Maintaining a proper physique is one of the hardest parts about being a WWE Superstar, just ask any of the current talents. Not only are you required to find gyms on your own time off but you also need to feed the muscle. Whether it’s eating out or bringing pre-made meals, the WWE doesn’t supply that aspect either. The way you ultimately look is entirely up to you.
In this article, we look at triumphant situations pertaining to the physiques of these WWE stars. Whether it’s their rigorous training habits, insane caloric intake or remarkable transformation stories, these are facts you never knew about your favorite WWE stars and their current physiques. In one case, we even have a situation that building muscle saved the life of a certain Women’s Champion - scroll down to the final entry to find out who!
Enjoy the article folks and like always, be sure to share it with a friend. Without further ado, here are 20 things you never knew about the physiques of these WWE stars. We begin with a certain upper-card talent that was consuming over 12,000 calories at one point before his WWE career. If you ever wondered how he got so big, you’ll get some clearance in the first entry. Let’s get started!
20 Braun Strowman – Ate 12,000 Calories Per Day During His Strong Man Days
Before Braun Strowman began in the WWE his life was quite different. He was working lots of hours for a security company and he would get approached about joining a power-lifting competition. Before he knew it, Braun was putting in countless hours at work along with lots of time in the gym training for the competitions. What tends to fly under the radar however is the amount of calories he was consuming at that point to gain both size and strength. According to Braun himself, he was pounding down over 12,000 calories per day and that includes over 1,000 grams of protein per day. Putting things into perspective, the average males gets between 100 to 150 grams per day!
His diet has changed drastically nowadays, Braun states he gets in about 3,000 calories nowadays with the hectic WWE schedule, that’s a quarter of the calories compared to his power-lifting days.
19 John Cena – Hates Doing Bicep Curls
Looking at John Cena’s arms, you’d think the dude was curling dumbbells in his sleep. However, a surprising confession made by his trainer, John actually hates doing bicep curls. A video also showed Cena unimpressed while curling. According to John’s trainer, he’s about functional training and less about the bodybuilding type movements.
It isn’t all about heavy lifts for Cena. He has deload weeks as well which is designed to shock the muscles. In those workouts, he’ll lift a lot lighter though Cena incorporates lots of super-sets. That’s when the bicep curls come into play. Now he won't hit the curls on the regular but he’ll throw them into a full body super-set according to his workout plan and when a deload day takes place.
18 Vince McMahon - Workout At Midnight
We all know about Triple H and Stephanie’s midnight workouts, however, did you know the boss himself was hitting his home gym at the same time? TMZ caught up with both Stephanie and Triple H, one of the questions asked to both of them was whether or not they train with Vince. Hunter answered with an “absolutely not” explaining that his father-in-law is still a freak in the weight room. Stephanie also added that he leaves the WWE HQ at 11 PM after an entire days work only to hit a serious workout in his home. Yup, he’s no ordinary 72 year old that’s for darn sure.
We’ve seen some impressive workout movements from Vince in the past, like we explained with Cena in the earlier entry, McMahon loves hitting circuit and super-set type of workouts. That shouldn’t shock anyone.
17 Triple H – Converted Training Style To Functional Training
At the age of 48, Triple H is arguably in the best shape of his life and little does anyone know there’s a reason for it. Hunter was struggling with body just a couple of years ago, not only was he on the chubbier side but he also became injury prone. A lot of that had to do with his training style, one that his body was no longer able to withstand.
Wisely, Hunter looked to completely revamp his training. He came across Joe DeFranco and the two have worked wonders together. Hunter has put his bodybuilding days in the past putting his focus on functional type of movements. Gone are the days of feeling stiff and in are the days of increased mobility and stability. Not only that, in terms of his physique, he’s looking better than ever before.
16 Roman Reigns – Hits The Gym Straight After Getting Off Plane
Roman’s no slouch in the gym room, his max bench press in an impressive 445, he also made the claim that hit that number prior to an episode of Raw, pretty impressive huh? Like lots of others on this list, Roman has altered his training significantly since signing with the WWE. Back in his football days, Roman admitted that dieting was all about ingesting as much food as possible. Basically, the bigger he was the better.
That has changed with the WWE, he’s slimmed down a lot since joining the company and a lot of that has to do with an improved caloric intake. In terms of training type, Roman admitted he isn’t set on specific style, he loves to get the blood pumping but he also likes Cross-Fit movements from time to time alongside his Shield brothers Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Another little known fact about the development of his physique, a lot of the frame work pertaining to his physique happens as soon as he gets off a plane. In order to shake of the plane rust, he makes it priority to a hit a gym nearby his hotel immediately.
15 Nia Jax – Can Squat 300
If you follow Nia Jax via social media, you’re likely well aware she’s very impressive inside of the weight room. Just recently, she squatted 225 with the utmost amount of ease, squatting 225 is no joke and an amount of weight most men cannot do – especially with the amount of depth she got on the squat.
