How much do you think it costs to become an Olympia-level bodybuilder? Samson Dauda has an answer for that.

During his appearance on the One54 Africa Podcast last month, Mr. Olympia 2024, Samson Dauda, revealed how much it costs him to maintain his monstrous size, and the amount is astounding.

When host Akbar Gbajabiamila revealed that he spends around $4000 on his family of six, Dauda laughed, saying he spends around $4,800 per month on food for himself alone. "That's probably, do more than that for me. Probably about 1200 a week."

Maintaining a physique like his and staying lean enough for elite competitions like Mr. Olympia requires a massive caloric intake every day.

The 40-year-old defended his monstrous bill by stating that his food needs to have three elements: consistent routine, quality, and enormous quantity. All his meals are home-cooked and made from whole foods. “You won’t see much coming out of a packet. We cook all my meals at home.”

And Dauda is not the only one who spent a fortune on his food. In 2015, 7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath revealed the cost to become a professional bodybuilder at that time, and the food bill completely justifies Dauda's spending.

"If I was to pay for all this, I mean, easily you got to think; I mean well over $20,000. Just the food alone. I mean, it’s going to be half that. You know, food alone, I am going to spend at least $12,000-15,000 or maybe $20,000."

But what all does Samson Dauda eat that costs him nearly $5,000 every month?

Samson Dauda's Diet Routine

Talking about his current diet plan, Dauda revealed that he consumes a protein-rich diet, which usually consists of chicken, steak, grilled in advance and portioned out for up to two weeks at a time. He eats eggs, chicken breast, beef steak, lean ground beef, fish, and whey isolate, depending on what he has decided for the day.

"We’re talking about 300 grams of protein per day. You’re doing that in five meals in one day, and you’re doing that every single day of your life. Without fail, every day, you’ve got to get those five meals in. Regardless of if you’re hungry, tired, or don’t like the taste of it, those meals have to go in you one way or another.”

Here is one of his diet routines from the past to give you an idea of what he eats and how much he eats.

Meal 1:

• 130 grams rolled oats
• 1 scoop whey protein isolate
• 5 whole eggs fried in butter with a dash of whole milk, topped with Reggae and Nando’s sauce
• 1.5 scoops of essential amino acids plus hydration support in water

Meal 2:

• 400 grams sweet potato
• 200 grams of steak
• 1 apple and kiwi smoothie

Meal 3 (pre-workout meal):

• 200 grams of pasta
• 200 grams of ground beef with bolognese sauce

Intra-workout Shake:

• 1 scoop intra-workout
• 1 tablespoon of pre-workout pump

Post-workout Shake (immediately following training):

• 2 scoops of grass-fed whey protein isolate
• 1 large banana

Meal 4 (1 hour after post-workout shake):

• 2 cups of white rice
• 250 grams of chicken breast
• Drizzle of olive oil on rice with Reggae and Nando’s sauce
• 2 scoops of grass-fed whey protein isolate, 20 minutes after finishing this meal

Meal 5:

• 200 grams of lean ground beef
• 2 cups of white rice
• Tomato sauce
• 2 scoops of grass-fed whey protein isolate, 20 minutes after finishing this meal

Meal 6: 

• 200 grams of steak
• 1 pack of Uncle Ben’s Mexican rice
• 1 YOP yogurt

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil