
SOMETIMES, EVEN WWE Superstars generally lose their drive to hit the gymnasium.
“I used to be dreading going into the gymnasium to the identical boring stuff, the identical exercises, the identical factor time and again. I misplaced my motivation,” says Sheamus, the four-time world champion and 12-year vet of the squared circle. After years of matches and exercises, the Irishman says he was burned out just a few years in the past—so he combined issues up. “I began doing these sort of cool, exterior exercises with sleds, battling ropes, and wall balls—that form of stuff, you recognize? And I used to be like, that is enjoyable. That is how exercises must be.”
That rediscovery of how enjoyable coaching may very well be led him to launch Celtic Warrior Exercises, his YouTube channel chronicling the coaching plans of different WWE superstars and legends like Rey Misterio, John Cena, and Sasha Banks. After a yr hiatus, the channel returned final month, beginning with a Bobby Lashley leg exercise that Sheamus says is the right mixture of “pleasure and ache.”
“I couldn’t stroll for 2 days after that,” he says.
The newly-married 44-year previous professional wrestler took a break from smashing leg day within the gymnasium together with his fellow Superstars to speak with Males’s Well being about his personal coaching, how his focus has modified in his 40s, and why his dream visitor for the channel could be the Macho Man himself.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
You discover all these different Superstars’ exercises in your channel, however we don’t hear about your coaching? What’s your weekly schedule like?
I’ve a coach. It is truly John Cena’s coach, and likewise he does plenty of work with different guys. His title is Rob MacIntyre. It is a 4 day break up: legs, again and bis, shoulders, chest and tris.
Might you run our readers via what a kind of days seems to be like?
I do not do common squats anymore as a result of I’ve had two herniated discs in my neck. So I do not put a bar on my again anymore. I am going to do entrance squats, or I’ve a Pit Shark belt squat machine on the market. So he has me doing 5 units of ten reps of the belt squat with 60 seconds relaxation. Three units of dumbbell step-ups. Eight reps apiece. Two units of lateral lunge, eight reps apiece. Three units of fifty kettlebell swings. Barbell facet bends, three units of them, after which isometric again extension on bench. He has three units of them for 30 seconds apiece. That is Monday.
I am getting again into it a little bit bit as nicely. I have been off a little bit bit as a result of I used to be sick and likewise simply bought married. So for chest [on Tuesday], it is like six units of barbell bench press, 10 reps per set. After which a superset of incline cable fly and bent-over dumbbell increase—three units apiece. And an excellent set of dumbbell pullovers and dips, three units apiece.
After which, for again, 5 units of open-bar deadlift. Six reps apiece. Six units of pullups, as many as I can. Three units of under-handed grip seated cable row at 12 reps. Six units of EZ-bar curls, 10 reps apiece. Three units of straight-arm cable pulldowns, 12 reps apiece. Three units of dumbbell shrugs, 12 reps apiece. Three units of AB will and standing banded plank.
Then for shoulders, 5 units of standing barbell press, 10 reps apiece. 5 units of dips, 10 reps apiece. EZ-bar overhead tricep extensions: 4 units of 12 reps. Lateral increase, three units of 12 reps. After which superset band triceps pushdown and cling clear excessive pull, three units, 12 reps of each.
You talked about that you just don’t barbell squat anymore as a result of earlier neck points. Now that you just’re in your 40s, are there different belongings you’ve modified together with your coaching?
The older you get, the smarter you get. You must know your limitations. So what do I need to do? Do I need to throw large, heavy weights across the gymnasium? Do I need to begin sumo squatting, like 600 kilos? Squat like 400 to 500 kilos? No, I do not. I need my longevity. I need my exercises to go with my ringwork. So I must be smarter. So I haven’t got any ego throwing weights round. I do not want to do this anymore. To me, it is how I look in there, how I transfer.
I additionally need to look aesthetically good. So plenty of it’s weight loss program as nicely. So, you recognize, no sugar, in the reduction of on alcohol—which clearly hasn’t gone nicely this final marriage ceremony week—bought to get again on observe with that as a result of alcohol causes plenty of irritation. So does sugar.
I additionally field as nicely, as soon as per week. This man Bernard, he is with Swiftkick Boxing, and I prepare with him as soon as per week. We do 15 three-minute rounds. And it is intense and it is nice, and it really works on my footwork and my hand-eye coordination. And it is enjoyable. An hour simply blows by as a result of it is one thing enjoyable. An hour on a treadmill seems like a day. However that is enjoyable, and it is serving to with my work in WWE. My footwork has gotten so a lot better. He has me on tires. I shadowbox on tires shifting facet to facet. He has me coming into the center of the ring, hitting the pads—one, two, three, 4—dropping down right into a burpee, popping up, hit the pads once more, then again to the nook and again out once more. Drop down, get again up form of stuff. So plenty of actually good, sensible work.
What have been the hardest Celtic Warrior Exercises—from the unique episodes, and now with these new ones?
Xia Li [from the original series,] was insane. I might barely wait to get away from that one. I’ve by no means seen anyone work out like her. An in depth second to that one was Becky Lynch’s CrossFit exercise. I might by no means given up on a exercise earlier than, however I gave up on that. I needed to cease. Each exercises that made me cease have been each ladies. Xia Li and Becky Lynch—they each broke me.
And now, within the new exercises, it is the Bobby Lashley warmup. I could not stroll for 2 days after that. He begins off with a minute wall sit, 20 strolling lunges on every leg. One other minute wall sit, 19 lunges on every leg. A minute wall sit, and it goes on and on and on. To start with, you suppose, “oh no, I’ve all these lunges to do.” Because the lunges go down, you are like, “oh, shit, now there’s much less time between the wall sits.” That is one you can do wherever, anyplace. It will be a greater cardio exercise than any treadmill or any bike.
