Mark Wahlberg’s Training is Absolute Garbage

I was scrolling through X the other day and I stumbled upon Mark Wahlberg training.

It’s going viral.

Mainly because he’s being a little bit bossy to a guy who’s helping him get the weights into position.

But what immediately stood out to me was his gut.

Looks like he is over 20% body fat here.

And he trains A LOT.

His entire day is devoted to training and eating.

To me, it’s shocking to focus so hard on something while getting such terrible results.

Here’s a breakdown of his workout and diet routine from a few years back.

This might be the worst training and diet strategy I’ve ever seen.

Look, credit where it’s due…

The guy had a very aspirational physique in the 90s. Appeared completely natural, chiseled, aesthetic perfection.

He wasn’t overly bulky, just crushed it.

Incredible physique.

And back then, he apparently ate whatever he wanted – cheeseburgers, etc. – and stayed lean. Kind of hit the genetic lottery there.

But his current diet and training setup?

I couldn’t imagine a worse setup. It is brutal.

The Training: Hardcore Doesn’t Mean Smart

While Mark Wahlberg is famously disciplined, often training twice a day, his actual workouts are a case study in what not to do if your goal is real muscle growth and longevity.

His approach?

High volume, lots of sets and reps, short rest periods, constantly changing exercises.

He’s essentially training for the pump…

Chasing fatigue and metabolic stress with the idea that this alone builds muscle.

If anything, he’s just lowering his testosterone-to-cortisol ratio by training this much.

And in reality, this type of training just gives you a temporary “swollen” look, not lasting gains.

He even says “no two workouts are the same”, almost like it’s a badge of honor.

But in truth, that’s completely backwards.

To build muscle effectively, you need structured repetition.

Changing your workouts constantly just for the sake of variety makes it nearly impossible to measure progress, and leads to a lot of wasted effort.

This is classic “fuck around” training (high effort, low return).

Despite this, Wahlberg still looks solid.

And that’s a testament to his genetics, his consistency, and his lifestyle discipline, not his training intelligence.

If he truly wanted to maximize results, especially as he ages, he’d be far better off focusing on heavier, lower-rep work with longer rest periods.

Exercises like…

• Weighted pull-ups with 50 pounds for 8 reps
• Controlled incline pressing
• Bulgarian split squats

Smart strength work would do far more for his physique, hormone levels, and tendon health than endless pump circuits.

Because as you age, what really matters isn’t how gassed you feel from a workout, it’s how strong, resilient, and structurally sound you stay.

The Eating: An Absolute Nightmare

Now, let’s look at his eating. Absolute nightmare.

Could you imagine eating seven meals a day? Non-stop eating.

It’s a chore.

He’s created a second job for himself with all this eating.

Your body needs a break from constantly digesting food.

He’s never giving his body a break.

What’s even worse is a lot of his meals aren’t even satisfying.

And every time you eat, your testosterone levels actually dip temporarily. Your body has to divert resources to digestion – it’s a costly activity.

There’s NO reason to eat seven meals a day. It’s almost moronic.

The Macros: The REAL Problem

That’s not even the biggest issue. The bigger issue is his calories and macros.

He’s eating about 3,270 calories a day.

For a guy who’s 5’8″, that’s a lot. You don’t need that much.

He’s working out like crazy trying to burn it off, but it’s too many calories to maintain easily.

Second, the protein. 420 grams of protein per day.

This is stupid. So counterproductive, you can’t imagine.

At his height and lean mass, he needs maybe 130-140 grams, max.

He’s eating over THREE TIMES the protein he needs.

What does this mean?

He’s not getting enough carbs!

With all that training, carbs are crucial for:

• Blunting cortisol
• Improving testosterone (Total & Free)
• Fueling training
• Restocking glycogen
• Keeping muscles full

Carbs are SO important.

Research is clear: super low-carb, high-protein diets drop testosterone by 30% or more.

And he’s not just high protein, he’s ridiculously high protein.

This meta-analysis involved 27 studies and 309 participants.

*It found that excessively high protein intake, like 250-300g+, can cause testosterone to drop to medically low levels – up to a 37% decrease[2].

And he’s over 400 grams of protein!

His testosterone is taking a massive hit.

Plus, it’s a lot of stress on the body to constantly digest that much protein.

My Advice for Marky Mark

He’s doing absolutely everything wrong. If I was advising him:

1. Lift 3 days a week. Focus on heavy strength. Add walking, maybe some light activity. Give your body WAY more rest.
2. Cut out 3-4 meals. Eat 3, maybe 4 times a day, max.
3. Bring protein down to reality. Around 150 grams.
4. Increase the carbs. Fuel your body properly.
5. Bring total calories down to around 2,500-2,600 for maintenance.

Do this, and his body will transform. His hormone levels will transform.

He’ll look way better – stomach tighter, muscles fuller.

The Lifestyle: Just Why?

And what’s the point of waking up at 2:30 AM?

You want to have a life, right?

Going to bed at 7:30 PM, waking up at 2:30 AM… you’re not seeing sunlight for hours.

That’s not healthy – you want sunlight exposure first thing to regulate your circadian rhythm. It’s crazy. What if he has an event and stays up late?

His sleep schedule is wrecked, deep sleep crushed.

Beyond moronic.

Final Thoughts

Look, respect to Mark. Hard worker, incredible success.

But he needs to adjust his training and diet. He’s going for hard work over smart training. This approach is absolute garbage. I wouldn’t give this routine to my worst enemy.

I’m honestly surprised a smart guy like him follows this.

Maybe he’s just stuck in the “more is better” mindset.

I’d love to see him improve this.

The potential is there, but the current strategy is holding him back and just crushing his hormones unnecessarily.

Talk Soon,

Greg O’Gallagher