WWE's Carmella In Workout Gear Shares Postpartum Workout

WWE star Carmella (real name Leah Van Dale) made an effort to be active just three weeks after giving birth to her son in November 2023, and shared her sensible routine on social media. Carmella posted a video of herself wearing white sweatpants and a sports bra, doing gentle stretching exercises at home. “I ’m working on giving my body the opportunity to slow down and recover from both pregnancy and labor/delivery and finding windows to stretch and move. I’m enjoying being able to reconnect with my body while respecting the fact that it’s going to take time to heal properly,” she captioned the post. Here’s what the wrestler’s health and wellness routine looks like.

1. Workout Regimen

Carmella’s workout routine depends on her wrestling schedule and travel plans. “When I’m on the road, I do 30 minutes of empty stomach cardio on the bike or treadmill in the morning,” she told Parade. “I try to weight train 4-5 days a week. When I’m home, I train with my personal trainer and really try to ramp up my workouts because it’s hard to get them in on the road and really push myself when I’m alone and tired.”

2. Postpartum Journey

Carmella welcomed her son in November 2023, and is taking her time getting back to wrestling. "You hear about morning sickness, you hear you get tired and things like that, but I had no idea how debilitating it would be until it was happening to me," she told PEOPLE. "I for sure plan to come back. I think it's important to show you can have a baby and still have a career, especially a very physical one at that, but I'm not going to rush.”

3. Healthy Diet

Carmella doesn’t follow restrictive diets but is sensible about nutrition. “I don’t follow a specific diet. I try to eat clean 70% of the time; fruits, veggies, nuts etc,” she told Parade. “The other 30% of the time I eat what I want. It’s important not to deprive yourself because then you overindulge when you give in. At least that’s how it works for me. So now I’m finally at a point in my life where if I want to eat something, I will. When I’m in a pinch, I rely on egg white bites from Starbucks. One of my favorite go-to snacks is fresh fruit. When I have time, I love to cook! My mom has the best lasagna recipe, so I love cooking anything Italian. I also make some mean buffalo cauliflower wings.”

4. Intuitive Eating

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Carmella struggled with self-image in the past and refuses to be so self-critical again. "I look back and I kind of laugh at it because at the point I'm at now I do it for all the right reasons and not because I want people to perceive me a certain way,” she told Yahoo! Life. “At this point in my life, I never weigh myself anymore. I do not care about that. I've finally gotten to a point where I don't want to restrict my diet. I don't want to tell myself I can't have something. And I feel like now this is the best I've ever looked and the best I've ever felt because I just am doing what's right for me and eating intuitively."

5. Red Wine Lover

Carmella enjoys red wine in moderation. “I grew up in a big Italian family with everyone getting together weekly for Sunday dinner,” she told Parade. “Everyone drank red wine with dinner, even as children. I love the Italian culture and it always reminds me of my childhood. I love to unwind after a big show or match with a glass of red wine; it just makes me so happy. My grandmother who is a retired nurse drinks red wine every day and she’s 84 years young and looks incredible. All good things are ok in moderation!”

Carmella is a WWE wrestler who loves spending quality time with her family. Recently, she shared some heartwarming highlights on Instagram, showcasing special moments with her kids and parents. The post, titled “Making memories,” captures her love for both her career and her family. Carmella, whose real name is Leah Van Dale, has spoken openly about her passion for wrestling and performing. As a former dancer and NBA cheerleader, she enjoys the energy of the crowd and the thrill of performing live. Her dedication to fitness and wellness has been a consistent theme throughout her life, thanks to her upbringing in a health-conscious family. With a balanced approach to her diet and fitness routine, Carmella strives to maintain her physical and mental well-being while pursuing her career and making time for family.

1. She Loves What She Does

Carmella shared what she loves about being a WWE wrestler with Muscle and Fitness. “I was a dancer for over 20 years. And then I was in the NBA itself, and it was more to me about performing. I love the feeling of being in front of a live crowd, and performing and just kind of letting loose and getting the crowd involved, and I got to perform at the Superbowl, and at the Staples Center, you know at the Lakers game, which was amazing. You know, being in front of those crowds, there’s celebrities everywhere, it’s just like this big show I’m putting on every single night. I love the energy of the crowd. So to be able to be in the WWE and do that, and now it’s not just a team, now it’s just me, it’s just Carmella! [laughs] So I really strive off that and I really enjoy it.”

2. She’s Consistent

Carmella also tells Muscle and Fitness that she’s consistent with her wellness routine. “One thing that I’m super fortunate of, I grew up in a house where it was all about health and fitness, my dad was wrestler, he was a boxer, he’s always been into working out, and so I was the only kid in the first grade that got carrot sticks at school instead of chips. So, luckily enough it’s been instilled in me from a very young age, how important like a healthy and fit life style is. So for me it’s not an option to not be in shape and to not work out. I just always try to make time for it and strength train four or five days a week and I’m always eating clean, so don’t get me wrong though I love a good pizza and some wings every now and then.”

3. She Orders Healthy Food

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When Carmella is ordering food, she knows what the healthy options are. “My entire life is takeout,” she told Parade. “I am on the road five days a week. It’s super difficult to meal prep, then take everything on the road when I’m constantly on airplanes and don’t get to hotels until 2 a.m. I try to find a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or any natural market I can when I’m on the road. When I’m in pinch, I rely on egg white bites from Starbucks. One of my favorite go-to snacks is fresh fruit.”

4. She Does A Variety Of Workouts

Carmella tells Parade that she does a lot of different things to stay in shape. “When I’m on the road, I do 30 minutes of empty stomach cardio on the bike or treadmill in the morning. I try to weight train 4-5 days a week. When I’m home, I train with my personal trainer and really try to ramp up my workouts because it’s hard to get them in on the road and really push myself when I’m alone and tired.”

