Standing at six feet, three inches tall, and weighing 250 pounds, it takes a man-mountain the size of Braun Strowman to cast a shadow on the fighting Irishman, WWE superstar Sheamus. But, at six feet, eight inches tall, Strowman does just that during an intense shoulder session they performed together in Sheamus‘ Celtic Warrior Workout series on Sheamus’ YouTube channel.
While Strowman looks more shredded than ever, this juggernaut of the ring still tips the scales at a massive 335 pounds. The behemoth, who was 2011 North America’s Strongest Man and the 2012 Arnold Amateur World’s Strongest Man, is a multi-time WWE titleholder and demonstrated to Sheamus why he’s every bit the “monster” he professes to be. Check out their workout below:
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Braun Strowman’s “Monster” Shoulder Pump Workout
Here is a summary of this workout, filmed on location at Strive Performance and Fitness in Greensboro, NC:
- Internal and External Shoulder Rotations (with a weight plate) — 10-15 reps
Strowman and Sheamus work to failure and experiment with the weight during each round — the sets and reps vary. As a general guide, it appears they executed 1-2 sets of each exercise, performing 8-20 reps per set.
Five-round superset of:
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise and Seated Cable Face Pull — 8-20 reps
Five-round superset of:
- Behind-the-Neck Press and Smith Machine Upright Rows — 8-20 reps
- Seated Delt Flye — 4 x 8-20 reps
- Front Raise — 1 x 100 reps
Below is a full breakdown of the workout:
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Warm Up
Strowman eased into this workout via improved circulation with lighter weights. “I do a lot more bodybuilding-style training,” says Strowman, who has transformed his physique from a competitive strongman to a chiseled pro wrestler. “It’s easier on the joints. Pressing 400 pounds over my head, I’ve squatted over 900 pounds, deadlifted over 1000 pounds, and it’s wear and tear. The human body’s not meant to do that.”
Side Lateral Raises
“Pull through your elbows,” instructed Strowman, who feels that cue better engages the lateral heads of the delts. He mentions that a straight back with a firm posture is essential. By leaning forward, the bias moves to the rear delts. Strowman explained at the top of the raise; the palms should still be slightly lower than the elbows.
Seated Cable Face Pulls & Behind-the-Neck Press
Using a wide grip, Strowman highlighted his form of bringing the bar into the body before moving it upward. The “Monster Among Men” increased the weight for his second round of face pulls, but Sheamus lowered the weight to maintain his form.
The behind-the-neck press works the shoulders without the need for extensive upper-back mobility. “I’m real big on the behind-the-neck presses,” says Strowman. “They can be dangerous, so the big thing is not going past parallel.” More specifically, he suggested not allowing the barbell to fall below the shoulders on the eccentric portion of the lift. Going further than parallel could pull on the shoulder joints, mainly adding stress to the rotator cuffs. Strowman advised Sheamus to reach for full extension at the top of the lift.
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Smith Machine Upright Rows & Seated Deltoid Flye
Speaking on his grip, Strowman prefers his hands shoulder-width apart during upright rows. “I get the best engagement in my front delt here,” shares the big man. As an assisted Smith Machine, Strowman increased the weight instead of reducing the resistance.
Don’t get fooled by the light weight. This stuff adds up fast…forcing as much blood into the muscles as possible.
Strowman instructs Sheamus to pull the bar to chin height. The Celtic Warrior felt the burn as Strowman’s shoulders displayed a substantial pump.
Strowman explained that training all three heads of the deltoid — front, medial, and rear — “is how you get your full cap and…the ‘boulder shoulder’ effect. The rear delts stabilize a lot more muscles,” which can include the bench press or overhead press.
Strowman considers the deltoid flye a mass builder — one glimpse of his broad back suggests he’s on to something. The grappler nailed textbook reps of 93-kilogram (205-pound) flyes.
The Finisher: Lateral Front Raise
Strowman completed as many reps as possible with 31.8-kilograms (70-pounds) on the pin and lowered the weight as needed to complete 100 raises. “Not that high; stop right at parallel,” instructs Strowman.
During the filming of this episode, Strowman shared that his relationship with the gym began when he was an overweight kid. He wanted to drop some body fat. The former strongman found the improvements he made to his body were invaluable because they led to increased self-confidence.
Featured image: @wwesheamus on Instagram
