Bodybuilder, actor, and podcast host Mike O’Hearn is known for his physique and status in the fitness industry, but he also coaches and trains athletes beyond bodybuilding. One such athlete is Paul Wight, the 7-foot tall wrestling legend also known as the “Big Show” in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Wight is currently on the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) roster as he feels he still has some quality in-ring matches left in him.
The 50-year-old giant trains with O’Hearn to improve his physique without reaggravating his past shoulder injuries. O’Hearn shared a video on his YouTube channel of him and Wight training arms together in Gold’s Gym Venice. Check it out below:
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It’s hard to make the 6’3” O’Hearn look small, but Wight is almost a foot taller and over 100 pounds heavier. Wight is trying to get back to training while working around past shoulder injuries, details of which weren’t disclosed. In this video, O’Hearn showed Wight how to do cross-body hammer curls, explaining that it is less about appearances and more about how it lines up his structure:
It’s going to keep your shoulder open for you.
After Wight complimented O’Hearn’s “shoulder-friendly” strategies, O’Hearn performed his set, hitting four reps with one arm and switching to the other. When Wight took his turn, he leaned slightly forward, but O’Hearn had him stand tall throughout the set instead. When it’s the “Titan’s” turn again, he used 75-pound dumbbells. Wight followed with lighter weights as their goals differed, and Wight was presumably not aiming for hypertrophy.
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“I’m trying to learn what he does naturally. Through time and effort, he can dial into that spot. I’m like a blind man looking for a switch,” the seven-time world heavyweight champion said. “I’m trying to disengage the shoulder, so I’m not pulling with the shoulder tendon.” Wight shared that this training differs from what he’s accustomed to with his current role in the ring.
I’m an athlete. I’m going to use every muscle available. This is not about doing that.
O’Hearn has other videos of himself and Wight training together on his YouTube channel. Before working with Wight, he trained with another wrestling legend: Billy Gunn. Bodybuilding — building muscle for aesthetics rather than function — involves maintaining the muscles under tension through their full range of motion. Wight may have a bigger range of motion than most, but the mechanics in the gym should remain intact.
Featured Image: @paulwight on Instagram