Eric Hinman, a Denver-based endurance athlete, content creator, health and wellness entrepreneur, and angel investor, embodies a lifestyle meticulously crafted around health, wellness, and high performance. Sponsored by numerous consumer brands, Eric's approach to diet and training is not just about aesthetics, but about optimizing performance and maintaining high mental clarity. This article explores Eric Hinman's diet plan, training regime, and the principles that guide his pursuit of "perfect days."
Eric Hinman: A Profile of an Endurance Athlete and Entrepreneur
Eric Hinman is a multifaceted individual:
- Endurance Athlete: A five-time Ironman and two-time Kona Ironman finisher, Eric has a strong background in triathlon.
- CrossFit Athlete: Since retiring from Ironman competitions, Eric has focused on CrossFit, participating in the CrossFit Games since 2015.
- Entrepreneur and Angel Investor: Eric has founded and invested in various businesses in the health, wellness, tech, and hospitality sectors. He built an insurance business that provided residual income, which he then used to fund other ventures like Urban Life Athletics, Healthy Grain, and XO Taco.
- Content Creator and Social Media Influencer: Eric shares his training, diet, and lifestyle tips with a large online following.
The Foundation: Structured Eating and Eliminating Decisions
Eric emphasizes the importance of structure in his diet. He believes that eliminating decisions around food is crucial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This involves building a routine around eating that you enjoy. For Eric, this means:
- Prioritizing Mental Clarity: He avoids high food volume meals until later in the evening when he's ready to relax.
- Home-Cooked Meals: He eats most of his meals at home, limiting restaurant visits to once or twice a week.
- Avoiding Processed Foods and Sugars: He rarely consumes processed foods or sugary items.
A Typical Day of Eating
Here's a breakdown of Eric Hinman's typical daily diet:
- Morning: Coffee with collagen powder and a little honey, sometimes a banana before his first workout.
- Post-Workout Meal 1: Either a smoothie or eggs with turkey sausage.
- Smoothie: Homemade nut milk (or 2% milk), protein powder, banana, frozen berries, ginger powder, turmeric powder, spinach, almond butter, and beet powder.
- Eggs and Turkey Sausage: Four or five eggs with turkey sausage.
- Post-Workout Meal 2: Similar to the first post-workout meal, either a smoothie or eggs and turkey sausage.
- Evening (Biggest Meal): A protein source (steak, burgers, chicken thighs, smoked chicken wings, salmon, or pork) with carbs (potatoes or rice) and a salad.
- Before Bed: Nut butter and Beam Dream (a sleep tonic with magnesium, L-theanine, nano CBD, and melatonin) in milk. He also sometimes has a teaspoon of honey before bed.
Supplements
Eric has experimented with various supplements over the years but consistently relies on a few staples:
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- Caffeine: Coffee in the morning, typically cut off by noon. He may have two espressos, one before his morning workout and one before his afternoon workout if it's an earlier afternoon workout.
- Creatine: For building strength and gaining muscle mass.
- Beet Powder: For nitric oxide, beneficial for endurance.
- NAD or NMN: For cellular aging.
- Colostrum: For immune system support.
- Beam Dream: A sleep aid containing magnesium, L-theanine, nano CBD, and melatonin.
- Magnesium: Taken in the evening to calm the mind.
- Honey: A teaspoon before bed to prevent hunger pains and a racing mind.
Training Regimen: A Balance of Strength and Aerobic Conditioning
Eric's training regime is intense, reflecting his commitment to health and wellness. He structures his days around his workouts, making it a central component of his lifestyle.
- Morning Session: Five days per week at a CrossFit gym, following Matt Frazier's HWPO programming.
- Warm-up (10-15 minutes) focusing on activating the muscle groups that will be used.
- Strength training and Olympic lifting (30-40 minutes). This includes exercises like back squats, front squats, and squat cleans, following specific sets, reps, and percentages.
- Anaerobic conditioning (10-20 minutes) involving high-intensity intervals on an assault bike, rower, or a CrossFit metcon.
- Accessory work (15 minutes) focusing on smaller muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
- Afternoon Session: Seven days per week, aerobic conditioning for 45-90 minutes. Activities include mountain biking, trail running, hiking, and rucking, depending on the weather and his preferences.
Training Philosophy
- Purposeful Training: Eric emphasizes the importance of understanding the benefits of specific sets, reps, and percentages in his training.
- Listening to the Body: He varies his aerobic activities based on what he's craving and what the weather allows.
- Seeking Discomfort: Eric believes in pushing himself through challenging workouts and recovery methods like ice baths and saunas to promote growth and positive energy.
Balancing Training with Life
Eric acknowledges the challenges of balancing intense training with other commitments. When training for long hours, he structures his days around his workouts, travels less frequently, and chooses locations that facilitate his training routine.
Eric Hinman's Approach to Health
Eric Hinman's approach to health is characterized by:
- Self-Awareness: Understanding his body and what works best for him.
- Consistency: Maintaining a structured routine and sticking to it as much as possible.
- Mindset: Approaching training with a positive attitude and a focus on self-improvement.
- Adaptability: Adjusting his diet and training based on his goals and needs.
Practical Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle
Inspired by Eric Hinman's approach, here are some practical tips for incorporating healthy habits into your own life:
- Structure Your Diet: Create a meal plan that eliminates decision fatigue and focuses on whole, unprocessed foods.
- Prioritize Protein: Aim for approximately one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
- Find Activities You Enjoy: Incorporate both strength training and aerobic conditioning into your routine, choosing activities that you find enjoyable and sustainable.
- Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how different foods and activities affect your energy levels and performance, and adjust accordingly.
- Seek Support: Surround yourself with a supportive community that encourages your health and wellness goals.
- Embrace the Process: Understand that building a healthy lifestyle is a journey, not a destination. Be patient with yourself, celebrate small wins, and learn from setbacks.
- Eliminate Junk Food: Remove processed foods, sugars, and other unhealthy items from your pantry and fridge to reduce temptation.
- Meet New People: Make a conscious effort to connect with new people who share your interests and values.
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