The Rock says he does fasted cardio every morning to power up his metabolism — then eats 6 to 7 meals

Jackson Thompson
Updated ·2 min read

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    • Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he starts his day off with fasted cardio before eating anything.

    • Johnson runs on an empty stomach but then eats six to seven meals throughout the rest of the day.

    • Research suggests it burns fat because the body is forced to use fat for energy before you eat.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a bottom-heavy meal plan.

Johnson said he starts every day with a cardio workout on an empty stomach, but then fills up his stomach with six to seven meals throughout the rest of the day, during an interview with Men's Journal.

"I hit my cardio on an empty stomach — which has been keeping my metabolism nice and tight. That's how it all starts," Johnson said. "I eat somewhere between six and seven meals a day, and I try my best to make them as balanced as possible with proteins, carbohydrates, good fats — and the occasional sugar at the right times of the day."

Doing cardio on an empty stomach, also known as fasted cardio, is a popular weight-loss technique. The idea behind fasted cardio as a weight-loss method is that when cardio is performed while the body is low on glucose, which is the body's main source of energy, it's forced to burn fat for energy instead.

Johnson is a heavy guy and fasted cardio won't change that, but it might still have a purpose

For the 6-foot-5, 260-lb Johnson, fasted cardio won't go a long way in helping him lose weight if he is eating that much throughout the rest of the day.

However, if Johnson is eating lean protein and good fats, and is getting regular workouts that burns the calories he eats, the fasted cardio might be helping him stay leaner.

The Rock has become known for his defined muscles, and vascularity — highly-visible, prominent veins.

Achieving that vascularity happens due to an excessive reduction in fat which allows for maximum muscle definition, according to Healthline.

Johnson's method of using fasted cardio to burn fat early in the day could be a big reason why he is able to put on so much muscle mass while staying defined and veiny.

Read the original article on Insider