BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

News

Here’s How Bodybuilder Samson Dauda Preps His Food Bi-Weekly

The "Nigerian Lion" fires up a grill ever two weeks to prep his seasoned proteins.

Phil Blechman
Written by Phil Blechman
Last updated on July 20th, 2023

The 2023 Arnold Classic will occur at the 2023 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH, on March 3-5, 2023. The headlining event for the second-most prestigious bodybuilding title in the world is the Men’s Open contest that features 10 of the premier bodybuilders on the planet.

One of those 10 athletes is Samson Dauda. Many, including bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler and seven-time 212 Olympia champion Flex Lewis, believe will be on or within striking distance of the crown. Dauda is known for his muscle fullness and having one of the most aesthetic physiques at the top of the sport.

On Feb. 23, 2023, Dauda took to his YouTube channel to share how he preps the food that helps him maintain his combination of muscle density and tight waist. Check it out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMKhw7oEQs&ab_channel=SAMSONDAUDA

[Related: How Strong Was Ronnie Coleman? Looking Back at the Incredible Strength of the 8-Time Mr. Olympia]

Dauda’s food prep has a uniqueness to it compared to many other athletes he contends against on elite stages. Unlike his rivals who prep meals using cutting boards in a kitchen, Dauda’s style is more akin to a chef preparing a seafood boil or a grillmaster prepping for a catering event.
 
Dauda places what appeared to be chicken into a bucket one might find on a beach and seasons those proteins with various spices before mixing them with a marinade. Once the grill is at a high enough heat, he rolls out a sheet of aluminum foil and sprays it with some oil. While the chicken grills, Dauda massages spices onto some steak in a smaller bucket that also looks as though it came from a beach set intended for making sandcastles.
 
The use of oil is just to wet the red meat, but the seasoning is heavy-handed — safe to assume Dauda’s meals aren’t compromising flavor. That’s a common misconception that in order to maintain a steady macro count as an elite bodybuilder that meals need to be either repetitive or flavorless. Neither is true, and Dauda appears to assertively prioritize flavor in his prep.
 

[Related: 2023 Orchid Pro Singapore Results — Bojana Vasiljevic and Alessia Facchin Win Figure and Bikini Contests]

Once the chicken on the grill is cooked halfway through (after about 20 minutes on half heat), Dauda removes the aluminum foil and places the poultry directly on the grill. Again, the reasoning is for the additional flavor offered by a charred outside from direct contact with the fire.
 
Dauda repeats the process for the steak before the protein is cut up into manageable portions that are then weighed out and frozen. The time it takes to prep Dauda’s protein is relatively minimal — the grill time plus the initial prep to season the food while the grill heats up, followed by the cut and portioning. Overall, Dauda’s meal prep is efficient, precise, and from the looks of it, delicious.

More Bodybuilding Content

Featured image: @samson__dauda on Instagram
Phil Blechman

About Phil Blechman

Phil is a native New Yorker passionate about storytelling, bodybuilding, and game design. He holds a BFA from Syracuse University.

View All Articles

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.