How Does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Stay in Shape
Contents
- 1 How Does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Stay in Shape
- 2 Build Lean Muscle Like Dwayne Johnson
- 3 Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine
- 4 The Rock Workout Routine
- 5 Pyramid Structured Sets
- 6 Straight Structured Sets
- 7 Back Workout
- 8 Chest Workout
- 9 Leg Workout
- 10 Triceps Workout
- 11 Biceps Workout
- 12 Dwayne’s Workout Principles
- 13 The Dwayne Johnson Diet
- 14 Meal 1
- 15 Meal 2
- 16 Meal 3
- 17 Meal 4
- 18 Meal 5
- 19 Meal 6
- 20 Meal 7
- 21 The famous “Cheat Day”
- 22 Does Dwayne Johnson Use Supplements or Steroids?
- 23 Steroids
- 24 Supplements
- 25 My Final Say
- 26
- 27 Lisa Rey

Dwayne Johnson is one of the greatest stars on the big screen. We have seen him in the wrestling ring as the one and only “The Rock”, in legendary movies such as Tarzan – the son of Zeus, and in the world of fitness and bodybuilding. Although we can attribute some of his muscular physiques to good genes, most of his shredded body and ripped abs come from a rigorous Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine and a mean muscle-building diet.
Build Lean Muscle Like Dwayne Johnson
His love for training has gotten him to where he is today. This 6”4in demigod’s height and broad frame also enables his body to bulk up and build muscle very quickly. To get his body in check, Johnson works out two times, 6 days a week, and eats seven times a day, which is the equivalent to at least 5,000 calories…. That 5,000 calories a day!!
Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine

A typical Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine starts as early as 4 am with a 50-minute cardio session which kicks start his metabolism so his body is burning fat throughout the day whilst releasing the “feel good” hormones for the rest of the day – think about it… Ever seen Dyane Johnson without a smile on his face??!!
After breakfast, The Rock begins his 2nd round of exercise that he best describes as “banging and clanging” for another hour. This training entails working on particular muscle groups depending on which day it is or what he trained the previous day. Typically, all his muscle groups receive training once weekly. His leg muscles, on the other hand, receive training more than once weekly, purely because of their size.
Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine keeps changing up depending on his next movie role and demands. Still, his 4 am anchor routine remains unchanged no matter what. His “anchor exercise” involves a lot of elliptical cardio training. He chooses this exercise because of its little or low-level impact on his joints. He’s been known to say that this morning workout gives him the energy to work for the next 12-16 hours – a perfect way to kick start your day.
Bodybuilders from across the world use the six-day-on, one-day-off training regime. This routine allows you to maximize your gains while providing multiple days to rest a recover each muscle group from the intense muscle-specific workouts. Dwayne Johnson’s workout also involves a lot of physiological stress on his body to ensure he stays ripped.
The Rock Workout Routine

Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine can be categorized into two sets –
Pyramid Structured Sets
Dwayne starts with higher reps and lower weight. After that, as he progresses with the workout, each set of exercises, he reduces reps and increases the weight. A method practiced by many bodybuilders around the world.
Straight Structured Sets
Other times, he performs constant reps that do not change form. The number of reps and weights remain constant through the exercise and the number of sets.
Here is a sample of his hardcore training that will get you a ripped physique with guaranteed shredded abs –
Back Workout
- 5 sets by 12 reps of reverse grip cable pull-down
- 3 sets by 12 reps of high hammer rows
- 4 sets by 12 reps of dumbbell shrugs
- 3 sets by 15 reps of arm lateral pull down
- 3 sets by 12 reps of one-arm dumbbell row
Chest Workout
- 4 sets by 12 reps of incline fly’s
- 7 sets by 15 reps of standing cable crossover fly’s
- 3 sets by 10 reps of one-arm incline dumbbell press
- 3 sets by 12 reps of the flat dumbbell press
Leg Workout
- 4 sets by 12 reps of Barbell Glute Bridge
- 4 sets by 25 reps of leg press
- 3 sets by 24 reps of walking lunges
- 4 sets by 15 reps of lying single leg curls
- 3 sets by 20 reps of single-leg extension
- 4 sets by 8-12reps of glute-ham raise
- 3 sets by 20 reps of vertical leg press
Triceps Workout
- 7 sets by 8-12 reps of reverse grip pushdowns
- 3 sets by 8-12 reps of skull crushers
- 3 sets by 8-12 reps of machine dips
- 7 sets by 8-12 reps of overhead triceps extension with rope
Biceps Workout
- 7 sets by 8-12 reps of low cable curls
- 3 sets by 8-12 reps of machine preacher curls
- 3 sets by 10-15 reps of front double bicep curls
- 3 sets by 8-12 reps of preacher curls
Dwayne’s Workout Principles

