Professional athletes are among the most renowned figures in American society. Naturally, they are celebrities in their own sport and in American households, their fame fostered by their athletic prowess. As such, they are under constant observance from both the public and their colleagues. American athletes are no longer bound by how fast they can sprint or how accurate their shots are, but also by the dimensions of their character. As sport celebrities, American athletes are often seen as role models, ambassadors and examples to all.
With hundreds of professional sports out there and thousands more professional athletes to choose from, Samir Becic and the Health Fitness Revolution team put in 500 man-hours to compile a list of the 10 fittest American athletes. The list started with hundreds of professional athletes from various sports and was eventually narrowed down to the fittest 10. The list, though difficult to narrow down, was a result of extensive research by the HFR team.
The research included various analyses of the demands, strengths and weaknesses of the different sports each athlete hails from. Furthermore, we took into account personal habits, such as on and off-season training regimens, diet and nutrition intake, and their involvement in promoting health and fitness in their communities.
“It’s not important who the fittest athletes in the world are,” Samir Becic said. “What’s important is that all the athletes spread the message of having a healthy lifestyle. With a healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, healthy nutrition, mental, social and spiritual balance, we can control, manage or completely avoid over 70% of all illnesses known to mankind.”
Here are the Top 10 from Health Fitness Revolution and author of the book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic.
We weighed several physical statistics including:
- stamina
- endurance
- cardio training
- strength
- flexibility
- mobility
- training regimen
- diet and nutrition intake
- and promotion of sports, physical fitness, healthy living and community involvement
Without further ado, here is Health Fitness Revolution’s list of the 10 fittest American athletes:
MICHAEL PHELPS
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”
- Accomplishments:
- Youngest member on the US Olympic team at age 15
- Broke the world record in the 200 meter butterfly in 2001 at the age of 16
- 2003: Phelps won 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals and broke 5 world records at the world championships in Barcelona
- 2005: Phelps won 5 gold medals and a silver at the world championships in Montreal
- 2007: Phelps received 7 gold medals in the world championships
- From 2004-2012, he won 22 medals at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Beijing and London—18 gold, two silver and two bronze—and setting the record for the most medal wins by any Olympian
- Workout and Fitness:
- Works out 6 hours a day 6 times a week, incorporating both swimming and dry-land training
- Weight training, cardiovascular conditioning, and swims a minimum of 50 miles a week
- Balance between weight training and body-weight training
- Community Involvement:
- Founded the Michael Phelps Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthy and active lifestyle, especially for children
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR.
“A true champion will fight through anything.”
- Accomplishments:
- First championship belt won in 1998 at 21.
- Record 47-0, 26 knockouts
- WBC super featherweight champion, WBC lightweight champion, WBC light-welterweight champion, WBC light-middleweight champion
- Workout and Fitness:
- Favorite pre-fight workout is shadowboxing.
- Drill work includes sparring, speed & heavy bag, neck workout w/weights, 200 sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, jump rope, and 5-8 mile run.
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Personal chef Quiana Jeffries said Mayweather only eats organic fruits/veggies and focuses on high levels of protein, low carbs, and no pork!
- Community Involvement:
- Founded the Mayweather Foundation, which empowers and encourages community alliances, impacts youth leadership and strengthens family foundations through community development, entrepreneurialism, and education resulting in a healthier community
LEBRON JAMES
“You have to be able to accept failure to get better.”
- Accomplishments:
- 11-time NBA All Star
- 2-time NBA Champion
- 4-time NBA MVPs
- 2-time NBA finals MVP
- 2 Olympic Gold Medals
- Led Miami Heat to a 27-game winning streak – the longest winning streak in NBA history
- No. 1 draft pick in 2003; 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year
- Workout and Fitness:
- Ices back and feet prior to workouts
- 30 minutes of combined stretching and yoga
- Various gym and ball-on-the-court workouts
- Off the court workouts consist of pilates reformer, boxing, cycling, sprints
- Cool-downs consist of stretching, as well as actively stretching throughout the day
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Meal 1, 6:25 a.m.: Whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
- Meal 2, 9:30 a.m.: 1 cup orange juice, 1 banana, 1 scoop protein powder with 1 cup of low-fat milk
- Meal 3, 12:00 noon: Lean roast beef with whole wheat bun, lettuce, tomato, 2 tbsp of mustard, low-fat cheddar cheese and 1-cup of low-fat milk
- Meal 4, 2:30 p.m.: 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 cup low-fat natural yogurt, 1/2 glass of milk, 1 granola bar.
