Do you smell what “The Rock” is cooking? More movies, it seems, and it’s his diet plan and workout for Hercules, Furious 7, Baywatch, Central Intelligence, and Fast 8 that have us wondering how he looks so good. A lean, mean muscle machine in his own right, Dwayne Johnson is known not only for his superior acting skills but also for his amazing body in his film roles. He steals the spotlight so naturally with his confidence, and his physique speaks for itself. What are the secrets to his body?
His Workout Routine
Johnson was a wrestler for the WWF (later the WWE) and was the heavyweight champion six times. He has an incredible work ethic, but just like anyone in Hollywood, he had to prove himself. Many probably expected Johnson to be just another muscle man with little talent as an actor, but he exceeded people’s expectations by being more than a guy with a good body. Audiences loved how he brought his characters to life.
Even though Johnson is now in his mid-40s, that doesn’t stop him from trying to look and feel his best, onscreen and off. He doesn’t train like your average Hollywood star, either. Johnson, for as long as he can remember, has done 50-minute cardio sessions at the gym, six days a week. Oh, and he wakes up every day at four in the morning to do it. In fact, he describes this routine as “his anchor.” After breakfast, he heads back to the gym to do what he describes as “clanging and banging”—that is, lifting weights. However, being more conscious of his age, Johnson has decided to change up his workout routine to keep his killer physique.
Some of the exercises he performs to build his muscles include:
- Pyramid Structured Sets: Johnson begins with higher reps and a lower weight, and with each set he reduces reps and increases weight.
- Reverse Pyramid Structured Sets: As the name suggests, this is the opposite of the above technique. You begin with a heavy weight so you can only perform around eight reps, and then you reduce the weight with each following set so you can perform 10 and then 12 reps. Although this is less common to see in the Dwayne Johnson workout, this approach seems to be used occasionally.
- Straight Structured Sets: This is when there is no change to the number of reps for any set.
“The Rock” really focuses in the gym and his favorite body parts to work out are his legs. He works out six days a week and devotes two of those days to leg work.
Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, looks buff on set of Baywatch. Credit: Brock Miller/Splash News.
Hercules, Baywatch Diet Plan and Workout
Johnson had to gain copious amounts of weight in order to get the Hercules look. He had to consume a ridiculous number of calories. Below is the diet plan he was said to follow to prep for the role, which is also known as the 12-labors diet.
Meal 1:
- 10 oz. beef filet
- 4 egg whites
- 5 oz. oatmeal or cream of wheat (measured dry)
Meal 2:
- 8 oz. chicken
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 cup broccoli
Meal 3:
- 8 oz. halibut
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 cup asparagus
Meal 4:
- 8 oz. chicken
- 12 oz. baked potato
- 1 cup broccoli
Meal 5:
- 8 oz. halibut
- 1.5 cups white rice
- 1 cup asparagus
Meal 6
- 8 oz. beef filet
- 9 oz. baked potato
- Salad
Meal 7
- 30 g casein protein
- 10 egg whites scrambled with onions, peppers, and mushrooms
Johnson also focused on pumping iron at the gym to build muscle.
Although his Baywatch diet and workout plan is still unknown, it’s said that it’s very similar to the Hercules plan, except Johnson consumed fewer calories and did a bit more cardio to get the lean look.
Overall, Johnson has had to follow a strict diet and workout plan to ensure he looks good in all his films, including Central Intelligence, Furious 7 and Fast 8. This is the diet he is said to follow daily, comprising six meals per day:
- Meal 1: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 3 rice cakes, 24 oz. water
- Meal 2: 6 oz. skinless grilled chicken breast, 1 cup grits, 6 oz. yams, 1 cup steamed asparagus, 24 oz. water
- Meal 3: 6 oz. tuna, 1 cup brown rice, 1 sliced cucumber, 24 oz. water
- Meal 4: 6 oz. perch filet, 1 cup barley, 6 oz. baked potato, 1 cup steamed green beans, 24 oz. water
- Meal 5: 6 oz. pork tenderloin, 1 cup brown rice, 6 oz. sweet potato, 1 cup peas, 24 oz. water
- Meal 6: 10 scrambled egg whites, 3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal, 24 oz. water
Dwayne Johnson’s diet focuses on tons of protein, some carbohydrates, and lots of starchy veggies while minimizing bad fat. Talk about training hard!
Sources:
“Dwayne Johnson’s Rock-Hard Hercules Workout and Diet Plan,” Bodybuilding.com web site, July 22, 2016; http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/dwayne-johnson-rock-hard-hercules-workout-and-diet-plan.html, last accessed July 27, 2016.
Hyson, S. and Perine, S., “Smell What the Rock Is Cooking,” Muscle and Fitness web site; http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/meal-plans/smell-what-rock-cooking, last accessed July 27, 2016.
