Since the late 1990s, Triple H has maintained one of the finest physiques in all of the WWE. Who can forget his return in early 2002, not only did he receive a thunderous pop from the MSG crowd but his body looked better than ever. The Game lived the hermit life while recovering from the injury in and out of the gym on the regular. His body has evolved since then and in this article, we’ll let you in on some of his secrets.

We’ll touch base on various topics including Triple H’s meals, workouts, cheat meals and a bunch of other things pertaining to his physique. We’ll also examine Triple H’s darkest days when his body didn’t look so great, we’ll explain what went wrong during that time frame as The Game opened up to his past struggles in trying to maintain a bodybuilding style of training. Despite the trials and tribulations pertaining to his physique, one can argue that The Game looks better than ever at the age of 48 and his physique last year during WrestleMania was a true testament to that statement.

From chest pressing 100 pound dumbbells for 26 reps on an incline to going completely Keto, these are 15 secrets you never knew about Triple H’s physique. Enjoy the article folks and like always, be sure to share it with a friend. If you aren’t a member of a gym yet, you will be after this article! It’s time to play The Game!

15 15. His WrestleMania 33 Diet

Taking on Seth Rollins at last year’s WrestleMania, physically, Triple H looked better than he did in a long time, what made his body so remarkable is the fact that he presented us with such a physique at the age of 47.

Now for the casual fan, they likely appreciated the visual and really didn’t make anything else of it. But for those that train on the regular, you knew that he underwent a hell of a diet to get such a physique. His nutritionist Dave Palumbo opened up about his diet which consisted of six meals per day. Each meal had roughly 50 grams of protein along with 25-30 grams of fat. As for his carb intake, he had hardly any carbs and kept scaling back the closer he got to ‘Mania. Among the foods he consumed the most during his WM diet included salmon and protein shakes as his main source of protein. As for his fats, The Game consumed heavy amounts of mixed nuts and peanut butter. His vegetable of choice throughout the diet was green beans for the most part.

14 14. Eats High Calories During Off-Season

When it comes to his training intensity and diet plans, Triple H follows a schedule quite similar to a bodybuilder. During the road to WrestleMania, Hunter turns on the jets not only increasing his workout intensity but also cutting down on the calories to give us that nostalgic look. However, he doesn’t follow that type of program year round, instead, he undergoes an off-season for most of the year when he’s not prepping for ‘Mania.

So what does that entail? It’s a chance to grow out his muscles and improve on his physique, in order to do so, he’s got to increase his calories. One of the ways he does so is by upping his carbohydrates according to his trainer Dave Palumbo. He increases his carb intake to 250 grams per day. We assume that The Game’s off-season plan is now done with as WrestleMania looms near.

13 13. Cardio & Cheat Meals Are Crucial For His WM Physique

Dave Palumbo opened up discussing Triple H’s recent diet, Dave admitted he knows Hunter’s body inside out having worked with him for years now. Palumbo discussed what works best with Hunter during his rigorous diet and one of those elements might surprise you.

First off, cardio is huge when it comes to Hunter developing that lean physique. According to Palumbo, once Hunter increases the cardio intensity his body takes it to another level. However, there’s another element Dave adds to his diet and that’s cheat meals, Palumbo does so in order to maintain Hunter’s muscle and not for it to be eaten away due to the accelerated amounts of cardio. The cheat meal is nothing crazy however, it’s literally only an increase of 35 extra grams of carbs, which is an amount most of us consume within minutes of being awake.

12 12. Trains Between 11:30 PM & Midnight

If you ever say you don’t have time for the gym, maybe you should look at Triple H’s life in order to get that extra boost. The guy works 24/7, whether that be at the office out in Stamford, the Performance Center out in the Florida area or heck, even being on the road with the WWE during PPVs and Raw. Yet, despite the craziness of it all, The Game still finds time to train. How and when you might be asking yourself?

Via his and Stephanie’s Instagram accounts, both have given us a sneak peek into their workout lives which takes place at the comfort of their own home in the basement created gym. The couple made the hashtag #mighnightworkouts popular amongst their fans as the two would somehow find the time to train in wee hours of the night after putting their children to sleep. Both Hunter and Stephanie have followed this routine for quite some time now.