When Dwayne hit 40, he felt the need to work out smarter. Instead of working out for up to 3 hours straight in the gym, he reduced his workouts to 45-60 minutes of extremely intense training. His mantra is that when you get to the gym, it is all about business and no time to mess around. You must focus on your workout and block out the rest of the world.
The Dwayne Johnson Diet

The Rock has a crazy eating schedule that is almost as intense as his gym workouts – if you can believe it. He states that his action-hero body is not all about a grueling workout routine. He has a strict diet plan that involves 7 meals per day. This is equivalent to approx. 10 pounds of food in a single day!! His diet consists of a lot of fiber, carbs, starchy vegetables, and protein. His diet helps him to build muscle while staying lean and keeping fat gains to an absolute minimum.
His dishes consist of a range of meat, rice, eggs, and veggies. His daily meal plan looks something close to this:
Meal 1
- Cod
- 4 Scrambled egg whites
- Oatmeal, or,
- 3 Servings Cream of Wheat
Approx. 857 calories
Meal 2
- Skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup veggies
- 2 Cups brown/white rice
Approx. 947 calories
Meal 3
- Halibut
- 1 Sliced cucumber
- 2 Cups brown/white rice
- 1 cup asparagus
Approx. 946 calories
Meal 4
- Pork tenderloin
- 1 cup asparagus, or,
- 1 Baked potato
- 1 cup steamed broccoli
Approx. 773 calories
Meal 5
- Halibut
- 1 cup white rice
Approx. 816 calories
Meal 6
- Perch fillet
- Baked potato
- 1 cup steamed green beans
- Salad
Approx. 846 calories
Meal 7
- 10 Egg whites with Onions, Mushrooms, and peppers
- 30 Grams casein protein
Approx. 285 calories
The famous “Cheat Day”

Now and then, (more like after 3-4 months to be precise) Dwayne gets off his strict meal plan and has a cheat day. Pizza is one of his favorite cheat meals. His cheat meals are also of epic proportions. One meal may contain 12 pancakes, 4 double dough pizzas, and 21 brownies.
Considering his long stretches of clean eating days, Dwayne Johnson can have as much food as he wants on his cheat days. Dwayne’s meals, just like Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine are legendary.
Does Dwayne Johnson Use Supplements or Steroids?

Steroids
Although adding weight while burning fat at the same time may seem unrealistic to many, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not one of those users – he isn’t one of the many. Dwayne admitted to using steroids back when he was a teenager and first being introduced into the weight lifting and bodybuilding world, but he has not been using them since then and has come up clean on all steroid and drug tests completed.
Related Article: The Rock Steroids
Supplements
Like most high-profile unsponsored professionals, Johnson rarely talks about the exact supplements, quantities, and brands he uses. However, he has been rumored to use XtremeNO and HyperGH14x supplements. These supplements help to provide energy and additional strength to do some heavy lifting.
The best legal and safe steroid alternatives for bulking or getting ripped
My Final Say

Dwayne Johnson strives for greatness and a magnificent physique which he literally trains out of his skin. Of late, his frame just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger, which is a testament to how he is always pushing himself to become better. This has enabled him to reach new peaks each day. Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine is a real symbol of hard work and fitness inspiration for myself and millions of others across the globe.
So, I say, well done Dwyane – the holder of many talents and master of many arenas. He’s a real icon that we can look up to and show our kids that “this is how it’s done!”