Here’s the Nigerian Lion & 2024 Mr. Olympia Winner Samson Dauda’s Workout Routine
Samson Dauda, also called The Nigerian Lion, is a Nigerian-British IFBB Pro bodybuilder who competes in the Men’s Open Bodybuilding Division. Similarly, he’s the winner of the 2024 Mr. Olympia title and the largest cash prize in bodybuilding history, $600,000. In this article we’re going to cover Samson Dauda’s workout routine and his diet plan. So, if you’re a fan who wants to know about his workout and diet, then this article is something you’ll enjoy reading.
Debuting in 2022’s Mr. Olympia and walking away with a sixth-place finish behind 2-time former Mr. Olympia Madouh Elsbiay, popularly known as ‘Big Ramy,’ was impressive. In 2024, he shocked the bodybuilding community by taking home the 24-carat gold-plated Sandow with the highest prize money. Similarly, he also proved to everyone what he’s capable of when it comes to workout and diet. Further, many even think of him as Ronnie Coleman version 2.0.
Becoming a Mr. Olympia winner isn’t something that comes without sacrifices. It needs years of intense workouts and pushing the body to its extreme limits. So, how does he workout, and what diet does he follow? If you’ve got this question, then keep reading as we’re going to breakdown the details about it.
Samson Dauda’s Workout Routine
Primarily, Samson goes for high-volume workouts including basic compound movements for each major body part. Similarly, he also includes supersets in every session to increase his training intensity and volume.
Here below is the typical workout split that he makes use of.
- Day 1 – Legs
- Day 2 – Back
- Day 3 – Arms
- Day 4 – Shoulders & Abs
- Day 5 – Chest & Calves Day 6 & Day 7 – Rest Day
Nonetheless, here below is his workout, by which you’ll get a better understanding of his philosophy regarding exercise, how he workouts, and how many reps & sets he uses in every session to keep his workout as intense as possible.
Day 1 – Legs
| Exercise Name | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Press | 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Squats Using Smith Machine | 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Leg Extensions | 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Seated Leg Curls | 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Lying Leg Curls Superset W/ Kneeling Leg Curls | 5 | 15 – 20 |
| Hack Squats Superset W/ Leg Extensions | 5 | 15 – 20 |
Day 2 – Back
| Exercise Name | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Rack Pulls | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
| Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
| Cable Rowing | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
| Low Row Machine | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
| Narrow Grip Lat Pulldown Superset W/ Rope Pullovers | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
Day 3 – Arms
| Exercise Name | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Cable Triceps Pushdowns Superset W/ Preacher Curls | 2 | 15 |
| Cable Pushdown Superset W/ DB Hammer Curls | 3 3 | 15 10 – 12 |
| Cable Triceps Extensions Superset W/ EZ Bar Biceps Curls | 3 | 12 |
| Cable Shrugs | 3 | 15 |
Day 4 – Shoulders & Abs
| Exercise Name | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Press | 3 | 15 |
| Shrugs | 3 | 8 – 10 |
| Machine Shoulder Press Superset W/ Machine Side Lateral Raises | 2 – 3 | 6 – 8 |
| Cable Cross Superset W/ DB Rear Delt Raises | 4 | 10 |
| Hanging Leg Raises Superset W/ Machine Ab Crunches | 3 | 10 |
Day 5 – Chest & Calves
| Exercise Name | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Calf Raises Superset W/ Standing Calf Raises | 3 | 10 – 12 |
| BB Bench Press | 3 – 4 | 8 – 10 |
| Incline Chest Press Superset W/ Lower Chest Fly | 4 | 10 – 12 |
Day 6 & Day 7 – Rest Day
Samson Dauda’s Off Season Diet Plan
Meal 1:
- Rolled Oats – 130 Grams
- Whey Protein Isolate – 1 Scoop
- Egg Fried in Butter W/ a Dash of Milk & Topped W/ Sauce – 5 Whole Eggs
- Essential Amino Acids Plus Hydration Support W/ Water – 1.5 Scoop
Meal 2:
- Sweet Potato – 400 Grams
- Steak – 200 Grams
- Apple & Kiwi Smoothie
Meal 3:
- Pasta – 200 Grams
- Ground Beef W/ Sauce – 200 Grams
Intra Workout Shake
- Intra Workout – 1 Scoop
Post Workout Shake
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Scoops
- Banana – 1 Large
Meal 4:
- White Rice – 2 Cups W/ Drizzle of Olive Oil & Sauce
- Chicken Breast – 250 Grams
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Scoop (After 20 minutes)
Meal 5:
- Lean Ground Beef – 200 Grams
- White Rice – 2 Cups
- Tomato Sauce
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Scoop (After 20 minutes)
Meal 6:
- Steak – 200 Grams
- Spicy Mexican Microwave Rice – 1 Pack
- Yoghurt Drink
Samson Dauda’s Prep Diet Plan
Meal 1:
- Oatmeal – 90 Grams
- Whole Eggs – 5
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Scoops
Meal 2:
- Sweet Potato – 250 Grams
- Steak – 200 Grams
Meal 3:
- Rice – 1.5 Cup
- Jerk Sauce Topping
- Chicken Breast – 250 Grams
Intra Workout Drink
- Pre-workout Powder – 1 Scoop
- Intra Workout Powder – 1 Scoop
- Beta Alanine – 1 Scoop
- Creatine Monohydrate – 1 Scoop
- Citrulline – 1 Scoop
- Glutamine – 1 Scoop
Post Workout Shake
- Whey Protein Isolate – 1 Scoop
- Cluster Dextrin Carb Powder – 1 Scoop
Meal 4:
- Rice – 1.5 Cup
- Chicken Breast – 250 Grams
Meal 5:
- Rice – 1.5 Cup
- Chicken Breast – 250 Grams
Meal 6:
- Salmon – 200 Grams
About Samson Dauda
Born on March 11, 1986, Samson Dauda is a Nigerian British professional bodybuilder and 2024 Mr. Olympia winner who moved to the UK in his teenage years, where, in the beginning, he used to play rugby. However, his introduction to bodybuilding came from the encouragement of his other rugby team fellows and Chris Jones, a gym owner. Similarly, after seeing Phil Heath winning the Mr. Olympia 2013 title, Dauda got more focused on competitive bodybuilding and made his debut in April 2014.
Before he got involved in bodybuilding full-time, he worked in construction and has also been a care home maintenance worker. But, in 2020, he quit his job at the time of the South Korean competition and started giving his focus entirely on his bodybuilding career.
Similarly, his hard work paid off, and in 2017, he won his IFBB Pro card after winning his overall title at the IFBB Amateur Diamond Cup Rome, which also became a turning point in his bodybuilding career. Further, next year, he made his professional debut in 2018 at the EVLS Prague Showdown, where he got placed 5th. His first victory as an IFBB Pro came in 2021’s competition at the EVLS Prague Pro, which also helped him qualify for the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition, where he didn’t win but got the nice rank of 6th in his debut.
In 2023, he improved and stood 3rd. Finally, in 2024, he surpassed Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan and won the 2024 Mr. Olympia title and became the very first Nigerian bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia.
Wrapping Up
Samson is a living example of anything is possible if you work hard. He had his struggles, but he didn’t let it define his life and he followed his heart and worked hard and made a career out of something he may not even have expected. Today, he’s the winner of Mr. Olympia and the biggest prize money in Mr. Olympia’s history.
Here, we’ve covered Samson Dauda’s workout routine and diet plan. So, we hope this article may answer your question about it, and if you take a close look at it and try to implement his workout in your way with a proper diet, we assure you’ll get results.
