The Rock Workout: How Dwayne Johnson Gets His Pump

1. This workout changed my life.I am 18 years old, I’ve been trying to get into the army for a while now then I got ahold of this page, started to do the training then first time i taped got rite in. So thank you Mr. Johnson Mr. Farah and Mr.davis

   • Great News Ben! This workout and diet is truly amazing. Keep it up!

     • What kind of protein shakes can you take?

       • The Rock used hydrolyzed whey protein shakes. Hydrolyzed protein gets into your bloodstream faster. This means your muscles recover sooner from your workout.

       • I’m a big fan of Isomorph 28 as well as Trutein

     • Hi Chris

       I’m starting the rocks workout as of today.

       Can you tell me if I should eat first or do the cardio first, also can you tell me what supplements I should be taking before cardio/weights workouts.

       I have sci-mx hardcore whey, bcaa, testodrive, fish oil, creatine hardcore.

       Thanks

       James

       • You want to do the cardio first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Then, you can eat and take testo, creatine and bcaa’s before weightlifting. If you don’t have time for cardio by itself, then take those 3 before cardio/weightlifting.

         Post-workout is when you want to take hardcore whey. Fish oil at night before bed. Good Luck!

2. I am 200 pounds , 6’1 tall guy. I have been working out for years but not in shape as I wanted to be in. After, I started doing this workout my whole body starting to change. I am on my 3rd week, and loving it. I can see more muscle mass. I used to hate running but now after running two miles before the workout, it feels great. So thank you for this workout!!

   • Awesome. I’m happy to see it’s working. Remember to stick to the diet plan, too, for the best results.

   • U mean Dumbbell Incline press 4 set 12 rep each , Chest Flys with Dumbbells (On Bench) 4 set 12 rep each right ? sorry im just starting to train . Watting for ur response ..thank you in advance …and what’s weight shall i lift ?

     • Yes, you got it right on the reps per exercise. The amount of weight you lift is different for everyone. The Rock judges his weight by how many he can do before failure. So, in the first week he lifts whatever weight he can do 8 times.

       If he can lift more than 8, he knows he should be going up in weight next time. You should have a spotter, so when you fail someone is there to help. If you don’t have a spotter, then you have to be really careful, or may want to stick to machines.

       Without a spotter, I do an amount of weight that is still tough, but that I’m 100% sure I can lift. Then, I go to machines to lift even heavier. It’s all about lifting as heavy as you can for the amount of reps you’re doing that week. Coupled with a good diet, you’re on your way to big gains.

3. Definently feeling this workout! I can feel my body getting stronger every time i go to the gym! Sticking to it!

   • Same here, and Good to hear! #StickingToIt

4. I’m confused about the number of sets; say for arm day, there’re 10 exercises listed and you do 4 sets per exercise = 40 sets?!?
   Is this right?

   • For Arms Day, it comes out to 24-30 sets. There are only six exercises for arms (the rest are abs). You do one set of each to “Get the Pump.” The Rock’s trainer has you do a lot of sets because he says “the biceps are a small muscle that needs a lot of reps.”

     But for Chest/Shoulder Day, it’s 39 sets (but make sure to pick the right weight). It sounds like a lot, but you can get it done. I did it this morning just fine. It’s easier just to focus on the exercise at hand, than total number. Also, use light weight in Week 1 so that you get used to proper form. And make sure to eat enough food so that you’re fueled for Dwayne Johnson’s workout.

5. I’ve been working out since Jan of this year. Mixing cardio and weight training. I’m just under 6’3 and current weight is 265. I look like about about 230 but i guess its all in my big bones lol. Should I work on dropping some more weight before starting this program or start the program and add a little more cardio to it to drop my fat %?

   • Go ahead and start using the Rock workout. The Rock likes to do cardio in the morning, to get it out of the way. The reason you can start training right away, is because anaerobic lifting burns more calories than aerobic activity.

     (Breaking down muscle requires energy, so does building it back up). So, you’re gonna burn calories by lifting. But, you may want to add HIIT training (say do 1 min sprint on a cardio machine, followed by 30 rest…repeat). The key to fat burning is intensity. If you’re immediate needs are fat-burning, do lighter weight and do more reps. It works wonders when needing to get cut.

     Since you’re likely to get sore on this workout anyway, I suggest going lighter and doing more reps. Active recovery, lifting lighter when sore, is something you might want to experiment with. This means even if you’re sore, you want to at least get some cardio and light training in.

     I suggest longer, lighter, but more intense training sessions to meet your needs. Remember that just because it’s lighter, does not have to mean it’s easier. Challenge yourself on this aspect. Minimize rest and increase intensity. Have Fun!

6. Hey Chris, how long of rest we need after each set? I usually do 90 seconds.

   • There are plenty of schools of thought on this. The best, I think, is 30-45 seconds. But, it really depends on your goals.

     If your trying to get lean, i.e. doing sets of 12 or more, try 15-30 secs of rest. If your muscle-building, i.e. doing around sets of 8, rest for 30-45 secs. If you’re strength-building, i.e. doing 6 or less, than 90 secs is good.

     However, if you find that after each set, your ability to do a set amount of reps goes way down, then you know you’re not resting enough. Your rest should line up with however much time you need to recover. The amount of reps you do, based on your goals, should stay the same if you give your body proper rest.

7. Is there a printable version of this? I have his old routine and I’d like to start this one but I don’t want to go through the hassle of copying and pasting everything.

   • Go to PrintFriendly.com, and enter this url. It will generate a print friendly page, and you can delete the sections you don’t want. (http://www.popworkouts.com/the-rock-workout-diet/)

     • Thanks !!!!!!

   • It states that to,
     Get the Pump: 1 set x15 reps
     Work it Out: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps
     . So it is like pyramid training as well?
     For each week u increase on the weights?

     • Arms day is a little different than the other days. The key is that the biceps muscle is actually a small muscle. You don’t want to overdo it right away. Instead, you start with light weight to get the pump. Then, you work it out for 3-4 more sets at a challenging weight. The thing is that you don’t want to go too heavy. Over time, you may want to go up in weight.

       Sometimes, I even do more than 3-4 sets. According to The Rock’s trainer, you want to get as much blood into the biceps region as you can. He found that lifting biceps with really heavy weight tired himself quickly. If you go too heavy to start, you won’t get much of a pump. So, pick a weight where you feel a subtle burn as you perform the later sets. This should get you the biceps pump you’re looking for.

8. I started this work this week. Well the routine at least. I like it because its doable and something you can work into if you are a beginner and male or female. I do not want to get crazy and huge but the way teh routine is spread out and organized is great… Thanks for posting something that a normal person can work up to and do at their own pace. I am excited i started….

   • I am a female so look huge is not my main goal

   • Sure is! The Rock workout covers all the important muscle groups. Even things like bent over rows, for the back of your shoulders. Keep your reps around 12+, if your goal is getting toned.

9. It’s OK to do arms after back routine and before a chest and shoulders? I thought that they were secondary muscles that’s already being worked out. Also, I thought you need to rest more then just one day. I’m not knocking this routine, I want to try it. I just want a better understanding. Thanks.

   • The Rock’s trainer, George Farah, constantly emphasizes that arms day isn’t about going heavy. Instead, that’s the day to really feel the pump through high reps. Farah says that the key to arms day is lots of reps. This is because your biceps and triceps are small muscles.

     This is why The Rock can do it before a Chest & Shoulders day. The second reason, is because The Rock’s diet is so extreme. He’s on a tight schedule to get in shape for his roles as a WWE wrestler, Hercules, Pain & Gain, Fast & Furious.

     Although I think it’s important for all of us to workout as if we had a deadline (your workout is more effective if you feel a sense of urgency), the truth is that we don’t have the same narrow time schedules as The Rock. Therefore, it makes sense to give yourself a rest day (preferably between arms/chest, if you need it). If you aren’t eating as crazy as The Rock, you’ll surely need more time to recover.

     However, I’d urge you to try it. Increase your caloric intake (8 oz. protein/fibrous vegetable/starchy vegetable) and see how you feel with less rest. Personally, there are days where I need the rest, and others where I go in there with the “high reps arms day” / “time to get the pump” mentality and can get it done.

10. When does he eat? Before the work out then the other 5 meals threw out the day? Eat 3 meals, work out mid day then the other 3?!

    • Through* haha

    • He starts early in the morning, when he wakes up. Then, The Rock eats another meal every 2 hours. The purpose is that you want to give your body everything it needs to build muscle.

      You build bigger muscles by tearing small fibers in the muscles you do have, then your body grows back those fibers stronger. You’re always in need of food to be rebuilding those small tears. Hugh Jackman, who got his diet from The Rock, would even wake up at 2 a.m., just to get another meal in!

11. Hey Chris quick question, are we suppose to go to the gym twice a day? Cardio in the morning than at night workout? Or cardio then right after workout?

    • The bottom line is to get it done. Whatever is going to work for you in the long run should be your approach. The Rock likes to wake up, eat, then get his cardio in. Not all of us have the freedom to work out as we like. So find, and stick, to a schedule that works for you.

      I suggest getting everything done in the morning. That way you start the day feeling great from working out. Let your workout endorphins carry you through the rest of the day. The alternative is to get stuff done in the afternoon/evening.

      But, the human brain works wonders when it comes to creating excuses. The later in the day you start your workout, the more it deteriorates in the long run. Wake up, eat, and then get your workout done!

      • I was wondering the same thing. lol

12. Hey Chris
    I like doing dips is it ok to add this to the chest routine or will it be too much and also with the rocks cheat day is it a once a month thing, weekly, fortnightly?

    • I just found a recent Instagram from The Rock workout, where he does dips at the end of his chest routine. Here is the Rock doing dips. I’ve updated the workout above. The Rock supersets Cable Flys with dips till failure.

      The Rock’s diet involved a cheat day about once a month. It was not set in stone. The Rock used a cheat day to empower himself to be dedicated to his diet for the rest of the time. While training, The Rock felt that if he had a day to look forward to, it would carry him through his day to day workout and diet.

