Dave Bautista Workout That Turned Him Into Drax The Destroyer

Want to look like a movie superhero? How about also looking like a former world champion? Guess what? One man already does. We will explain the Dave Bautista Workout . You’re welcome!

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known for his time in the WWE ring and on the silver screen. But he’s not the only wrestling superstar that has traded in his championship belts for starring movie roles. In the 1980s, there was Hulk Hogan, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Terry Funk and Jesse Ventura. More recently, there’s been “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Miz, John Cena and Dave Bautista. With that said, Bautista isn’t trying to be just another ex-wrestler.

He’s preparing to be better. 

It all began with his prep for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Over the course of his career, Bautista wore many hats. He started his career working as a bodybuilder. That stint as a bodybuilder helped shape Bautista and allowed him to transition into his next profession, pro wrestler. But, it did not come easy. World Championship Wrestling trainers told him he didn’t have what it took to make it in the business. It didn’t matter.

Dave Bautista, known to the wrestling world as Batista, worked as a WWE wrestler for 15 years where he became one of the most accomplished and well-known performers in the business. He joined WWE’s Smackdown brand in mid-2002 as Deacon Batista before moving on to Raw near the end of the same year. On Raw, he quickly joined with Ric Flair, Triple H, and Randy Orton to form one of the greatest factions in wrestling history known as Evolution.

For the next year, the group dominated by capturing all the gold.

By the end of his career, Batista was a six-time World Champion. His first World title win came in 2005 against Triple H. He was also a four-time tag team champ winning that alongside greats like Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and Ric Flair. But, that wasn’t enough for Bautista. As a result, he went on to face his next challenge as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter. After winning his first, and only, fight, Bautista decided to make one last change.

He went on to test his luck in the world of acting. Though he’s been acting for over a decade, Bautista recently played his biggest role yet. That role was as Drax the Destroyer in the box-office hit Guardians of the Galaxy.

So how did Dave Bautista become Drax the Destroyer, one of the most feared men in the galaxy?

Dave Bautista Diet

When you look at guys as lean as Dave Bautista, you always tell yourself it’s not possible to ever build a body like that. After all, these types of guys have a team of nutritionists that watch their every bite. Though it is tough to do alone, eating healthy does not always have to be a chore. Bautista, whose body fat is under 10%, doesn’t keep a strict diet in terms of what he eats on a daily basis.

Instead, he just tries to ensure that he eats good quality meals.

The only true limits that he puts on himself are limiting fats while maintaining a steady helping of protein. This ensures that his body fat stays low, while his muscles are fed and maintained. Unlike most other Hollywood fitness buffs, Bautista does not pay much attention to calories or carbs. Because of his rigorous exercise program (which we will get into just a little later on), he feels that he has some wiggle room in terms of his diet.

Though he does not like to limit his diet based on numbers, Bautista did recently begin limiting the types of food he puts in his body. In the last couple of years, Bautista has adopted a gluten free lifestyle. He has also been cutting out all red meats.

This change began during his MMA career, where most fighters live like that in an attempt to keep weight low. When Bautista began doing this, it started out as simply a trial run. But, after a month, he decided to keep it full time, crediting it with not only helping him look better but also feel better.

What follows is an example of the type of gluten-free meal plan that would suit Bautista’s needs:

Breakfast

Herb And Onion Frittata

1 Cup 1% Milk

1 Slice Gluten-Free Buckwheat Bread

Morning Snack

6 Ounces Low Fat Plain Yogurt

1 Cup Cantaloupe Melon

Lunch

Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame And Tarragon

1 Medium Orange

Afternoon Snack

1 Ounce Roasted Salted Soybeans

Dinner

Spicy Cioppino

1 1/2 Cups Tossed Salad Mix

4 Teaspoons Vinegar And Oil Salad Dressing

1 Cup Strawberries

3/4 Cup Cooked Brown Rice

Bautista also augments his diet with many different supplements to help fortify any potential deficiencies in his menu.

What does that include?

For starters, Dave takes caffeine pills rather than drinking coffee. This helps give him the energy and fat-burning power of the caffeine without any of the drawbacks. Also, he supplements with vitamin D, fish oil, DHEA and protein supplements. Even with the perfect diet, supplements are a vital aspect of turning from average Joe into a guy like big Dave.

How Did Dave Bautista Lift?

Dave Bautista has faced more challenges in his life and in the ring than most men could handle. He was a bodybuilder. Then he conquered the world of pro wrestling. But, arguably his greatest challenge was trying to find a way to make himself fitting of the name Drax the Destroyer. With a name like that, enemies must quiver in fear just by you walking into a room.

