Inside Aaron Donald’s diet: How ex-NFL star maintained absurd body fat percentage originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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In a letter written for the Players’ Tribune before his Pittsburgh retirement ceremony, future NFL Hall-of- FamerAaron Donald put it best:
“Are you going to stay off the dang Wendys double cheeseburgers??? Man, I know theyre good as hell. Those little square patties. That late 90s Wendys. That Dave Thomas Wendys. Oh my gosh. I know theyre good, but come on, bro. Youre eating yourself out of the league before youre even in the fourth grade!!! The Wendys got you wearing your T-shirt in the public pool, man. Theyre trying to move you up in age groups in Pop Warner not because youre dominating, but because you just be falling on people and hurting them.
Believe it or not, in the future theyre going to call you an animal. One of the hardest workers in football. Youre gonna go so hard in college that theyre going to hold you back from practice. From practice.”
Donald is one of the best defensive tackles to ever play in the NFL, but his dominance wasn’t built on genetics and brute strength alone; it was engineered through a precise, almost unbelievable dietary regimen designed to fuel a human engine operating at 5,000 calories a day.
While most NFL players rely on high-protein, low-carb formulas, Donald a 280-pound defensive terror with 10% body fat defied the norm. His philosophy, crafted by his team’s dietitians and personal chef, leaned heavily into a surprising ratio: 50% carbohydrates and 30% fats, making his high-volume meals extremely important to his NFL routine.
Here’s what to know about Donald’s diet, which allowed him to be an animal, hard worker and NFL legend.
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Aaron Donald maintained a body composition throughout his career that was unheard of for an elite defensive lineman. While typical defensive tackles hover around 1825% body fat, Donald consistently played at a shredded 1011%. During some offseasons and mini-camps, he even reported dipping below the 10% threshold. This exceptionally low percentage, combined with his high playing weight (around 280 pounds), meant his mass was lean muscle, giving him an unparalleled combination of explosiveness and endurance on the field.
Donald’s body fat percentage, wasn’t just a physical statistic; it was the biological metric that defined his nutritional strategy and dictated his daily meals.
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Aaron Donald was consistently listed during his NFL career as 6-feet-1, with an official playing weight of 280 pounds.
This height made him relatively undersized for an elite defensive tackle, a position dominated by players often reaching 6-foot-4 or taller.
His diet is ultimately the story of how he managed to maintain this massive, explosive, yet remarkably lean frame to become one of the most disruptive forces in modern football.
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According to Generation Iron, Aaron Donald “follows a strict diet plan that fuels his intense workouts and helps him recover quickly. His daily caloric intake is approximately 5,000 calories, with a macronutrient breakdown of 50% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 20% protein.”
The plan was laid out by Generation Iron.
Donald also includes daily supplements in his routine, including whey protein, multivitamins, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
Unlike the typical high-protein NFL diet, Donald’s approach leaned heavily on carbohydrates and healthy fats to fuel his relentless activity and recovery. This strategy ensured he had massive reserves of muscle glycogen (from carbs) for explosive, sustained energy, while the higher fat content (from sources like avocado and fish) supported hormone health and joint recovery from his brutal training regimen.
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At the 2014 NFL Combine, Donald bench-pressed 225 pounds 35 times, a number that placed him among the top performers at his position and demonstrated his incredible upper-body strength and endurance. Even after retiring from the NFL, Donald is in the weight room a ton.
His rigorous, year-round training regimen, often described as “insane” or “superhuman-esque,” is key to maintaining his elite strength and physical conditioning.
2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse spoke about his workout with Donald in the preseason.
Donald’s squat numbers vary, with some viral social media clips showing him squatting 700 pounds and even 1000 pounds.
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Donald has reportedly stated or been credited with being able to bench press 500 pounds.
This maximum weight is typically referenced in stories about his intense workouts, including an instance where he reportedly shocked wide receiver DK Metcalf by casually mentioning the 500-pound figure.
Metcalf is also known for his physique and being one of the NFL’s strongest players. The bottom line: Aaron Donald is a machine.
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