Stormzy's Nutritionist Shares How He Fuels His Training & Performances
Stormzy’s immense vitality and incredible athleticism aren’t built on gym time alone. Nutrition plays a vital role in keeping the Men's Health cover star in peak condition for his shows, while helping him dig deep in workouts after long nights in the studio.
The man behind the plan is James Collins, a world-class specialist in human performance and nutrition. After completing an MSc in Sport & Exercise Nutrition at Loughborough University, Collins began his career supporting Team GB track and field athletes for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
In 2010, he was recruited by Arsène Wenger and spent seven seasons developing a nutrition strategy for Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams. He is also the founder of Intra Performance Group, a consultancy that works within elite sport, business and entertainment. In short, the man knows his macros.
You might have seen his handiwork, too: Collins began working with Stormzy in the lead-up to his unforgettable 2019 headline set at Glastonbury, which was watched by more than one million people. ‘He needed the energy to go from a 60-minute set to 90 minutes – and to look in the best shape possible,’ says Collins.
Want to work out like Stormzy? We’ve got the exclusive training plan that helped Stormzy get into the best shape of his life. Created by strength and conditioning trainer Gregg Miele, click the cover below or hit here to access a sample of his four-week training plan.
The Stormzy System
The key to Collins’ approach is adaptability: ‘Matching [Stormzy’s] nutrition to the physical and cognitive demands of the day’, with different macro balances for different moments in his schedule.
As a guide, a ‘maintenance’ plate (one focused on maintaining muscle mass, rather than powering workouts) is made up of 50% protein and 50% vegetables and fruits, with a small amount of fats. A ‘fuelling’ plate is a third protein, a third carbs, and a third fruit and veg, with a small amount of fats. And a ‘competition’ plate (in Stormzy’s case, in the lead-up to a stage show) is 50% carbs, a quarter protein, and a quarter fruits and vegetables, again with a small amount of fats.
As a rule, Stormzy eats every three to four hours. But on show days, ‘We work backwards from the performance start time to plan out every meal, along with his caffeine intake, to ensure his alertness peaks at the right time,’ says Collins.
Stormzy's Daily Diet
If Stormzy is on stage at 9.30pm, that might mean a 9.30am ‘fuelling’ breakfast after training (think porridge with oat milk and peanut butter, fruit, plus a three-egg omelette).
At around 1pm, he'd have a ‘fuelling’ lunch (salmon with sweet potato and mixed vegetables)
At 4.50pm, it's time for a pre-performance ‘competition’ plate (large portion of chicken with basmati rice and a mixed salad)
He would have a double espresso at 8.25pm
After the show, he'd opt for a recovery smoothie and snack (two scoops of vanilla whey, a banana, 80g of mango and 250ml Alpro coconut milk, alongside eight pieces of sushi).
Peak Performance
At Intra Performance Group, the team adopt a data-led approach. They’ve been tracking Stormzy’s body composition for five years: ‘We project he is about to be under 50mm for his sum of eight skinfolds, which will take him into elite-athlete territory, with Olympians and Champions League footballers,’ says Collins.
But weight loss tells just one small part of the story. ‘We also assess his energy, mood, readiness, muscle soreness and stress,’ says Collins. ‘The first things that tend to go when you’re reducing body fat are mood and energy, so if we start to see a trend, we adapt what he’s eating, or back off the training sightly.’
You can read the full Stormzy interview by clicking the cover below
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