- Meal 5, 6:00 p.m.: 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup milk, 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt, with optional 1-2 tablespoons of honey.
- Meal 6. 8:30 p.m.: 1 1/2 cup small broccoli, 1/2 cup rice, 1/3 cup
- Community Involvement:
- Founded the LeBron Family Foundation
- Is active in Wheels for Education, Boys and Girls Club and the I Promise Network
STEPHEN CURRY
“We have to have the mentality that we have to work for everything we’re going to get.”
- Accomplishments:
- 2015 NBA Champion
- Led the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA Championship in 40 years
- Curry made 384 3-pointers in the 2015 season (286 regular season; 98 post-season)
- 2015 MVP and two-time NBA All Star
- In his 6th season as a guard for the Golden State Warriors, he led the team to the best season in the franchise’s history with 67 wins
- Curry is considered by many basketball enthusiasts to be the greatest shooter of all time, having set the shooting record at Davidson College and at the Southern Conference
- Workout and Fitness:
- Has several workouts depending on focus
- Weighted Lunge Series: moves arms in arch motion with each lunge, carrying weights in each hand; lunges out to sides to strengthen lateral movement muscles
- Shooting Series: Ball catcher hoop- must make at least 100 clean shots
- Hand-Eye Coordination Series: Dribble while training eyes on bouncing tennis ball
- Has several workouts depending on focus
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Curry and his wife both believe in maintaining a clean and organic diet. A typical day’s worth of meals may consist something like:
- Warm cinnamon apple oatmeal
- Saffron salmon
- Roasted brussels sprouts and pears
- Salmon burger
- Caprese salad
- Greek yogurt
- Curry and his wife both believe in maintaining a clean and organic diet. A typical day’s worth of meals may consist something like:
- Community Involvement:
- Started the Dell and Stephen Curry Basketball Camps
LANDON DONOVAN
“Life isn’t perfect, of course, but we all know it’s how you react to things that counts.”
- Accomplishments:
- All time leader in scoring and assists
- 4 time winner of U.S soccer athlete of the year award
- 7 time winner of Honda player of the year
- On January 15, 2015 the major soccer league announced it was naming its MVP award after Donovan
- Landon Donovon MVP award
- Best young player award in 2002 FIFA World Cup
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Eating a well-balanced and nutritious meal is important to Donovan.
- Believes that great athletes who don’t eat well would perform better if they did
- Workout and Fitness:
- Chooses to do gym exercises that specifically focus on improving movements important to soccer: Core, glutes, and hip flexor workouts are his priority
- Speed warm-up to start followed by speed-training. The idea is to build muscle memory in the fast twitch muscles, so that he can draw on his speed at any time
- Performs various traditional soccer fitness exercises such as skipping while swinging the arms, side shuffles, ham kicks, skips steps, knee raises
- Plyometric exercises are performed, which are designed to build explosive power in the legs
- These are followed by more soccer exercises such as bounding steps, jumping hurdles, various other agility training routines
- Conditioning with high intensity training, using fast sprints to increase lactic acid threshold
- His coach tests his players by measuring their body fat percentage – he uses this as a guide to see how hard they are training. The target body fat percentage is 6.9%
- About 1 hour of cardio training is done per session
KELLY SLATER
“It’s all about where your mind’s at.”
- Accomplishments:
- ASP World Tour Champion 11 times, with more world titles than any other athlete in a major sport ever
- 1st surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores under the ASP scoring system
- Still currently ranked 2nd best surfer in the world
- Kelly holds three Guinness World Records and the record for being both the youngest and oldest surfer to win a title. A record that Kelly himself keeps breaking
- Nicknamed “the machine”
- Has won more titles than the next three best surfers combined
- Workout and Fitness:
- Doesn’t limit himself to surfing as physical activity, but rather participates in a wide range of sports and athletics
- Competed in the X-games in 2003 & 2004
- Participates in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, yoga, boxing, and golfing
- Personal fitness routine includes strength exercises including push-ups
- Sleeps 8 hours a night and wakes up early
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Starts his day with hot water with lemon, followed by a light, fruit-based breakfast (like a smoothie! – he drinks vegan smoothies, and sometimes throws greens in)
- Cleanses his body with tea, his favorite being kombucha
- A fan of steak, chia seeds, coconut water, and a variety of different fruits
- Likes to know where his food “comes from”, primarily eating fresh, local, unprocessed foods
- Community Involvement:
- Spokesperson for suicide prevention, and participates in fundraising activities like the celebrity event for Surfers Against Suicide
- Member of the Ocean Advocacy Advisory Board for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
- Donates to Reef Check, working to preserve oceans and protect coral reefs off the west coast of the US
JJ Watt
“Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due everyday.”
