Bodybuilding is a ‘lifelong commitment’ for The Rock, 50 – but his workouts are ‘calculated,’ says expert
DWAYNE Johnson has likely switched up his weight training regimen after hitting 50 in an effort to stretch out his career, a bodybuilding expert has said.
And he claims the former WWE legend takes a list of supplements including Glutamine and fish oils to maintain his body’s new lean shape.
Dwayne Johnson is set to take to the stage on Oscar night to present an award at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
The Jumanji star will join host Jimmy Kimmel at the star-studded event alongside the likes of Halle Bery and Samual L. Jackson.
This means Dwayne will no doubt aim to look his very best.
The Californian-born actor previously told Bodybuilding magazine: “I love putting in that hard work as early as possible to get my day started off on the right foot, mentally and physically.”
As he approaches his 51st birthday in May, the former WWF champion looks set to continue on that trajectory.
In an exclusive interview, professional bodybuilder Victor Martinez told The U.S. Sun what goes into The Rock’s extensive routine.
He said: “The Rock won’t ever stop bodybuilding and he’s definitely giving himself the longevity of working out.
“Like all of us, though, he’ll slow down and won’t be heavy lifting heavy or for long hours.
“If Dwayne stopped, it would have to be because of a health issue, but even then he’d find another way.
“When he does stop, it’ll take six months for him to put on body fat and to start not feeling good.
“By that point, he won’t be The Rock anymore.
“Saying that, he has changed his training regime and his diet for sure.
“He’s 50 and is looking better and healthier, and he needs to take care because of his schedule.
“He still needs his body fat but since he’s still training in bodybuilding, he’s not necessarily training heavier.
“He’s not trying to lift as heavy as possible.
“Dwayne looks to be training more functionally.
“This means that he doesn’t have to lift such heavy weights in order to sustain the leaner look that he has.
“Dwayne can’t afford to get injured, so the way he trains now is precise and calculated.
“He does lots of functional exercises, weight training, and posture exercises and keeps form right.
“He’s probably doing the glutamine, the vitamin C, the multivitamin, and fish oils, which are the main ingredients to working out.
“There are so many, but I’m sure The Rock has his own list.”
Dwayne was only a teenager when he first started using weights.
At 13 years old, he would head to the gym alongside his father, wrestler Rocky Johnson.
Following a stint playing football under scholarship at the University of Miami, in 1996 Dwayne joined the cast of WWE.
From there, Johnson spent eight years cementing his name as “The Rock.”
It was here and on stage that the muscley six-foot-five wrestler became a character who was known just as much for his charisma as his huge, eye-catching shape.
By 1999, Dwayne had caught the eye of Hollywood producers.
He first appeared in Star Trek: Voyager and then in big-budget movies like The Mummy Returns.
Over time, Dwayne Johnson has become one of the highest-paid and most successful actors in the US.
“If you notice Dwayne’s physique when he was wrestling, you can see, he was big without a doubt,” explains Victor, a former Mr. Olympia runner-up.
“The Rock’s always going to be big because of his height and his stature.
“But if you look at Dwayne now that he’s 50, there’s a lot more detail in his shape than when he was wrestling.
“This is also good for his big screen appearances.
“Dwayne’s body fat lowered after wrestling when he was doing a ton of running around, jumping off the top of things.
“He was body-slamming other wrestlers in a ring.
“Now he’s leaner for movies, he can still move well.
“After he stopped wrestling, he went more into the bodybuilding lifestyle and training for a few hours a day.
“Nowadays, it looks like Dwayne works out six days a week with a minimum one hour-and-a-half or two-hour-a-day workouts.
“He likely sleeps only six to seven hours each night.
“With his diet, he gives himself a cheat day – a bodybuilding term for a day that you get to be ‘bad’ with food.
“It keeps the balance of diet pretty much at a calm pace for your mental health.
“As a bodybuilder, you can’t be strict all the time, so Dwayne knows when to go hard and when to let go.
“By looking at his diet, he’s definitely balancing his macros, which is basically the balance between carbs, fats, proteins, and sugars.
“He likes the peanut butter pancakes for his cheat days.
“But if you have that three days in a row, you’re going to have to compete with a Michelin tire around the waist.
“Since Dwayne is 50, he’d have to stick to this strict regimen, would be keeping an eye on his body fat and lowering the inflammation.
“The best way to do all this is through diet and not just all the supplementation.”
Through the years, Johnson has also entered the sports business world, as the co-owner of the Extreme Football League, or XFL.
He owns Teremana tequila and the energy drink Zoa, while co-owning the production company Seven Bucks Productions which is behind some of his blockbuster films.
In his personal life, Dwayne is married to Lauren Hashian, 38, with whom he shares two daughters, Jasmine, 7, and Tiana, 4.
He also shares another daughter, Simone, 21, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, 54. She is also a bodybuilder.
“Working out is not only giving Dwayne a great physique, but most of all, the discipline gives in the mindset to be able to handle everything.
“He has family and work and being the person he is today,” adds Victor, a former Arnold Classic bodybuilding winner.
“If Dwayne ever stopped training, he’s going to feel stressed, uncomfortable and he’s not going to feel good.
“As a bodybuilder, when you lay dormant, it’s like turning off a car for too long and then when you start it up it doesn’t feel right.
“Longevity is the name of the game for Dwayne.
“As soon as he stops working out, he’s going to start losing focus.
“The stress level is going to be too high for him, given how much he does.
“It’s unlike acting when you decide to retire.
“This is something that you do to handle life.
“Bodybuilding kills all the stress and a lot of people I know use it to fight addiction.
“And while it might be helping Dwayne cope with any stress, for him bodybuilding is a lifelong commitment.”