Robert Stone's 45-Minute Blueprint for Staying Ring-Ready at 43

Robert Strauss has reinvented himself enough times to make his career look like a case study. He was Robbie E in TNA, he's now Robert Stone, General Manager of WWE's NXT, and he still finds time to run eight gyms across Florida. At 43, with twin sons who are now 10, he's had to rethink how he trains. In an interview with Muscle & Fitness, he explained how he's adjusted to keep pace with the next generation, both on screen and at home.

Strauss started as a physical education teacher before making his pro debut in 2000. He worked preliminary matches for WWE before signing with Total Nonstop Action in 2010, where the charismatic Robbie E became a fixture. He collected a stack of titles there, including the promotion's TV and X Division championships. He also won the tag team titles twice alongside Jessie Godderz as The BroMans, and seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath was among those in their corner. Strauss has been writing about his own training for years, too. His "Dad Bod Destroyer" workouts, which he began sharing in 2017 when his twins were only months old, showed fans how he stayed in fighting shape while juggling fatherhood.

Trading Marathon Sessions for 45 Minutes

Strauss's training runs through his own businesses, and five of his eight gyms are F45 studios. F45 sessions last no more than 45 minutes, and that's the point. "You're able to get it all in," he says, noting that a tight plan has trimmed his workout time without costing him quality. "Sometimes there are days where I don't have an hour and a half. I don't have two hours to get in everything, if I want to stretch out, if I want to warm my body up."

The warm-up part matters more now. "At 43, I do need to regularly warm my body up. So, the 45 minutes is clutch, to be able to just come in and leave, and everything be done." My read is that the pre-planned structure does as much work as the intensity. When the session is already designed, there's no time lost to deciding what to do next.

Mobility Over Max Effort

The other end of his routine lives at his three FS8 studios. Those sessions use lighter resistance to build mobility and longevity while still adding strength. They blend Pilates and yoga, with a heavy focus on the core and controlled, deliberate movement. For a performer who once threw around weights with the same reckless abandon he brought to the ring, that's a meaningful shift. The goal is staying useful for decades, not proving something every session.

Eating for a Life That Includes Ice Cream

Strauss still looks like he could step through the ropes tomorrow, and he keeps his body fat low. But he's not chasing fads or a rigid meal plan. "The thing is, I really know my body," he says. "Mentally, I want to enjoy things sometimes. I'm not always eating a strict, clean diet. I want to have a good time with my wife or my twins. If they want to get ice cream on the weekend, I'm going to get it too, if I want it."

He argues that the indulgence helps keep him on track. "It adds fuel to the fire for my next workout," he says. He still avoids eating late in the evening, and he steers clear of starchy carbs and processed sugars before bed. That's a sustainable approach for a 43-year-old who wants to enjoy his family, not just hit a number on the scale.

Could Robert Stone Lace Up Again?

Strauss isn't ruling out a return to the ring. He wouldn't be an outlier if he did. Randy Orton and The Miz are 46, CM Punk is 48, and Rey Mysterio is 51. Strauss's SmackDown counterpart, General Manager Nick Aldis, who is 39, returned for a one-off match against Gunther at SummerSlam 2026.

Strauss sounds confident that he wouldn't need a long runway. "If someone pushed me past the point where I need to step in the ring again, I don't need a week to get ready," he says. "I don't need three months to get ready… I can be ready in an hour."

That's the real lesson in his routine. He's not training for volume or spectacle anymore. He's built a schedule that keeps him ready to perform on short notice, whether that means a 45-minute session, a mobility block, or a match nobody saw coming.