- Accomplishments
- In 2014, was put on offense as well as defense in three games.
- Def: 16 GP; 78 combined tackles (59 total; 19 ast); 20.5 sacks; 59 fumbles recovered yds; 4 forced fumbles; v5 fumbles recovered 1 int; 1 interception returned for td; 1 blocked kick
- Off: 3 receptions/3 touchdowns
- Multiple NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards
- Physical Stats:
- 40 yard dash time: 4.81 seconds; 3 cone drill: 6.88 sec; 225 lb. bench press: 34 reps; 20 yd shuffle: 4.21 secs; vert jump 37.0; broad jump 120 in.
- Box Jump: 61” (Video)
- Workout and Fitness:
- Workout: safety bar squats; safety bar chaos reverse lunges; partner-assisted dynamic kettlebell swings; litvinov prowler sprints
- Diet and Nutrition
- Uses electrolyte enhanced products to assist his performance in every game
- Fuels his body w/ nutritious meals before & after every workout
- Eats avocados for macronutrient content (unsaturated fat & carbohydrates)
- Enjoys high-protein, high-calorie meals to balance his crazy exercise schedule, like his Houston favorite: barbeque
- Community Involvement:
- President and founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, a charity organization that provides after-school opportunities for children in various communities, in order for them to get involved in athletics in a safe environment
- Watt and the JJ Watt Foundation host a Charity Classic (a softball game), Run/Walk, Golf Outing, and Tailgate annually, to raise money for the foundation
TOM BRADY
“I always try to do as much as I can do. I’m never a person that does not enough, because I’d regret not doing enough and think I probably could have done more. I probably go too far and have to reel myself back in, which works in some things, and other things it doesn’t work.”
- Accomplishments:
- Four-time Superbowl Champion and 3-time Superbowl MVP. Also 2-time NFL MVP.
- 10× Pro Bowl (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009,2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
- 2× First Team All-Pro (2007, 2010), Second Team All-Pro (2005)
- Six time AFC Champion.
- Ranked within the top 10 of the Top 100 Players of 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009)
- PFWA NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009)
- Bert Bell Award (2007)
- NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
- Workout and Fitness
- He focuses on Circuit Training and High Intensity Interval Training
- Focuses on range of motion, and mobility rather than only lifting weights
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Only eats avocado-based ice cream
- During the football off-season, he has a raw diet
- During football season he eats red meat and more processed foods
- Diet routine is based on traditional Chinese medicine, usually based on what is fresh and in-season
- Avoids alcohol almost always
- Stays lean and eats alkaline-promoting food
- Community Involvement:
- He is a supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Best Buddies International, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation
TIM HOWARD
“Winning is fun but those moments that you can touch someone’s life in a positive way are better.”
- Accomplishments:
- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year 2001
- MLS Best XI- 2001 and 2002
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year :2008 and 2014
- FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove: 2009
- MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2009
- Top 10 IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper: 2003, 2009, 2010
- Best Save CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2011
- CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year: 2013,2014
- MLS Humanitarian of the Year: 2001
- Workout and Fitness:
- Fasted cardio 3x per week before breakfast to burn fat faster
- Does an intense walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes with a 1 or 1.5 incline
- On-field goalkeeper training for two hours
- Does four-hour workouts with his trainer in the gym which consists of supersets (a sequence of two to three exercises).
- Diet plan:
- Paleo diet: Consisting primarily on meats, fish and vegetables.
- Breakfast: Meat or eggs, and nuts.
- Lunch and dinner: More meat and a steamed vegetables
- Avoids processed foods
- Community Involvement:
- At 22 years old, he received the MLS Humanitarian Award for being dedicated to raising awareness on Tourette Syndrome which he was diagnosed with in sixth grade.
