Dwayne Douglas Johnson or “The Rock” as he is more popularly known, has come a long way to become the entertainment behemoth he is now. Currently, he is the highest-paid actor of 2016 and the hottest action star at the moment.
A career that began as a college football player, culminated in winning a national championship with Miami Hurricanes football team in 1991 and was followed by entry into the pro-wrestling world. It was on this stage the Rock was born and his career took off to unparalleled heights since then.
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During the famous Attitude Era of WWE, the Rock shone brighter than most of his illustrious peers with his natural in-ring ability and more importantly his unmatched charisma that propelled him to become one of the all-time wrestling greats by the time he left the company in 2004 for a career in Hollywood.
In the past few years, he has finally made his mark on the industry as a bonafide action star, receiving adulation from every nook and corner of the entertainment industry for the intensity and charisma he brings to every role, that amplifies the effort he puts in every day to look the part.
Be it a government agent in the Fast and Furious franchise or a rescue pilot in San Andreas or the son of Zeus in Hercules, it is his dedicated effort in building the perfect physique for each role that has served him exceedingly well in his rise to the top.
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“For different roles my condition and training and diet does alter. Depending on the role, it will really dictate the type of training I do. For 'Hercules,' it was a 22-week diet, while for 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' it was about a 14-week diet, and for 'Pain & Gain' I wanted to come out looking bulky, big, and dangerous, so we adjusted accordingly.”
He adds, "And then the intensity of preparation for the movies depends on the role. The training, nutrition, fight choreography, weapons training, and stunt planning are all altered accordingly. I always go in committed and try to make it the best it can be. For 'Hercules,' I wanted to respect the mythology, or with "Fast & Furious," I wanted to respect this massive franchise. For the G.I. Joe movies, it was similar because it's already an established brand and already an established character. You've got to look the part.”
Irrespective of the character he is playing, Johnson has a fixed training regime that he follows even when he is not shooting for any film. He wakes up at 4 a.m. every morning and has a cup of coffee before heading out for a 45-50 min cardio workout with elliptical being his personal favourite.
He completes his breakfast after the cardio workout and then hits the gym which the Rock likes to call as “banging and clanging”. He calls the first 2-3 hours of the day his “Anchor” as this training fills him with enough energy to work the next 12-15 hrs of the day.
It is this intense commitment to building his body that went up a notch when he decided to play Hercules. "For 'Hercules,' I went for the demigod look, big and mean. When you're playing a character like the son of Zeus, you only get one shot. The intensity of the training was definitely up, as was the volume of training. I really wanted to make it the definitive version of Hercules”, said Johnson.
In order to train for “the role of a lifetime”, Johnson followed a strict six-day regime per week for six months to achieve the necessary muscle mass.
The Rock’s Workout
Monday – Chest
1.Dumbbell Bench Press – 4 sets, 10-12 reps
2.Flat Bench Cable Flyes – 3 sets, to failure
3.Barbell Bench Press Medium-Grip – 4 sets, 10-12 reps
4.Incline Dumbbell Press – 5 sets, 10-12 reps
5.Cable Crossover – 4 sets, 10-12 reps
6.Barbell Incline Bench Press Medium-Grip – 3 sets, 10-12 reps
Tuesday – Legs
1.Leg Press – 4 sets, 25 reps
2.Barbell Walking Lunge – 4 sets, 25 reps
3.Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 20 reps
4.Seated Leg Curl – 3 sets, 20 reps
5.Smith Machine Calf Raise – 3 sets, to failure
6.Thigh Abductor – 3 sets, 15 reps
7.Barbell Lunge – 3 sets, 20 reps
Wednesday – Abs and Arms
1.Barbell Curl – 3 sets, 10-12 reps
2.Hammer Curls – 4 sets, 10-12 reps
3.Spider Curl – 4 sets, to failure
4.Triceps Pushdown – 3 sets, 10 reps
5.Dips, Triceps Version – 3 sets, to failure
6.Hanging Leg Raise – 4 sets, 20 reps
7.Rope Crunch – 4 sets, 20 reps
8.Russian Twist – 4 sets, 20 reps
Thursday – Back
1.Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown – 4 sets, 10-15 reps
2.Barbell Deadlift – 4 sets, 10-15 reps
3.Barbell Shrug – 4 sets, 15 reps
4.Pullups – 4 sets, 15 reps
5.Hyperextensions – 4 sets, 15 reps
6.One-Arm Dumbbell Row – 4 sets, 15 reps
7.Inverted Row – 3 sets, to failure
Friday – Shoulders
1.Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets, 12 reps
2.Front Dumbbell Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
3.Side Lateral Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
4.Standing Military Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
5.Reverse Flyes – 3 sets, 10-15 reps
Saturday – Legs
1.Leg Press – 4 sets, 25 reps
2.Barbell Walking Lunge – 4 sets, 25 reps
3.Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 20 reps
4.Seated Leg Curl – 3 sets, 20 reps
5.Smith Machine Calf Raise – 3 sets, to failure
6.Thigh Abductor – 3 sets, 15 reps
7.Barbell Lunge – 3 sets, 20 reps
Sunday – Rest
The Rock’s Diet
All the hard work put in the gym will not give the required result if a proper nutritious diet is not followed. Johnson followed a 7-meals a day diet, popularly called the “12 Labours“diet to complement his intensive workouts.
Meal 1
1.Steak – 10 ounces
2.Egg Whites – 4
3.Oat Meal – 5 ounces
Meal 2
1.Chicken – 8 ounces
2.White Rice – 2 cups
3.Broccoli – 1 cup
Meal 3
1.White Rice – 2 cups
2.Halibut – 8 ounces
3.Asparagus – 1 cup
Meal 4
1.Chicken – 8 ounces
2.Baked Potato – 12 ounces
3.Broccoli – 1 cup
Meal 5
1.Halibut – 8 ounces
2.White Rice – ½ cup
3.Asparagus – 1 cup
Meal 6
1.Steak – 8 ounces
2.Baked Potato – 9 ounces
3.Salad – 1 serving
Meal 7
1.Casein Protein – 30 gm
2.Egg Whites – 10 eggs scrambled with onions, peppers and mushrooms
The Rock’s Cheat Days and his love for pizza
Every now and then, Dwayne Johnson does take a day off from his strict diet and have a cheat day.
“After 4 months of hard dieting and eating clean due to filming (Central Intelligence). This is goin’ down right now in the Johnson household… #HomemadeEpicCheatMeal #FudgePeanutButterBrownies #CinnamonBuns”
Like his workout and diet, even his cheat meals are nothing short of legendary. In another instance, Johnson prepared a cheat meal of epic proportions after eating clean for 150 days, which consisted of 12 pancakes, 4 double dough pizzas and 21 brownies.
While the quantity of food Johnson can consume on his cheat days can inspire awe, the number of clean days Johnson has stretching to weeks and months displays his immense determination and commitment to be in the best shape he can be.
A career that has seen The Rock scale one peak after another, always pushing himself to become better, while juggling between Hollywood, occasional WWE returns and a constant presence in the entertainment world is going to rise further as he is not done yet. Johnson is a true symbol of hard work and a fitness inspiration to all his followers worldwide as everyone waits with anticipation on what is the Rock going to cook next.
