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Iain Valliere Workout & Diet Program To Dominate The Stage

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Get in the best shape of your life with the Iain Valliere transformation program.

Iain Valliere is a Canadian pro bodybuilder and internet fitness celebrity. He started his bodybuilding career in 2010 and has been steadily climbing the ranks in the pro circuit over the last few years. 

Valliere is currently one of the strongest bodybuilders in the competitive circuit and is known to deadlift ginormous amounts of weights leading up to contests. He is also one of the most transparent athletes and regularly shares his opinions, training, and nutrition tips with his followers. 

Related: Iain Valliere Deadlifts 675lb Five Times Ahead Of 2021 Arnold Classic

Iain Valliere Stats

Name: Iain Valliere 

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 260 pounds

Birthdate: November 27, 1990

Birthplace: Canada

In his younger years, Valliere was stronger and faster than most kids his age. He ran track and field in high school and excelled at it. Interestingly, Iain participated in football but dropped out soon as he was not interested in team sports. The Canadian bodybuilder prefers sports where he is in total control and doesn’t have to rely on anyone else. 

“I was always someone who was into the individuality of what work I put in, and what results I got out of it. I’m not depending on the success of other people. It was completely what I put in.” — Iain Valliere 

Iain Valliere is passionate about helping other bodybuilders and regularly shares training tips and advice on his Instagram page. In fact, he introduced his brother-in-law, Chris Bumstead — now 3X Classic Physique Olympia champion — to competitive bodybuilding. CBum credits his success to Valliere and recognizes him as one of his biggest idols and influences. 

Valliere won his Pro card in 2014 at the Amateur Olympia. 2015 Toronto Pro Supershow was his first pro show, where he placed a respectable fifth. He qualified for his first Mr. Olympia contest in 2018 by winning the Big Man Weekend Pro show. 

Iain was dealt a disappointment in 2019 when he could not qualify for the Olympia. However, he bounced back strongly by punching his ticket to the 2020 Olympia after conquering the 2020 New York Pro contest. He qualified for the 2021 Olympia by winning the Tampa Pro. 

*Note: As per the Olympia Qualification System (OQS), winners of each division in a pro bodybuilding show earn a direct qualification for the Olympia.

A Career Altering Injury

Valliere faced a major setback in 2012 after he broke his arm while arm wrestling the legendary Devon Larratt at a local competition in Ottawa. As per the Canadian bodybuilder, the moment his bones popped, it sounded like a gunshot or explosion. 

Iain was later informed at a local hospital that he had incurred a spiral fracture — it happens when one of your bones is broken with a twisting motion. 

When long bones are broken at an angle, they often separate into two parts that do not align and have rough, uneven edges. This fracture can make it difficult to put the bone back together. However, six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair his arm, Iain was back training in the gym. His arm size was back to normal after 12 weeks of hard work. 

Check Out: Iain Valliere and Chris Bumstead Do Epic Leg Day Training

Iain Valliere Competition History

Valliere has competed in 18 IFBB Pro League shows until Mar. 2022, winning four. Valliere has competed in three Mr. Olympia contests, the seventh place being his highest ranking. 

However, one should not dismiss Valliere after a glance at his Olympia finishes. He has been improving his physique and bringing a better package to the stage every year. 

His most recent pro title win came in 2021 at the Texas Pro. Additionally, Valliere took a second-place finish behind Nick Walker at the 2021 Arnold Classic USA — the second-biggest bodybuilding show after the prestigious Mr. O. 

Check Out: Iain Valliere: There Are Only Two Ways To Beat Big Ramy At Mr. Olympia

Iain Valliere Diet Program

Valliere likes to keep his diet simple and easy to follow. He eats the same foods all year-round, avoiding any friction in meal prep. The Canadian bodybuilder switches between a cutting and bulking diet depending on if he’s prepping for a show. 

Iain reduced his carb and fat consumption while keeping the protein up while preparing for a show. On the other hand, he ramps up his carb and fat intake significantly during his off-season. He has previously revealed that he spends anywhere between $250-300 per week on his groceries. 

Meal 1

Meal 2 

Meal 3 (postworkout)

Meal 4

Meal 5

Meal 6 (no-carb meal)

Total Macronutrient Value: 3,697 calories, 412-gram protein, 81-gram fats, and 327-gram carbs.

Iain Valliere Training Program

Iain Valliere is a beast in the gym. He throws around big-boy weights like it’s no one’s business. He follows a high-volume training approach and is known to perform up to 10 exercises in a workout to ensure he is training the target muscle from all angles. 

Valliere is a proponent of progressive overloading and is constantly finding ways to challenge his muscles.

Iain Valliere’s Training Split

Iain uses a six-day training split, where he trains his arms and legs twice a week. He uses a high-volume and high-intensity training regimen to get the best bang for his buck.

Valliere follows the same strategy for all his workouts — he performs a couple of all-out working sets to failure for each exercise. He uses relatively heavier weights in the first set and performs 8-10 reps of an exercise. The final set is a back-off set in the 12-15 rep range. 

Additionally, he employs different advanced training techniques in each set like forced reps, rest-pause sets, and drop sets to make sure he isn’t leaving gains on the table. 