Although that’s impressive, it isn’t even her max. An older video showed Nia squatting 300 with some fine form, again, she hit some serious depth on the movement. It was her personal record and by far the highest squat total out of any of the current WWE women. If you have limited weight lifting experience, we do not recommend you try such weight, you’ll be feeling silly if you do. Like her theme song says, Nia’s “not like most girls”.
14 Tony Nese – Can Leg Press 1,000 Pounds
It’s a shame Tony Nese doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, some WWE fans might have forgotten about the talent altogether. Not only does he have one of the best physiques in the entire WWE but he can bring in the ring as one of best in terms of athleticism. He certainly isn’t your typical stiff bodybuilder, Nese dazzled in the Cruiserweight Classic and it got him a WWE contract.
If you wish to keep up-to-date with the wrestler you can do so via Instagram. He’s got some impressive workout videos. Although he uses a bodybuilding style, Nese can still move some heavy weights. In this video above, Tony’s leg pressing 11 plates on each side. Now it isn’t as impressive as Nia’s 300 pound squat but still, it’s nice to know Nese isn’t skipping leg day and smashing some serious weight as well.
13 Seth Rollins – Why He Does CrossFit
Seth Rollins is the unofficial king of Cross-Fit among his WWE co-workers. When you get the nickname "Cross-Fit Jesus", that’s when you know. So why does Seth like doing Cross-Fit? Some might think for the simple fact that he likes to move heavy ass weights and increase his strength in the process. However, that’s not exactly the case according to Seth.
The former WWE Champion loves to burn calories - in terms of training style, Seth has stated that Cross-Fit matches that desire the most unlike any type of training he’s ever done. Working heavy movements is certainly taxing, Rollins has incorporates those movements while using a circuit style of training. When you mix in Cross-Fit movements with high intensity and little rest, you’ll certainly burn a lot more. For that reason, Seth has used the style of training religiously in the past couple of years.
12 Elias – 405 Bench Press, 500 Deadlift & 405 Squat
Elias has one of the top physiques in the WWE but as he admitted on the Stone Cold Podcast, that wasn’t always the case. While working on the indie scene, Elias worked at a local gym to pay the bills, once his wrestling schedule got more demanding he left the position. Elias recalls a pivotal point in transforming his physique when one of his friend’s was brutally honestly telling him he was fat. That changed him completely and resulted in the current physique we see today.
Just to give you an idea at how committed he truly is, Elias turned down a beer from the great Steve Austin during his podcast. Austin respected that and even respected Elias’ weight-lifting numbers hitting a max of 405 on the bench, 500 on the deadlift and 405 on the squat.
11 Jinder Mahal – Brings Separate Bag On The Road For Pre-Made Meals
At first, some of his peers laughed at the fact that he would bring a separate bag just for his meals. However, nowadays, it’s starting to be the norm among most of the wrestlers backstage. While on the Edge and Christian Podcast, Sheamus discussed the fact that lots of wrestlers are now bringing their pre-made meals to the show in a cooler. Sheamus is now a part-owner of a prep company and the likes of Cesaro have also purchased the meals with lots of others. Jinder should get credit however for being one of the first ones.
Mahal has calculated calories to follow and it’s facilitated by the pre-made meals which usually feature chicken and rice. Mahal bring an ice pack and puts in the bag, he also admitted that he stocks them into a fridge as soon as he gets to his hotel room. These little routines are what helped to transform Mahal’s physique completely while on the road.
10 Finn Balor - Uses Bike & Swimming For Cardio
When it comes to building a physique, everyone has their own preference. Some, look up to guys like former WWE star Ryback who are near 300 pounds and filled with some dense muscle definition. However, others appreciate a slimmer and lean look like a guy over on Raw, of course, we’re talking about the shredded Finn Balor.
Maintaining such abs takes lots and lots of conditioning along with a proper dieting. In terms of what he eats, Balor’s all about dietary fats and protein and less about carbohydrates. In terms of cardio, Balor turns to the bike along with swimming exercises. According to Finn, not only is swimming a great conditioning exercise but it also helps in creating resistance for the joints which helps one’s mobility and flexibility.
9 Charlotte – Can Clean & Jerk 140 Pounds
Before the WWE, Charlotte was actually spending her time as a personal trainer. Her physique was a lot different back in the day and more suited to a fitness competitor than a WWE Superstar. We saw a glimpse of that during her NXT debut as she looked unrecognizable compared to her current look.
Charlotte has undergone lots of changes to her dietary and training routines. In the gym, she’s less about the bodybuilding style and more about the power-lifting mechanisms. Flair has some impressive lifts under her belt and she recently shared one of them via Instagram. Charlotte maxed out a new Clean and Jerk record hitting 140 pounds. Hitting such a number, it’s pretty clear Charlotte’s strength has increased along with filling out her physique. Putting things into perspective, she can pretty much jerk Becky Lynch over her head.
8 Big E – Trains 3 Days A Week
A surprising confession was made by Big E during his workout at the Mecca, he admitted to only training three-times a week. According to the WWE Superstar, his workouts are so rigorous that he needs the extended recovery time to properly heal his body after such a workout. If you’ve seen Big E workout, you’re well aware that the guy is on another level in the weight room.