13. So for chest days do you do cable flys as a regular 4 set then do another 4 set with dips till failure? And should the weight stay the same if we do cable flys twice?

    • 4 sets total. 1 set of cable flys followed by dips till failure. Repeat 3 more times. No need to repeat. I will make it more clear up above.

      • i was wondering where those came from on the list. So we do the cabe flies set and then dips until failure? Mine will have to be bench dips. i am not that strong lol..

        • Actually i wanted to ask . do you have a recommendation for something other than cables? At my gym, it gets pretty crowded and they have one or two cable machines that are taken up the first part of the week (thursdays its dead bc people dissapate the end of the week). I wanted to see if you had a substitute for the first part.

          • Sure, you can replace cable flys with dumbbell flys. While most chest exercises work the middle or upper part of your chest, dumbbell flys work the outer ares of your chest. The Rock is lucky, because he has a home gym to workout in.

            But, in a busy gym, you can superset with dips using the same bench you used for dumbbell flys. So, either use a bench press bench, or one of those stand-alone benches.

        • Most gyms will have an assisted dips machine. Try looking for that machine. I like it, because it’s one of the few machines where the more weight you put on, the easier the exercise gets. Here’s another example where she does assisted dips towards the end of the video.

14. On This Diet I’m only 5’10 1/2 195 lbs, would it be a good diet for me?

    • Tailor your diet by eating the right amount of protein for your bodyweight. You always want to eat your protein combined with a starchy vegetable and a fibrous vegetable. The Rock diet is not for everybody, until you find how much protein is right for you.

      Guidelines for eating the proper amount of protein, while bodybuilding, are that you should eat 1.8 grams of protein per kg, or .8 grams of protein per pound. Note that these guidelines are for lean body mass, don’t include excess fat you may have in your lean bodyweight calculations.

      So, a 100 kg person (of lean bodyweight) should be eating 180 grams of protein. A 100 pound person should be eating 80 grams of protein. Likewise, a 120 kg person should eat 216 grams of protein per day. A 150 pound person should eat 120 grams per day. A 200 pound person should eat 160 grams of protein. Eating 7 meals a day, a 200 pound person would want to eat 23 grams of protein per meal.

      If you’re suffering from DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), where you’re not sore the next day, but are sore the day after, then you know you need to up your protein consumption. The Rock diet, in terms of the amount of calories he eats, is not for everybody. It is something that his trainer says you work up to. However, you should start eating the same type of meals. Adjust the calories so that it is right for you.

      • Thank you, I was trying to figure out how much protein to eat. I am 19, 5’10 150lbs just starting to workout. How do you figure out how many calories you should be eating?

        • Multiply your lean body weight x .8. If you’re overweight, don’t include that, just lean body weight. So, 150 x .8 is 120 grams of protein per day, or 17 g of protein 7 times a day. Space it out, so that your body is constantly getting new sources of protein to repair and rebuild your muscles.

          The exact amount varies from person to person. So, if you’re doing The Rock workout and suffer from DOMS (not sore the next day…but the day after) try boosting your protein. Also, make sure to get a whey (or other protein) shake in right after your workout.

          With each meal, you also want to have a fibrous vegetable and a starchy vegetable. If you check out The Rock diet above, you’ll also see he eats a lot of eggs. Eggs give you not only protein, but healthy fats and cholesterol. Cholesterol, in moderation, is actually good because it is what your body needs to make testosterone and other hormones. More Testosterone = More Muscle / Less Fat.

15. I’ve been lifting for a few years now and I was just curious about the leg and back day being combined on the same day. Those two muscle groups r the biggest and most fatiguing to work out so is it such a great idea to work them out on the same day? I was thinking about doing chest n shoulders, legs and biceps, and back and triceps? Or something like that.

    • I was used to doing the splits you mention above, but am now using The Rock workout splits. I feel that the synergy Chest/Shoulders, Back/Legs, and Biceps/Triceps delivers an optimal workout. Feel free to stick to the workout splits you mention, or simply try The Rock workout splits and see what you think. The reason he does Chest & Shoulders is because of the (obvious) synergy of exercises like Bench Press/Incline Bench Press.

      The reason he does Legs & Back is because this is the day where you use a slower tempo to work your large muscle groups. The Rock has talked about how on exercises like one legged hack squats and seated pulley rows, he uses a slower tempo and holds each rep at the hardest part for 2 seconds. So, this is the day you use a slower tempo and extend some of the lifts for 2 secs to really work these larger muscle groups. I wish I knew exactly which lifts he holds for 2 secs. But I don’t, so I can’t speak on it, other than to say one legged hack squats and seated pulley rows are examples.

      Biceps & Triceps have a synergy in that they are both considered part of high volume arm training. Biceps & Triceps are done in synergy because they are small arm muscles, where you need to “get the pump” before finishing your reps. Here’s a video where The Rock’s trainer, Georgy Farah, talks about the synergy of Biceps & Triceps. In the video, he says that Biceps & Triceps are “all about getting as much blood into your arms, so that they can grow.”

      • Okay cool. Thanks. Makes sense.
        One more question. Is there a replacement exercise for the smith machine lunges? Don’t have one at my gym and couldn’t find a machine similar to the one the rock uses for this exercise.

        • The best replacement would be to do Weighted Lunges. You can grab one of those smaller barbells off the racks, use dumbbells, or go to the squat station and do heavy weighted lunges there.

          Also, the only reason The Rock doesn’t do squats is because of an injury he sustained while in college at Miami. So, you might want to just sub in squats, since they’re such a core weightlifting exercise.

16. I would like to know where you get this information. Did you yourself sit down and talk to Dwayne Johnson and he told you everything? I would like to know the validity of this program and the legitimacy before starting it.

    • I source information from everything I can. I only use celebrities that are very vocal about their workouts, so that I know it is accurate. It takes usually about 15 hours to read through every magazine the actor/actress has been in, every interview they’ve done while promoting their films, and scouring their twitter/Instagram feeds for accuracy as far back as they go.

      The Rock is especially vocal about his workout on twitter/Instagram, so you can be assured you’re getting the real thing. The Rock workout does change from movie to move, so I have picked Pain & Gain as the frame of reference. Being a movie based around working out, there is a plethora of information about his workout.

      After all this, there are sometimes holes that sometimes need to be filled in. The key is to find the trainer, and understand their philosophy. So, I have thoroughly researched The Rock’s trainer, George Farah, as well. He is big on getting a lot of volume in on arms day. I hope that you see this reflected in the workout. Also, follow the links I have provided in the workout, and you will find a lot of substantiation.

17. And I’m also wondering why there is no deadlift or bench, but please answer the above first. Thank you.

    • Both exercises you question above are in the workout.

      There is plenty of bench on chest day, with both arms and alternating arms. The Rock uses dumbbells for his bench press workouts. The Rock does deadlifts toward the end of his leg training. I have seen him recently add in hip abductions to leg day, but that is for the movie Hercules, not Pain & Gain.

      What many are surprised about is that The Rock does not do squats. This is because The Rock hurt himself in college while playing football at the University of Miami. He now avoids olympic lifts like squats. Since The Rock can’t afford to get hurt, while preparing for a movie role, he’s not going to risk re-injuring his knee.

18. I’m only 5’8″ 170lbs. and am trying to get to 185lbs. I workout in the morning before work from 5-6:30am. Since my goal is to gain muscle/weight, how often/when should I do cardio? Is it OK to have your rest-day and your cheat-day on separate days? On arm-days, is each exercise preceded by a 15-rep “Get the Pump” set? (by the 2nd or 3rd exercise my arms are already pumped). What’s your opinion on supplements? I follow the diet strictly but I also supplement with BCAA’s (BSN Amino-X) during my workout, creatine (BSN Cellmass) post-workout, protein + glutamine (Optimum Nutrution Whey – gold standard) pre/post workout, 11am, and 5pm, a multivitamin, fish oil, vit c, calcium with breakfast.

    • If you’re a “hard-gainer” you may want to cut down on the cardio to once a week. That’s what Brad Pitt had to do to gain weight for Fight Club. Still, if you’re going to follow The Rock’s diet you may find that cardio 5 days a week is best. It will depend on your body type.

      I like The Rock’s mentality of waking up in the morning, and saying OK I’m going to kill these three machines. I’ve found that celebrity trainers like to have their clients workout first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, in order to maximize fat burning.

      Yea, it’s OK to have cheat/rest on different days. The whole idea behind the cheat day is to give yourself a break from the insanity, and keep you motivated in the long run. I find that sometimes just fantasizing about my next cheat day helps keep me on the diet! Of course, the main reason I love the Rock diet is that I used to suffer from DOMS real easily. Eating small meals all day long, I no longer feel sore.

      The reason to get the pump with each exercise is that the biceps/triceps are very small muscles. They get bigger by volume, not just resistance. The Rock’s trainer is big on this. But if you feel the pump, and want to hit the weights hard, I’m not going to stop you.

      Your supplements are almost identical to mine. I just got a huge box of loot from bodybuilding.com with everything you mentioned except glutamine. I haven’t seen any scientific evidence that it helps you.

19. Hi, Chris, I was wondering if it would be okay to supplement the 5 days a week cardio with a 3 day split of Insanity Fast & Furious. I’m a college student, and I don’t know if I’ll have the time/energy to get up every morning each weekday to do an hour of cardio. I figured since that particular Insanity video is a lot of HIIT, it would have the same results. Your take?

    • I’m actually doing Insanity as well. There are days where I’d just rather work out at home. So, I wake up and work out on an empty stomach. That’s the way to burn the most fat. Sometimes, I get a pre-workout meal in, just because the HIIT training is so intense. So, yes that should totally work for you.

      If you are eating 7 times a day, then the only concern would be if there are days where you’re eating a ton, but not getting any cardio in. And, if you’re not getting all those meals in, then you might get sore from overtraining easily. Still, I think you’ll be fine. Just find the balance that’s right for you.

20. Hey, can you please help me? My friend, who is a personal trainer, said that this training method is only good if you take enhancements. Because he said that on each day you are doing approximately 20 sets per muscle group. Since this program also makes you do it twice a week you end up doing 40 sets per muscle group which leads to overtraining unless you are on enhancements. Can you please explain this because I showed this to profs at my school and they too say the same.

