Coming into the Olympics hurdler Grant Holloway is, simply put, on fire. The Adidas athlete is on a 14-appearance winning streak, winning every race he’s run since February 4 of this year. The three-time world champion and 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the 110-meter hurdles is on a quest for redemption, and he says a big part of it is what he calls the “three p’s.”
“Practice makes permanent, and permanent makes paper,” he told GQ at an Adidas event earlier this year. “If you do the three P’s every single day, you won’t be wondering why you sit on top of the world—you simply do.”
Holloway was impressively collected on the cusp of another major career moment. Shortly after the conversation, the 26-year-old punched his ticket to his second Games by running a 12.86—the fourth fastest time in history, fueled by self-belief and positive self-talk, a few good cappuccinos, and a Chipotle habit. We caught up with the Florida-based athlete, who leaned into the hurdles because he “wasn’t the fastest sprinter—but was fast enough,” to learn about what it takes to be at the top of the pack.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: When are you up during training season?
Grant Holloway: I wake up every day around about 7:30. Then I’ll have nice coffee, usually oat-vanilla cappuccino.
GQ: You make that yourself?
Yeah, I have a nice little B2, a drip machine. I’m happy with it.
Have you always been an at-home barista?
No. More recently, like just this past year. So in the mornings I like to listen to some good music and watch the sunrise from my house, and then by 8:30 or 9 a.m. I start making myself breakfast. Every day, it’s three eggs, scrambled, with salt, turkey bacon, and an English muffin. I also have a protein shake afterwards.
What’s in the protein shake?
Regular chocolate whey protein with water, blended. So I drink that, and then I’m making my way toward the track for practice at 10:30. At the track, it takes about 45 minutes to get the body going. Once I’m warmed up, I’ll do a couple of sprints, go over some hurdles, and do some speed endurance at the end of it. You’re trying to do quality reps, and you want that practice to feel like you’re at a track meet.
How do you fuel after the session?
I go to Chipotle to treat myself. My go-to order is a burrito, double rice, double chicken, side of barbacoa, corn, tomato, lettuce, cheese, a little bit of sour cream and some dressing on top.
Solid order.
After that, I go into the weight room by about 2:45, have some fruit snacks, chill, relax, and then get to lifting weights until around 4:30. Thursdays are great because I have a massage that happens at this point, so I’ll go inside, do that, and often fall asleep because it’s already been such a long day. Once that’s done, I fight a little traffic going home.
What happens once you’re home?
So I boogie back to the house, answer some emails, watch the film from the previous practice, which helps me decompress for about 45 minutes to an hour. And then afterward I make myself dinner. I love making jambalaya with rice, sweet Italian sausage, and a couple beans. It’s a nice hearty meal. And then I wrap up my day with some Sleepytime tea. I’m usually in bed by 10:30 or 10:45, and then—repeat.
What does your lifting split look like these days?
So, I have one coach for strength and one on the track. I’m lifting Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday right now. Thursday’s more of a circuit day, like squats to a hang clean, RDL to a push/pull. I’m doing that all in like a matter of like maybe four minutes just to get the heart rate going, get a good sweat in. We wrap up with some core to feel strong at the end. I’m off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and I work Monday to Thursday.
Let’s talk a little bit about joints. Obviously with hurdling, hips are a huge thing.
Hips, knees, ankles. So on Monday I start off by doing Pilates, which involves a lot of stretching. Tuesday I’ll do a massage. Wednesday I’m doing acupuncture and seeing a chiropractor. Then Thursday, like I said before, is a deep tissue massage. I make an effort to treat the body every single day since I’m constantly putting it through high intensity workouts.
Have you always been so diligent about treating your body right? You’re only 26, so things are still working pretty well I’d assume.
I would say I got into this type of a rigorous routine in 2023, when I started paying a lot of attention to the fine details.
What was the catalyst?
I just wanted to win. I felt like 2022 was probably like one of my worst years on the track. So I wanted to make sure I did everything, the small things and the big things. I want to take the “but” and the “if” out of everything. There’s a time and place for everything. When it’s time to play, you play, but when it’s time to work, you work.
Would you say that you are the person that’s the hardest on yourself?
Absolutely. I’m my own critic. I have my expectations way higher than others’. It keeps me humble and honest.
Anything else that you’d say gives you an extra edge?
The way I talk to myself. Self-talk for me is—I would say a daily if not hourly practice. I always try to have a positive attitude. When I wake up in the morning, I’m sitting out there by myself drinking my coffee and just relaxing. I’m telling myself that it’s gonna be a good day, regardless of whatever happens. I believe that you control your inputs—so, what you want to see on your phone, watching film on social media. My mornings are my time to put any negative thoughts to the side and then continue forward into my day.
What are you most excited for at this year’s Games?
Redemption. In 2021 I was able to get the silver, but I’m ready to get everything that I deserve. And that goes back to talking about the fine details and taking care of the little things. I’m definitely looking forward to that.
Last Q: How do you treat yourself?
I love wine. I don’t really have a junk food I go-to—but if I’m having a rough day and want some comfort food or I’m traveling and there’s nothing else to eat, my McDonald’s order’s a double-cheeseburger, 10-piece McNugget, large fry, and sweet tea.
