Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and his 'rock-hard' physique routine

The Rock needs no introduction. Here is what Dwayne Johnson the Rock’s routine looks like.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and his ‘rock-hard’ physique routine

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was born into a professional wrestling family in 1972, let’s find out his routine. An injury ended his college football career, so he entered the ring with the Word Wrestling Federation. As “The Rock,” he famously feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWF Heavyweight title six times.

Johnson has parlayed his wrestling fame into an incredibly successful film career, appearing in projects like

Journey to the Mysterious Island,

When you’re an athlete-turned-actor who already has a physique idolized by millions around the world, you might think it would be easy to rest on your laurels. Not so with Dwayne Johnson.

If there’s one thing life has taught the former national championship-winning footballer, it’s that you only get what you’re willing to put in. That’s why he dedicates so much of his time and energy to making sure he’s at his physical peak when he steps onto the movie set.

“For different roles, my condition and training and diet do alter,” Johnson states. “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.

Fitness and Well-being

In the words of Dwayne Johnson, “I have carbs with every meal, so there is always a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Then part of my daily regime is my glucosamine and then also a multitude of multivitamins. Then I have glutamine, branched-chain amino acids, chondroitin, and one protein shake a day, which I drink after training.”

– We’re talking about The Rock here, so we don’t expect most people to do the same weights he does.

– These workouts have huge amounts of work volume, so make sure you’re picking up a weight that you can handle throughout the designated reps and sets. Account for that before you pick up the weights, and keep track of your performance as you do each workout so you know whether to add or remove weight the next time you do the workout.

–  In cases where Johnson uses some specific equipment, we’ve noted as such, and included some alternatives you can use.

If you’re going to attempt these workouts on an empty stomach, it’s probably not a bad idea to supplement mid-workout with some carbs to ensure your muscles have the glycogen they’ll need to get through these.

Johnson uses a Hammer machine with independent handles for each hand to isolate each side of his back. If you don’t have a similar machine, you can do a one-armed cable pulldown.

Football, Wrestling and Movies are all different beasts…

Grip the bar with your palms facing you (supine).

Pause at the top of each rep for 2 seconds.

“Charles Glass-Style” Hammer High Row

Diet plan:

In a Charles Glass-style high row, hold the dumbbells in front of your waist in a prone grip (so your palms face you) and raise them to chest height.

A. Wide-Grip Cable Rows (Use pulldown bar)

Rest 45 seconds between supersets.

Precautions:

Back (Hyper)extensions w/ Hands Behind Head: 3 sets x 15 reps

Be sure to go slowly on this move. Don’t go too far past a neutral spine—your lower back will get a perfectly good workout without flinging your torso up.

Note: Johnson uses a Star Trac machine, which makes sure that the resistance is coming from a consistent angle. You can simulate this on an incline bench with cables: Set up the bench at an incline, and then angle the cables so they’re perpendicular to your torso.

“Alternative” Workout:

One-Arm Incline Press (alternating from full extension)

Note: Johnson uses a Hammer Strength incline press machine, but you can simulate with dumbbells, cables, or a similar machine that allows one-armed presses.

Flat Dumbbell Press (palms facing each other)

A. Flat Dumbbell Flye (12 reps)

Rest 45 secs between supersets.

4 sets x 12 reps (hold last rep for 10 seconds)

If your gym doesn’t have a lying leg curl machine, you can substitute with a standard seated leg curl.

Flat Dumbbell Press (palms facing each other)

Do 3 partial reps at the end of the last two sets.

Do 5 partial reps at the end of every set.

Use a cambered bar (aka the angled bar, rather than a straight bar).

Grip the bar underhand (supine), so your palms are facing the ceiling at the start of the set.

Overhead Triceps Extension With Rope

Johnson does this exercise with the pulley behind his head.

Use a cambered bar. Grab the bar with an underhand (supine) grip.

Hold the bar for 2 seconds at your bellybutton for the last 4 reps

1-Arm Dumbbell Row to Lower Hip

1-Arm Dumbbell Row to Upper Ribcage

Johnson pulls the bar behind his neck, but be careful with this motion—it can cause some stress in your shoulder joints. Make sure you have excellent shoulder mobility before attempting a behind-the-neck pull.

B. Back Extensions (do last 3 sets to failure)

Use the cambered bar (not the straight bar).

Do 4 partial reps at the end of the last 2 sets

Johnson does these on a cable machine using the high pulley, but you can substitute with dumb-bells if needed.

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