    • The Rock’s trainer cautions that The Rock workout and diet is something you should work your way up to. Remember The Rock has been training hard for over 25 years at a collegiate/professional level. Recent studies show that the longer you have worked out, the harder it is to overtrain. But, if you haven’t worked out as long, you will have to decide based on trial/error where your limit is.

      Overtraining is very easy on this workout if you’re a novice, your form/breathing is off, or your not eating 7 meals a day (plus hydrolyzed whey shake). If you don’t get 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass you will hurt your body’s chances to repair itself. One sign of overtraining, of course, is injury. The Rock did sustain a hernia in 2012. So, there is concern there.

      At first, I did this workout while not holding true to the diet. That quickly lead to muscle fatigue-another sign of overtraining. I would especially suffer from DOMS, where you’re not sore the next day…but the day after. Once I started eating just like The Rock, the soreness went away.

      Every Sunday I now BBQ all the food I’m going to need for the week. I’ve invested in a bunch of tupperware, so that my approach is just like The Rock. Check the picture of The Rock’s fridge. Your fridge should look like that to aid recovery. It wasn’t until I prepared all my meals in advance, and could just reach into the fridge for a meal, that I truly felt the power of The Rock’s diet.

      For supplements, The Rock’s trainer says that a hydrolyzed whey shake is crucial post-workout. It’s also good to supplement with BCAA’s and creatine. The Rock was asked if he has ever taken steroids. His response was that he tried it when he was a kid, and it did nothing for him. The Rock takes fish oil at night. But, a recent study has linked fish oil to prostate cancer risk. Fish oil gets cooked so high that you lose the omega fatty acids during processing. I prefer flax, chia seeds, and salmon.

      Bottom line, try it for yourself. Focus on form, breathing, nutrition, and supplementation. If you have doubts, there’s plenty of other workouts out there. But, if you do buy into The Rock workout, you will find it empowering. I urge you to try it, but make sure you have the diet, supplements, and proper form to back you up.

      • I like your response. So far i have been able to keep up this work out by doing it at my own weight pace and starting out light to get used to it. I dont get really as sore or as tired the next day as before i used to work out upper one day and lower the next day and always heavy. I literally started at 5, 10, 15, for some arms and chest and 50 for legs and have increase the arms by about 15 lbs and legs by about 30. Slowly i am pick up my cardio and intensity (40 min on star master). I look forward to the next week which is the last week in the pyramid and the going down to a mid lower weight. to me that is like a “cheat” reward and relief after doing a hard week. I do them both after work because its hard for me to think during the day if i wake up early. I wanted to ask you on taking another scoop of protein before the work out. After work, I go to the gym and make dinner for the evening so doing a post workout drink like some do make me feel OVER stuffed. Dinner is family time so i like to keep that in the life balance schedule :)

        • I’m happy to hear that The Rock workout is working well for you. Yes, it’s crucial that people go at their own pace. I like your ‘”cheat” reward mentality, too.

          You need to get that protein shake in right after your workout. I encourage you to try to get it done any way you can. The importance of a post-workout shake can’t be emphasized enough.
          Your muscles break down when you lift weights. If your body doesn’t have the protein flowing, you will have a hard time creating stronger muscles.

          Since you work out hard, you want to gain something from that effort. Your gains will go out the window if your body doesn’t have what it needs to repair your muscles. So, even if it’s just half a scoop with some water, get it in you to make your workout worth it.

          The bigger theme from The Rock diet is that you’re eating smaller meals, all day long. This guarantees that your body will always have what it needs, should it need to repair your muscles.

          • Thanks. I will keep it in and just adjust the dinner. :) I also like to stick a scoop or half a scoop in the morning with my smoothies.

21. Im confused with how much weight you start with. Since he figures out how much weight he can do 12 times, is that how much weight he uses in set 1 and decreases weight each set? Or does he start out with lighter weight and increase weight each set so that by the 4th set hes using his 12 rep max weight?

    • Judge it by how many reps you can do on the first set. Then, use the same weight and try to get that many done on the other sets as well. If I don’t have a spotter, then I have to drop down in weight so I know i can get the last set done properly.

      Also, I used to think there was something wrong with me. I could always lift a ton of weight for a lot of reps. But, on the 2nd or 3rd set…I would only be able to do a fraction of what I had just done. I finally realized it was because I wasn’t giving my body enough rest between sets.

      You know you need to give yourself more rest if the number of reps you’re doing goes down each set. You’re resting too much if you start to lose “the pump” between sets. It’s still a struggle for me to get proper rest between sets. I want to get in, and get out. But I’ve come to understand that getting proper rest between sets will give me a better workout.

22. One more question. When you say dumbbell flys for chest day on a bench, do you mean incline db flys or flat db flys?

    • Good question. The Rock recently Instagrammed himself doing Incline DB Flys. So opt for those.

23. Hi, when I get to the end of this, there is a sequel workout somewhere? Thanks!

    • The Rock is currently putting out a lot of information on Twitter/Instagram about his Hercules workout. Once The Rock’s new movie comes out, I will put together an entire workout on Hercules. I have to wait for the movie, because that is when the Rock will do interviews about his workout.

      Major magazine publications will get the scoop on his exact routine for Hercules. Only then, will I be able to make an exact Hercules workout. Once the Hercules workout is put together, I would suggest that as your sequel workout. Thanks for waiting!

      • Ah ok! I’m the one who has to Thank You here! This workout and article was extremely motivational for me. I workout since 2005, gained some lean mass, muscles, but no big deal. When I went to Arnold Classic Brasil here in Rio I saw that I was “nobody”… This workout and article (Fast Furious 6 as well) was the motivational base that I was needing. Im exactly on the 5th week of this workout without skipping one day this far (but could not avoid skipping one or another exercise due to appointments or tiredness) and im getting pretty good results with this. Many thanks in advance Chris and keep up this awesome work! If you ever come to Rio, beers on me! LOL

        • My pleasure Jesse. I agree, The Rock workout is motivating for me, as well. I looked in the mirror the other day, and it looked like my tricep had replicated itself. I will have to make it down to Brasil for Carnival sometime soon!

24. It says the rocks weights session goes for 1.5hrs but im sessions are only going for 50min – 1hr when having 40sec breaks between sets am I going to fast and also do we have the same break time between different exercises.

    • The Rock workouts for me usually go for about 1:15. Different people are going to need different amounts of rest. You’re likely to find it just really depends on your own body. The key is that you want to rest just enough time so that you can finish all your reps each set.

      A few things to think about: If you feel that the 4th set of an exercise is harder than the first, I’d try bumping rest up to 60 secs. Also, you will likely need less rest during the weeks where you’re doing higher reps. In other words, weeks where you’re doing 12 reps you will likely need less rest. Weeks doing 6 reps of each exercise will require more rest between sets.

      Try going a bit slower, focus on proper form, and see if it gets you a better workout. However, if your main goal is fat-burning (not The Rock’s case), then you’re likely going to use the less rest between sets approach. Studies show that you want to minimize rest between sets to rev your metabolism for optimal fat-burning. But, you’re going to loose out on size and strength if you go that route.

      I find that the only time to aim for under 60 seconds is if your working a smaller muscle. Abs & Arms day is more about the pump than the weight you’re using. I find this is the day when I use lower weight, lower rest between sets, but more volume in the amount of reps I do and “pump” I get.

25. I was looking at the arm workout; is there a pump set for each individual exercise? or one per body part? I did it today doing one pump per exercise and my arms have never felt such a rush before but before i continue I want to make sure I’m doing it right. This workout is beastly and I plan on starting it fully within the next two weeks! Thanks for putting all the pieces together!

    • Yes, get the pump before each individual exercise. The Rock’s trainer says it’s not about doing heavy weight, it’s about volume. It’s about getting as much blood into your biceps and triceps as you can. The pump sets will help you get there. George Farah says you have two types of muscle fibers, so the pump sets help make sure you’re working both fibers.

      When you work both sets of fibers, it really shows in the biceps and triceps because they’re such small muscles. Sometimes I go heavy on the barbell curls, then regret it, because I can’t get the pump as well. It’s about volume, not heavy weight, on arms day. The Rock workout is a rush, my pleasure for putting it together, and it has totally reinvigorated my routine, as well.

26. Should the cable flys supersetted with dips be done after the db bench press instead of after all the shoulder exercises? Seems like the chest gets rest in the mean time if you do them at the very end.

    • The Rock says he finishes every chest & shoulders workout with cable flys and dips supersets. I see your point, as chest gets a break, while you focus on shoulders. But, if you do all your supersets/failure exercise first, it will be tough to get in a good shoulder workout. Cable flys and dips till failure are done last because they’re both “finisher” exercises.

      By this I mean that with cable flys, even if you’re tired and can barely move, are still doable. You can go a bit lighter on the weight if you have to. Same with dips, you can use a weight-assisted dip machine and go till failure. I got done with this workout this morning, and can admit I was tired by the time I got to these exercises. Still, cable flys, for me, are always fun to do. Dips at the very end are tough, but they make you look good.

27. Hey Chris-

    This workout and diet plan looks very doable. Two questions though:

    1) Is the cardio done at morning and then lifting later in the day or all done in one sitting?
    2) The end of the article mentions supplements like protein, creatine, glutemine, etc… Should I include this or just stick to diet?

    • Cardio is done first thing in the morning. I do not know for sure if The Rock eats before his first cardio session, but it is likely he is on an empty stomach. I do know that most celebrity trainers have their clients do cardio on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. This is by far the best way to burn fat. Your body naturally has 30-45 minutes of energy reserves that can get you through a morning workout.

      So, do cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Otherwise, it’s best to eat breakfast upon waking, and get your cardio in later in the day, a half hour after a meal. The Rock does his primary workout later in the day, after a meal. Diet is vital to The Rock workout, as you want a constant source of energy and protein in your body all day long.