Both Roman Reigns and Cesaro claim he has by far the most impressive bench press out of anyone on the roster. Big E has a max of 575 which is pretty ridiculous. When asked what’s the best way to improve the lift, Big E responded by saying doing bench press as much as possible will lead to increases, while working in variations of the bench press lift as well.
7 Bayley – Looks For CrossFit Gyms While On The Road
What Seth Rollins is for Cross-Fit to the bros, Bayley is to the women. She’s adopted the training style for quite some time and she trains Cross-Fit religiously nowadays, even going out of her way to find Cross-Fit specific gyms in the areas she visits while on the road with the WWE. Bayley admitted that normal gyms just don’t cut it anymore and that she loves the family like environment inside Cross-Fit type gyms.
Bayley recently thanked her trainer for all the improvements she’s made since working out with that style of lifting. Her lift numbers have increased but it has also led to an increase in another area - let’s just say she’s hitting her squats and it’s causing a certain muscle to just keep on growing...
6 Big Show – Bench Pressed 500 Pounds For 12 Reps
Big Show is a mammoth man so it shouldn’t shock anyone that his bench press totals are quite surreal. Not only did Big Show bench 500 pounds but he hit that for reps! Show benched the weight for 12 reps, that's just downright insane and something most humans just cannot do. It also helps when you weigh near 500 pounds as well however.
Gone are those days, today, Big Show looks to be in the best shape of his life. Despite his larger than life size, Show shared a picture that actually featured some ab development, that alone is as impressive as benching 500 pounds. The big man recently posted a photo at the gym claiming he hasn’t gone anywhere just yet, it remains to be seen when he’ll return to the ring.
5 Michael Cole – Lost 65 Pounds During Transformation
Michael Cole needed to make a change in his life, his inability to climb mountains forced him into starting to train and follow a proper diet. By just training three-times a week and following a normal diet, Cole instantly dropped ten pounds in his first month. Not consuming heavy amounts of carbs per day along with taking out empty calories such as his knack for beer drinking helped speed things a lot instantly.
Before he knew it, Cole altered his entire physique due to his commitment, dropping an insane 65 pounds. The before and after photo looks as though Cole is a different human being, what’s truly remarkable is the fact that basic and easy changes helped shape his amazing transformation. Michael’s an example the losing weight can just take some minor adjustments.
4 Mandy Rose – Eats A Lot Of Carbohydrates
A big misconception from lots of trainees is that carbs are bad. However, that’s not entirely true. Carbohydrates provide the body with an energy, giving the you the proper amount of fuel to burn even more calories. Carbs are like the gas that fuel your workouts. Yes, the likes of Finn Balor and Seth Rollins minimize their carb intake, however, lots of others go the opposite route. Jinder Mahal, Elias and Mandy Rose are just a couple of names that fill their diet up with dietary carbohydrates.
You would think looking at Mandy’s physique that she hadn’t touched a carbohydrate in years, however, she credit carbs for the look she has today. Not only is Mandy extremely lean but she’s full in all the right places and that’s in large part thanks to her dietary intake of healthy carbohydrates.
3 Sasha Banks – Uses Strength & Full Body Training
Like Bayley, Sasha loves to hit her Cross-Fit movements; she also follows Bayley while on the road in search for Cross-Fit specific gyms. Like her bestie, Banks admitted that she likes the atmosphere more so in Cross-Fit gyms than the local gym settings.
Her lean figure is also thanks to her rigorous full body type training. Like we mentioned with John Cena earlier, Banks loves to mix in heavy lifts with a circuit type of training, meaning she hardly takes breaks between her sets while keeping the blood flow pumping. If you want to get lean and build muscle, circuits are the way to go. Banks physique definitely shows that off - like Finn Baor for the men, she’s one of the leanest among the females in the WWE.
2 Shane McMahon – Used MMA Style Of Training To Transform Physique
Shane McMahon’s another guy that quietly transformed his physique. We saw his body completely change on route to his bout against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 and a lot of that has to do with his rigorous conditioning exercises. Shane hardly touched a weight, instead, he stepped things up a notch in the octagon taking his conditioning to another level. He’s been training with the same trainer for quite some time now and it’s clear that the MMA training did him some good transforming his body completely.
Sadly, he isn’t performing functional type training with his brother-in-law. Triple H revealed that the two never trained together which is kind of a letdown. Hey, maybe there is heat between the two after all?
1 Alexa Bliss - Gaining Muscle Saved Her Life
We’ve discussed lots of inspirational physique changes throughout this article but for this one, weight training actually saved a life. During a WWE documentary via the network, Alexa’s mom got emotional discussing her daughter’s troubles with an eating disorder. Her mom began to cry stating the disorder almost cost her daughter’s life. She was rushed to hospital and there was the real possibility that Alexa wouldn’t make it.
No special pill saved Alexa, instead, a commitment to gaining muscle changed everything for her. Turning to fitness competitions, Bliss finally started eating properly because of a dietary plan she was working with. Not only did she transform her physique but she saved her entire life in the process. She’s now looking better than ever with the WWE, she’s definitely come a long way since her difficult teen days.