DEREK JETER
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you.”
- Accomplishments:
- Shortstop for New York Yankees, nicknamed “Captain Clutch”
- Ranked 6th in MLB history with 3,465 hits
- Has five World Series Championships: 1996, 1998,1999, 2000, and 2009
- Won 1996 Rookie of the Year award
- Has won 5 Gold Glove awards for shortstop and 4 Silver Sluggers
- First player to be named the All-Star Game and World Series MVP (2000)
- In 2011, Jeter became the 28th player in history to reach 3,000 career hits
- Workout and Fitness:
- Jeter’s workout focuses on leg and core strength
- Warm-up: Gets warmed-up with general calisthenics such as jumping jacks, arm circles, push-ups, lunges, and body-weight squats (30 secs of each)
- Workout:
- Monday/Wednesday/Fridayconsistsof3supersets:
- Set #1: Barbell Squat (Push); Dumbbell Deadlift (Pull) – 8 to 12 reps
- Set #2: Barbell Lunge (Push); One-arm Dumbbell Rows (Pulls) – 8-12 reps
- Set #3: Incline Bench Press (Push); Pull-ups (Pulls)- 8-12 reps
- Tuesday/Thursday consists of core strength: Stability Ball Hamstring Curl, Medicine Ball Torso Toss, Rotational Cable Lift with a Squat, Hammer Pulls, Core Busters, Overhead Dumbbell Press
- Diet and Nutrition
- Starts the day off with egg white omelets with broccoli and peppers and pancakes
- Generally has chicken and a variety of vegetables for lunch
- Enjoys chicken parmesan for dinner without pasta
- Before every game Jeter eats a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
- Community Involvement:
- Turn2 Foundation: charity that focuses on keeping children in a safe community and away from drugs and alcohol
- Jeter’s Leaders
- Hosts annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic in Tampa, FL to raise capital needs
- Derek Jeter Academy at Phoenix House in Tampa, FL: outpatient counseling center for troubled teens needing substance abuse treatment.
- Supports: Entertainment Industry Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer and Soles4Souls
Honorary Athlete:
Tiger Woods
“Winning is not always the barometer of getting better”
Considering that Tiger Woods dominated golf like no other player before him in the history of the sport, we hope to bring him back. That’s why Health Fitness Revolution is giving this honorary title of the fittest honorary American to Tiger Woods. Normally we wouldn’t pick golf as an extremely athletic sport, but we’re not picking any golfer, we’re picking Tiger Woods. Considering his father trained him in early childhood on extreme fitness, he’s definitely not just any golfer, but an extremely competent athlete as well.
- Accomplishments:
- Masters Tournament Won: 1997, 2001, 2002,2005
- U.S. Open: Won: 2000, 2002, 2008
- The Open Championship: Won: 2000, 2005, 2006
- PGA Championship: Won: 1999, 2000, 2006,2007
- PGA Tour Rookie of the Year:1996
- PGA Player of the Year:1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
- PGA Tour Player of the Year: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
- PGA Tour Leading Money Winner: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
- Vardon Trophy: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013
- Byron Nelson Award: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
- FedEx Cup Champion: 2007,2009
- Workout and Fitness:
- On training days, his workouts consists of cardio training, weight training, and core-flexibility training and also his golf practice routine
- 1 hour of cardio, ranging from cycling, a 7-mile endurance run, or 3-mile speed runs.
- 1 hour of weight training: lifting 60- to 70-percent of his normal weights and focusing on lots of reps and different sets.
- Does the first two hours of workout before breakfast.
- Stretches for 40 minutes
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Sticks to lean meats and seafood, lots of fruits and vegetables and no junk food
- Breakfast includes- egg white omelette with vegetables
- Lunch and dinner consists of grilled chicken or fish with salad and vegetables
- Takes daily supplements of bone protection and nutrition
- Community Involvement:
- Tiger Woods Foundation founded in 1996 to create and support community-based programs that improve the health, education, and welfare for all children in America
- The foundation has hosted many programs and events like the Tiger Woods Learning Center, Hero World Champion, Deutsche Bank Championship, Quicken Loans National and Tiger Jam which all are benefit programs promoting healthy lives for children.
- Started The Tiger Woods Playoff Championship- which are four regional playoffs
Click here to see our comprehensive list of our top 10 fittest American and international athletes.