      The Rock uses supplements to get the most out of his workouts. The most important is a protein shake right after your workout. This is when you have created millions of tiny micro-tears in your muscles that your body wants to repair. Getting protein into your system prevents your body from thinking it needs to break down your muscles further. The Rock’s trainer supports “hydrolyzed protein” because that gets into your system the fastest.

      I would suggest creatine as well. Creatine has been proven in scientific studies to help build lean muscle. Taking it with just a tiny bit of fruit juice before a workout, allows the creatine molecules to bind to the fruit juice. This will allow your body to improve performance while lifting and build lean muscle after your workout. Creatine has to be broken down by your kidneys, so you are taxing your body’s filtration system by using a lot of creatine. This is why people cycle on/off creatine.

      I can’t find any scientific evidence to support glutamine. So, I don’t suggest it. Some people say that it helps prevent you from feeling sore. However, the best thing you can do to prevent soreness and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is to use the Rock’s diet. When I was kinda-sorta doing the Rock’s diet, I still felt sore.

      But, once I started to BBQ every Sunday, and put together all the meals for the week into Tupperware in advance (see the picture of The Rock’s fridge in the article) did I really understand the power of The Rock’s diet. Only when you can reach into the fridge every couple hours to grab a meal, are you guaranteed to stick to the diet.

      When you’re constantly filling your body with lean protein, a starch, and a fibrous vegetable, you’re giving your body everything it needs to repair muscle. If you don’t eat every few hours, you’re depriving your body of what it needs to build muscle, and are likely to get sore and not want to workout the next day. Diet is everything.

      So, TLDR, and in order of importance: The Rock’s Diet>>>Protein shake>>Creatine.

      • Thanks Chris! That makes a lot of sense

        • Another question for you Chris. I’ve been doing the workouts with no problem, but haven’t got to the diet yet. Im 5’8 and 230 lbs. Im a pretty built guy, but with a bit of gut. Should I stick to this diet completely?

          Also, from what I can tell as far as supplements, its a multi-vitamin in the morning, some creatine before the workout, a hydrolyzed whey shake after the workout, a cassein protein shake at the last meal and fish oil before bed? Also, a ten egg omelette seems like a ton of cholesterol. Could this be substituted with some egg whites?

          • I think you’ll find that sticking to the diet really empowers you on The Rock workout. You’ll be less sore, and your body will have more of what it needs to build muscle – all day long. Focus on .8-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Divide whatever number that is by how many meals you’re gonna eat (hopefully 7) to get the amount of protein to eat per meal. (.8-1 gram per pound of lean body weight / 7) = protein to eat per meal.

            You’ve got the supplements down. The Rock doesn’t eat any fat during the day (except trace amounts in the meat he eats), which is why he gets so much at night. Regarding eggs, the reason why you want to eat whole eggs is actually because of the cholesterol. The reason is that your body needs cholesterol to produce testosterone. We all know that’s essential for muscle growth, workout performance and everyday life. But yes, you can do a mix. I usually do about 8 eggs (4 whole, 4 egg whites).

28. Just to clarify, we are supposed to do chest and shoulder twice a week ?
    So we rest Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, then do chest/shoulder again?

    • You skipped page 2! The Friday Workout, Saturday Workout, and Rock Diet are on page 2.

29. Week 1: 4 sets x 12 reps
    Week 2: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
    Week 3: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
    Week 4: 4 sets x 6-8 reps

    do we do this for even arms and abs day or the 1 set of 15 and then 3-4 sets of 8-12?

    and for each exercise do we do the 1 set of 15?

    • The workout routine you cite is just for chest/shoulder and back/legs day (unless another specific amount is mentioned above). For arms, you do the Pump set and then 3-4 sets of 8-12 for each exercise. So yes, do a Pump set for each exercise.

      The reason for this is that your arms are small muscles. The Rock’s trainer says you want to maximize the volume/blood getting to your biceps/triceps by doing the Pump set for each exercise.

30. Hi Chris

    I am 17years old and I wanna to get bigger muscle

    I train box three times per week and go to gym three times per week

    So is this plan good

    Mon-boxing and running
    Thu-chest, biceps, abs
    Wen-boxing and running
    Thr-back, triceps and abs
    Fri-boxing and running
    Sat-legs shoulders and abs

    Do I need something to change and I will do like The Rock, every week put bigger weight

    • Your schedule looks fine. However, if you want to combine boxing with The Rock Workout the split would look like:

      Mon-Boxing
      Tu-Chest / Shoulder – The Rock’s Monday Workout
      Wed-Boxing
      Th-Legs/Back – The Rock’s Tuesday Workout
      Fri-Boxing
      Sat- Arms & Abs – The Rock’s Wednesday Workout

      In addition, you have to think about the diet side of the equation. Study the diet plan and eat like The Rock to get bigger. You may not have to eat as many calories as him. But, make sure to eat a protein, starch and fibrous vegetable every 2-3 hours to allow your body to repair muscle and get bigger.

      • So is it enough to do chest,legs,back etc. one time per week?

        • You won’t get the same benefit, but that is the best approach if you want to combine your weight training with boxing. Another idea would be to box in the morning, and weight train in the afternoon. But, I don’t know if you have that much time.

          The Rock has spent over 20 years working out, so his body is more adapted to training each muscle group twice per week. You may find that hitting each body part once a week gives you results. However, if your diet is perfect and you don’t see results with just one cycle per week, then you know it’s time to bump it up a notch.

31. is this actually his workout or is it made up how did u get if it is?

    • Yes, it is. Most sources are listed in the article. In addition, The Rock is very active on Twitter and Instagram, so there is a ton of information available regarding The Rock workout.

32. Is it okay to do abs three times per week+3 times running per week

    • It’s okay as long as your abs training doesn’t affect your running training, or vice versa. To have really great running form, you need a strong core. A strong core allows you to really drive your knees forward, and kick them back behind you. If your abs are sore, it will affect everything else.

      This is why diet and recovery are so important. If you’re going to train hard, you need to eat properly to recover. That’s why The Rock diet is so important to this workout.

33. Can we eat some fruit, what fruit and when?

    Because I dont see any fruit like banana,appple..

    • The key to carbohydrates on The Rock diet is to use slow-burning complex carbohydrates. George Farah, The Rock’s trainer, says that the best slow-burning complex carbohydrates are sweet or red potatoes, brown rice, and oatmeal.

      This diet has been formulated for what a bodybuilder would do 12 weeks out from a contest. So, if you are looking to be in the best shape of your life, stick to those carbohydrates.

      In the longer term, sure it is okay to eat fruits. You just don’t want to eat them if your goal is to maximize definition for an upcoming contest, movie, etc. Fruits have a ton of antioxidants and phytochemicals that are part of a healthy diet.

      The problem with eating fruit, while getting ready for a contest, is that according to George Farah: “When you eat an excess of carbs, they really help you put on weight. But, a lot of that weight is water and body fat. Carbs drive up your insulin release, making it easy for your body to stuff those excess calories into fat stores. Carbs also carry water with them, so they can make you look bloated and soft. You might end up several pounds bigger, but most of what you’ve added won’t be muscle.”

      This is why it’s better to eat slow-releasing complex carbs for best results–they reduce the amount of insulin your body releases, which in turn, reduces the amount of body fat your cells want to store.

34. Just out of curiosity, I’ve looked at other sites’ version of Dwayne Johnson’s workout, and they have the program where you work a body part only once a week five days out of the week. I personally like the program you’ve configured working a body part twice a week, but what are the benefits and downsides of doing each of these two programs?

    • We know it’s a twice per week split based on information from The Rock’s trainer, George Farah, as well as, tweets where The Rock will reference his ‘leg workout earlier in the week’ vs. ‘leg workout later in the week.’

      The advantage to working the same muscle group twice a week is faster results. The more often you’re creating micro-tears in your muscles, and rebuilding them back, the better your results. When The Rock signs on for a movie, he often only has a couple months to prepare. So, he is determined to get the most results he can get in a short amount of time.

      The disadvantage to working the same muscle group twice in a week is that you’re likely to get sore. This is why The Rock’s diet is so important. You want to eat every few hours to give your muscles everything they need. Stick to lean protein, fibrous vegetables, and slow-releasing complex carbohydrates.

35. Can you tell me something?
    If we wanna get bigger eat good food etc.
    For example fish salmon it says on 100gr 15grams are fat?

    So should we eat that then or that is good fat and how we know on other food when is good and when is bad fat

    • You want to avoid fats most of the day. The Rock usually eats 2 whole eggs for breakfast, but then avoids fat until dinner time. His trainer, George Farah, says that if you eat fat during the day, you might as well eat a donut, because your body has to stop what it’s doing and process the fat before anything else.

      So, you want to stick to meals that have a lean protein, a fibrous vegetable, and a complex carbohydrate for optimal results. Examples of each of these would be:
      Lean protein: turkey, chicken, steak (fillet, sirloin), fish (halibut, cod, tilapia)
      Fibrous vegetable: lettuce, kale, spinach, broccoli, peppers, cabbage
      Complex carbohydrate: rice (wild>brown>white), sweet or red potato, steel cut oatmeal

      The Rock diet includes good fat sources at night. This is so your body can convert the cholesterol in the fatty acids into testosterone while you sleep. Good sources of fat like: salmon, herring, & other fatty fishes; good fish oil, olive oil, walnuts, flax seed, and chia seed are all full of omega 3’s. So, if you’re going to eat salmon (a fatty fish), or any of these other good fat sources, it’s best to eat them for dinner. The essential fatty acids in these foods will help repair your muscle tissues, improve your mood, and keep your brain functioning at optimal levels while you sleep.

36. I love the workout, but don’t understand how the sets are broke down. Help me out.

    • Unless otherwise mentioned, for Chest & Legs Days:

      Week 1: 4 sets x 12 reps
      Week 2: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
      Week 3: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
      Week 4: 4 sets x 6-8 reps

      You are pyramiding up in weight. So each week, try to lift heavier weight, but less reps. After the 1st month, you start back at week 1. Hopefully, you have gained strength, and can use an even heavier base load.