“The top set is usually 8-10 reps, then we do a back-off set and throw in high-intensity techniques like forced reps or drop sets as needed.”

Related: This is How Your Training Should Change as You Get Advanced

Iain Valliere Workout Plan

Here is what Valliere’s training program looks like:

Day 1: Chest and Triceps

  1. 30-degree incline Smith machine press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  2. Hammer strength incline press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  3. Incline machine fly: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  4. Flat DB press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  5. Flat cable fly/press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  6. V-bar dips (forward-leaning torso): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  7. Cable pushdowns (dual handles): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  8. One-arm cable overhead extension (high pulley): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  9. Cable pushdown (pronated grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps

The Smith machine is one of Iain’s favorite training equipment. He utilizes it in most of his push training sessions. Valliere performs two to three forced reps with the help of his training partner after reaching muscle failure on the 30-degree incline Smith machine press. 

Iain performs two to three forced reps on the first set of incline machine fly. He follows it up with a double drop set on the second set. 

“I love the smith press. It’s always the staple in my chest training. I just find it’s a little easier to keep that stability in the line that you want vs the barbell press.”

Day 2: Back / Biceps

  1. Cable pullover (straight bar): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  2. Hammer strength low row: 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  3. Machine chest supported row: 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  4. Seated cable row (dual-handle): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  5. Lat pulldown (medium / neutral grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  6. Assisted pull up machine (wide/overhand grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  7. Standing cable curl (dual handle / supinated grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  8. Standing alternating DB curl (hammer grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  9. One-arm preacher DB curl (supinated grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps
  10. Standing barbell curl (reverse grip): 2 sets of 8-20 reps

Valliere starts his back workout with cable pullovers to pre-exhaust his lats. At the end of his back workout, Iain performs three to four biceps exercises to annihilate his guns. 

On exercises two, three, and five, the Canadian pro bodybuilder performs the first set to failure. On the final set, he uses a weight that makes him hit failure between 10-12 reps. He then performs four mini-sets of four reps with 15 seconds of rest between them. 

“[The cable pullover] gives you that full range of motion with a full stretch and a full contraction. I found this exercise made a huge difference in my lats from my front shots.”

Day 3: Quads

  1. One-leg machine leg extension: 2 sets of 10-20 reps
  2. Machine hack squat: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  3. Horizontal leg press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  4. Pendulum horizontal leg press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  5. Hip adduction machine: 2 sets of 8-15 reps

Not that he has to, but Iain Valliere trains his quads on their own separate training day. He believes he gets better results training his hams and quads separately as he can give more attention to each muscle group. 

Day 4: Shoulders

  1. Smith machine overhead press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  2. Standing DB lateral raise: 2 sets of 10-20 reps
  3. Cable rear delt fly: 2 sets of 10-20 reps
  4. Machine overhead press: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  5. Machine lateral raise: 2 sets of 10-20 reps
  6. 30-degree incline cable fly: 2 sets of 10-20 reps
  7. Hammer strength incline press: 2 sets of 10-20 reps

Valliere hits his deltoids from different angles to ensure the overall development of the three delt heads. He uses advanced training principles like dropsets, forced reps, supersets with every set for maximal muscle fiber activation and recruitment. 

Day 5: Arms

  1. Cable rope pushdown: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  2. Bench press (shoulder-width grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  3. Machine overhead triceps extension: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  4. Standing cable curl (dual handles / supinated grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  5. Standing alternating DB curl (hammer grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  6. Preacher cable curl (supinated grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps

Although this is Iain’s third arm session of the week, day five is when he steps on the gas. He performs a double drop set on the cable rope pushdown to kick off his workout. 

“Stopping 2-3 inches off your chest [on the close-grip bench press] will work your triceps harder and take the stress off your shoulders.”

Day 6: Hamstrings

  1. Lying leg curl: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  2. Seated leg curl: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  3. Kneeling leg curl: 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  4. Conventional deadlift: 2 sets of 6-12 reps
  5. One-arm cable pulldown’ 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  6. Cable pulldown (supinated grip): 2 sets of 8-15 reps
  7. 45 degree back extensions: 2 sets of 8-15 reps

Since the hamstrings are a posterior muscle group, it is harder to establish a mind-muscle connection while training them than the quads. Iain Valliere recommends training your hamstrings on a separate day if they are lagging. 

Day 7: Rest Day

Iain takes one day off the week to allow his muscles time to recuperate from his high-intensity and high-volume workouts. 

Before you go, check out: 

  1. The Rock’s Trusted Transformation Diet & Workout Program Will Get You Shredded AF
  2. Larry Wheels Transformation Program To Become The Strongest Version of Yourself
  3. Terry Crews Workout & Diet Program

Wrapping Up

Iain Valliere shows us that a person can build an incredible physique without overcomplicating their diet and training. He has had an impactful past couple of years, and we can’t wait to see him back on stage in 2022.

We hope you find this training and diet program useful and it helps you achieve your dream physique. Looking forward to seeing your transformation pictures. Best of luck!

Who is your favorite Men’s Open division bodybuilder? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.

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