Samir Bannout’s Workout Routine and Diet Plan

Samir Bannout is one of the most celebrated names in the world of professional bodybuilding. During his competing years, he used to step on the stage with a physique that exuded perfection in every sense.

Samir’s well-developed body appeared strong and aesthetic owing to his dense muscle mass and unparalleled muscle definition. All these qualities earned him the nickname/title ‘The Lion of Lebanon‘ and we all must agree that it perfectly suited him as well.

Wouldn’t that be great to know about the fitness regime of such a legendary bodybuilder who is still respected and admired by iron addicts around the world? Certainly, it would.

So stay with us as we give you a detailed overview of Samir Bannout’s workout routine and diet plan through this post. You are surely gonna love it.

Let’s get started.

Samir Bannout’s Workout Principles

Samir Bannout’s workout plan wasn’t just about gaining muscles. It also facilitated strength gains which further enhanced his muscle density giving his body a ‘big and strong’ look. You can have an idea about his strength levels from the fact that he could easily perform bent-over barbell rows with 405 lbs.

Samir’s workout routine had numerous exercises that facilitated both strength and hypertrophy gains. He also performed cardio to keep his body lean.

Now let’s get to know more about his training regime in the next section.

Samir Bannout’s Workout Routine

Samir Bannout’s training sessions were always filled with great intensity. He used to perform the exercises with strict form and also ensured to choose weights that are challenging enough to facilitate strength and hypertrophy gains. Talking about his training philosophy, he claimed once,

“Do it with feeling. Attack the weights with a vengeance. No Mickey Mouse bullshit. Hard. Heavy”

Samir performed numerous foundational lifts such as squats, bench presses, barbell rows, overhead presses, etc. Those exercises enhanced his muscle density and gave his body a ‘strong and muscular’ look.

He also performed various other single-joint/isolation exercises to target his muscles from different angles resulting in their overall development. Doing so enabled him to bring out muscle definition as well.

It took him 3 days to train his entire body. After that, he used to rest for a day and then repeat the 3-day workout split.

Now let’s throw some light on the exercises that were an essential part of Samir Bannout’s workout routine:-

Day 1- Chest and Back

Chest:-

• Bench press- 5-6 sets of 4-10 reps
• Incline DB/BB press- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Weighted parallel bar dips- 4 sets of 10-15 reps
• Incline or flat bench dumbbell flys- 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Dumbbell pullovers lying across the bench- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps

Back:-

• Wide-grip pull-ups- 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Behind the neck lat pulldowns- 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Seated cable rows- 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
• One-arm dumbbell rows- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Nautilus machine pullovers- 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

Day 2- Legs and Abs

Legs:-

• Leg extensions- 5 sets of 5-10 reps
• Barbell back squats- 5 sets of 6-15 reps
• Lying leg curls- 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Straight leg barbell deadlifts- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Walking lunges or hack squats- 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Bodyweight calf stretches- 1 set till failure
• Standing calf raises- 5 sets of 15+ reps
• Seated calf raises- 4 sets of 15+ reps

Abs:-

• Sit-ups- 3-4 sets of 25+ reps
• Hanging leg raises- 3-4 sets of 25+ reps
• Side crunches with pulley machines- 3-4 sets of 30+ reps

Day 3- Shoulders and Arms

Shoulders:-

• Behind the neck overhead press- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Lateral raises- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Bent-over cable laterals- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps
• BB/DB front raises- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Barbell upright rows- 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Arms:-

• Barbell preacher curls- 4 sets of 6-12 reps
• Alternate dumbbell curls- 4 sets of 8-12 reps
• Concentration curls- 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
• Bench dips or parallel bar dips- 4 sets of 10-15 reps
• One-arm dumbbell triceps extensions- 4 sets of 10-15 reps
• Triceps cable pushdowns- 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps

Day 4- Rest

His workout routine followed the ‘3 day on, 1 day off’ split.

Not Counting Reps

During his competing years, Samir never relied on counting reps on any exercise. He claimed that while executing any exercise, his main focus has always been on doing the exercise with proper form and focus.

Keeping a count of the reps distracts him and also messes up his overall performance. At times it also acts as a hindrance in achieving complete muscle failure.

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Back Training

Undoubtedly, Samir’s back was one of the best muscle groups of his body. To build them he performed various exercises but out of all of them, his favorite ones were:-

• Chin-ups
• Clean and Jerk
• Bent over barbell rows

He claims that those 3 exercises work on enhancing the width, thickness, and overall muscular development of the back muscles. They also give the back muscles the most impressive ‘Christmas Tree’ effect.

Samir Bannout’s Diet Plan

Samir was never excessively conscious about his eating habits. He just made sure to eat nutritious food items the majority of the time and still follows that approach to keep himself healthy and fit.

Samir Bannout’s diet plan during his competing years included food items such as eggs, fish, chicken, lamb, beef, swordfish, liver, and raw milk yogurt which fueled his body with decent amounts of protein. He ate fresh fruits and vegetables to fetch his body with essential vitamins.

He also consumed mineral water to keep his body hydrated. Wine was one of his favorite beverages.

Samir consumed moderate amounts of carbs. After his intense training sessions, he used to fuel his body with good sources of carbs. This approach is pretty suitable too as after intense training sessions muscles are in a position to absorb decent amounts of carbs.

Samir Bannout’s meal plan for the day consisted of 5-6 meals. So let’s have a look at the food items that were included in each of them:-

Meal 1

• 3 whole eggs
• 1 fruit
• 1 large glass of orange juice
• Yogurt with milk and granola cereal
• Mineral water with a vitamin and mineral supplement

Meal 2

• Cooked vegetables with oil and vinegar dressing
• Chicken, lamb, liver, or fish
• Mineral water or wine

Meal 3

• Fresh fruit
• Cheese

Meal 4

• Cooked vegetables with oil and vinegar dressing
• Chicken, lamb, liver, or fish
• Mineral water or wine

Meal 5

• Raw milk yogurt

Diet Plan During Competitions

When Samir used to prep for a competition, he made certain changes in his diet plan. He used to drop his overall food consumption which decreased his caloric intake and gave his body a lean and muscular appearance.

Doing so made his muscles look more defined and aesthetic. And that was exactly what Samir wanted.

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Samir Bannout’s Supplements

Samir didn’t rely excessively on supplements to fuel his gains. He used to derive a major share of his nutritional intake from whole food items. And doing so certainly served his very best interests.

But when he used approach a competition he relied on two supplements namely,

• Amino acids
• Liver tablets

The former kept his body in an anabolic state by fetching it essential amino acids that promote muscle recovery and growth. The latter on the other hand kept his liver function on point.

Presently, Samir Bannout’s supplements stack includes whey protein and multivitamins. They fuel his body with essential amino acids and micronutrients respectively.

Wrapping Up

Samir has always been a fan of old-school bodybuilding. He says that the foundation of old-school classic physiques was just hard and brutal work. And you must have got an idea about it from Samir’s training program.

Samir Bannout’s exercise routine and nutrition plan are that of a champ. And if you follow it with consistency, you too would take your physique and fitness levels to newer heights.

But before doing so, make sure to first be clear about your training goals. You must also understand your body well.

Doing all these will enable you to modify Samir’s training routine and nutrition plan in a way that will serve your prime interests along with keeping you free from any kind of training-related injuries. You can also consider taking the assistance of an experienced coach or trainer.