      For each exercise on Arms Day:

      Get the Pump: 1 set x 15 reps
      Work it Out: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps

37. How often does the Rock throw in a cheat day

    • The Rock hasn’t said how often he takes a cheat day. But, we do have his trainer’s advice to go by. The Rock’s trainer says it’s okay to have a cheat day every Sunday starting out. Then, when you’re 8-12 weeks out from your target date, start narrowing down your cheat day to 1/month. Less than 8 weeks out from your target date, eliminate cheat days altogether.

      Most of George Farah’s clients have a competition they’re training for. The Rock obviously trains for his movie and wrestling roles. But George Farah says even if you’re just an average Joe, you should still set a target date for yourself. Maybe a family reunion, vacation, or just a date you’ve circled on your calendar.

38. Do you do 4 sets of the same activity and then switch to the next activity or do you do 1 set of each activity before doing a second set? Thanks.

    • You do all sets of each exercise, before moving onto the next exercise. The Rock workout is all about getting everything you can out of each exercise. The Rock usually rests for 45 seconds between sets. There’s no circuit training in this workout. Instead, The Rock gets his fat-burning cardio in, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.

39. Hi, When choosing a beginning weight to work with should i be able to do all 12 reps for all 4 sets or should i expect to fail before the 12 reps in each set or begin to fail in later sets? I don’t want to go too hard and i don’t want to go too weak.

    Thanks

    • You want to pick a weight that you can do for all 4 sets. But, don’t be afraid to pick something a little heavier, that will be a challenge on the 4th set. I usually don’t have a spotter, so I can’t go too heavy. If you’re doing dumbbells, it’s okay to drop the weight if you can’t finish.

      However, there should not be a huge drop off of how much weight you can do on the 1st set vs. the 4th set. I am often guilty of not getting enough rest between sets. Not getting enough rest between sets, you’re going to find that the 4th set is much harder than the 1st set. So, if the 4th set is a lot harder, give yourself more time to rest between sets.

      You’re not resting enough if each set gets a lot harder. You’re resting too much, only if you loose the “pump” from your muscles. You’re going too light if the 12th rep is easy. You’re going too hard if you can never get that 12th rep without help. But always remember, that form, safety and technique are more important than getting another 5 pounds up in weight.

      • thanks a lot

40. 2 other questions: If I’m going to eat half the amount of food that The Rock is eating, should I still eat 7 meals at 50% calories or make it 4 or 5 meals at 70% calories that the Rock eats.

    Does the plan call for rest on Sundays or did I miss something on that day?

    • Opt for the 7 meals at 50% caloric intake. The key is to be constantly feeding your body, so that it has everything it needs. To get the right amount of protein for your body, consume .8-1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight.

      Sunday is simply rest / possible cheat day for your diet.

41. when it comes to cardio, are we doing a steady pace for 50 mins running or walking?

    • The Rock’s trainer, George Farah, says the key is to pick a cardio where you keep your heart rate at 65-70% of your max. You calculate your max by subtracting your age from 220. So if you’re 20: It’s 220-20 = 200 beats per minute. If you’re 40: It’s 220-40 = 180 BPM. The Rock sometimes goes for a jog instead of working out on his cardio machines. So, a jog at a brisk pace should keep you at 65-70% of your max heart rate. The answer is somewhere in the middle, not running or walking, but jogging at a brisk pace.

      A secret that The Rock has sometimes alluded to in his tweets is to pick 3 different cardio machines. The Rock tells himself that “he is going to go kill the treadmill machine for 15 minutes, then go dominate the StairMaster, before showing the elliptical who’s boss.” By dividing up your time on each machine, and breaking up the monotony, it is more fun.

42. it says the rock uses mass gainers through his daily diet, how many calories and what macros are these gainers and how many does he consume per day. also it is mentioned he consumes 60g of protein per meal and at your calculations of 1.8g per kg of bodyweight 60g per meal is a lot more then 120kg person should consume?

    • scratch that bit about the mass gainers I red it wrong, still curious about the 60g of protein per meal

      • The 60g of protein is the upper range of The Rock’s diet. There’s 6 grams of protein per egg x 10 eggs = 60g of protein in his dinner. Most of The Rock’s meals look like they’re in the 40-60g range.

        The Rock’s trainer says to jump up to 1.5g of protein/lb. in the 8-12 weeks before a contest. For The Rock, this translates into almost 60g per meal. 265lbs. x 1.5 = 397.5. 397.5/7 = 57g of protein per meal. I think this number is pretty high, but there are studies to suggest that high protein diets are beneficial.

        The 1.8g/kg number is what most trainers and scientific bodies suggest. The Rock eats a lot more, as his trainer suggests 3.3g/kg in the 8-12 weeks before a contest.

43. I have always been under the impression that a pyramid workout was when you did 12 10 8 6 4 2 reps increasing in weight with decreasing reps in the same workout. If the rock does the workout you have listed its confusing that they both go by the same name

    • Yes, it gets confusing in regard to the different methods of workout periodization. The general idea behind pyramid routines is that they focus on yielding “progressive overload.” The Rock workout lowers reps and increases weight week by week. Workouts with this type of progressive overload ensure that your lifting heavy from the start, and accomplishing one of the two goals described below.

      Research (Fleck & Kraemer, 2004) shows that when you’re doing 8-12 reps, this is the optimal area for muscle hypertrophy (increasing size of skeletal muscle through the increase in size of component cells). Sticking to the 8-12 range is what makes you bigger. Once you’ve built strength, you then move into the 6 rep range. (Fleck & Kraemer, 2004) shows (1-6 reps) is best for strength building. The advantage to The Rock workout is that you don’t fatigue your muscles with these high rep sets, before setting out on one of these two goals. With The Rock workout, you’re focused on either optimal muscular growth (8-12 rep range) or optimal strength (1-6 reps).

44. Chris excellent workout.

    Thankyou for putting this together. Not only is it stimulating, day in, day out, week in week out, im into month 3.. the best part is results are appearing and i have many friends training with me as its truely a great allround workout for anyone.

    Keep up the good work everyone!

    • Great to hear Bill! Encourage your friends to stick to the workout, and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you. Also, I’ve found the more I stick to the details, the better the workout and the results.

      Cardio–first thing in the morning on an empty stomach–is the best way to burn fat. Eating small meals all day long consisting of chicken (or lean steak, or fish), rice, and a green veggie, that you’ve prepared in advance to avoid grabbing something bad, is the way to go!

45. What does the rock do on Fridays and Saturdays

    • There’s an orange button up above that will take you to Page 2 of the workout. Here’s a link to The Rock Workout Page 2.

46. Hey Chris,

    I am a teenager who is a bodybuilder I am not at best shape yet (I am in a intermediate stage) ,but do you recommend a boy of my age (15) to try this workout routine and diet plan and if I should what tips do you have for me.

    My stats:
    Height: 6 foot 3
    Weight: 201

    • The key for you is to make sure your form is on point. Avoid injury by focusing on proper form. Once you feel confident in your form, then start to increase the weight. Focusing on the right muscle groups for each exercise is also important. Make sure you know what muscle groups you’re supposed to use for each exercise, and focus on that muscle group while you perform the lift. For example, you will find that you can do a ton of weight while doing dumbbell rows if you use the wrong muscles. Using your shoulders and biceps, in addition to your back, will allow you to lift a ton of weight. But, this is wrong form, and can lead to injury. Flex your lats, and let them do all the work, to prevent injury and focus on improving the correct muscle group.

      Watch the videos that I have linked to each exercise, use a spotter who is watching your form, and get all the advice you can from others. Soak up all the advice about form you can. The diet plan The Rock uses in this workout is what a bodybuilder would use in the 2-3 months before a contest. You won’t need to eat as much. Just eat .8-1g of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. If you’re still sore 2 days after working a body part, then that’s the case where you know you need to increase the amount of protein you eat.

47. Hey Chris ,

    Thanks for the advice any more tips you can give me.

    • Your diet is the key to everything. Preparing meals in advance, having a large tub of rice (as pictured above), and only cheating on cheat days is the key. And if you’re looking to get leaner, doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is the best way to go.

48. Oh one more question Chris. What’s the difference between the Pain and Gain diet plan and the Hercules diet plan.

    • There’s not much difference in the 2 diets. Which shows you how important sticking to this type of diet really is. It looks like the major difference is that The Rock got sick of cod and moved up to halibut. Halibut has more fat, potassium, and protein in it. Here’s the difference between an 8 oz. serving of cod and halibut.

      Also, stay tuned as I will be writing an article on the Hercules workout and diet soon!

49. 25 cable flys in week 1. 20 cable flys in week 2. Is that what that means? I was kind of confused?

    • Yes, for cable flys: 3 sets of 25 reps in week 1. 3 sets of 20 in week 2, etc.

50. Thanks Chris for the advice and I can’t wait for the Hercules Workout and Diet. I also know in your recent comments that you don’t know how often The Rock does his cheat day he reportedly said in an interview in May of 2013 thay he has his cheat day every eight weeks.

    • Thanks for letting me know. The Rock’s trainer tells his clients it’s okay to have a cheat day every week starting out. But, as you move closer toward your deadline that you have to start making them more sparse, to get in the shape you want.

51. This may be a dumb question, but how much water intake do you recommend per day?

    • It’s very important to get enough water. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, your body will have a hard time creating new muscle or even breaking up fat. The minimum that you need, according to Bodybuilding.com, is 1 oz per kg. of bodyweight. This comes to .45 oz per pound of bodyweight. Again, this is just the minimum. Listening to your body, and drinking whenever you feel hungry or thirsty, is the key.

52. Just wondering apart from finishers (dips, abs etc) does the order of the exercises matter because sometimes im unable to get to equipment at that point of the workout.

    • I understand there’s going to be times where you can’t get the machine you want. Just try to stick to The Rock workout routine the best you can. It matters more that you get the compound exercises (multiple muscle groups) done first. Then, worry about the isolated exercises (one muscle group). Doing the isolated exercises first, may hinder your ability to do compound lifts later. So, try to knock out the compound exercises before the isolated ones.

