WWE Superstar Sheamus is undoubtedly one of the hardest workers in the pro wrestling business. He performs some of the greatest matches of his storied career on SmackDownLIVE every Friday night, but at 44 years young, he’s still mixing things up in the gym with his popular “Celtic Warrior Workouts” YouTube series.
In episode 108, the ring veteran is joined by a touted future star of the squared circle Austin Theory. The 25-year-old takes Sheamus through an intense arm workout that demonstrates why he has some of the best on WWE’s roster. Check out their workout below:
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Austin Theory is the youngest man ever to win the WWE United States Championship and Money in the Bank contract (which entitles the owner to a shot at the WWE World Championship whenever they choose, within a 12-month window). With millions of pro wrestling fans across the globe loving and hating him in equal measure, thanks to his cocky persona onscreen, some viewers may have missed the fact that Theory (real name: Austin White) is a successful bodybuilder too.
He came first in the NPC Georgia Bodybuilding Championship in the Teen Men Category when he was just 17 and has some seriously heady peaks on those bulging biceps. There’s no question that Theory has a great physique, as he takes us through one of his regular arm workout routines, blasting both his biceps and triceps.
“There’s gonna be a lot of reps,” says Theory, explaining the name of his workout. “So that means it’s going to take all day.” At 12 years old, Theory began working out with his mom, a fellow gym enthusiast, in the hopes of building a WWE-worthy physique. During those days, he owned a collection of action figures that, incredibly, included a half dozen Sheamus toys. With 19 years age difference between the legend and the young upstart, this made for an interesting workout.
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Austin Theory’s “All Day” Arm Workout
Here’s the workout, conducted at Powerhouse Gym, West Springfield, MA, followed by a breakdown of each superset:
- Straight Bar Curl and Triceps Pushdown
- Negative Straight Bar Curl and Negative Straight Bar Pushdown
- Triceps Throwbacks and Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- Seated Triceps Extension and Biceps Curl
The Finisher — Three Round Circuit with No Rest of:
- 10 Drag Curls
- 10 Bent Over Hammer Curls (each arm)
- 15 Triceps Press
- 15 Plate Front Raises
Straight Bar Curls and Triceps Pushdown
“The first set, we’re actually gonna do 50 reps,” instructs Theory. “And, the reason being is [that] the weights [are] not gonna be too heavy but warming up, getting that muscle ready for that ‘all day’ workout.” The WWE Superstar then moves over to the triceps pushdown machine, again with a straight bar, for another 50 reps and explains that keeping the elbows into your sides is a must for great form.
It’s just going to make the arms do all the work.
Proving that he is just as cocky out of the ring, Theory blitzes past 40 reps and jokes that he is getting closer to Sheamus’ age. “I’m already regretting this,” replies the multi-time WWE Heavyweight Champion.
Negative Straight Bar Curl and Negative Straight Bar Pushdown
Next, the boys move on to four sets of bicep curls and triceps extensions with 10 reps in each set. The idea here is to perform each rep slowly. “It’s called a negative rep,” explains Sheamus. “A negative rep is when you hold against it, and it comes all the way down.”
This produces time under tension, forcing the muscles to work harder and improving muscle growth and endurance. Sheamus also points out that growing your biceps isn’t just about lifting super heavy weights. The fighting Irishman says that this will just put your back out, so focus on isolating the muscle and controlling the execution of each rep for the best results.
Triceps Throwbacks and Dumbbell Triceps Extension
The lads undertake five sets in total, consisting of 10 reps with each arm. For the “throwbacks,” Theory likes to position himself almost in a bent-over row position while hinging at the elbow and bringing the dumbbell towards his side at a 45-degree angle. “Keep everything tight,” says Theory. “Keep your back straight,” adds Sheamus.
As seen in the video, there is some banter about making sure that you are not swinging the weight but rather coming to a complete stop before the next rep. The man from Dublin found these tough to execute properly and says that no one should be embarrassed about trying something new. “No one’s an expert at everything,” he says.
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Seated Triceps Extension and Biceps Curl
Supersets performed with drop sets: The wrestlers do four sets in total, consisting of 10 heavy reps before dropping to half the weight for a solid 15. Theory says he prefers to stand for the seated triceps extension.
Sheamus, who got married in New York just days before this article’s publication, gives his respect to Theory as he begins to feel the strain and congratulates him on a great workout routine. The master of ‘Brave Change’ is even sensible enough to ask Theory to spot him so that he doesn’t miss a rep. “This is where we go ‘Hulk,’” says the young WWE star.
The Finisher
This three-round Circuit demands no rest.
For anybody that’s just starting, I hope this helps you out. Remember that this arm workout was “all day.”
The man from ‘A-Town’ couldn’t resist the sarcasm, trash-talking Sheamus throughout the entire workout, but it was all in good fun. “You gotta believe man, you gotta know that this is your day. That you woke up today to be great, to grow those triceps to a whole new level,” he taunts Sheamus, much to the Irishman’s annoyance. “[I’m a] great motivational speaker right there,” he jokes. There’s no doubt that this workout is a winner, but as for the trash talk, that will need to be settled in a WWE ring.
Featured image: @wwesheamus on Instagram
