For Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, workouts and a diligent diet are quite simply a way of life. Accordingly, the California-born college athlete turned WWE sensation turned A-list movie star cuts a truly impressive figure, as anyone with working eyeballs and access to a screen can attest. And while some of that mean muscle came naturally, the bulk of it results from next level dedication in every conceivable department. That said, he still makes room for the occasional cheat day. Something tells us he earned it.
Meanwhile, Johnson is always happy to share the secrets of his ongoing success. As such, you’ll always find him posting fitness videos to YouTube or selling The Rock workout gear or gracing Instagram with pictures of his hearty meals. He even launched two short-lived reality shows called “Hero” and “Wake Up Call,” where he personally motivated others toward physical and mental transformation. Like we said, spreading the love is a massive part of his game plan.
More recently, Johnson has been dieting hard for his new role in Black Adam, revealing the intense depths he goes to for his ‘champion’ scenes. “Been working extremely hard dieting, training and conditioning unlike any other role of my entire career,” he wrote on Instagram. “Manipulating water, sodium, cardio but also having to push and pull real iron to have dense, dry, detailed muscle. It’s a real science that takes months and months to dial it all in with my strength & conditioning coach @daverienzi who keeps a very watchful eye, constantly fine tuning our strategy daily.”
It’s then no surprise that adopting The Rock diet and workout plan isn’t a matter of access as much as it is a matter of conviction. Well, that and a decent budget, since you’ll be spending a lot on food. Should you take on this training regimen, however, you might one day flaunt a body like the one he did in “Hercules” or “Fast 5” or any other movie he’s been in because he’s pretty much always fit. But are you up to the task, young go-getter? Let’s find out.
The Rock Diet Plan
The Rock takes a “go big or go home” attitude toward just about everything he does, including his diet. What we’re trying to say here is that he eats like a grizzly bear, albeit a (mostly) healthy one.
Sometimes The Rock’s diet can go to crazy extremes. For example, when prepping for the role of Hercules, it was reported that he ate up to seven protein-rich meals a day. That amounted to a whopping total of 4,131 calories, which is basically twice the recommended average for men. When not in training, he normally eats about five meals a day, and we’re talking meals.
As you can probably guess, Johnson loves himself a juicy steak along with other tasty proteins. And if you’ve ever visited The Rock’s insanely popular Instagram feed, then you know his cheat meals are downright epic. Of course, everything this dude does is epic, so why would his cheat meals be any exception?
Think steak, fish, whole grains, eggs, green veggies, protein, protein, and more protein, and you’re getting a pretty good idea of what The Rock is cookin’. It’s all planned out in advance and devoured with relish.
Five-Meal Diet Plan
When he’s not building mass for a role, The Rock eats the following (as an example):
Meal #1
- 10 oz steak
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 3 egg whites
- 1 whole egg
- 1 glass watermelon juice
Meal #2
- 2 servings chicken
- 2 bell peppers
- 3 cups mushrooms
- 3 cups broccoli
- 1 protein shake
Meal #3
- 8 oz salmon
- 8 asparagus tips
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 cups rice medley
- 3 cups broccoli
Meal #4
- 10 oz steak
- 3 baked potatoes
- 8 asparagus tips
- 1 glass orange juice
Meal #5
- 20 grams casein protein
- 10 egg whites
Seven-Meal Diet Plan
As we mentioned above, when The Rock was training for 2014’s “Hercules,” he consumed calories like it was nobody’s business. For all the extremists (or completists) out there, here’s one of his seven-meal diet plans:
Meal #1
- 10 oz cod
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 cups of oatmeal
Meal #2
- 8 oz cod
- 12 oz sweet potato
- 1 cup veggies
Meal #3
- 8 oz chicken
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 cup veggies
Meal #4
- 8 oz cod
- 2 cups rice
- 1 cup veggies
- 1 tbsp fish oil—122
Meal #5
- 8 oz steak
- 12 oz baked potato
- spinach salad
Meal #6
- 10 oz cod
- 2 cups rice
- salad
Meal #7
- 30 grams casein protein
- 10 egg-white omelet
- 1 cup veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms)
- 1 tbsp omega-3 fish oil
The Rock Workout Plan
Are you ready to bring out your inner Hercules? The Rock workout plan will certainly get you there, but don’t think for a second that the journey will be easy. On the contrary, The Rock workout routine is pretty much as demanding as modern fitness can get. Of course, should you properly execute this brutal training regimen, you’ll be walking tall like a one-man gun show (who out there got the reference?).