      The Rock workout mostly lists the compound exercises first, so sticking to it the best you can ensures getting them done first. And, although your question refers less to things like dips/abs, I must admit that is often where I have to change things up. Abs are the first thing to go, when I’m short on time. Also, I have trouble getting the dips/cables superset in because of people using those machines. So, I just cope by not supersetting those 2 exercises.

53. This is my last week of the second month of the workout and I have seen good results in strength. I went from 10 to 25 lbs bicep curls this week and 20 dumbbell chest exercises to about 40 lbs dumbbells on each. It s been good and I definitely learned how to focus more on good breathing techniques with heavier weights. I don’t get sore as much and I do recover quicker with the protein when I do. Day 2 was a lot for yesterday so I just did day 3 weights and skipped my normal cardio today but its been good so far. I want to stick to this for another month until school starts. From there let see what happen with school and work…it’s been fun and a good learning experience. Is definitely important to work out all muscles because it helps as you go heavier. I noticed that when I skip three day due to a medical procedure. People look at me strange when a girl says they are doing the rock workout and expect Godzilla female…it’s nice to prove that myth wrong at least. Food for me still takes work. I am not a professional at that yet

    • Great to hear that The Rock workout is going well for you. Keep at it, and you’ve surely made some nice gains! Yes, eating enough protein can win the battle against getting sore after a hard workout. That’s why the diet is so important. None of us are perfect, but do the best you can. I find cooking in advance, so that the food is there when you open the fridge, and planning your cheat day in advance, so that you have something to dream about, are the 2 keys to being successful on The Rock diet.

54. Hey Chris,

    Its me again is their a website where I can enter this
    diet and get a calorie, protein, carbs, fat etc. info. Like a diet calculator.

    • Hey,

      Sure the best one is WebMD’s Food-o-Meter. There’s also Calorie King and My Fitness Pal.

55. is this workout to gain mass, i cant decide whether to do this or body beast workout

    • Yes, The Rock workout is definitely to gain mass and strength. The key to mass building is staying in the 8-12 rep range. Going below that will make your body focus on strength. Also, it’s important to eat a lot. Study The Rock Diet, tailor the protein intake to your needs, eat 7 times a day, and you will surely be on your way to mass gains.

      The morning cardio, on an empty stomach, will burn fat so that’s important to do if fat burning is another goal. The Rock Workout is free, while the Body Beast costs money. But, it’s fun to try new workouts, so I would give them both a shot!

56. do u suggest this workout over his pain and gain workout to gain muscle mass which one is better
    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/pain-gain-dwayne-johnson-mark-wahlberg-workout

    i heard his pain and gain workout is good.

    • Find the workout that is best for you. Try each workout for a month or two, and see how how it challenges your body. Surely, I’m biased and would suggest you try the workout above. I think you’ll love it, and it is the workout I love to do every day. It’s important to take a careful look at the diet, as that’s the most important part when it comes to transforming your body.

57. Can train first thing in the morning and do the cardio right after the training. How will the cardio affect my workout.

    • Yes, you can weight train first thing in the morning, and do your cardio after. The Rock does cardio first, then weight training. The way you’re presenting the weights then cardio, is the way Hugh Jackman works out to get ready to play Wolverine. In the morning, your body is still burning fatty acids from sleep as your primary energy source. Working out first thing in the morning is beneficial as it primes your body to burn body fat. Doing the cardio after weight training is a little risky, as your body is likely to break down muscle to gain a source of energy for the cardio. Prevent this by taking a BCAA supplement. Hugh Jackman’s trainer says he has Hugh Jackman take 5-10g of BCAA’s before and after their workout.

58. What means fish (cod) that cod, im from croatia so I dont know

    And can I one week be on diet like rock for movie hercules and second week like rock for movie pain and gain?and how long to be on diet?

    And when is cheat meal day how much times per mont/year

    • Cod is a type of fish, normally caught in the Atlantic Ocean. Cod fish is know for having a high content of Vitamin A, vitamin D, and healthy fats. It is often the fish used in “fish and chips,” if you know what that is. By itself, cod is not very tasty, but it sure is nutritious, which is why The Rock sometimes has to use the hashtag #shoveitin when talking about cod. I sometimes use a bit of hot sauce (Sriracha) to make it taste better.

      The Rock diet for Pain & Gain and Hercules is nearly identical, so feel free to switch if you want. The Rock Diet for Pain & Gain was designed to get The Rock looking massive, while Hercules he toned down a bit. The Rock diet is something he used for 2-3 months before filming. It is something you can work up to. Start smaller while you begin training, but work your way up. If you’re sore 2 days after a training session, you know you need to eat more.

      The Rock’s trainer says you can have a cheat day every weekend when you start out. Then, start tapering it to once/month as you get closer to your “deadline.” In the 2-3 months before your goal date, you only should have 1 cheat day. I know not all of us have a “deadline” or goal date, but it is good to make one up for yourself, and stick to training harder and eating clean.

59. How much is diet important?

    Because I think that diet is like 60% important and workout 40% for muscle grow

    • I agree with you. Some people even say 70% diet, 30% exercise. The key is to work on both sides of the equation: do as much as you can so that diet and exercise complement each other. You can’t outrun a bad diet.

60. Hi, I’m 5’5″ 130 pounds. I’ve been working out for a little under 6 months. I’m trying to gain weight and havnt been able to find the right program. I feel like this one might do the trick but I don’t know how I feel about all the cardio involved. I want to get into more cardio but would this much be too much? I want to gain at least another 20 pounds

    • The cardio won’t hurt you if it’s done first thing in the morning. But, yea, for your goals you don’t need to do the cardio. Just focus on eating right and getting your muscles to fatigue each day. The Brad Pitt workout on this site is an example of this-if you’re having a hard time gaining weight-focus on lifting hard each day and eating right.

61. Hi, I’m 5’5″ 130 pounds. I’ve been working out for a little under 6 months. I’m trying to gain weight and havnt been able to find the right program. I feel like this one might do the trick but I don’t know how I feel about all the cardio involved. I want to get into more cardio but would this much be too much? I want to gain at least another 20 pounds

62. This workout will surely help you gain weight. Get all the lifts in, or at least get ot the point where your muscles have done all they can. If you’re new to working out, you won’t need to do quite as much. The key is making sure you eat enough so that your muslces can rebuild themselves stronger. That’s where The Rock diet plan is such a treasure.

    Don’t half ass it though. If you kinda sorta eat right, that’s not enough. You have to prepare your meals in advance to stick to the plan. Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight a day. The Rock shows you how to space it out all day long, while eating only the best carbs, so that your muscles get everything they need.

63. Silly question…. Is the thought when you do your sets to hit the same number of reps each set? So week 1, lift a height you can do 12 reps. Would that be 12 reps for each set? Or just the first, with the following 2 sets aiming for 12?

    • Yea, you aim to do 12 reps each set. Usually, when you don’t rest enough between sets, this is hard to do. You’re going to need to rest 60-90 secs between sets if you want to reach the right number of reps each set.

      Also, The Rock workout requires a spotter, if you’re really going to push it the way he does. Otherwise, it’s okay to find a weight you can do 12 times on the first set. Then, do less reps as your muscles fatigue. If you don’t have a spotter it’s harder to get the same results as The Rock, but safety comes first.

64. Hey Chris,
    At the moment I am cutting, I was wondering if the Hercules diet is also effective for getting really lean? Can the basis of this diet be used to lose body fat as well?
    Thanks

    • Yes, this diet is for getting lean while putting on mass. Specifically, this is the diet and routine that a bodybuilder uses in the 2 months before a competition. Read more about what The Rock’s trainer has to say about it here. It includes information on cutting the 2 months before your goal date of getting really lean.

      The Rock workout and diet is about getting lean while putting on mass. Cardio first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, is how you’re able to best lose weight. If your only goal is getting really lean though, you would want to lower your caloric intake and get another cardio session in the afternoon. Take a look at the Wolverine Workout for a similar approach that you might like more than this one.

      • Okay I will check those out, thankyou!

65. Hey Chris:

    Im 5’5″ at 175Ibs. I had just finished a P90X2 3month program and am looking to get back on lifting weights. Thing is I am not able to eat 7xs a day like that. I work 6 days a week and normally dont have the time to eat like that in my workplace.
    I normally get up at 6:30am and eat half a bagel with peanut butter and a bowl of oatmeal mixed with frozen blueberries in it.
    Then I grill mushrooms and onions in olive oil with a handful of ground beef and 4 tomatoes and a side of lettuce at work. A banana a while after and end up eating the same thing again a couple hours later.
    Then I workout for almost an hour and instead of supplements, I just drink a cup of milk mixed with 2 tblspn of chocolate syrup immediately after a workout.
    My “main” goal is building strength and muscle, but I will start doing cardio in the mornings on an empty stomach to burn fat as well. I also dont take any supplements at all.

    Is this an okay approach?

    • Congrats on finishing the P90X2 program. It sounds like you’ve got the workout aspect of things down, but you still have to work on the diet side. The key to The Rock workout and diet is to eat just like him. I’ve found the more you stray from how he eats, the more prone you are to mistakes. Looking like a celebrity is all about eating just like them. Whether you want to think of it as the 80/20 rule (that your gains are 80% diet, 20% exercise), or simply realize that the 1 hour you spend in the gym pales in comparison to the 23 hours of recovery time, diet is the key. The result is always the same, focus on diet and you will get results!

      I understand that it’s hard to eat 7 times a day, but there’s nothing stopping you from eating the kinds of food on The Rock diet. So stick to meals where you’re eating a lean protein, fibrous carb, and a green vegetable. The key here is prep time. It’s hard to stick to this kind of diet, unless you prep your meals in advance. Notice in the article, The Rock has a picture of all his meals in the fridge. Since we don’t have a professional chef to cook for us, we need to cook in advance, so we reach for the right things after a workout.

      A bagel with peanut butter is like eating a doughnut, according to The Rock’s trainer. The bagel is processed carbs, the peanut butter likely has sugar as one of the primary ingredients. So, stay away from it for better results. The worst part is that if you eat fat during the day, your body focuses on storing it, instead of giving your muscles what they need. That’s why, if you look at The Rock diet, he eats some fats in the morning and night, but spends the daytime avoiding it entirely. This allows his body to focus on getting the nutrients he really needs. Good Luck!

