Dwayne Johnson Workout And Diet That Made Him Hercules

Want to have a physique like The Rock? You’re not alone. We take a look at the type of workout and diet plan Dwayne Johnson used to prepare for the movie, Hercules.

Do you smell what The Rock is cooking?

For millennials that grew up watching the WWF, that line means a lot. It’s the catchphrase of The Rock, also known as Dwayne Johnson. He was a loudmouthed, foulmouthed scrapper, with likely the coolest finishing move in wrestling history: The rock bottom. But since the late 1990s, The Rock has become Dwayne Johnson. In the process, he’s adopted a new workout schedule and diet that has helped transform him into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in size and stature.

Johnson solidified his status as a household name when he joined the cast of the Fast and Furious series. That movie franchise, along with Hercules, catapulted him into a group of the top grossing actors of 2015. But that is not what we are here to discuss.

We want to know how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned himself into a man with a physique worthy of being called Hercules. Though Johnson would never have been characterized as small, he took his body to a place that few ever could. We are going to take a look at what it took for Johnson to become the man he is today.

This Is How The Rock Ate 

Common convention tells you that you must eat three meals a day. Though most men may be able to get by on just breakfast, lunch and dinner, guys who are active and attempting to add mass, need more.

During training for the film Hercules, The Rock ate around six or seven meals a day, about two to three hours apart. While the average man may see that as ridiculous, in order to keep up with training it was a necessity. Eating more meals than average is key to keeping your muscles healthy, as well as reducing excess body fat.

When you eat more frequently, your body responds by speeding up its metabolism. This increase in metabolism will help burn fat, which will help in getting yourself cut and defined. This is evident in Dwayne Johnson, who was able to cut his body fat down to 7% from 14%.

This Is What The Rock Ate

Whether you’re getting help at Weight Watchers, your local gym or a Hollywood dietician, there will be one common theme: The key to your dream body is to eat healthy.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean turning down a Twinkie or opting for a Diet Coke. Eating healthy means supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to recover and build muscle. Many people believe the key to easy weight loss is to avoid fats and carbs. Though there are some fats and carbs that should be avoided, there are other types the body relies on.

For example, when it comes to carbs there are two distinctly different types. These are simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are easily broken down by your body and give it virtually no nutrients. Foods that are made of simple carbs are things like candy, soda and pastries. Though these items may be delicious, they are high in sugar and low in fiber and that leads to a build up of fat.

Complex carbs, on the other hand, are much harder to break down. Therefore, they stay in your system and can be stored and used.

Complex carbs are found in foods like green and starchy veggies, whole grains and many types of beans.

Another huge part of a easy diet for someone who is looking to bulk up is protein. Protein is vital to training, as it aids in muscle recovery and is a one of the great muscle building foods. If your body is not getting enough protein, your muscles will be unable to regenerate and will leave you feeling sore. Along with feeling sore, slow muscle regeneration inhibits the growth process. Here is a the type of daily meal plan The Rock was on during filming:

The Rock Diet

Meal #1: 10 oz. steak fillet, 5 oz. oatmeal, 4 egg whites

Meal #2: 8 oz. chicken, 1 cup broccoli, 2 cups white rice

Meal #3: 8 oz. halibut, 1 cup asparagus, 2 cups white rice

Meal #4: 8 oz. chicken, 12 oz. baked potato, 1 cup broccoli

Meal #5: 8 oz. halibut, 1 cup asparagus, 1.5 cups white rice

Meal #6: 8 oz. steak fillet, 9 oz. baked potato, 1 cup green salad

Meal #7: 30 g casein protein powder, 10 egg whites

 

Obviously eating like this is not easy or possible for everybody, but Dwayne Johnson felt that to look like Hercules he would have to get on this type of diet. At least we now have some concept of what The Rock (or his staff) was cooking!

How Often Did Dwayne Johnson Workout?

Most beginners workout believe that to get bigger, you must work out as much as possible. While this does have some truth to it, muscles can only take so much. When a person works out, they are creating micro tears in the fibers of their muscles. These micro tears then regenerate and the fibers come back thicker. This increase in thickness is why muscles grow.

But, when the micro tears form, they do not regenerate right away. It takes time for them to heal and during this time they must be rested.

This lack of regeneration will not only slow growth, it will actually cause muscular degeneration.

