Tim Kennedy, a former Army Ranger, Green Beret sniper, and professional MMA fighter (18-6), embodies a unique blend of physical and mental toughness. Known as "one of the deadliest men on earth," Kennedy's rigorous training regimen and disciplined diet reflect his commitment to peak performance and resilience. This article delves into the details of Kennedy's diet and workout routine, providing insights into how he maintains his lean physique, sharp mind, and unwavering focus.
Kennedy's Training Philosophy: Functional Strength and Mental Fortitude
Kennedy's training philosophy centers around functional strength and mental fortitude. He emphasizes activities that translate directly to real-world combat scenarios. Kennedy uses MMA as a barometer of his combative progress. “In what I do, I have to find ways to measure if I’m getting better, and the only way to do that is with external stress,” Kennedy says. “Getting stronger doesn’t necessarily mean I’m getting harder to kill. I am picking the sports and activities that translate the most violently to what I do for a living.
A Multifaceted Approach
Kennedy's training schedule is intense and varied, encompassing strength and conditioning, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, yoga, cardio, and martial arts. He trains six days a week, incorporating mental toughness exercises into his routine. A typical week looks like this:
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Mental toughness days
- Tuesday: Powerlifting and Olympic lifting
- Thursday: Yoga
- Saturday: Cardio
Kennedy trains at least twelve times a week, so you'll find Kennedy in the gym sometime in the afternoon. His training regime is varied, with workouts including Brazilian Jiujitsu, hot yoga, and cardio. Kennedy usually finds some time for sparring in the afternoon.
Strength and Conditioning
Kennedy's strength and conditioning workouts are designed to build overall strength, power, and endurance. While his main focus is on staying functional and well-rounded, the 37-year-old has managed to deadlift 405lbs, bench-press 300, and power clean 285. “I’m evenly strong,” says Kennedy.
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Sample Exercises
- Agility Ladder Drills: Place an agility ladder on the floor and run the length of it. Do one pass by putting one foot in each box. On the second time through, put both feet in each box. Repeat both drills moving laterally in each direction.
- Cone Drills: Place 4 cones on the floor in a straight line 10 meters apart. Sprint to one, lateral shuffle to the next, then crossover step to the third and backpedal to the fourth.
- Pull-up Ladder: Perform 1 rep and drop from the bar. Then do 2 reps, 3, and so on up to 6 reps. Then work back down to 1.
- Barbell Complex: Load a barbell with 95-135 pounds and perform the following lifts in sequence: deadlift, bentover row, hang clean, front squat, push press, back squat, and pushups on the bar. Complete 6 reps for each lift and do 4 rounds total. Add 10 pounds each set.
- Medicine Ball Burpee Box Jump: Perform a burpee holding a medicine ball. When you come up to standing, pick up the ball, reach overhead, and then slam it into the floor and catch it on the rebound. Now perform a box jump holding the ball. That’s one rep.
- Rowing: Row for 500 meters as fast as you can and then rest for as long as it took to row.
Mental Toughness
When it comes to forging a warrior’s mindset, Kennedy admits that it’s a nasty process. “I was pissed on. I fought dudes, bare knuckles, in front of my entire unit so that I could get on the next helicopter. I’m not saying hazing is right, but you have to make that boy or that young lady realize that they’re going to get hurt in service. The first time I had a round snap by my head, I didn’t hesitate and I didn’t think. I had been trained.
Recovery
Kennedy also stresses recovery, as without it you can’t stay on top of your game and keep training. “I do everything,” Kennedy says. “Cryotherapy, ice baths, massages.
He likes to take a regular dip in icy water.
Kennedy's Diet: Fueling Performance and Recovery
To fuel his two daily training sessions (minimum), Kennedy is constantly eating between workouts to maintain his lean 220-lb physique. Kennedy works with registered dietician PR Cole.
Nutritional Philosophy
When creating a nutrition program for these high-performance professional athletes, the most important factor is the quality of food. The mission is quite simple: We don’t count calories. We don’t count macronutrients. We count nutrients. “We count nutrients. Unlike Tom Brady’s diet, we do not shun nutritionally sound foods like mushrooms, coffee, and yogurt. Varying the types of food on a daily basis is key.
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Dietary Guidelines
- Minimize your intake of inflammation-promoting saturated fats from full-fat dairy and meats.
- Stay hydrated. Never lose more than 2% of your body weight in sweat.
- Avoid artificial sweeteners.
Meal Frequency and Timing
Kennedy eats six to seven meals a day. “I eat all day long, nonstop, about six to seven meals.”
Sample Meal Plan
- Morning: A typical day for Tim Kennedy starts bright and early at 5.30 am. So, he’s likely to start his morning with a bowl of oatmeal or Avo on toast.
- 1 tbsp. MCT oil or Emulsified MCT oil
- 1 cup (dry measurement) gluten-free rolled oats or 1/2 steel-cut oats OR 1 large sweet potato OR sprouted grain tortilla equivalent to 50g carbs (~2 large) tortillas
- 1 cup berries OR 1 whole orange/grapefruit/apple OR 1 small banana
- 2-3 tsp. raw, unfiltered honey (optional)
- 6 egg whites (approx.
