Rapper Moneybagg Yo has it all. He’s turned dalliances with delectable divas into multi-platinum hits like “Wockesha,” opened his restaurant in his hometown of Memphis, and the respect from legendary rappers and athletes across the country.
But even the man who has everything falls victim to the comparison trap of social media scrolling, especially when he wasn’t eating right. Now that he’s on a healthier path, he explained to Men’s Health during his “Gym & Fridge” interview about how part of what keeps him in the gym is all the buff bodies he beholds on his Instagram scrolls.
“I get jealous because I’ll be on Instagram scrolling and see people working out. Their physique and body be coming right. I’ll be like, ‘I want to get like that.’ And it just motivates me to get in the gym and stay in the gym.”
Moneybagg admits his diet has been a work in progress, citing the constant travel of touring as why he was eating Hostess cupcakes and hot chips. After feeling the adverse effects of those unhealthy eating habits on stage, he knew changes needed to be made. His diet consists of lean meats like chicken breast, fruits like pineapples and bananas, and protein shakes full of almond milk, strawberries, and pineapples. But, he’s still susceptible to a cheat day where he pigs out on the tomahawk steak at his restaurant Cache, buffalo shrimp, grilled chicken, homemade chalupa, and Mexican pizza.
When it’s time to get his body in shape, he’s not afraid to push himself to the limit. He tries to work out around three or four times a week. For cardio, he rides a bike inside a sauna for 20 minutes at a time like he’s training for the Tour de France on the hottest day of the year. Even though he hates squats and lunges the most out of all his workouts, he is a proponent of never skipping leg day. He also figured out that staying healthy on the road requires mental discipline when “soon as I eat something, I try to eat it and go straight to working out to burn it right off.”
Besides hoping to work out one day with Tom Brady in the future, Moneybagg Yo’s fitness goals are simple. “My ultimate goal for training is to get my body right, look good in my clothes, feel good, and have my wind up.”
Next time you catch one of his shows, his new health journey will be why you may be tired from jumping around screaming before he is on stage.
Keith Nelson is a writer by fate and journalist by passion, who has connected dots to form the bigger picture for Men’s Health, Vibe Magazine, LEVEL MAG, REVOLT TV, Complex, Grammys.com, Red Bull, Okayplayer, and Mic, to name a few.