Depending on the type of role he’s training for, The Rock employs varying levels of intensity. That said, his workout routine is always pretty intense. It kicks off with 30-50 minutes of cardio on the elliptical cross trainer first thing in the morning. After that, he eats a hearty, protein-packed breakfast.
Then it’s off to the gym, where the real workout begins. In The Rock’s own words, he gets “busy with a nice session of clangin’ and bangin’—epic pain, epic results.” That means lifting heavy weights on a regular basis, working out six days a week, and focusing on a different muscle group each day. All the while, The Rock is cranking his ultimate music playlist, presumably on his namesake headphones or earbuds. On the seventh day, he rests…and eats gobs of ice cream (if his legendary Instagram feed is anything to go by).
Before we dive into the basics, a simple reminder: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is 6 foot 5 and built like a truck. We only mention this because we would never want you to bite off more than you can chew by eating everything he eats and lifting everything he lifts. In other words, apply a little common sense when adopting The Rock’s workout routine, so that we don’t end up with a lawsuit on our hands. Intensity is good. Overdoing it, bad.
Now that we’ve gotten our little disclaimer out of the way, we present one of The Rock’s ultimate workout plans. Prepare to get busy with the kettlebells, barbells, and dumbbells exercises. Your triceps will be sore, your legs with be sore, and everything will be sore, but it will be worth it in the long run. Epic pain, epic results, as the man himself likes to say. Without further delay, here is The Rock’s workout plan:
Day 1: Legs
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Eat Breakfast
- Barbell Walking Lunge – 4 sets, 25 reps
- Leg Press – 4 sets, 25 reps
- Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Barbell Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Hack Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Single Leg Hack Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets, 10 reps
- Seated Leg Curl – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Thigh Abductor – 4 sets, 12 reps
Day 2: Back
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Eat Breakfast
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Bent Over Barbell Row – 4 sets, 12 reps
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Barbell Deadlift – 3 sets, 10 reps
- Pull-ups – 3 sets, to failure
- Dumbbell Shrug – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Inverted Row – 3 sets, to failure
- Hyperextensions (Back) – 4 sets, 12 reps
Day 3: Shoulders
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Eat Breakfast
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Standing Military Press – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Front Dumbbell Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Side Lateral Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Reverse Machine Flyes – 4 sets, 15 reps
- Seated Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise – 4 sets, 12 reps
Day 4: Arms/Abs
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Eat Breakfast
- Dumbbell Bicep Curl – 4 sets, 15 reps
- Hammer Curls – 4 sets, 15 reps
- Spider Curl – 4 sets, to failure
- Triceps Pushdown – 4 sets, 15 reps
- Overhead Triceps – 3 sets, 15 reps
- Hanging Leg Raise – 4 sets, 20 reps
- Rope Crunch – 4 sets, 20 reps
- Russian Twist – 4 sets, 20 reps
Day 5: Legs
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Eat Breakfast
- Barbell Walking Lunge – 4 sets, 25 reps
- Leg Press – 4 sets, 25 reps
- Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Barbell Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Hack Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Single Leg Hack Squat – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets, 10 reps
- Seated Leg Curl – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Thigh Abductor – 4 sets, 12 reps
Day 6: Chest
- Run on Treadmill – 30-50 minutes
- Barbell Bench Press – Medium Grip – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Dumbbell Bench Press – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Flat Bench Cable Flyes – 4 sets, to failure
- Incline Hammer Curls – 4 sets, 12 reps
- Dips – Chest Version – 4 sets, to failure
Day 7: Rest
- Eat Ice Cream Sandwiches
