Cameron Brink is on a mission to get jacked.
Sure, she’s is already a pro athlete for the WNBA. But the Los Angeles Sparks forward has become “kind of a snob” about building muscle.
“I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and that’s because I’ve tried to be genuinely intentional about what I’m putting in my body and my routine,” she told me for Business Insider.
Brink recently gushed over Zoom with me about her favorite strength training exercises (Bulgarian split squats) and equipment (a Keiser leg extension machine at her trainer’s house), laughing a little at herself. It’s a level of gym nerdiness that would have been unheard of for her a few years ago.
But “that’s what ACL recovery does to you,” Brink said. Last season marked her return from a 2024 injury, and since then, she’s been all about lifting weights.
For maximum muscle-building, Brink has also doubled down on optimizing protein, partnering with nutrition app MyFitnessPal, which she uses to stay on track.
“Something I never realized is how much protein I actually need,” she said.
At a listed height of 6′ 4″ (Brink said she’s actually an inch taller), getting enough fuel can feel like a full-time job.
“I’m doing things that the average person doesn’t do. So that’s where I really needed to start tracking my protein and my macros. And it really made a huge difference,” Brink said.
The rising star of women’s basketball gave me the rundown on her low-stress approach to food tracking, and what’s on the menu for a typical day in her life.
What an WNBA star eats in a day
Brink’s game plan for good nutrition starts the night before a busy day.
In the evenings, she preps the next day’s breakfast: overnight oats or chia pudding, mixed with protein powder, berries, and honey.
The combo is full of carbohydrates for energy, including quick-digesting carbs for a short-term boost, along with slower-digesting complex carbs so Brink can stay full and focused on training. Her breakfast also packs in plenty of protein for muscle growth and fiber for gut health.
Next up is coffee — Brink saves it for after the first meal of the day, to help provide more stable energy and prevent a crash later.
“I’ve shifted to having my caffeine after I have my breakfast, which I feel like has made a huge difference,” she said.
Brink also has a daily supplement regimen that includes iron, vitamin D, and muscle-building creatine.
Then comes a chef-prepared lunch at the Sparks’ training facility, where Brink often opts for two pieces of salmon with a side of Japanese sweet potatoes and asparagus. Lunch is followed by a nap.
Throughout the day, Brink said she relies on snacks like bananas, dates with almond butter, or almonds.
Before a game, her go-to fuel source is classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“I love peanut butter and jelly. That’s what really fuels me through the game is just having some of the protein from the peanut butter, but a lot of carbs,” she said.
On nights when she’s not playing, Brink makes dinner with her fiancé, former Stanford rower Ben Felter, who handles the protein while she preps the sides like pasta salad or baked potatoes.
No restriction required
Brink also treats herself, especially on the weekends, with food from Dave’s Hot Chicken or In-N-Out Burger.
She said it’s important to keep a flexible approach to eating so she doesn’t feel guilty or obsess over what’s on her plate.
“I’m not going to beat myself up like, ‘Oh, I should have had 30 more grams of protein or something.’ It’s just something I can build on for the next day,” Brink said.
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