Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Workout and Diet

Actor
Born: 1972

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson got his start as a wrestler for the WWF before hitting it big in Hollywood. Pro wrestling is a family affair. Both his grandfather and father were professional wrestlers, and he has several uncles and cousins who do it as well. The Rock won the WWE championship several times and is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He was featured in some of the most watched episodes of the WWE. Johnson played football in college for the University of Miami but injuries ended his NFL hopes. His autobiography The Rock Says… debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list. Johnson has said he has seriously considered running for president. He owns a production company called Seven Bucks Productions. He has almost 60 million Facebook fans, and 140 million followers on Instagram. He is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 260 lbs.

Known For:

Dwayne Johnson’s Diet

Summary

Johnson adjusts his diet and workout routine to match the role he’s playing. To prepare for Hercules, he wanted to look ‘big and mean’ and so he followed a special diet for 22 weeks. He ate 6-7 times per day, with all his macros precisely measured and weighed for optimum muscle growth, and to hit all his targets.

Estimated Macros

  • Medium Carbs 40% 40%
  • Medium Fat 30% 30%
  • High Protien 70% 70%

Diet Details

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Rock The Protein

Johnson ate a lot of protein (and everything else) to get ripped for his role of Hercules. A meal might include a 10 oz. filet mignon, 4 egg whites, chicken, or halibut. For his protein shake, he would mix 10 egg whites with 30 g of casein protein.

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Eat Your Veggies

Even demi-gods need their greens. Johnson would eat things like broccoli, asparagus, and salad to get his micronutrients and fiber.

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Don’t Skimp On Carbs

Johnson ate carbs at every meal. Things like oatmeal, rice and potatoes were staples for his Hercules diet.

What to Eat

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Egg Whites

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Filet Mignon

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Chicken

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Fish

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Oatmeal

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Asparagus

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Baked Potatoes

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Cream of Rice

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Salad

R

Complex Carbs

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Broccoli

What to Avoid

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Junk Food

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Processed Foods

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Sugar

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Fruit Juice

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Soft Drinks

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Hydrogenated Fats

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Refined Foods

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Artificial Ingredients

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Johnson on Diet

‘Nutrition is so important, it can’t be stressed enough.’

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Johnson on Health

‘I’ve always tried to educate myself on nutrition, about supplements, what I’m eating, when I’m eating, exercises, calories, and so on.’

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Johnson on His Special Hercules Diet

‘It was all about hard work, discipline and balance.’

Dwayne Johnson’s Workout Routine

Weekly Routine

Get Massive

For Johnson’s role in Hercules, he followed a schedule of 6 days on/1 day off.

Train Like A Demi-God

Johnson would start his day with a 50-minute session of cardio before moving on to training specific parts of the body.

He’s Got Legs & Knows How To Use Them

Johnson did 2 workouts per week on his legs for his role as Hercules.

Early Bird

Johnson would start his day around 4 a.m. He liked to get his workout in before going on set. But he says even when he’s not working on a movie, he gets up early to train.

Taking The Long Road

Despite already being ripped, Johnson did special training for 6 months leading up to shooting Hercules.

Keeping It Regular

Johnson works out year round, not just when he’s preparing for a role. He loves it.

Example Routine

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Day 1: Chest

Dumbbell bench press: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Flat bench press cable fly: 3 sets, to failure
Barbell bench press – medium grip: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Incline dumbbell press: 5 sets x 10-12 reps
Cable crossover: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Barbell incline benchpress – medium grip: 3 sets x 10-12 reps

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Day 2: Legs

Leg press: 4 sets x 25 reps
Barbell walking lunge: 4 sets x 25 reps
Leg extension: 3 sets x 20 reps
Seated leg curl: 3 sets x 20 reps
Smith machine calf raise: 3 sets, to failure
Thigh abductor: 3 sets x 15 reps
Barbell lunge: 3 sets x 20 reps

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Day 3: Abs & Arms

Barbell curl: 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Hammer curl: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Spider curl: 4 sets, to failure
Triceps pushdown: 3 sets x 10 reps
Dips – triceps version: 3 sets, to failure
Hanging leg raise: 4 sets x 20 reps
Rope crunch: 4 sets x 20 reps
Russian twist: 4 sets x 20 reps

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Day 4: Back

Wide-grip lat pulldown: 4 sets x 10-15 reps
Barbell deadlift: 4 sets x 10-15 reps
Barbell shrug: 4 sets x 15 reps
Pull-up: 4 sets x 15 reps
Back extension: 4 sets x 15 reps
Single-arm dumbbell row: 4 sets x 15 reps
Inverted row: 3 sets, to failure

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Day 5: Shoulders

Dumbbell shoulder press: 4 sets x 12 reps
Front dumbbell raise: 4 sets x 12 reps
Side lateral raise: 4 sets x 12 reps
Standing military press: 4 sets x 12 reps
Reverse fly: 3 sets x 10-15 reps

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Day 6: Legs

Repeat the work out from day 2.

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Day 7: Rest

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Johnson on Training Early in The Day

‘I love training when the sun is coming up because it allows me…to step off the crazy treadmill that is everyone’s life.’

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Johnson on Hitting it Hard

‘When I hit the gym, I’m coming! I train hard…clanging and banging.’

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Johnson on Regular Exercise

‘Working out anchors my day. For me, training is my meditation, my yoga, hiking, biking, therapy all rolled into one. I love it.’

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Johnson on Aging

‘When I hit 40, I really began to train smarter.’

Dwayne Johnson’s Supplements

Joint Support

Joint Health

Johnson has sustained a fair amount of injuries and takes glucosamine and chondroitin to help ease the aches and pains.

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Multivitamin

Multivitamins

A multivitamin can fill in any nutritional gaps.

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Protein Powder

Protein Shake

Following a workout, Johnson says he takes Optimum Platinum Hydrowhey with glutamine. Hydrolysis breaks down the proteins, allowing them to enter your system quickly, and helping your muscles to recover faster.

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Glutamine

Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid that is often taken to build muscle. It can also improve the intestinal and immune systems.

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BCAA

BCAAs

Branched-chain amino acids are named for their molecular shape. They promote muscle growth.

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Amino Energy

Amino Energy

After training, Johnson would also drink an Optimum Amino Energy shake with amino acids and caffeine for energy, muscle recovery, and focus.

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Dwayne Johnson’s Lifestyle

Rocks Don’t Need Sleep

Johnson says he only sleeps 3-5 hours per night. He says he’s willing to sacrifice sleep in order to get 2 hours of quiet to himself.

The King & The Rock

Johnson is a huge Elvis fan and sang Are You Lonesome Tonight in The Game Plan and on Saturday Night Live.

All In The Family

Johnson’s cousin Tanoai Reed often acts as his stunt double.

Giving Back

Johnson and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to renovate its football facility, the largest donation to the university by former students.

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Johnson on Playing Hercules

‘This was definitely a passion project for me, and I rocked the leather loincloth[…]’

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Johnson on His Regimen

‘The only thing that’s regimented is I have to wake up before the sun gets up.’

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Johnson on ‘Me Time’

‘I need the mental time in the beginning, and the next thing is my training time. Those are my 2 anchors, and once I’m able to anchor myself, I’m able to work[…]’

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