You Wanna Get Big Like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
“I get solicited by trainers from all around the world, and it’s very flattering, because these guys are well read on their line of work,” says Johnson. “But my answer to them is always, ‘If the day comes that I can’t kick my own ass more than you can, then that’s the day I’ll stop training.’” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
I’m a huge fan of The Rock or Dwayne Johnson as Hollywood likes to call him. His physique has changed quite a bit in the past decade or so. As a wrestler in the WWE he usually carried a bit more body fat than he does now. When Hollywood came calling he trimmed down a bit and leaned out to get movie roles.
In 2011-2012, you saw The Rock get just plain massive.
He put on a good amount of size for Fast Five and Faster. Along came Pain and Gain in 2013 and looked like a monster!
Pain and Gain Movie trailer:
How does The Rock train?
I have seen a few of his workouts floating around the internet. They seem to be your typical bodybuilding style training routines. Which is usually high volume, 6 days per week.
This routine was used to help him trim down to get ready for Hollywood:
Monday – Wednesday – Friday | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Chest | 5 | 15-20 |
Back | 5 | 15-20 |
Biceps | 5 | 15-20 |
*30 seconds rest between sets
*Weight training was followed by 12 minutes of high intensity cardio and a 5 minute cooldown.
Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Quads/Hamstrings | 5 | 15-20 |
Shoulders | 5 | 15-20 |
Triceps | 5 | 15-20 |
*30 seconds rest between sets
*Weight training was followed by 12 minutes of high intensity cardio and a 5 minute cooldown.
Another “Rock” certified workout:
This is a muscle building workout routine used by The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
Day 1 Shoulders
Day 2 Back
Day 3 Legs
Day 4 Arms
Day 5 Chest
Day 1: Shoulders
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Seated Military Press Machine | 3 | 21 |
superset | ||
Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 | 8 |
Dumbbell front raise | 3 | 8 |
Rear delt cable raise | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
Hammer strength shrug | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
4 way neck machine | 4 | 12 |
Day 2: Back
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Wide grip lat pulldown | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
Close grip lat pulldown | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
1 arm seated row machine | 4 | 12 |
Back extension | 4 | 15-15-12-12 |
Day 3: Legs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Leg press | 4 | 25-20-18-16 last set is a drop set |
Smith machine lunge | 4 | 8 |
Leg curl | 4 | 12-10-8-6 |
Standing calf raise | 6 | 16 last set is a drop set |
Day 4: Arms
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Alternating Dumbbell Curl | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
Preacher Machine Curl | 6 | 12-10-8-6-4 last 2 sets are 21s* |
Cable Tricep Extension | 5 | 12-10-8-6-20 |
Overhead cable extension | 4 | 12-10-8-20 |
1 arm reverse grip tricep extension | 2 | 15 |
*21s are 7 top 1/2 partial reps, 7 bottom 1/2 partial reps followed by 7 full reps.
Day 5: Chest
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Incline Dumbbell Press | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
Dumbbell bench press | 5 | 12-10-8-6-4 |
Superset | ||
Cable crossovers | 4 | 12 |
Push ups | 4 | 15 |
Abs are trained 2 times per week, usually some weighted crunches on a swiss ball.
He changes his workout quite often so he doesn’t plate. He will sometimes alter things such as his lifting tempo, rest periods,sets and reps, frequency, and amount of weight lifted. It’s also not uncommon for Johnson to change the routine on a weekly basis.
How does “The Rock” eat?
Mr. Johnson realizes how important nutrition is and you can tell he takes it very seriously. Here are some sample diets that he has used to get in prime condition.

Daily Nutritional Parameters
Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
Stop eating carbs in the evening
Drink 2-3 gallons of water per day.
Supplement regimen
A good multivitamin
Antioxidant formula
Joint formula
ZMA
Glutamine
Have a cheat day!
Once a week have a cheat day. “The Rock’s “favorites are pizza, doughnuts, and diet coke of all things.
“One of my many mottos is, “Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself.” – Dwayne Johnson
A typical low carb day
Meal 1
Protein shake with at least 40 grams protein, 20-25 grams of carbs, and a few grams a fat.
Meal 2
6 ounces of turkey, 5 egg whites, and 2 multigrain pancakes with one tbsp. of natual peanut butter.
Meal 3
Chicken Caesar Salad, 6 ounces New York strip steak, and ½ cup of steamed broccoli.
Meal 4
2 filet mignon steaks, and ½ cup steamed broccoli.
Meal 5
Protein shake with peanut butter.
Meal 6
Sashimi feast (tuna, shrimp, eel, yellow fish, salmon)
“The Rock’s” Sample Cutting Diet

Meal 1
10 scrambled egg whites,
3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal
3 rice cakes,
24oz water
Meal 2
6oz skinless grilled chicken breast
1 cup grits
6oz yams
1 cup of steamed asparagus
24oz water
Meal 3
6oz tuna
1 cup brown rice
1 sliced cucumber
24oz water
Meal 4
6oz perch fillet
1 cup barley,
6oz baked potato
1 cup steamed green beans,
24oz water
Meal 5
6oz pork tenderloin
1 cup brown rice
6oz sweet potato
1 cup peas
24oz water
Meal 6
10 scrambled egg whites
3 servings cream of rice or 1 cup oatmeal
24oz water
That’s a little glimpse of how Dwayne Johnson trains. It does change quite frequently but you can see that he does prefer the traditional bodybuilding style routines. It should be mentioned that Johnson is a genetic freak. Just because he gets great results with his training doesn’t mean that you will.
References:
http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/success-stories-dwayne-johnson
http://screencrave.com/2010-11-23/interview-dwayne-johnson-talks-faster/
http://www.trainbodyandmind.com/2010/12/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-workout-and-nutrition-regime/
http://www.fortiusfitness.com/blog/dwayne-johnson-workout/
http://www.trainbodyandmind.com/2010/12/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-workout-and-nutrition-regime/
http://www.impeccabledwaynejohnson.org/index.php/dwayne-info/dwayne-johnson-workout-routine/
http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/success-stories-dwayne-johnson
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/dwayne-rock-johnson?fullpage=true
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/dwayne-rock-johnson-chest-routine-0
The rock’s twitter pics:
@TheRock
Hump Day Breakfast: steak, eggs & gorilla size bowl of oatmeal. *Apple products are non-eatable. (I tried) pic.twitter.com/0yQXF9P3
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 12, 2012
Effort. No one can judge it.. its always between you and you. #JustBringIt pic.twitter.com/qWPrWMCN
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 24, 2013
Sometimes the most important victories are just for yourself. LEGS. #5KneeSurgeries #RupturedDiscs #StillFindAWay pic.twitter.com/eZlk5EVD
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) December 17, 2012
FINAL ROUND: 1 Rock vs 21 Brownies. Rocks wins (w/ a smile & big ass mug of milk) #LegendaryCheatMeals pic.twitter.com/atHCxMOC
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 30, 2012
Hump Day Breakfast: steak, eggs & gorilla size bowl of oatmeal. *Apple products are non-eatable. (I tried) pic.twitter.com/0yQXF9P3
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 12, 2012