I Ate Like People Did 100 Years Ago for a Month

Modern diets love to obsess over macros, supplements and precisely tracked calories. One personal trainer decided to strip all of that away and eat like it was a century ago instead.

He spent a full month eating and training the exact way strongmen did in the 1920s, no shortcuts included. Keep reading to see what actually happened to his body over those thirty days.

The Plan Skipped Every Modern Shortcut

Personal trainer Vidur Saini built his month around what 1920s strongman athletes actually ate, since fancy supplements and tracked macros simply did not exist back then. Meals leaned on simple, whole foods like steak, eggs, milk, chicken, fish and potatoes.

Five meals a day kept him full for hours at a time, heavy on protein and healthy fats. The training matched the diet, built around functional, full body lifts rather than isolating individual muscles.

The First Week Was Rougher Than Expected

The very first workout, made up of 21 total sets, left him dealing with serious muscle soreness the next day. Eating that much food consistently was its own challenge too, especially compared to his usual routine.

He had to scale back the weights and volume just to keep his technique in check that first week. One clear upside showed up almost immediately though, he started falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Things Started Clicking As The Weeks Went On

By the second week, lifts that had felt brutal in week one started to feel manageable. He noticed a real jump in raw strength as his body adapted to the increased training volume.

His digestion also improved significantly by week three, once his stomach adjusted to the sheer amount of food. He reported feeling lighter, less bloated and noticeably more energetic throughout each day.

The Results Surprised Even Him

By the end of the month, his numbers had jumped across the board. His deadlift climbed from 350 to 405 pounds, while his squat and bench press both saw similarly large increases.

He also gained muscle while his body fat percentage dropped slightly, despite eating in a calorie surplus the entire time. Better sleep and steadier energy rounded out a result he did not fully expect going into the challenge.

So while he is not ditching modern training science entirely, he walked away with a real appreciation for how far whole food and hard, functional training can go on their own. Sometimes the oldest approach in the book still has something worth borrowing.