      Stay away from chocolate syrup. For the morning cardio, I’d suggest taking BCAA’s. They allow your body to burn fat via a protein source, instead of muscle from your body. They are the best thing to take when doing empty stomach cardio, as it prevents your body from using muscle for fuel. If you don’t want to take BCAA’s then don’t do too much cardio in the morning (since you said muscle gain is your primary goal), and eat right after your cardio (like The Rock does).

66. Oh and after the milk and chocolate I also eat another half bagel with almond butteran hour afterwards, then dinner, which is normally like chicken and pasta or steaks with veggies.
    Any advice is appreciated!

    • See above, but same idea. Stay away from pasta, chocolate, and bagels if you really want to do The Rock diet. The Rock diet is what a bodybuilder would use 2 months out from a competition. You don’t need to eat as much as him, but you do want to stick to the same kind of foods.

67. hi. mr. davis i m 6’2 n weigh 90 kgs i want to gain more muscle mass bt i m a vegeterain so cn u pleas suggest me a veg diet and guide me in dwayne johnson workout

    • If you eat fish, then add more eggs/fish to your meals. If you don’t, then you can opt for soy/tofu instead. Also, find rice/grains that have a high protein content. Quinoa and buckwheat are popular examples. The Rock diet is about having lean protein, fibrous carbs, and protein-bound starches. The Rock gets some of his protein from brown rice. So should you!

      So, you’ll do just fine as long as you find suitable lean protein. There are also a lot of vegetarian protein powders. I use a vanilla pea protein powder, it’s delicious. You may also want to check out the Tobey Maguire Workout for Spiderman. I recall his trainer saying that Tobey MaGuire is a vegetarian. They had to find a ton of different ways to cook tofu. Tobey liked marinated tofu with broccoli and walnuts.

      A third option would be to check out what vegan MMO fighter Mac Danzig’s diet consists of here. There are many vegan/vegetarian athletes that can provide a path for you. Danzig mentions tempeh, quinoa, black beans, lentils, nuts and seeds as his protein sources.

68. I haven’t tired this workout and diet yet
    I have been working out, I have a bit of a belly and wouldn’t say I was overweight but the scales disagree with me
    Do you think this will work for me?

    Or should I change it in some way

    • The Rock Workout is guaranteed to get you in shape. The challenge is to follow the workout, and diet, too. I’m constantly challenged to put everything in this article into action. If your goal is mainly to lose weight, then make sure to get your cardio in first thing, and on an empty stomach. I find a pre-workout drink motivates me to get up, and do it first thing in the morning. Then, eat after your cardio. After that, get your workout in.

      If you want to combine your cardio and workout (without eating in between) then make sure to take a BCAA supplement. For the diet, you don’t need to eat as much food as The Rock. But, it is vitally important that you make sure you’re eating the same kind of food as detailed in The Rock Diet.

      Eating bad carbs and fats during the day will ruin your weight loss goals. Diet is the key to losing weight. As the cliche goes, “Abs are not made in the gym, they’re made in the kitchen.” The main thing you have to do is prepare your meals in advance. This way, you’re going to eat the right things, and avoid the wrong ones.

      • Any chance you could explain the superset dips with cables flys on a Monday..
        It says 3 sets and then week 1 x25

        What is the right amount to do ?

        • Sure, maybe the directions are unclear-
          For Cable Flys do three sets:
          Week 1 x25; Week 2 x20, Week 3 x15; Week 4 x12

          Maybe If I add a colon it is more clear-
          For Cable Flys do three sets:
          Week 1: x25; Week 2: x20, Week 3: x15; Week 4: x12

          Or it could be described like this to be really clear:
          Week 1: Do 3 sets x 25 reps
          Week 2: Do 3 sets x 20 reps
          Week 3: Do 3 sets x 15 reps
          Week 4: Do 3 sets x 12 reps

          Hope this helps!

          • Have started the rock workout.. When having that much meat and vegetables is there any kind of sauce you can have

            Find it about dry

            Thank you

            • Sauces can get a bit dangerous because of their sugar content. But, it’s better to add a trace amount of sugar than to skip on the diet. It looks like a lot of The Rock’s meals were bland. He often uses the hashtag #shoveItIn.

              Here’s what I do:
              For the oats, I mix in strawberry whey protein powder. Tastes great! Veggies go good with spices, so find the ones you like.

              I grill meat on the weekends, so I have plenty for the week. I use cayenne pepper, black pepper and a touch of salt. I’m also a big fan of Sriracha (chili sauce). I use Sriracha on the meat and vegetables.

              Sometimes, I’ll add Greek yogurt to the sweet potatoes. It makes me think I’m eating sour cream (but without the fat.) I also like to use a blender for my vegetables. I’ll throw a few frozen strawberries, spinach or kale, Greek yogurt, strawberry whey protein, and chia seeds together for a treat.

              Fruit isn’t supposed to be used on the diet, because this diet is based on what a bodybuilder does 2 months out from a competition. Fruit is going to raise your blood sugar, insulin levels, and in turn promote fat storage. But, if you’re planning on using this diet for the long haul, then you should add some low glycemic fruits back in. That’s how I justify strawberries anyway.

              In general, I’ve found it’s best to stick exactly to what The Rock Diet prescribes. The more closely you stick to The Rock workout and diet, the better your results. Going your own way often leads to pitfalls. That’s why it’s always good to re-read the workout and see where you’re making mistakes. But, we all have to make choices and slight variations. Let me know if you guys come up with any good ones!

69. Hi There,

    Loads of people are advising that if you are trying to gain muscle then theres no need to do some much cardio

    i do need to burn fat and also want to gain muscle

    is the rock diet for me

    • If you are having a hard time gaining muscle, then tapering your cardio might be a good idea. But, The Rock workout has the same goals as you: burn fat and gain muscle.

      In order to do both, The Rock workout:
      1) Does cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach
      2) Gets the first meal of the day in
      3) Gets his workout in

      This way, you burn fat, then give your body the nutrition it needs to build muscle. Give the workout a try. Make sure to get cardio in first thing in the morning to burn fat. (Also, see the next comment for more on why). The key to getting The Rock body isn’t just the time you spend in the gym. It is really about the diet. You only spend 1-2 hours in the gym, but you spend the other 22-23 recovering. This is the time when you build muscle.

70. Should we eat bread while are we on this diet

    And what is the best time to go workout after we eat food? 1 hour 2 hours?

    • Don’t eat bread (flour) or sugar on The Rock Diet. Sugar and flour are the two easiest ways to gain fat. Those 2 white powders are at the top of the glycemic index. This means they great at creating an insulin response in your body. An insulin response tells your body to store everything as fat.

      Get the nutrition that you would get from bread, through steel-cut oats instead. I use these steel-cut toats for breakfast with strawberry whey protein powder added. Just cook them for 10 minutes and they’re the best.

      The best time to do cardio is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you work out right away, your body will burn fat stores, because it has no energy from food that you’ve eaten that day. Many people weight train right after (and take a supplement called BCAA’s so that they don’t lose muscle). The Hugh Jackman workout uses BCAA’s. If you work out later in the day, then your body will mostly just burn the food you’ve been eating that day.

      You can lift weights after that, or workout later in the day. If you work out later in the day, it’s good to have a meal 30 minutes-hour before your workout. (The fat burning on-an-empty-stomach trick only works first thing in the morning).

71. How mu much time should go beetwen two meals?

    If i eat at 8am , 12pm 14pm 16pm 19pm and i have to eat 7 times per day, could i eat at 22pm and then in 23pm

    • The Rock would wake up, do cardio, then eat his first meal (so, an hour after waking up). The second meal would be an hour later, right after the workout. After that, you don’t want to go more than 2 hours without a meal.

      Try to space out your meals so that you’re eating more in the morning/afternoon. When it gets into the evening, you can add a little more space between meals if you have to. The idea is to always be giving your body everything it needs to recover and build new muscle.

72. And what can replace bread what food?

    • The Rock diet uses steel-cut oats and sweet potatoes, instead.

73. I am od this diet and i got a little bit belly what is wrong? Sonetimes in meal when rock eat staek i eat chicken again cause i dont have time too cook steak

    And is it good to pause 1-2secons when we are ih positive move in exercise ( bech- to stop down, biceps to stop 1-2s up etc. )

    • The key is to do cardio on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. That is when fat burning is most effective. If you don’t do cardio first thing every morning, then fat burning is tougher to accomplish. You really want to lower your caloric intake in that case.

      So, try reducing your calories, or up the cardio, or a combination of both. In order to lose weight, drop one or two of the 7 meals. But, space the rest out. Some people just don’t need to eat as much as others. Make sure you’re not eating fat at all, during the day. Only in the morning (whole egg), and at night, with the eggs and fish oil.

      It’s okay to eat chicken instead. But, try grilling plenty on the weekend, so that you have food ready all week long. Otherwise, it is easy for us to reach in the fridge for something we shouldn’t eat. That blows your diet.

      The Rock doesn’t say much about negative or pause sets. But, feel free to change your workout up from time to time to keep your body guessing. Use a spotter for that kind of stuff, too!

      • I do cardio at evening beacuse i have school on the morning

        How whole eggs you think like omelet or cooked or can be either way

        • Yea, however you want to do it. The Rock tweeted a picture where he had cream of wheat, flank steak and scrambled eggs. So it looks like The Rock likes them scrambled. The omelet sounds good for the evening meal, especially if you use the veggies mentioned.

74. it says to stay leaner something to have less water in body, if we take creatine we need to have a lot of water in body?

    • It’s good to drink a lot of water, especially if you’re taking supplements like creatine. In fact, creatine works best if you take it with a splash of juice. Drink water whenever you feel even slightly thirsty, as a rule.

      The Rock’s trainer says that you need to stay away from bad carbs. Bad carbs are things like: flour, sugar, any cereal that has a cartoon on the box. The Rock’s trainer also wants you to stay away from fruit while on The Rock diet. This is all because too much sugar (in the form of glycogen from bad carbs) causes your body to store water and fat.

