Last updated on November 20th, 2024 at 04:26 pm

Update Notes: We have now seen multiple different Dwayne Johnson workout routines here at SHJ – ranging from the workout he used to turn into Hercules to his base training to be JACKED for roles like Pain and Gain – all the way to his chest and tricep workout he’s using for his role in Black Adam.

We have also researched his nutrition (with multiple meal plans he and his trainers have shared), his favorite cheat meal (and a full recipe), and more.

None of the changes and adaptions to his workout and overall nutrition are uncommon among celebrities I have researched within our Workout Database.

I have now researched over 300 celebrities, athletes and the world’s top performers and even wrote my book Superhuman Secrets on my research, with dozens and dozens of case studies – and I can tell you that the top performers are constantly adapting – but they’re also aware that fitness does NOT have to suck.

You can use these links to jump to specific research and workouts throughout the article (including three different workout routines) – and this article will continue to be updated as more information comes out about Dwayne Johnson and his training.

Dwayne Johnson Stats:

Height: 6’5

Weight: (approximate) 260

Age: 49 years old

Dwayne Johnson is a behemoth. 

He’s among our tallest celebrities we’ve researched, and also has some of the largest among of mass as well.

That average height falls in the range of 6’1-6’3 with celebs like Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Adam Driver, Stephen Amell, Clive Standen and so many more.

Guys around 5’10-6’0 are dudes like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Jason Statham, but the ACTUAL shorter range is filled with guys like Mark Wahlberg, Zac Efron, Kit Harington, Tom Holland and more.

Even taller than them are guys like The Mountain, Joe Manganiello, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Winston Duke, Alexander Skarsgard and a few others.

But, don’t worry either way.

We write these routines to be utilized by any shape and size.

Dwayne Johnson Through the Years

And while I know this timeline doesn’t do Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Physique any justice, it gets us to the point.

Now, for this article we’ll be covering how Dwayne became the sexiest man in the world.

He’s been portrayed in Hercules, G.I. Joe, Scorpion King, and I can’t wait to see if he eventually shows us what he can do teamed up with Marvel or DC.

The best way to dig into the Rock’s routine is to hear from him, so I’ll start by getting some quotes of how he has been training.  I’ll utilize quotes from all his recent movies, and incorporate bulking and leaning techniques that he gives us.

What Dwayne Johnson has to say

The Rock isn’t just a big behemoth of muscle, he’s also a businessman, philanthropist and all around awesome person.  That being said, his routine and lifestyle adjustments could make a difference in multiple aspects of your life.

Let’s start with this quote from Johnson on training early:

“I love putting in that hard work as early as possible to get my day started off on the right foot, mentally and physically,” he says. “Depending on the role I’m training for or playing at the time, I usually smash out about 30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer first thing in the morning, whether I’m at home or at a hotel, after drinking a cup of coffee. But when I’m at home, I like to hit the road as well. And after cardio, I eat breakfast.”

Recap: He’s telling us that he’s utilizing fasted cardio for about 30-50 minutes on the elliptical first thing in the morning, after drinking a cup of coffee – depending on his role.  After cardio he eats his breakfast.

And a quick quote on dieting:

“Diet-wise, I generally eat five meals a day. I’m very prepared and organized, and everything is planned out in advance. It’s all measured depending on what I’m training to achieve. Usually I start off my day with some dead cow and oatmeal for breakfast,” he explains while shoveling food into his mouth. “The other staples in my diet include chicken, steak fillets, egg whites, oatmeal, broccoli, halibut, rice, asparagus, baked potato, leafy salads, peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and then also some casein protein.”

This one is pretty self explanatory, so I’ll do without the quick recap.

We’ll dive straight into some more training talk:

“Working out is my therapy, and it’s cheaper than a shrink,” he chuckles. “I can’t imagine my life without training, honestly. And for getting results—as with anything in life, but especially with working out—there’s no substitute for hard work.  After I’ve had breakfast, I get busy with a nice session of clangin’ and bangin’—epic pain, epic results. I’m big on ‘together we conquer’ and ‘train to progress,’ so I like to share that on social media. I treat training like a metaphor for life—the dedication, the determination, the desire, the work ethic, the successes and the failures—I take them all into life.”