11 11. Has A Coach For Training – Joe DeFranco

After tearing his bicep a couple of years ago, The Game finally decided it was time to change his training routine putting the bodybuilding style in the past. He searched for a training regime that was more suited towards functional training. After checking online for trainers nearby, one name kept popping up and that was of Joe DeFranco.

After meeting at Triple H’s residence, The Game requested if DeFranco knew a trainer that lived nearby and if that person can be with him during the sessions. After much consideration, DeFranco suggested that he would be the one to train Hunter despite the fact that he lives about an hour and a half away from The Game, now that’s dedication. The two are still together and when he’s on the road, Hunter uses DeFranco’s program as well following it religiously despite his hectic schedule.

10 10. He Has A Nutrition Coach – Dave Palumbo

Although The Game deserves a lot of credit for his dedication and great physiques year round, it should be stated that he’s got a hell of a team in back of him driving his gains. Not only does he train with Joe DeFranco, but he’s also got full meal plana and supplements guides coming from one of the very best, Dave Palumbo.

For those of you that aren’t aware, Palumbo is an all-time great in the world of bodybuilding, nowadays, he’s one hell of an entrepreneur as the owner of various successful fitness companies such as Rxmuscle and Species Nutrition. So yes, in terms of the diet The Game is in great hands and as we stated earlier, Palumbo knows Hunter’s body inside out which also helps a heck of a lot.

9 9. Eats Cheat Meals Once A Week During Off-Season

Okay, so before we discussed he fact that The Game has minor cheat meals during his intense training prior to ‘Mania, however, those that train and eat healthy know that 35 grams extra of carbohydrates isn’t much of a cheat. Not to worry though, The Game does indulge during his off-season, nutritionist Dave Palumbo admitted that along with increased calories, Triple also consumes a cheat meal a week.

When it comes to off-season plans, it’s all about filling out the muscle and getting bigger. Granted, those six pack abs will go away but they’ll come back once you lower the calories, when it comes to off-seasons, it’s all about eating lots of food and getting the muscle dense. Hunter’s been following such a game plan for years and years now. Remember folks, you’ve got to put on some muscle before getting the shreds and a salad certainly won’t cut it.

8 8. Brings Down Training Intensity During Off-Season

Along with bringing up the calories, Hunter’s training intensity also decreases. Now when it comes to lifting weights and building up a sweat during a workout, we believe his intensity is still quite high. However, he’s like scaling back his cardio in order to achieve those effective off-season gains. The picture makes it clear he scales back on the intensity when it’s not 12 weeks out of WrestleMania - he takes a cute picture alongside his daughter, surely he wouldn’t take such a photo if WrestleMania was only weeks away.

We’re now mid-January and with Hunter basically penciled in to take on Kurt Angle at the event, we can expect his rigorous diet and training methods to start any day now. To quote Hunter, “it’s time to play The Game”.

7 7. Can Incline Press 100 Pound Dumbbells For 26 Reps

For those of us that workout religiously, hearing such a stat is pretty mind-blowing. 100 pound dumbbells are extremely heavy and for the most part, the average trainee can’t even hit a single rep of what The Game hit 26 times! It’s truly quite the accomplishment and Joe DeFranco his trainer posted the footage via Instagram and YouTube. The bros were definitely “bro-ing out” at the sight of the clip.

It shouldn’t be too shocking though, The Game has one help of a chest which is usually his finest asset. Along with the outrageous incline dumbbell numbers, he’s also got a hell of a flat bench press as well hitting 275 for 16 reps, which is also quite good. Hunter’s been hitting those bodybuilding movement for years and it definitely shows putting up those kinds of weights and reps.

6 6. Raising Training Intensity Also Helps With Ring Rust

Triple H discussed raising his training intensity alongside Dave Palumbo, while discussing his rigorous workouts, The Game admitted that raising the intensity also helps for another facet aside from his physique. According to The Game, a big reason as to why he also raises the intensity is to help knock off the ring rust. Yes, getting in the ring is the way to do so but increasing the training also helps, particularly when performing functional workouts which helps with one’s speed and power, resulting in a greater form of overall athleticism.