The correct way is to group muscles and train a single group on a given day. This will allow you to focus on one group of muscles while the other groups rest and recover. This will optimize recovery and growth. So how to gain muscle? The Rock’s muscle groupings look something like this:

Day 1: Chest

Day 2: Legs

Day3: Arms and Abs

Day 4: Back

Day 5: Shoulders

Day 6: Legs

Day 7: Off

As you can tell by this setup, Dwayne Johnson gives each muscle group ample rest between gym workouts. He also takes a day where he doesn’t spend any time in the gym. Though he probably could have done a back workout, a day off is extremely important. That day will allow his entire body to recover and get ready for the next week. More importantly, it will help him mentally, as a week of grueling exercise takes a toll on you mentally, as well as physically.

How To Train Like The Rock

When The Rock is in the gym it’s all about efficiency and focus. The Rock doesn’t like to waste time, so his time in the gym is planned out to give him the best possible workout in the least amount of time. This does not mean The Rock doesn’t work out hard. It just means he goes with the essential workouts.

The Rock believes the key to being cut is to devote time to cardio. Cardio is essential to burning fat and maintaining a healthy body. Dwayne Johnson starts each workout with 50 minutes of high-intensity cardio. Most of this cardio is done on the treadmill, though he also likes to use the stationary bike and stair climber. If you want to look like The Rock, here is a the type of workout he uses to get shredded:

Dwayne Johnson Workout

Monday Is For Chest

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Flat Bench Cable Flye 3 sets to failure

Low Cable Crossover 4 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Barbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Incline Dumbbell Press 5 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Barbell Incline Bench Press 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Tuesday Is For Legs

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

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

Thigh Abductor 3 sets x 15 reps

Smith Machine Calf Raise 3 sets to failure

Barbell Lunge 3 sets x 20 reps

Wednesday Is For Arms And Abs

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

Barbell Curl 4 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Hammer Curl 4 sets x 10 to 12 reps

Spider Curl 4 sets to failure

Triceps Pushdown 3 sets x 10 reps

Dips 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

Thursday Is For Back

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 10 to 15 reps

Barbell Deadlift 4 sets x 10 to 15 reps

Barbell Shrug 4 sets x 15 reps

Wide Grip Pull-Up 4 sets x 15 reps

One-Arm Dumbbell Row 4 sets x 15 reps

Hyperextension 4 sets x 15 reps

Inverted Row 3 sets to failure

Friday Is For Shoulders

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 12 reps

Dumbbell Front Raise 4 sets x 12 reps

Dumbbell Side Raise 4 sets x 12 reps

Standing Military Press 4 sets x 12 reps

Reverse Flye 4 sets x 10 to 15 reps

Saturday Is For Legs

Do cardio for 50 minutes.

Leg Press 4 sets x 25 reps

Barbell Walking Lunge 4 sets x 25 reps

Leg Extension 3 sets x 20 reps

Thigh Abductor 3 sets x 15 reps

Seated Leg Curl 3 sets x 20 reps

Smith Machine Calf Raise 3 sets to failure

Barbell Lunge 3 sets x 20 reps

Sunday Is For Rest

As you can tell, this workout plan focuses on high repetition activities. When working out, there are typically two philosophies: Low reps or high reps. These methods serve very different purposes.

Low reps are used in gaining pure strength, while not gaining extra mass. High reps help gain mass, while not increasing brute strength to the same degree. Because The Rock is training to look strong he focuses more on high rep activities. This doesn’t mean that The Rock isn’t actually strong. It just means that his focus is on getting bigger. So if you’re looking on how to get stronger, this probably isn’t your first choice of workouts.

One interesting thing you’ll notice in Johnson’s regime is the absence of squats. Squats are most trainers’ favorite leg workout. The Rock skips out on squats because of a knee injury he suffered during his college days at the University of Miami. The Rock devised this plan (with the help of trainers and dieticians) to add mass while maintaining a shredded look.

Conclusion

To look like Dwayne Johnson, you need to do two things right: Diet and work out. The first is to give your body the fuel it needs to grow. Johnson believes that a proper diet is the key to gaining mass, as well as getting cut. Without the correct diet plan, even the most grueling and well thought out workouts will be useless. Bodies are a lot like cars where if they do not get the fuel they need, they will be useless, no matter how strong their engine is.

The second thing that’s needed is to work out and do it intelligently. Working out is obviously important in gaining mass and getting shredded, but if the workouts are not done smartly, you can lose muscle and get hurt.

The important thing to remember on your quest to look like Dwayne Johnson is that it will take time. But, rest assured, the Dwayne Johnson workout and diet will lead to success. You’ll be closer to looking like Hercules than you thought possible if you follow the Dwayne Johnson workout and diet.

With that said, don’t forget that The Rock has been training since he was very young and his current form is a culmination of all of that hard work. Gains do not happen overnight. The only way to achieve your dream body is to be consistent. If you stick with it, work hard and eat right, you’ll give yourself the tools you need to build a Hercules body.

By Mike Hersey