After which the opposite one was Bianca Belair. She had me do these facet squats. I am not going to lie: At my bachelor occasion, I could not sit down. I needed to arise. And that was the subsequent day. I could not even sit down on the bar.
What I really like about it’s I’ve discovered a lot. I have been challenged. That is why I began Celtic Warrior Exercises. I used to be at a spot in my life the place I did not look ahead to my exercises anymore. I used to be dreading going into the gymnasium to the identical boring stuff, the identical exercises, the identical factor time and again. I misplaced my motivation, and that is why I began doing these sort of cool, exterior exercises with sleds, battling ropes, and wall balls—that form of stuff, you recognize? And I used to be like, that is enjoyable. That is how exercises must be. Properly possibly if I begin understanding with different folks, different Superstars, I can see their journey and see what they’ve overcome and see what they do to work out. It’s best to by no means cease studying. It has been a rising expertise for me. I’ve discovered a lot with this channel.
What’s one thing that you just’ve taken away from one in every of these episodes and utilized in your individual coaching?
Bobby [Lashley] doing 100 pullups. So should you watch that exercise, he exhibits you the way anyone can do 100 pull ups. And I used to be like, I am going to by no means do 100 pull ups. I’ve by no means completed it. However I did it with Bobby in that exercise. I felt wonderful, and I truly took that exercise—two or three weeks after I was doing again, I simply did Bobby’s again exercise that is on the channel.
For Bianca, fully totally different athlete—like observe and subject and the whole lot, extremely athletic, unbelievable energy, highly effective decrease physique. However these facet squats she was doing, I by no means in my wildest desires thought I might ever do this as a result of I felt like, I do not know learn how to do them. They really feel awkward. I do not really feel snug. She bought me via them, and I killed it. It was one factor I might by no means completed as a result of I take a look at them, they usually’re actually exhausting to do or difficult. However I did it together with her and as I stated, I used to be sore for per week after. However it’s one other factor I’ve completed. It is overcoming your ego. It is making a courageous change. It is stepping out of your consolation zone. And this channel’s allowed me to do that.
This content material is imported from youTube. You might be able to discover the identical content material in one other format, otherwise you might be able to discover extra data, at their website.
I am doing new issues, despite the fact that at first I am dreading it. I am within the place of coaching since I used to be 16, virtually 30 years. Individuals who’ve by no means skilled earlier than, or wish to begin coaching, and trying to make a courageous change of their lives and begin contemporary and get there [are in a different position]. Perhaps they only do not know learn how to begin or get there. Watching these movies, [you can see] the place I am tremendous uncomfortable. However the particular person I am working with will get me via them, and teaches me learn how to do them, after which overcome them—that is a journey that myself and the viewer at house is watching.
And that is what’s so superior about it. I’ve no ego in any of those episodes. It is not about me. It is all the time concerning the particular person I am coaching with, whether or not it is Austin Concept, Bobby Lashley, Liv Morgan, Bianca, Becky, Seth, John Cena, Sasha Banks. It is about their exercise that we’re doing and it is unbelievable. I am getting smashed. I am getting destroyed. However on the finish, I’ve overcome one thing. I’ve achieved one thing. And the viewer is mainly with me all the best way.
Who’s a Celebrity of the previous that you’d have wished to have on the present?
Macho Man Randy Savage As a child, he was like the primary Celebrity I gravitated to, and I by no means bought to satisfy him in any respect. That was my greatest remorse, that I by no means bought to satisfy Randy Savage. I simply suppose personality-wise, he’d be a lot enjoyable on the channel. He’d level, say “Oooh yeah.” I simply suppose could be that might be superior.
Amongst these you probably did meet as you have been developing in WWE, have been there any Superstars that impressed you within the gymnasium, or from whom you discovered some coaching recommendation you’ve used throughout your profession?
Hunter [Triple H] was the large one. I had his exercise e-book after I was youthful. I used to be so into coaching and studying. Understanding with him, in his prime, he had among the best physiques in historical past. At MSG, when he got here again earlier than the Royal Rumble, he was jacked out of his thoughts. So I started working out with him and I discovered loads.
And Kane as nicely. Watching this monster prepare with small weights. There’s this concept that it’s important to prepare huge quantities of weights round to be as large as Kane, as Glenn Jacobs.
So I discovered loads as I got here up and I noticed all these Superstars. They prepare loads in another way, they prepare loads smarter. And so they weren’t fearful about shifting the heaviest weight across the gymnasium. Now we have to be athletic. We do land on our again. We generally do not have time to get well from large, heavy exercises as a result of we’re on the highway or we’re taking an early flight to the subsequent metropolis. So we get about 4 hours sleep, get on the airplane, after which we’re wrestling.
You talked about restoration there. Do you will have a post-workout meal for restoration you could share with our readers to attempt?
I’ve a shake. I am old style, however I truly bought off dairy and whey. I do vegan protein powder. I’ve a banana, some blueberries, half almond milk and water. And I take two and a half scoops of a vegan protein. My favourite one, and I am not sponsored by them or something, is the GNC AMP vegan shake, the hazelnut taste. That is my factor.
It is undoubtedly helped with irritation to come back off dairy all collectively. And my spouse loves that. And I really feel nice after I’m going my means and my spouse loves that as a result of, you recognize, I am not as … farty as I was.
Greg Presto is a health and sports activities reporter and videographer in Washington, DC.