Dave Khari Webber Chappelle, commonly known as just “Dave Chapelle” is an American stand-up comedian and actor. It’s true that he has accomplished many things in his life but he’s best known for his comedy sketch series Chappelle’s Show. After abandoning the show in the middle of production due to personal reasons, Dave went on a long period of hiatus and remained absent from the entertainment scene until his return to Netflix in 2017. Upon his first appearance after the long absence, something caught the entire world off-guard, Dave Chappelle gained a lot of muscles! People were used to seeing him as the tall lanky stand-up comedian, but that was no longer a thing. With that being said, how did he manage to put on that much weight and muscle? How did he get so buff? What was Dave Chappelle’s workout routine?
Because of his long absence from the entertainment scene, Dave Chappelle had plenty of time to train and focus on himself. With a combination of MMA, strength training, cardio, and the right diet, he managed to gain an impressive amount of muscle mass.
In this article, we’ll talk about Dave Chapelle’s body transformation over the years and the workout routine that allowed him to reach a muscular physique.
Dave Chappelle’s Stats
Before getting into Dave Chappelle’s workout routine, let’s first establish some of his stats (as of 2022)
- Age: 49
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 176 pounds (80 kg)
- BMI: 24.5
- Body fat percentage: 16.9%
As you can see, Dave Chappelle was taller than average which is one of the main reasons why he looks so buff (muscle mass and height make a good combination). In addition to that, he didn’t have a high body fat percentage which made him look somewhat lean.
Dave Chappelle’s Body Transformation
Let’s try to compare Dave Chappelle’s physique and see how his body changed over the years:
In 2006 (age 33): This is the shape that Dave Chappelle was most commonly known for. He was tall, lanky, and skinny. He did have some muscles though at this point due to genetics, but it wasn’t that impressive. Dave here was more focused on his career than his shape.
In 2008 (age 35): At this point, Dave Chappelle was starting to slightly pack on some muscles. It still wasn’t impressive, but you can clearly see that there were some improvements. He had bigger biceps and his veins started to pop more.
In 2013 (age 40): This is where his body transformation started to become obvious and take a turn for the better. During this time, Dave Chappelle developed a lot of impressive muscles. He looked a lot wider thanks to his big rounded shoulders, he had bigger arms, a fuller chest, and his veins were more apparent.
In 2014 (age 41): This is where Dave Chappelle took his fitness to the next level. At this point in time, he gained a lot more size which made him look even better. He had bigger shoulders, bigger arms, and let’s not forget about his lower body, he also had impressive calves.
In 2016 (age 43): Dave here looks even wider than before. It’s true that he doesn’t look as lean as he used to be, but his size is still super impressive for his age. His arms, shoulders, and chest are massive.
In 2020 (age 47): Although Dave is becoming older, he’s still keeping his physique intact. His shoulders are just as impressive as before, his arms are still massive, and he still looks big.
Dave Chappelle’s Workout Routine
Although people were shocked by Dave Chappelle’s body transformation, it wasn’t an overnight change, on the contrary, he had plenty of time (10+ years) away from the entertainment scene to focus on himself, his mind, and his body.
During the early stages of his body transformation, Dave Chappelle was a big fan of MMA as he stated in one of his interviews with ESPN radio in 2008:
“Fighting is only a hobby, but I like training hard. With my career, I’m always all over the place, but when I’m in Vegas, I try and stop in at Xtreme Couture… if I’m in a place for more than a few days, I’ll go and train. I really like training down at ATT”
At that time, MMA training was always in the mind of Dave Chappelle even though he had a busy schedule and it was the first stepping stone toward his fitness success.
With that being said, you can’t achieve the kind of physique that Dave has with MMA training alone, it takes a lot more effort than that.
In addition to MMA/boxing, he also hits the gym pretty hard. He has been spotted multiple times in LA fitness Beavercreek Ohio where he lived.
A physique like that requires 4 major things:
- Hitting the gym 3 to 4 times a week to perform strength training while focusing on heavy lifts, short repetitions, and compound exercises (movements that target multiple muscle groups).
- Doing cardio on a regular basis to maintain a low body fat percentage.
- Following a diet that has all the essential nutrients that your body needs in order to grow muscles (proteins, carbs, and healthy fats).
- Staying consistent (this is the most important one).
Dave Chappelle did all these things, especially that last one since he stayed in shape and didn’t quit for well over 10 years now.
Conclusion:
In addition to being one of the most well-known American stand-up comedians, Dave Chappelle also managed to surprise everyone with his body transformation journey. Whether you look up to him or want to achieve the same thing, all you need to do is:
- Start hitting the gym consistently while following the right methods that focus on growing muscle mass
- Lower your body fat percentage to a level where you would appear lean
- Follow the right diet that will make everything much easier to achieve
- Don’t quit