Rich Eugene Piana was best known for his monstrous hulk-like physique and his honesty towards the fitness industry. He got introduced to bodybuilding at 11.
He learned the art of bodybuilding, dedication and persistence from his mother and applied it throughout his life. His accomplishments, like winning the Mr Teen California and Mr California along with his lively personality, made him a big name in the bodybuilding community.
Rich Piana influenced people with his fitness and the hard work he put into honing his body. His massive shoulders and arms made people obsess over him. Besides being a bodybuilder, he was also a YouTuber. He especially made his YouTube videos to motivate youngsters and provide them with all his bodybuilding wisdom.
For a fitness influencer and a renowned bodybuilder like Rich, a proper diet plan is his bread and butter. According to Rich, his motto is to eat big, to get big.
In this article, we will know more about Rich Piana’s diet plan and what made him so special that led him to win multiple bodybuilding titles.
Rich Piana’s Diet Plan
As big as Rich was, he had to consume large amounts of food to meet his nutrition goals. Though not a big follower of a strict diet, he enjoyed eating whatever healthy food his body likes so that he doesn’t get bored. This is highly unlikely among bodybuilders.
Piana admitted on multiple occasions that he does not enjoy cooking. This calls for cutting corners, like adding protein powders directly into his meal. Rich’s diet plan comprised 8 nutrient-dense meals. Let’s see what they are.
Rich Piana Meal Plan | |
Meal 1 | 10 Egg Whites, 2 scoop Whey Protein, 4 packets of Oatmeal |
Meal 2 | 2-4 scoops of mass gainer, 2 scoops of whey protein, oatmeal, peanut butter and banana |
Meal 3 | 3 Chicken Breasts and 2 cups of Brown Rice |
Meal 4 | 2 scoops of Whey protein powder, 2 scoops of a mass gainer and 1-2 bananas |
Meal 5 | Steaks, fish, lean pork or 10lbs of turkey, 2 cups of brown rice. |
Meal 6 | Fat-free Greek yoghurt mixed with 2 scoops of Whey Protein Powder |
Meal 7l (Dinner) | Burritos, burgers |
Meal 8 | Ben and Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice-cream |
Being a son of a bodybuilder, Rich grew up knowing the importance of diet. It is no secret that 60% of bodybuilding depends on diet. Therefore, you will find Rich Piana’s meal plan to be heavy on protein and calorie-dense food.
Be Consistent
According to Rich, being consistent in his meal plan is one necessity of his career choice. An occasional cheat meal is acceptable, as it will keep you motivated. But you should get back to your diet plan for the next meal.
Protein Power
All of Rich’s diets were heavy on proteins. Protein is very satiating, and it helped his muscle fibre to recover and grow. Protein also burns fat, thus they help in exposing his big muscles.
Low-Carb Diet
The low-carb diet process decreases the amount of carbohydrate intake in one’s body. This leads the body to metabolise the fats within the body to extract energy for body functions. As a bodybuilder, Rich used to avoid carbs at night.
8 Meals a Day!
The secret to Rich Piana’s extremely well built and massive physique was his nutrition plan. He had 8 meals every day, which is because of his belief that you needed to add fuel to your body every few hours.
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Educate Yourself
Rich believed one needs to educate themselves about nutrition and healthy living. This is especially important that you have all the knowledge before committing to a strenuous lifestyle like bodybuilding. With this goal in mind, he made videos on YouTube to educate and motivate young bodybuilders.
What does Rich Eugene Piana eat?
Because of his committed lifestyle as a bodybuilder and a fitness influencer, Rich Piana always had to eat a lot to gain and maintain his physique. Here’s a list of food items he preferred to eat –
- Egg Whites
- Oatmeal
- Chicken Breast
- Whey Protein
- Meat
- Brown Rice
- Vegetables
- Greek Yogurt
- Water
What food does Rich Eugene Piana avoid?
Rich Eugene Piana, being a fitness freak, maintained a very controlled diet, which comprised just the food items he wanted to intake and needed to intake. The list of the foods that he avoided.
- Junk Food
- Refined Sugar
- Processed Carbs
- Fried Food
- Fast Food
- Artificial Additives
- Chemical Ingredients
Rich Piana’s Supplements
Like all bodybuilders, Rich Piana used to take in a huge amount of supplements which helped in his lifestyle. Some of Rich Piana’s supplements are :
BCAAs
Branched Chained Amino Acids or commonly called BCAA’spromotes huge gains and muscle recovery.
Pre-Workout
Increases blood flow to the muscles and increases focus during workouts.
Multivitamin
You can never go wrong with a multivitamin. They help in completing the micronutrient profile of the body and in the proper functioning of the body.
Glutamine
Glutamine helps in detoxifying the liver and, by extension, the body. It also acts as food for White Blood Cells thus helping the immune system function.
NAC
N-acetyl cysteine is used in making antioxidants by the body. It helps protect the organs from damage.
Creatine
Creatine provides the extra energy push to the body during workouts. It also helps during a high-intensity performance and also aids muscle recovery.
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Now You Know!
Since you have read this far, we assume that you have understood how Rich Eugene Piana, the very famous bodybuilder, world record holder, and fitness influencer used to maintain his body and grow it with the help of diets and supplements. He had to go through difficulties with his body many times during his career. He knew the game and how to take it to the next level.
Not all the readers of this article are fitness freaks or bodybuilding enthusiasts, but what one learns from Rich Piana’s diet plan is that you need determination and hard work to achieve gigantic success.