2 min read
A LOT OF people view fitness as a means to get stronger, but for pro wrestler Roman Reigns, it’s more than packing on muscle. Reigns (whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoaʻi) thrives on versatility, adapting his training to his latest pursuits—whether it’s football training as a Division I athlete, dominating the WWE scene, or going full Akuma in the new Street Fighter movie, which releases in theaters on October 16. Now, at 41 years old, Reigns’s goals have shifted to balancing the fine line between athleticism and longevity.
“The crossover is huge because we want to look like we can save the world,” says Reigns in the latest Strong Talk episode. “There’s that fine balance of you wanting to look the part, and the product to be on par with what you’re trying to showcase or imitate.” Wrestling is one example where he does his own stunts and strives to give an attention-grabbing performance with each match. As he gets older, his priority has shifted to placing more emphasis on lower body rather than upper body workouts.
“A little more legs, a little less chest and shoulders and arms, a little less weight up top around the head to keep that longevity and to keep that movement slick for me,” says Reigns.
The same mentality went into his preparation for his Street Fighter role. Akuma has a bodybuilder physique and carries a reputation as an extremely powerful character after brutal training in the dark arts of the Satsui no Hado. To prepare for this role, Reigns maintained his wrestling training regimen while adding different martial arts techniques to better “move like a ninja.”
As an avid fan of Bruce Lee growing up, Reigns admits he never understood the difficulty of executing some of the most iconic martial arts poses. “It’s very much like Pilates and yoga,” he says. “The way you have to be able to hold your body and then hold that posture in order to keep that authenticity for each discipline.” Speaking to MH Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., Reigns also discusses his training cycles, the exercises he loves to hate, and his advice on dealing with body image issues while training.
Want more deep-dive fitness wisdom from Samuel and other celebs and experts who’ve been on our Strong Talk podcast? Check out all our episodes here.
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Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for Bioreports, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