Yes, looking great is a big part of it, however, performing great is also crucial in aiding his in-ring work come WrestleMania. Nearing his 50s, The Game hasn’t slowed down all that much in the ring come WrestleMania and his workouts have a lot to do with it, especially the type of training he undergoes nowadays as opposed to his past days training strictly for bodybuilding and the look factor.

5 5. Uses Boxing For Cardio

Getting ripped is tough for a couple of reasons. Not only are you forced into reducing your calories which is tough on its own, but the cardio aspect of ripping up makes it that much worse. Most trainees can agree that at times the cardio part is what’s most difficult, even The Game himself admitted that.

Hunter has changed his cardio routines in the last couple of years and we don’t blame him - using a machine to run or walk up a flight of stairs can not only get rigorous, but it can also be quite boring, especially when you have to do it five to six times a week. Hunter has changed his formula recently adding boxing as a way to improve his cardio. He’s got a coach for the boxing aspect as well getting help from former boxer Adam Colbert, who also goes to The Game’s house.

4 4. Loves Keto Diets

The diet part is a reason why so many trainees stop their fitness goals, let’s face it, it can get complicated. Numerous diets exist out there whether it be pounding down 40 percent of your cals on carbs, or even undergoing a intermittent fasted diet - there are a bunch of options out there which can cause confusion. Though, if you do a little bit of research, you’ll realize that there’s a diet option that works best for all of us depending on our food tolerances and personal preferences.

The Game himself has a preference and that’s the Keto diet which continues to pick up steam in the world of fitness. In fact, The Game wants to go full Keto, which means eliminating all carbs and in taking only fats and proteins. However, his coach Dave Palumbo requires that The Game has a bit of carbs in order to fill out heading towards WrestleMania. The belief for some is that eliminating all carbs will result in a flat physique.

3 3. Took Part In Fitness Competitions Before Wrestling Career

Growing up, Triple H had to two passions in life, pro wrestling and bodybuilding. Assessing his life nowadays, not much has changed as he still remains passionate about both, though wrestling is his life. However, back in his teen days, The Game was all about bodybuilding, even taking part in various competitions. He started off by working out at a local gym and that passion would only increase once he started working at the fitness center.

Before he knew it, Hunter had an older group of friends all dedicated to the fitness way of life as we was. His routine was waking up early, making a healthy lunch for school and hitting the gym for several hours after his school day was over. He would later translate his main focus onto a pro wrestling career joining Killer Kowalski’s wrestling school, however fitness still remained a big priority.

2 2. His Body Broke Down At One Point

The photo above isn’t photoshopped, Triple H underwent a dark point as his body was breaking down behind the scenes. Training a bodybuilding style for years, which is focused on reps and slow tempo, his joints were giving out and that was evidenced by his various injuries including a torn bicep later on.

Following the injury Hunter knew he needed to change things up and seek a different style of training for his longevity – training for the look was no longer the focal point. With his knees giving out as well, Hunter opted for athletic training and that’s the point in which he contacted Joe DeFranco. He hasn’t regretted the decision one bit moving as well as he ever has.

1 1. Started Off At The Age Of 14 Weighing 135 Pounds

When it comes to fitness, everyone has their own unique journey. Some start off heavy while others, start off flat as a wall and that was the case for Hunter beginning his journey as a 14 year old. In his fitness book Making The Game, Hunter stated that he was a mere 135 pounds at the start, fast-forward to nowadays and he’s 100 pounds heavier with a lot of muscle. We might not appreciate his growth but it’s truly something admirable.

A big motive for his physique was to look like a wrestler. He began his wrestling training in 1992 and by 1994, he would join WCW on a brief one year deal. He turned down an extension by WCW to make it as a single’s star, he would join the WWE in 1995 and by 1997, he was one of the main acts on the program. Fast-forward over two decades later and The Game is one of the most influential faces in the entire business today, what a journey.