New Jersey native and former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Smackdown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan was a special guest on a recent episode of the Celtic Warrior Workouts YouTube show hosted by fellow WWE star Sheamus. In the episode, Morgan put Sheamus through his paces with a high-intensity glute circuit filmed on location at The Bricks Conditioning Lab in Spokane, WA. Check it out:
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If you think taking part in a “butt workout,” as Morgan lovingly calls it, isn’t worth the effort — think again. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body, and strengthening it will improve your squats, deadlifts, and other important compound moves.
Morgan takes her glute workouts seriously. At 19 years old, she began training under strength and conditioning guru Joe DeFranco, who also coached fellow WWE stars like Triple H and John Cena, along with players from the NFL. So, no, this workout was not a walk in the park.
Liv Morgan’s Glute Workout Circuit
Here’s the workout, followed by a breakdown of each move:
- Squats
- Hip Thrusts
- Kneeling Squats
- Cable Kickbacks
- Single-Leg Box Squats
- Jump Squats (only on the final set)
The goal is to work your way through the below circuit three times, with 10 reps for each exercise. There is also a one-time jump squat finisher for 50 reps at the end of the final go-around.
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Squats
After warming up with two sets of crab walks and fire hydrants, Morgan and Sheamus started the circuit off with some squats. But there’s a catch: Morgan performs these squats with one partial rep — coming up halfway, then moving through her full range of motion. Each set consists of 10 full/partial reps.
As Morgan does not seek to max out, she suggests keeping the weight to around 35 percent of what you would typically do for a 10-rep set.
“We have a show later on today,” Morgan jokes. Of course, wrestling in house shows or TV tapings for WWE almost every day of the week, it’s important that training doesn’t tax them too much before stepping into the squared circle.
Hip Thrusts & Kneeling Squats
For hip thrusts, Morgan advises getting a good squeeze at both the top and the bottom of the move. The exercise can be done with a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell.
Obviously, engage your core in everything that you do.
As the name suggests, kneeling squats is a squat from a kneeling position. To do it, Morgan kneels and sends her hips back before driving them forward to the starting, similar to a traditional squat. This variation aims to bias the glutes while also activating the hips.
Cable Kickbacks
For cable kickbacks, Morgan sets up on a cable machine to the bottom position and slips her foot through a strap attachment. She suggests doing this move without shoes on to make the grip easier.
As Morgan explains, kick the leg all the way back behind you through the full range of motion to activate your glutes. “This is my favorite butt workout, actually,” Morgan quips.
Single-Leg Box Squats
To do these single-leg box squats, select a box or bench low enough so your knees can bend to 90 degrees when sitting on it With one foot slightly off the ground in front of you, squat down with your other leg. Allow your butt to lightly touch the box or bench on each rep before driving back to the starting position. There’s no barbell here, just bodyweight.
Since these are single-leg squats, Morgan stresses that it’s important to be comfortable with the form and take your time with each rep.
Jump Squats
Unlike the other exercises, these jump squats are for 50 reps and only during the final round of the circuit. The jumps don’t have to be high — just enough to “get your feet off the ground.”
The key is to keep the feet shoulder-width apart and the toes pointed forward. From there, squat down and fire back up with enough force to jump through the motion.
Tabata Abs Workout
To finish the workout, Morgan and Sheamus hit a Tabata-style ab circuit that alternates from move to move for a 15-seconds-on, 15-seconds-off for three minutes.
“Don’t rush it,” Morgan says. “Think about form, and you want to think about the muscles that you’re trying to activate.”
Knees to Chest
Laying down, Morgan and Sheamus raise their feet off the ground and bring their knees towards their chests before then lowering down again. Don’t allow the feet to touch the ground.
Touch Your Heels
Morgan and Sheamus lie on their backs with their knees bent and feet flat on the floor. From there, the duo touches their heels back and forth, alternating their hands with each rep. To get some “extra oblique action,” Morgan suggests reaching as far toward your toes as possible.
Toe Touches
On their backs, Morgan and Sheamus point their legs toward the ceiling and reach up to touch their toes. With their feet still in the air, the WWE Superstars lower their shoulders before reaching right back up again on every rep.
As a multi-time champion and almost certainly future WWE Hall of Famer, Sheamus is never afraid to try new things with his Celtic Warrior Workouts. He found Morgan’s circuit challenging but hung in every step of the way.
Featured Image: Celtic Warrior Workouts on YouTube