Recap:  The Rock talks about how training is his therapy and he couldn’t imagine life without it.  After breakfast he hits the gym hard with a session of what he calls “clangin’ and bangin'”.

To finish off with some more training quotes we’ll take a look at this:

“I work out six days a week, and usually in the morning. But depending on my schedule, I may also [train] in the evening,” he says. “But I definitely prefer the morning. With the iron, I separate body parts: legs, back, shoulders, chest, biceps, and triceps. I mix up dumbbells, cables, barbells, and machines.  My workout is constantly changing and adapting, but for the most part, I do 4 sets of 12 reps with a 60-90-second rest. I don’t play around in the gym. I always aim to be the hardest worker, and I make sure I clang and I bang to the best of my ability.”

Recap: The Rock works out six days a week and usually in the morning.  (If you follow him on Instagram you’ll see he’s out busting his butt at 4 o’clock in the morning a lot of the time!)  He trains separate body parts and mixes up dumbbells, cables, barbells and machines.  He does 4 sets of 12 reps with 60-90 second rests.

This tells us A LOT of how he’s training and we’ll definitely be utilizing it within the routine.

Oh, but before we get into the full routine, I think it’s important to take a look at The Rock eating some of his famous cheat meals.  Sure, he’s a ginormous, machine of a man, but he still gives himself a chance to step back and live life a bit.  Plus, carb replenishing could be a really good thing, remember?

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Dwayne Johnson Diet Plan and Nutrition

If that isn’t awesome, I don’t know what is.

Here’s a sample diet plan that The Rock gives when training for Pain and Gain:

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

On top of this we also have a bunch of new information about Dwayne Johnson’s diet and nutrition.

We have a diet that he used for his role in Hercules which you can find over at our article: Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules Diet Plan, and you can even find a full recipe of Dwayne Johnson’s Coconut Banana Pancakes!

And, as you know, we’ll continue updating this article as more information comes out on The Rock and his training and nutrition.

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Workout Routine

What do we know?

The Rock trains 6 days a week.

This is going to be an intense program, if that wasn’t obvious already!

He trains separate body parts and mixes up dumbbells, cables, barbells and machines.

He does 4 sets of 12 reps with 60-90 second rests.

Depending on the role he’s training for or playing at the time, he usually does about 30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer first thing in the morning

That means we’re following ALL of these guidelines.

Training Volume: 6 Days a Week

Breaks between workouts: 60-90 Seconds

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Monday: Chest and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Chest

Barbell Chest Press:

4×12

Incline Dumbbell Press:

4×12

Cable Crossovers (we’ve seen this picture of Johnson before!)

4×12

Dumbbell Flyes

4×12

Dips (The Rock would do these weighted, naturally…)

4×20

Push Ups

4×20

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Tuesday: Shoulders and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Shoulders

Barbell Overhead Press

4×12

Cable Front Raises (Alternating Arms or Straight Bar)

4×12

Dumbbell Arnold Presses

4×12

Barbell Shrugs

4×12

Rear Delt Cable Raise

4×12

Pull Ups

4×12

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Wednesday: Triceps and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Triceps

Skull Crushers

4×12

Overhead Tricep Extension

4×12

One Arm Reverse Grip Tricep Extension

4×12

Tricep Push Downs

4×12

Close Grip Bench Press

4×12

Cable/Dumbbell Kickbacks

4×12

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Thursday: Back and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Back

Deadlift

4×12

Wide Grip Lateral Pull Downs

4×12

Close Grip Lateral Pull Downs

4×12

One Arm Seated Cable Rows

4×12

Hammer Strength Rows

4×12

Wide Grip Pull Ups

4×12

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Friday: Legs and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Legs

Squats

4×12

Calf Raises

4×12

Dumbbell Weighted Lunges

4×12

Leg Press

4×12

Hack Squat

4×12

Box Jumps

4×12

Dwayne Johnson Workout – Saturday: Biceps and Cardio

Cardio

Cardio can be done separate from your workout if you’d like to do a two-a-days.