The best way to do this is to get bigger, stronger and more ripped than anyone else in the galaxy.

For Bautista, getting bigger wasn’t necessary. Let’s face it: Listed at 6’6” and well over 260 pounds, he is already just about as big as they come. But, for Guardians of the Galaxy, he decided big and strong was not enough and Bautista dedicated himself to getting cut. This meant changing his philosophy of bodybuilding and changing his routine completely.

At 48 years old, and after the beating that his body took from pro wrestling and mixed martial arts, working out daily is no longer an option for Bautista. In recent years, Bautista has also limited the weight he will lift. Rather than doing a low rep, high weight exercises, Bautista has switched to less weight but extra reps. This allows him to train his muscles for endurance, which is crucial during his 12 to 15 hour days on set. Also, it helps him get bigger while eliminating body fat. This is what gives him his massive, but ripped, look.

So, what exactly do you have to do to go from plain ol’ (kind of) Dave Bautista to transform into the biggest tough guy in the universe, Drax the Destroyer?

What follows is the type of workout used by Bautista.

Dave Bautista’s Workout

Day 1 Is For Legs

3-4 sets of Seated Calf Raises with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Standing Calf Raises with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Seated, Standing Leg Curls with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Standing Leg Curls with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Hack Squats with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Leg Extensions with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Leg Presses with 10-15 reps

Day 2 Is For Rest

Day 3 Is For Back And Shoulders

3-4 sets of Front Pulldowns with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Rear Pulldowns with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Seated Cable Rows with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Lateral Raises with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Barbell Behind-the-Neck-Press with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Bent Laterals with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Dumbbell Shrugs with 10-15 reps

Day 4 Is For Rest

Day 5 Is For Chest And Arms

3-4 sets of Incline Bench Press with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Dumbbell Bench Press with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Cable Crossovers with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Dumbbell Curls with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Preacher Curls with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Triceps Presses with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Triceps Extensions with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Wrist Curls with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Reverse Wrist Curls with 10-15 reps

3-4 sets of Hanging Leg Raises with 10-15 reps

2-3 sets of Crunches with 10-15 reps

Day 6 Is For Rest

Note that on every other day, Bautista rests. Also, though it is not mentioned, one of the biggest staples of Bautista’s workout is cardio. As a pro wrestler, Bautista’s weight hovered around 285 pounds. However, now that he is working in Hollywood, he decided to shed the weight and live at a more chiseled 265 pounds.

Bautista believes in using his entire workout as a cardio exercise. This is one of the main reasons for keeping his reps high. By using high reps, and keeping rests short, he is able to keep his heart rate up constantly. At the end of his workouts, if he is not satisfied with his cardio, he will hit the elliptical for 20 to 30 minutes. That’s where all of his years in the wrestling ring really come in handy.

Bautista’s exercise does not end when he walks out of the gym. Because of the types of roles that he is cast in, he must maintain a high level of hand-to-hand combat. Bautista uses boxing to help not only make it seem real on the screen but as a way of preparing for the physicality of the intense scenes. Though staying in shape can play a huge factor, hand-to-hand scenes look much crisper if the actor is experienced.

Conclusion

Dave Bautista is looking to break out of his WWE shadow and hit the mainstream of acting in a way very few of his peers (other than The Rock) have truly achieved. Just as in WWE, becoming a star will not happen overnight. Now with over a decade in the business, Bautista is beginning to break through. With recent films like Riddick, Spectre, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Bautista has shown he’s more than just a wrestler.

The main takeaway from Dave Bautista’s workout is to keep your heart rate up.

Rather than doing three reps and then walking around the gym for the next 10 minutes talking about your max (if this isn’t you, then you at least know many like this), you need to focus on high reps and short rests. It’ll not only keep your blood pumping, but it will help you burn fat while getting bigger.

As well, though working out daily might seem great to some, the truth is that allowing your muscles a chance to recover and rebuild is crucial to getting bigger and remaining healthy, especially as you age. Getting enough quality sleep is vital. You simply must rest if you want to build a great physique.

You also need to remember that muscles are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

Bautista proves this. If you truly want to adopt the Dave Bautista lifestyle, then the first step is to cut out the red meats and go gluten free. More and more Americans are opting for this lifestyle and they now have a huge endorsement from Drax the Destroyer. Bautista feels it helps him not only aesthetically, but also functionally.

Since adopting the gluten-free lifestyle, he says he not only feels better but also has noticed a decrease in both his asthma and allergies. Bautista’s diet proves you do not need a team of nutritionists in order to get in shape. You just have to listen to your body and find something that works for you.

Becoming a superhero has never been so easy!

By Michael Hersey