Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, commonly known by Shawn Michaels, “Heartbreak Kid”, “The Showstopper”, and “Mr. WrestleMania” is an American retired professional wrestler that’s widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He’s the only man that can brag about outlasting Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man Match, defeating the Undertaker in a cell battle, and coming back strong from what should’ve been a career-ending injury. And that’s only one of the few reasons why the Heartbreak Kid isn’t an ordinary superstar, he also had one of the best physiques in the whole sports entertainment scene. With that being said, how did he manage to reach it? In other words, what was Shawn Michaels’ workout routine?
Shawn Michaels’ workout routine consists of training Tuesday through Saturday, two body parts a day, and 30 minutes of cardio. Additionally, his diet plan is low-carb food such as egg whites, oatmeal, and chicken.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about the workout routine that Shawn Michaels used to reach his impressive physique.
Table of Contents
Shawn Michaels Stats
Before getting into Shawn Michaels’ workout routine, let’s first establish some of his basic stats (as of 2022):
- Age: 57
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 225 lbs
- BMI: 29.7
- Body Fat Percentage (during his prime): 15 to 18%
As you can see, Shawn Michaels is pretty tall which allowed him to appear huge, especially with the amount of weight that he has. In addition to that, he has a body fat percentage that’s low enough to make him appear lean, buff, and pop out his muscles.
Shawn Michaels Workout Routine
In one of Shawn Michaels’ old interviews, he said “I’ve been athletic my whole life and the way I first got into working out is probably the same as a lot of other people. I was a young man, around the age of 14 or 15, and saw an ad in the back of a magazine where a guy is getting sand kicked in the face in his face. So I go to the store and buy a big jar of egg protein… But I started taking that stuff, and then I’d go and push some weight around with a couple of buddies. We’d put as much weight on the bench as we could, and see if we could do it one time.”
At first, Michaels experimented with weights to complement his high school football career, but he soon realized that working out was also beneficial to another one of his passions, and that’s sports entertainment. It was when he came to WWE around the age of 23 that Michaels realized how well the Superstars trained. And that’s when he began to get consistent with the weightlifter’s lifestyle.
“Being on the road, that’s what everybody did,” Michaels says. “You’d get into town, pick up the car, go to the hotel, and then you’d find a gym and train. You’d do that every day because you were on the road every day. And that’s also when I learned to train on my days off. Because I was exposed to that kind of lifestyle, that’s when I began to get more consistent. I’ve learned that it’s consistency that brings results.”
He’s continued this consistency ever since. He trains five to six times a week, 52 weeks a year.
“For the most part, my routine consists of training Tuesday through Saturday–two body parts a day, and 30 minutes of cardio,” Michaels says. “I always take Sunday off to spend with my family, and Monday morning, before TV, I’ll usually just do cardio, Tuesday tends to be up in the air, because that’s a travel day home”
“Basically, it depends on where I’m coming from (on Tuesdays),” he says. “If I can, I might knock out cardio, or work a body part, but rarely, if ever, will I ever do a complete and total workout. It’s pretty much a free day to do whatever I want”
In addition to that, Shawn Michaels does a certain workout for about a month or two before alternating his routine.
Example of a Shawn Michaels Workout
Splits:
- Wednesday: Shoulders and biceps
- Thursday: Chest and triceps
- Friday: Back by itself
- Saturday: Legs
- Every day: 30 minutes of cardio, alternating between an elliptical machine and a recumbent bike before hitting the weights / working out abdominal muscles.
Duration:
When he’s on the road, Shawn Michaels’ workout routine can easily last in excess of two hours, and that’s between stretching, lifting, and cardio. But when he’s not traveling, he works out for about 90 minutes at his home gym, which allows him to spend more time with his family.
Sets, Reps, and Weights:
During his weight training, Michaels will work his larger muscles, like chest, back, and legs, by doing 12 sets per group. However, for the smaller muscles, like shoulders, arms, and triceps, he usually does between six and eight sets.
Most of the time, Shawn Michaels’ workout routine depends on how his body feels. If he still feels sore, he’ll usually go lighter and do more repetitions, and if his body feels good, he tends to go a little bit heavier.
Once every few months, especially if he’s feeling strong, he’ll load up as much weight as he can just to see what he can do. But for the most part, he usually avoids heavy weights since it can have a bad effect on his old injuries.
Diet Plan
Another way Michaels keeps himself in tip-top condition is by following a strict diet, one which he admits is definitely something he has learned to follow closely during his recent WWE years.
“When I was younger, I had a really fast metabolism,” HBK says. “It wasn’t until around the age of 28 that I began to realize how cardio and my diet had such a profound effect on the way my body looked– more so than lifting weights.
Shawn Michaels’ diet is low carb. He’ll have egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast every morning, and usually chicken for lunch two to three times a day. He’s also big on shrimp cocktails.
However, after every pay-per-view, he has a cheat day where he treats himself to two of his favorite snacks: pizza and chocolate chip cookies. But, in general, he tries not to consume more than 100 grams of carbs a day.
Supplements
Shawn Michaels used a variety of carb-rich supplements to help increase his mass. Supplements like creatine, Mass-Tech shakes, and energy drinks.
Conclusion:
By paying special attention to his body, and caring for it meticulously, Shawn Michaels extended a career once believed to be over. He’s managed to put an exclamation point on what has already been a stellar career, but while training and competing for WWE will always place high on Shawn’s list, there’s still one thing that means more to him than anything, and that’s his family.
Throughout the years, he built a legacy adored and respected by millions of WWE fans, and that’s the exact same reason why he’s considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