30-50 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer

Biceps

Preacher Curls

4×12

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

4×12

Spider Curls

4×12

Overhead Cable Curls

4×12

Zottman Curls

4×12

Chin Ups (The Rock would obviously do these weighted as well…)

4×12

Dwayne Johnson Black Adam Chest & Tricep Workout

Training Volume:

One Day of Training
(To Be Repeated and Varied w/ Other Training)

Upgrade This Workout:

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Dwayne Johnson Black Adam Chest & Tricep Workout

The Rock starts off by saying:

“2nd workout of the day (first workout is morning cardio on an empty stomach)”

In our original research for our Dwayne Johnson Workout and Diet he was also incorporating 30+ minutes of cardio before every workout, and often training more than once a day when preparing for a role, so this is nothing new or surprising.  I would shoot for 30-45 minutes of low to medium intensity cardio which can be as simple as a bike ride or treadmill incline walk while reading a book.

CHEST: 3 GIANT SETS

“4 exercises per set working all angles of the chest.”

A. Fly Movement

B. Chest Press

C. Incline Press

D. Bodyweight Dips to Failure

“Keep the rest at a minimum, just enough to recover.”

TRICEPS: 3 GIANT SETS

A. Tricep Overhead Extension

B. Tricep Cable or Dumbbell Kickbacks

C. Reverse Grip Pressdowns

D. Diamond Pushups to Failure

Complete each exercise for 10-15 reps other than your D set, which is to failure.*

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine

Training Volume:

5 days per week

Explanation:

This is the actual workout routine Dwayne Johnson used to get into Hercules shape.  Obviously, as we know here at SHJ, celebs routines changes often depending on their goals, so we also have our initial Dwayne Johnson Workout Routine and Diet Plan as well; but expect to see much more here from The Rock!

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & tradition pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Sample Schedule

Monday: Chest and Upper Body

Tuesday: Leg and Calves

Wednesday: Back and Traps

Thursday: Shoulders and Upper Body

Friday: Biceps and Triceps

Saturday: Off Day

Sunday: Off Day

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Chest and Upper Body

Warm Up:

30-60 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Workout:

Incline Barbell Bench Press

4×12,10,8,6

Flat Bench Dumbbells

4×12

Flat Bench DB Fly

3×12

Superset:

Cable Crossovers

A. 3×15

Dips

B. 3xFailure

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Legs and Calves

Warm Up: 

30-60 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Workout:

Leg Extensions

4×25

Hack Squat Machine

4×12

Romanian Deadlifts

4×12

Lying Leg Curls

4×12

Standing Calf Raises

4×75

Seated Calf Raises

5×50

Superset:

A. Leg Press

4×50

B. Walking Lunges

40 Steps

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Back and Traps

Warm Up: 

30-60 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Workout:

Pull Ups

4xFailure

One Arm DB Row

4×12,10,8,8

Hammer Strength Two Arm Row

4×10

Close Grip Pulldowns

3×12

Cable Row w/ Double Drop Set on Every Set

3×12

DB Shrugs – Hold 15 Sec on Final Rep of Each Set

4×12

Superset:

A. Rope Pullovers

3×15

B. Rope High Row

3×15

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Shoulders and Upper Body

Warm Up: 

30-60 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Workout:

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press

4×12, 10, 10, 8

Seated DB Shoulder Press

3×10

Standing Side Lateral Raises w/ Triple Drop Set on Each Set

4×12-12-12-12

One Arm Cable Side Lateral Raises

3×20

Reverse Fly Machine

4×12

Bent Over Lateral Raise

4×10

Dwayne Johnson Hercules Workout Routine: Biceps and Triceps

Warm Up: 

30-60 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Tri-Set A:

A. Preacher Curls with EZ Bar

4×12

B. Standing BB Curl with EZ Bar

4×12

C. Dumbbell Curls

4×12

Tri-set B:

A. Rope Pushdowns

4×12

B. Rope Overhead Extension

4×12

C. Tricep Dips to Failure

4xFailure

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