5. She Doesn’t Deprive Herself

While Carmella eats healthy, she doesn’t like to deprive herself. “I don’t follow a specific diet,” she told Parade. “I try to eat clean 70% of the time; fruits, veggies, nuts etc. The other 30% of the time I eat what I want. It’s important not to deprive yourself because then you overindulge when you give in. At least that’s how it works for me. So now I’m finally at a point in my life where if I want to eat something, I will.”

Rhea Ripley is making waves in the WWE, holding multiple championship titles, including the record for the longest Women’s World Championship reign, tied with Bayley. Recently, Ripley gave her followers a glimpse of her workout routine by sharing photos on Instagram in light brown workout clothes, showcasing her incredible physique. Beyond her physical strength, Ripley is passionate about growing women’s wrestling and has ambitious goals for the future of the sport. In interviews, she shares insights into her fitness regimen, which includes a mix of cardio and weight training, as well as the importance of making time for self-care in her busy schedule. Ripley also stays on track with her nutrition through a meal delivery service that helps her meet her macro goals. Here’s a closer look at how Ripley balances her intense WWE schedule with her dedication to fitness and her mission to elevate women’s wrestling.

1. She Wants To Promote Women’s Wrestling

In an interview with GQ, Ripley talked about her desires for women’s wrestling. She says that she wants the sport to get more attention. “I want the women's division to be the biggest that it's ever been. But there's always that selfish side of you that wants to be the face of the women's division. I want to make history, to make a legacy for myself – but if accomplishing that means that the women's division doesn't grow and get better, then it wasn't really worth it.”

2. She Makes Time For Herself

Ripley tells GQ that she makes sure to make time for herself. “It's a very intense job and environment. It can be quite stressful, because there are a lot of things that are needed from you; a lot of things that people don't understand we do and go through. It's important to have those moments of free time when you can turn your brain off, whether it's at the gym, watching a movie, or just spending time with friends and family – anything you can do to put yourself at ease and make yourself feel like a normal human for a couple of hours!”

3. She Has A Meal Delivery Service

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In order to eat healthy, Ripley has food delivered from a meal service. “I get meals sent to me every Sunday by a meal-prep company with the macros I want,” she told GQ. “I definitely don't eat as much as I should – I don't know how I have as much muscle as I do, because sometimes I don't eat. I did legs the other day, burnt 2,500 active calories, and I only ate 8-900 calories that day.”

4. She Does Cardio & Weights

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Ripley tells GQ that she typically does a combination of cardio and weights when she trains. “Normally, when I go to the gym, I do 20 minutes of cardio, then lift weights for two and a half, sometimes three hours – it really depends on what I want to do. It's my happy place, so I like to spend time there – it's the one place I get to turn my brain off. At the moment, I still get in to do cardio and I'm weight training at least six days a week, but today I only did back [training] for an hour. It definitely isn't my preference, but you just have to go in and hustle, because when it comes to WrestleMania, you want to be as fit and look as good as you can.”

5. She’s Consistent

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Since she’s a full-time wrestler, Ripley needs to be in shape all the time. For that reason, working out consistently is important to her. She talked about this in an interview with Muscle & Fitness. “I feel like my training is always pretty insane. I’ve been preparing for WrestleMania, but my training, overall, is very intense. I try and stay as ready as I can, all year round.”

WWE Star Natalya Neidhart gives the same energy to training as she does when fighting in the ring—no wonder she’s such a force to be reckoned with. Neidhart, 41, shared an intense picture of herself wearing black shorts and a sports bra, holding on to ropes. “My home away from home. @thedungeon2.0,” she captioned the post. Neidhart has developed a fantastic training and diet routine over the years—here’s how she does it.

1. No Crazy Workouts

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Neidhart’s workouts are balanced and doable. “I don’t do crazy amounts of cardio. I don’t lift extremely heavy weights. I don’t beat myself up if I have a cheat meal,” she told Bar Bend. “If I can only get to the gym three days a week, that’s fine. If I get to the gym six days a week, that’s even better. I used to beat myself up if I had a cheat meal. The next day I’d be doing crazy amounts of cardio trying to burn off what I ate the night before. Now, I feel like I’ve taken all that pressure off myself.”

2. Clean and Jerk

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Neidhart focuses on Olympic lifting at the gym, with her favorite move being the clean and jerk. “You’re lifting weight off the ground and you’re throwing it up, so you’re giving your body a whole-body workout,” she told PEOPLE. “And it definitely imitates us throwing people down in the ring!”

3. Training For the Fight

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Neidhart’s preparation for competitions is understandably intense. “The days leading up to Wrestlemania we really watch what we eat, and I hit the gym no matter what,” she told PEOPLE. “When you’re walking out in front of 70,000 people you want to look your absolute best, because it’s not just those people that are watching you live, it’s 170-plus countries around the globe that are tuning in.”

4. Food Journal

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Neidhart keeps track of her food for accountability. “When I kept the food journal in my iCloud notes, it really made me more accountable,” she told Bar Bend. “Then I would try to cut off my eating past 8 p.m. It really helped me lose weight and keep it off. I don’t need to have anything big and heavy past 8 p.m., and then when I’m on the road and wrestling, I try to keep that same thing in mind. If I need something after a match I’ll have a protein shake, or some cottage cheese, or a Greek yogurt.”

5. Supplement Queen

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Neidhart is a big fan of taking supplements for health and beauty. “I’m always looking for really good supplements for my hair, for my skin, for my nails, and for my brain,” she told Bar Bend. “I love fueling my body with the best of the best. I’ve only had one surgery in 16 years. I’ve been wrestling for 16 uninterrupted years in the company, and I feel like all these vitamins and supplements help me so much. They keep bones and ligaments strong.”