{"id":14393,"date":"2025-06-06T06:07:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14393"},"modified":"2025-06-06T06:07:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:07:06","slug":"how-wwes-lyra-valkyria-uses-crossfit-to-crush-wrestling-rivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14393","title":{"rendered":"How WWE\u2019s Lyra Valkyria Uses CrossFit to Crush Wrestling Rivals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>WWE\u2019s first women\u2019s Intercontinental Champion, Lyra Valkyria, is on a mission to defend her title against mentor-turned-enemy, Becky Lynch, for a decisive second time at Money in the Bank. But when it comes to preparing to punish her opponents, Valkyria (whose real name is Aoife Cusack) tells M&amp;F that CrossFit has been the \u201cultimate gamechanger\u201d for her career. Fortunately, she recently shared her favorite moves.<\/p>\n<p>Now part of WWE\u2019s <em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> roster, Valkyria has come a long way since taking two buses to get to her Irish pro wrestling school. Now 28, the gorgeous grappler has not only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/interviews\/wwes-becky-lynch-fitter-than-ever-after-her-pregnancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared a ring with her hero Becky Lynch<\/a>, she\u2019s even pinned her shoulders to the mat.<\/p>\n<p>On June 7, they will face off once again in a critical title rematch at Money in the Bank 2025 in Inglewood, CA. But, while Valkyria may be considered a new face on Netflix, she first made her ring debut in 2015, before signing with WWE\u2019s NXT UK division in 2020. Working her way up to superstardom on <em>Monday Night Raw,<\/em> her loyal fans have noticed that this fighting Irish woman isn\u2019t just committed to learning her pro wrestling skills, as the star has also steadily honed her fitness, and toned her physique along the way.<\/p>\n<h2>WWE\u2019s Lyra Valkyria Loves CrossFit For Wrestling Fitness<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI discovered CrossFit, and that\u2019s been an ultimate gamechanger for me,\u201d the IC champ tells M&amp;F, explaining that the constant grind of touring with WWE means that her workouts could take place early in the morning\u2026 \u201ceven at 1am,\u201d if her schedule demands it. Valkyria was first introduced to CrossFit by WWE wrestle, Ivy Nile, and says she is now on a \u201cCrossFit journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Valkyria, maintaining an advantage in the squared circle is all about making the time to train, and CrossFit is an efficient way to do this because it builds muscle while burning fat and improving endurance levels all at the same time. \u201cI absolutely love it when my heart is pounding and I feel like I just can\u2019t give any more,\u201d Valkyria tells M&amp;F.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the gutsy gal demonstrated her intense training style with fellow Dubliner, Sheamus, in an episode of YouTube\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4tuqNdIzr-E\"><em>Celtic Warrior Workouts.<\/em><\/a> It\u2019s easy to see why she\u2019s dominating the pro wrestling ring.<\/p>\n<h2>Lyra Valkyria\u2019s Lyra\u2019s Lift\u2019 CrossFit Workout<\/h2>\n<h3>Warmup:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Skipping Double Unders<\/strong> 20 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Handstand Pushups<\/strong> 6 reps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u2018Wrestler\u2019s Warmup\u2019 Workout:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bodyweight Squats <\/strong>50 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lion Pushups<\/strong> 20 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Traditional Pushups<\/strong> 20 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diamond Grip Pushups<\/strong> 5 reps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>CrossFit Section x 2 Rounds<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wall Ball\u2019s<\/strong> 10 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hanging Leg Raises (toes to bar) <\/strong>10 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Barbell Front Squat<\/strong> 10 reps<\/li>\n<li><strong>Burpees (over the barbell)\u00a0 10 reps<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Finisher<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>GHD Machine<\/strong> 3 sets, 12 reps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lyra Valkyria&#039;s &quot;LYRA&#039;S LIFT&quot; workout | Celtic Warrior Workouts Ep. 147\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4tuqNdIzr-E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Workout Breakdown<\/h2>\n<p>Inspiringly, Valkyria explains that she couldn\u2019t do Double Unders until recently. This is where the rope has to pass under your feet twice. \u201cHow did you do that?\u201d asked an impressed Sheamus, struggling to get to grips with his own rope.<\/p>\n<p>The fiery female shares that the trick here is to keep the jumping tempo the same but to increase the wrist speed. Next up, Valkyria demonstrates handstand pushups. However, she\u2019s almost taken out when Sheamus finds out just how tough this move really is. Inspiringly, Sheamus leaves his ego at the door in order to learn, as Valkyria makes it look easy \u2014 completing six solid reps. \u201cThat\u2019s insane\u201d commented Sheamus.<\/p>\n<p>The main workout section is bodyweight based, in order to prepare for the rigors of the ring explains the champ, blasting through a circuit that includes Lion Pushups, requiring the grapplers to hit a wide grip and pushup into a downward dog style pose before lowering themselves back down to the mat and repeating. This move alone will tax practically every muscle in your entire body, including the core.<\/p>\n<p>Valkyria is hardly even out of breath here, while Sheamus is understandably gasping for oxygen. \u201cNobody\u2019s left behind,\u201d encourages Valkyria while Sheamus gives it his all. \u201cI\u2019m so impressed by what you\u2019re doing,\u201d said the former WWE Heavyweight Champion.<\/p>\n<p>Valkyria explains that this workout also makes for the perfect \u201cwrestler\u2019s warmup\u201d because it improves breathing control and mobility. \u201cI\u2019ll definitely, be humbled, but the more you do it, the easier it gets, right?\u201d concluded Sheamus. His workout partner said she felt the same way about CrossFit, and that this journey is humbling her too. \u201cIn the ring, we do a lot of getting down, getting back up again, so this stuff is great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spent but not defeated, Sheamus proved that we can all push ourselves beyond our limits and with time can become just as adept as Valkyria, who was once a newbie herself, learning from Ivy Nile.<\/p>\n<p>For the finisher, Valkyria utilizes the GHD machine for some serious situps that require a deep stretch at the bottom. She then contracts her core to help build those bulletproof abs. Sheamus once again demonstrates his ethos that the last sets should be the best sets. He matches his Irish pal rep for rep. \u201cAnd that is the end of Lyra\u2019s lift,\u201d says WWE\u2019s first women\u2019s Intercontinental Champion. \u201cYou\u2019re killing it,\u201d says Sheamus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019ve any thoughts on trying anything that seems completely out of your character, something that no one will understand, it only has to really make sense to you,\u201d enthused Valkyria as the session came to a close. \u201cJust absolutely give it a go because you really don\u2019t have anything to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/real_valkyria\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">To follow Lyra Valkyria on Instagram, click here!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>WWE Money in the Bank airs live on Peacock in the United States, and Netflix everywhere else on June 7, 2025.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/pro-tips\/how-wwes-lyra-valkyria-uses-crossfit-to-crush-wrestling-rivals\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WWE\u2019s first women\u2019s Intercontinental Champion, Lyra Valkyria, is on a mission to defend her title against mentor-turned-enemy, Becky Lynch, for a decisive second time at Money in the Bank. But when it comes to preparing to punish her opponents, Valkyria (whose real name is Aoife Cusack) tells M&amp;F that CrossFit has been the \u201cultimate gamechanger\u201d &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14393\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}