoliosis at 14. This diagnosis prompted him to start weight training. He weighed only 98 lbs and suffered at the hands of bullies. "Every aspect of my life was heavily impaired by how insecure I was and how I looked." He realized he needed to make a change in his life. Finding inspiration in body transformation videos, he embarked on a fitness journey that would transform his body and life.
Current Stats
- Height: 188 cm - 6’2”
- Weight: 83.9 - 88.5 kg - 185-195 pounds
- Age: 22 years old (as of 2020)
- Birthday: 29th of January, 1998
- Accolades: David Laid 3 Year Natural Transformation 14-17, YouTube, 2015
David Laid's Workout Principles
Laid loves deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. He uses these three to continually improve his physique. He trains in the gym on a regular basis and hits the gym 6 times a week to stay in his best shape. He can train for up to 6 hours per day. David Laid can move some serious weight and, as mentioned above, he hits the gym 6 times a week. His strength shows when it comes to his deadlifts, and he can pull over 600 pounds. He believes that many people tend to overthink training, which means that you can do the most fundamental exercises and still make a lot of strength and muscle mass.
David Laid's Workout Routine
David Laid's workout routine is a testament to his dedication and focus on fundamental exercises. He hits the gym six days a week, incorporating a variety of exercises to target different muscle groups.
Chest Workout
This chest routine consists of 5 different exercises.
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- Incline bench press (5 sets, 5 reps)
- Dumbbell incline press (5 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Flat bench press (5 sets, 6-8 reps)
- Incline bench press (as many reps as possible)
- Flat bench press (as many reps as possible)
Back Workout
On this back routine, Laid performs a total of 7 different exercises with an average of 4 sets and 8 reps.
- Dumbbell rows (4 sets, 6-8 reps)
- Seated wide-grip lat pulldown (4 sets, 6-8 reps)
- Seated cable row (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Close-grip chin-up (4 sets, until failure)
- Hex bar shrug (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Cable shrug (4, 8-10 reps)
- Close grip lat pulldown (4 sets, 6-10 reps)
Shoulder Workout
David Laid hits this shoulder routine by doing a total of 8 exercises.
- Seated dumbbell press (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Seated behind the neck overhead press (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Dumbbell lateral raise (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Seated machine overhead press (4 sets, 8-10 reps)
- Cable lateral raise (4 sets, 10-12 reps)
- Front plate raise (4 sets, 10-12 reps)
- Rear delt seated fly machine (4 sets, 10-12 reps)
- Rear delt seated cable row (4 sets, 10-12 reps)
Leg Workout
On this leg routine, he performs 4 different exercises.
- Barbell squat with pause (4 sets, 3 reps)
- Barbell squat (6 sets, 5 reps)
- Machine leg press (3 sets, 20 reps)
- Lying hamstring curls (5 sets, 10 reps)
Arm Workout
On this arm routine, Laid hits 5 different exercises by doing an average of 3 sets and 10 reps.
- Seated Hammer Curl (3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps)
- Bodyweight dips (3 sets, 15 reps)
- EZ bar curls (3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps)
- Triceps cable pushdown (3 sets, 10, 8, 6 reps)
- Barbell curl (1 burnout set)
David Laid's Diet
David Laid has never been a heavy eater, and he needs to count the number of macros to stay in his best shape. He sticks to a clean and healthy diet to maintain his amazing body and eats around 5 meals each day. More recently, he has switched to a vegan diet plan.
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Daily Meal Plan
- Breakfast
- Shake with oat milk
- Plant-based protein powder
- Flaxseed, hemp hearts, moringa leaf powder
- Lion’s mane mushroom powder
- 1 banana, blueberries, and strawberries
- Lunch
- Large bowl with avocados
- White rice, black beans, spinach, kale
- Himalayan salt
- Snack
- Shake with plant-based protein powder
- Dinner
- Buckwheat, kale, spinach
- Himalayan salt
- Snack
- Sourdough bread with almond butter
- A shake with plant-based protein powder
David Laid ensures to include calorie-dense foods in his diet plan which allows him to gain muscle mass and provides his body with the energy to go through his intense training sessions. If you want to have a physique like that of David Laid, you would have to eliminate certain food items from your nutrition plan. These food items are the ones that David keeps himself away from. David Laid has always shown inestimable discipline towards following a strict diet plan.
Supplements & Recommendations
Even though David Laid primarily relies on whole food items to fulfill his nutritional requirements, at the same time he also includes certain supplements in his diet plan to make it more complete and wholesome. David Laid uses the following supplements to help fuel his gains:
- Whey Protein
- Creatine
- Multivitamin
- Pre-Workout
- BCAA
Supplement Breakdown
- Whey Protein: After a strenuous workout session, your muscles require a quick inflow of essential amino acids. A good quality whey protein serves as the perfect supplement in such a scenario. Owing to its fast digesting properties, it fuels the muscles with the nutrients that they require for recuperation and growth. Whey protein also acts as a savior when it comes to fulfilling your body’s everyday protein requirements.
- Creatine: Creatine helps in supplying your muscle cells with the energy they require to get you through that additional two or three reps at the end of your set that promote growth. There have also been researches that have concluded that supplementing one’s diet with creatine may lead to overall strength gains. Creatine also helps in increasing the water content of your muscles.
- Multivitamin: Multivitamins help in getting your body the vitamins that become a bit challenging to consume through your regular diet. Multivitamin capsules contain antioxidants to destroy free radicals, which allows you to maintain muscle strength.
- Pre-Workout: The pre-workout supplement provides energy to go through intense training sessions without feeling enervated. They are known for giving your body the kick that takes your workout performance to the next level. A pre-workout supplement aids in delaying fatigue.
- BCAA: BCAA is an acronym for Branched Chain Amino Acids. When you go through intense training sessions, your muscle tissues tend to get damaged. BCAA plays a crucial role in preventing excessive muscle damage and soreness. BCAAs also helps in delaying the fatigue when you go through intense workouts.
Plant-Based Transition
Plant-based diets have become more popular in the fitness industry in recent years, and David Laid has joined that trend. He was also asked how he’s getting his daily doses of DHA/EPA Omega 3s (two of the three essential fatty acids we need to obtain from our diet). Most plant-based foods only offer ALA (the third essential fatty acid), and DHA/EPA are typically only found in foods like fish. Whether Laid finds success on this diet remains to be seen, but it’s certainly one of the bigger endorsements of the lifestyle within the fitness industry.
Overcoming Obstacles and Finding Inspiration
David Laid's fitness journey began at a young age, but it wasn’t without his fair share of struggles early on. He lost his father at a young age and he was a rather skinny child that suffered at the hands of bullies, only limiting his self-confidence even more. After finding his passion and beginning his journey in the gym, he realized a toned and sculpted physique was within his reach. He kept working on getting that physique to where he wanted it to be and ultimately became a social media influencer and fitness model, using his platform to help others reach their goals.
Inspired to reach your true potential like David? When David started out in fitness, he came across several body transformation videos - discovering the likes of Marc Fitt, Jeff Seid and the Hodgetwins. Furthermore, David idolizes Greg Plitt. Through hard work and determination, David Laid was able to build a physique that allowed him to overcome insecurity about his looks. He sought advice on building muscle by following his bodybuilding idols online. David faced roadblocks in his life, stopping him from getting to where he wanted to be. What we can learn from David Laid is; fitness has the ability to transform your life in a positive way.
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Adapting the Routine
While David Laid’s routine is highly effective, it can be demanding in terms of volume and frequency. Beginners or natural lifters may benefit from modifying the program to include more rest days or reduced volume.