How the Rock gets his skin-stretching muscles

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson had a birthday this week, and he makes 46 look GOOD. Wonder how he does it? We’ve got answers in this week’s episode of Off Season.

We all know that the Rock is extremely buff, but not everyone knows the level of his dedication to staying fit and healthy. When he isn’t spending time with his new baby daughter Tiana, he is working out twice a day, six days a week, and eating six meals, amounting to about 6,000 calories daily.

He does everything from weight training to cardio to resistance training and he focuses on individual body parts, as well as full-body workouts. He dedicates each day of the week to a specific body part — for example, his chest on Mondays, legs on Tuesdays, back on Wednesdays, you get the drill — and he always makes sure to add in an hour of cardio, no matter what he’s focusing on.

The actor is one of the few people who trains year round and doesn’t take breaks, even if he’s not preparing for a specific movie role. Johnson says that the gym is about more than just physical health: “Working out is my therapy, and it’s cheaper than a shrink. I can’t imagine my life without training, honestly,” Johnson told BodyBuilding.com.

When it comes to his movies, Johnson isn’t only about looking buff for the role. He also trains to be able to do as many of his own stunts as he can, so they look as realistic as possible. Now we’ve got a new appreciation for “Furious 7,” as well as “San Andreas.”

And as for his diet, The Rock definitely isn’t left hungry. He eats at least 8 ounces of protein, whether that’s fish, chicken, steak, or casein protein, with each of his six daily meals. Staying hydrated is also extremely important. After his workouts he drinks either 32 ounces of water or a sports drink to replenish.

But The Rock won’t shy away from a cheat meal every once in a blue moon, and when he has a cheat meal, he goes hard. The Rock’s cheat meals are epic. After he ate clean for 150 days straight while preparing for “Hercules” his cheat meal was 12 pancakes, 4 double dough pizzas, and 21 brownies.

The Rock’s epic cheat meal (Photo: Instagram therock)
The Rock’s epic cheat meal (Photo: Instagram therock)

So, do you still want to look like the Rock? Looks like you’ll have to be ready to wake up extra early to workout — like before the crack of dawn. Johnson told BodyBuilding.com, “I start working out pretty early, around 4 a.m. When I’m filming, I do cardio and I lift before going to set. I train about six days a week, and even when I’m not filming, I get up between 3 and 5 a.m. just to train.”

Our man the Rock is living his best life both in and out of the gym. Keep pumping that iron!

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