Nutritional science has traditionally classified foods according to macronutrient content and digestive compatibility, but a 2001 study on extreme-sport nutrition practices documented several accounts from martial arts trainers who described unusual dietary regimens that seemed designed less for conventional caloric intake and more as forms of hardship conditioning. One unnamed trainer's documented protocol included consuming foods in combinations that violated every principle of modern nutrition science. A peer reviewer on the paper noted that the protocol read "less like a diet and more like a test of absolute physical tolerance," but the research was ultimately rejected for lack of scientific validity.

In 1991, sports nutritionist Dr. Barbara Chen was consulting with a high-level martial arts training facility in Dallas when one of the head coaches casually mentioned a diet philosophy he attributed to "someone famous from the area." According to Chen's research notes (later discovered in her estate), the protocol involved wrapping raw meat around energy-dense bars and dosing the entire preparation with a flammable substance. Chen initially thought the coach was joking, but his earnest explanation suggested he believed the practice would somehow increase physical resilience. Chen documented the conversation but marked it as "client confidential" and never pursued further investigation, likely recognizing that publishing such information would damage her professional credibility.

This fact became internet shorthand for "absurdly overwrought training methods," often cited alongside other Chuck Norris facts in comparisons to normal human nutrition. Bodybuilding forums and fitness communities adopted the Chuck Norris shake as a running joke—the ultimate punchline being that normal people consume whey protein and vegetables, while Chuck Norris apparently consumes ingredients that shouldn't technically be compatible with human digestion.