Legendary boxer, civil rights activist and all-round icon Muhammad Ali has never really fully left the cultural conversation, but he is well and truly back in the zeitgeist right now thanks to Eli Goree’s portrayal of him in the new movie One Night in Miami, which depicts a fictionalized meeting between Ali (then still going by Cassius Clay) and Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown in 1964.
Goree recently shared with Men’s Health how he got into The Greatest shape to play Ali on-screen, but meanwhile, on YouTube, fitness vlogger Will Tennyson has been paying homage to the man by spending a day following his rigorous diet and training regime.
The day starts with a 4:30 a.m. wakeup and a 6-mile run, which Ali would traditionally do while wearing heavy boots. This would work his legs, contributing to that famous endurance, but as Tennyson points out, it’s also rough on the knees.
Run done with, Tennyson eats Ali’s staple breakfast—eggs, toast and orange juice—before heading to the gym for a calisthenics workout and boxing drills. This includes practicing his footwork with ladders, 20 minutes of jump rope, sparring and speed work.
Following the workout, Tennyson eats a cheeseburger (another of Ali’s favorites) before preparing one of his all-time favorite dishes, baked chicken with mac and cheese, spinach and peas, and finishing the day with a contemplative walk.
“A lot of people give 110 percent at whatever it is they’re doing, without focusing on their mental wellbeing,” he says, “and all that does is create problems. So it’s nice to see that [Ali] spent some time on himself, focused on his inner wellbeing. I think that positively translated to a better, more successful career.”
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