On March 19, 2022, two-time Classic Physique Olympia winner Breon Ansley announced that this would be his last year competing in Classic Physique. Since losing his crown to the three-time reigning king of the division Chris Bumstead in 2019, Ansley steadily slipped down the rankings, and his recent fourth-place finish at the 2022 Arnold in Columbus, OH, was, apparently, the final nail in the coffin.
The 42-year-old California native believes his physique is better suited above the 185-pound Classic Physique division weight cap — it won’t be his first rodeo competing in a heavier category. Before switching to Classic Physique, Ansley was a 212 athlete. Ansley is changing his strategy and diet from years prior — eating more carbs than any previous diet. The title of his most recent full day of eating YouTube video, posted on April 6, 2022, says as much:
I’m eating more calories than ever before.
Ansley is about 18 weeks out from his next show that he has not yet disclosed but mentioned doing a show before the 2022 Olympia weekend. He has a lot on his plate…so let’s see what Ansley’s current diet looks like:
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Breon Ansley’s High-Calorie Diet
At the start of the video, Ansley reiterated his current strategy:
The game plan is…to have more food…and to try to keep the food higher as we continue to go. My carbohydrate intake on my medium days are more than or probably equal to what I start with calorie-wise usually in a prep for the whole day.
His carb intake is perhaps the most significant change made to his diet. Ansley rotates between low, medium, and high-carb days based on the muscle groups he’s training, perhaps better known as carb cycling. For example, he needs more carbs (energy) to train larger muscle groups like back, legs, and chest, and fewer carbs for smaller muscle groups and off days. This full day of eating consisted of high-carb meals as he trained back:
Meal One — Breakfast
Ansley starts his day off with a protein-heavy breakfast consisting of eggs, chicken liver (that may be a first), cream of wheat mixed with strawberry-flavored protein powder, and some berries. He is generous with the sea salt, explaining that he’s allowed to add it per his preference, though it necessitates the need to drink a lot of water.
- Two Whole Eggs
- Chicken Liver — two ounces
- Cream of Rice — 65 grams
- Mixed with 10 grams of whey isolate protein powder (strawberry flavor)
- Berries — 200 grams
Ansley mentioned having acid reflux and digestive problems, and so now that he’s consuming a lot more calories, it’s even more imperative that he maintain good digestive and gut health. That also means taking the right supplements and including many of the same foods from his anti-inflammatory diet. While moving his hands over his belly, Ansley said:
You don’t want the body to be putting in overtime here. You want the body to put in the overtime here, to the muscles.
After training, Breon Ansley needs plenty of protein and carbs to repair his muscles and replenish the lost glycogen (muscle fuel), and he gets in a post-workout meal.
Meal Two — Post-Workout
- Shrimp — six ounces
- Jasmine Rice —230 grams
Ansley seems to prefer seafood and rice. Lots of rice. He enjoys eating more food compared to previous preps.
The most carbs that I’ve ever eaten in prep, this is so much fun to me fam.
Ansley showed the supplements he takes for digestive health, including gastrointestinal support, glutamine, a prebiotic, postbiotic, and probiotic formula, betaine HCL, a product for acid management, enzymes, and curcumin. He then talked about the many benefits of maintaining a healthy gut.
Meals Three, Four, & Five
Meal three is typically the same as meal two. However, this time, Ansley chose to have six ounces of Basa (a species of catfish) as his protein source, and 230 grams of Jasmine rice — the same as the last meal. He struggled to weigh his fish to the exact number of ounces and joked that it was such a time-wasting process. However, the former champ knows it has to be done. He reminded everyone that he loves high carb days and is eating more carbs in this one meal than he used to consume in an entire day in previous preps.
Meal four was precisely the same as meal two. Meal five was the same as meal three. After the last meal, Ansley waits about 45-50 minutes and then gets some shuteye.
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Current Eating Routine Details
Ansley recently implemented three high-carb days, three moderate-carb days, and one low-carb day rotation. Details below:
- High-carb days — Monday, Thursday, Friday
- Moderate-carb days — Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday
- Low-carb/off day — Sunday
Ansley is 18 weeks out from a show and aims to drop weight steadily leading up to the competition.
Breon Ansley Full Day Of Eating Wrap Up
That’s Ansley’s daily eating schedule as he prepares for a competition in 18 weeks before making his final Classic Physique appearance at the 2022 Olympia in December. His current nutrition regime consists of eating more carbs and calories than he ever has, and he loves every minute of it.
The key is guys to this whole thing is to continue to drop weight while we’re eating like this in this manner.
Ansley’s goal is to maintain eating this much food and still drop weight. He promised to bring his viewers more content and physique updates, including how he plans to stay on track while attending the FIBO event in Germany from April 7-10, 2022.
Featured image: @breonma_ on Instagram