- For MCT oil: Mix or blend in coffee, drizzle on food after cooking, do not cook with this oil due to its low smoke point.
- Measure your oats dry. Cook your oats with water and cinnamon, if desired. Up to ½ cup non-dairy, unsweetened milk is fine to add on oatmeal. Add fruit to oatmeal if desired. Drizzle with honey.
- Saute vegetables (ex. spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, kale, etc.) in pan with a higher smoke point oil (like coconut or avocado). Add eggs & egg whites to pan, then scramble with vegetables.
- Afternoon: Tim Kennedy starts the afternoon with a healthy snack, including plenty of fruit and vegetables. He'll have another mid-afternoon snack.
- Recipe Idea: Make a healthy chili in a slow-cooker!
- 7 oz. bison, 90/10 lean beef, wild game, salmon OR Chilean sea bass
- 8 oz.
- 8 oz. chicken breast, turkey, any white fish (including canned tuna-look for wild tuna for a lower mercury content)
- 5 oz. sweet potato + ½ cup black, kidney or garbanzo beans OR ½ cup of brown rice, wild rice, black rice, quinoa + ½ cup beans or lentils
- ⅓ avocado OR 1 tbsp.
- Evening: After an evening snack, Tim fits in a Jiujutsu workout. He has a third-degree Black Belt. He’ll enjoy another bigger meal a little later in the evening with his wife, Ginger, a teacher and media personality, and their four children.
- 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened
- 1 cup berries or mango/pineapple
- 1 banana
- ½ cup dry oats
- 40-50g protein (whey protein isolate or vegan protein powder, 2 scoops)
- 1-2 tbsp. cacao powder OR 2 tbsp. cacao nibs (for magnesium)
- 1 tbsp. nut butter of choice
- 2 tbsp.
- 8 oz. chicken breast, turkey breast, any white fish (including canned tuna)
- 1 ½ cup quinoa, any type of rice or 8 oz. sweet potato/red-skin potato
- ½ avocado
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, unrefined olive oil (drizzle on after cooking or use as salad dressing)
- 2 cups of green veggies (raw and/or cooked)
- 2 tbsp.
- ¼ - ½ cup raw, unsalted nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts etc) + 2 tbsp.
Hydration
Drink minimum 1 ½ gallon of water per day until you cut water weight. Always use Himalayan salt & iodized salt. Alternate. Start your day (before eating) with 16 oz. room-temperature water with juice from ½ lemon. Drink “Recover” from the Onnit Cafe (pure coconut water + 1 tbsp. coconut Emulsified MCT oil + 1 tsp. Himalayan salt)
Salmon Marinade Recipe
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 tsp. orange juice
6 egg whites (approx.
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1 tbsp. garlic
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Mix the soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, mustard, tomato paste, and lemon juice in a bowl, then pour into a plastic bag. Place the salmon steaks into the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for four hours. When ready, place the salmon steaks on a grill for approximately five minutes on each side.
Supplements
Kennedy takes a bevy of supplements to aid his performance and recovery.
A Day in the Life of Tim Kennedy: Balancing Training, Business, and Family
A day in the life of Tim Kennedy is packed with training, business, and family commitments, all vying for his time and attention.
Mornings
His first training session is in the morning, choosing strength and conditioning training.
Afternoons
Much of his afternoon likely revolves around working on and in his businesses. Kennedy has become a serial entrepreneur with ownership and stakes in several companies, including Sheepdog Response and Ranger Up. Equally, he may be busy with television production, which could take up the whole day.
Evenings
With all the exercise Tim does, there is very little time for less grueling pastimes, but he’s sure to spend some part of the evening hanging out with his wife and kids and, from time to time, a few pals.
Kennedy's Mindset: Discipline, Resilience, and Service
Beyond his physical prowess, Kennedy's mindset is a key component of his success. He emphasizes discipline, resilience, and service.
The Importance of Fundamentals
On becoming a better fighter, Kennedy says, “Be good at the fundamentals. Drill and have a coach you will be loyal to. Some guys go from sparring night to sparring night-train at this gym, train at that gym-but you’ll never get better that way.
Daily Choices
On staying in shape, Kennedy has this to say: “It is a daily choice. You can’t be going to go the gym on Saturday and working really hard and then Sunday drinking beer, watching football, and eating wings.
Fear and Motivation
“The thing that keeps me up at night, and the thing that ultimately is a dagger in the center of my soul, is fear of letting down all the people that I’ve sworn to protect,” says Kennedy-a man who fears nothing else despite being blown up by an IED and who is currently on ISIS’s hit list. When he found out, rather than shying away or going into hiding, Tim challenged the terrorists to come and get him. They didn't.
Real-World Application
On March 22, 2019, someone tried to break into his home. “A professional criminal attempted to break into our house this week. I was watching him on live video at 3:53 AM. Picture 1 is him trying a side door. Picture 2 is him trying a different door. Play stupid games. Get stupid prizes. EVERYTHING I talk about at Sheepdog Response came into play.