      Remember, this is the diet a bodybuilder uses when you’re 2 months out from a contest. So, you would even taper off the water a bit, but only if it’s for a contest. If you’re doing this workout long-term, then feel free to add some fruits back into your diet.

75. If it say zero fat on what dwayne cook meal ( eggs, steaks) needs to be oil on pan

    • The key is to make sure that you’re not eating fat during the day. We need to eat fats at night. This gives us the cholesterol we need to make testosterone while we sleep. Eating fat during the day, though, sends your body into storage mode. You want to be in fat-burning mode. To do this, stick to eating lean protein, whole grain starches, and veggies.

      There may be trace amounts of fat in the meat. So, you want to get the most lean protein you can find. That’s why cod is such a good choice. Wild Cod tastes like nothing, but delivers washboard abs. Still, it’s fun to eat a mix of chicken, steak and fish to get your lean protein.

      To refrain from using oil, try grilling your lean protein once a week. Do it all at once, and put the leftovers in the fridge. Grilling prevents you from needing to cook in oil. Oil has the least nutrition, per calorie, of any food. I understand that cooking eggs without oil is harder to do.

      There are creative ways to cook eggs without oil, but if you do everything else right, It would be OK to use oil for your eggs. There are some non-stick pans that work for some people, if you’re focused on reducing calories. And, if you’re up for a challenge, try this Baked Eggs/Avocado recipe. Avocado has fat, but it’s the omega-3 (good) kind. It can replace the fish oil The Rock takes at night.

76. HI Chris,

    With the Pyramid when you back to week 1, do you go back to the same weight used last time
    or can you increase it abit and then increase for the rest of the weeks?

    • Yes, the goal is to go up in weight over time. Other than the mirror, going up in weight is the best measuring stick you’ve got!

77. Can you explain me about rocks last meal in day
    What goes first what secon..

    Isnt casein goes at last just before bad, my opinion is to eat eggs veggies then fish oil and after 10-20minutes drink casein

    • Yes, you’re totally right. I am trying to keep things simple. So, I threw it all together. But, you want to eat the eggs/veggies as a meal. Then, you want to take the casein and fish oil before bed. Casein slowly digests all night long, giving your body the protein it needs.

      Personally, I take chia seeds instead of fish oil. The reason The Rock diet uses fish oil is for the omega-3’s. But, recent studies show fish oil is devoid of omega-3’s. This is because all oils denature when cooked at a high heat. So, either find a fish oil you know wasn’t cooked at a high heat, or maybe try chia seeds like me for your omega-3’s.

78. Can u tell me how much sets and exercises the rock do for every part of body

    • Most of the sets/reps for The Rock workout are listed on the daily routine:

      For Chest and Legs Day:
      Week 1: 4 sets x 12 reps
      Week 2: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
      Week 3: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
      Week 4: 4 sets x 6-8 reps
      (Go up in weight, as you go down in reps each week)

      For Arms Day:
      Get the Pump: 1 set x15 reps
      Work it Out: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps

      Abs (listed in the workout).

79. I think anyone who’s taken steroids knows the look when you see it. The Rock has to say he tried them as a kid because if he admitted to still using them he’d get stomped on by the public. Bottom line is he’s still using them and it’s fairly obvious. You simply cannot look like he does (or most pros) naturally. While this is a good article i think people have to understand that.

    • Fair point. I will stick to what The Rock publicly says about his workout. But, you might be right.

80. The workout involves doing back-to-back dumbbell incline press (both and alternating arms). Same for dumbbell bench press. My arms are quite tired after doing both arms that I have to use less weight for the next sets of alternating arms. Is this a common problem? Can you recommend a solution?

    • Because The Rock has been training for over 20 years, it takes a lot of different lifts to challenge him. The reason for doing both arms, then alternating arms, is to make sure that both arms get an optimal workout. Still, this is an advanced movement.

      I suggest that you skip the alternating bench press/incline press movements for now. If you feel you’re not getting the training you need, start adding them back slowly. Also, rest is very important when doing so many sets. The alternative solution is simply to give yourself more rest between each set. The temptation we all have is to get everything done too fast.

      When you’re not resting enough between sets, you deprive your body of an optimal workout. Doing these alternate sets is a good example of where you really have to pace yourself. In order to lift to your potential, try resting 60 secs between exercises. If that’s still not enough, try 90 secs. There’s no such thing as too much rest, unless you notice that you start to lose your “pump.” The easiest way to know that you’re not resting enough between sets is when it gets progressively harder to lift each set.

81. Hey Chris,

    Thanks for the effort in putting this together. I was wondering if you could give us the links to where you got your information? I’m finding a lot of different variations of The Rock’s workouts on Google and just wanted to figure out where all this is coming from. Thanks!

    • The Rock workout wasn’t created by using links. I had to go to the primary and secondary sources. Check out the Rock’s Twitter / Instagram feeds, as well as, the magazines and interviews he did while promoting Pain & Gain. Also, for the arms workout is was via a video by The Rock’s trainer.

      However, there’s another Rock workout here that has all the links. Although I didn’t put a ton of links into this workout, I used your guys’ feedback with The Rock Hercules workout. Check out The Rock Hercules workout if you want a program where you can follow the link to each exercise.

      • Thanks!

82. Hi Chris, what type of protein does the Rock take ? And if I bench 60kg for 20 reps, should I go up a weight and do less reps ? Thank you

    • The Rock uses hydrolyzed whey protein. This is a type of whey protein that gets into your bloodstream quickly. You take this right after your workout, so that your body starts immediately recovering. These types of whey protein are a bit expensive, but worth it if your body needs help recovering.

      There’s also popular whey proteins that have the hydrolyzed protein The Rock used, as well as, whey isolate and casein. This spreads out the protein release into your body over time. Here’s the one I use, it’s called Phase 8 Strawberry. Yes, if you’re getting 20 reps in, you definitely want to go up in weight and down in reps. Make sure you have a spotter if you’re on a flat bench.

83. Hi Chris. I’m starting the Rockworkout on Monday. I’m a veteran from OIF 1&2 with 5 different surgeries. I’m 237 lbs and I believe this workout and diet could get me back on track. I wanted some advice on preping the meals. And how can I one day meet Mr. Dwayne Johnson.

    • Thank you for serving, Angel. The key to preparing meals is grilling all at once (say on Sunday), so that you have food for the rest of the week. If you don’t grill, you won’t have the food you need (and are then more likely to cheat). You don’t need to eat as much as The Rock, but you do need to eat the same kind of food. Shop for lean meats, like sirloin, chicken and cod. Grill them all at once.

      Then, it’s simply a matter of having rice and veggies to go with each meal. You’re also going to be eating a lot of eggs. It’s okay to have a cheat day once a week, especially starting out. But, once you want serious results, you want to use The Rock diet 24/7.

      The best idea I have for meeting The Rock is following him on Twitter. He sometimes has pictures of his meeting with fans. Maybe you can gleam an idea from how others are meeting him on there.

    • Chris thank you, I served with honor for everyone to have an opportunity to have there freedom. Thank you also for a true and honest site. It is difficult to find a good and real diet and workout at the same time. I will keep you posted on my progress and once again thank you for your time in responding to our questions and concerns. Have a blessed day brother.

      • Sounds good! The best advice I can give is to do the 40 minutes of cardio, first thing in the morning. I know it’s hard to motivate yourself first thing in the morning. You may want to do what The Rock does: use caffeine. Also, the better you can mirror The Rock’s workout and diet, the better your results. Good Luck!

84. Hi chris

    I am using extreme mass ( 65proteins 65Carbohydrates) i got a few pounds after using that and i wanna to get on weight but I got a belly so how to get rid off belly, i dont want to stop using extreme mass because i wanna to get on m weight more but dont want to get bigger belly, should i use l-carnitine or something, on summer my abs were more visible than now..

    • A lot of people find they gain a belly, instead of muscle, from weight gainers. That’s a sign to either stop taking the product, or just 1/2 a serving after your workout. I noticed the same thing when taking a full serving of whey protein. Now, I might sprinkle a little bit of strawberry whey protein on top of my oats. That’s it.

      The reason for your weight gain is that people are often intolerant to milk. It ranges from lactose intolerant all the way down to simple inflammation that is hard to detect. The answer is to switch from whey protein to BCAA’s. This is what Hugh Jackman’s trainer did for Wolverine 3.

      With BCAA’s you skip the cow’s protein, and get just the amino acids you need for recovery. Instead of getting inflamed, or weight gain, you just get the stuff you need. L-carnitine is good from what I hear, but don’t take it personally. I like Animal Pack and Animal Pump.

      The true answer to gaining weight is not a supplement, but your diet. The Rock diet will help you gain the weight you need. Eating lean protein, fibrous vegetables, and whole grain starches is a sure fire way to make lean gains the right way.

      • So if i keep going to take extreme mass and i run 1hour and 30minutes per week have 3 times per week boxing and 3timea per week gym i stick to my diet will then i have a belly beacuse i want to have abs to
        Be good visible and i have a lot of skin from past when i was faty then i lost on my weight suddenly haha so what is best solution to solve that problem

        • The best thing to do is stop taking it for a few weeks. If you notice that you lose weight, then you know that the extreme weight gainer is the problem. If you don’t lose weight, then you know it is either your training or your diet that is wrong.

          I highly suggest cardio first thing in the morning 5 times per week, especially if you want to take weight gainer. Remember, it is the diet, not the weight gainer, that is going to be the key in getting bigger muscles.

85. When getting up in the morning for cardio, is there a certain amount of time to wait between the cardio, eating and then the workout? Or can I just get up, do cardio, eat immediately after, then immediately workout right after eating?

    • In an ideal situation, you would wake up and do the cardio. Immediately, you would eat. Then, a half hour later you would start the workout. This is the amount of time trainers suggest you take, after eating, before you begin training.

      But, The Rock usually has a tight schedule where he is frantically trying to get all his training in, before filming. In this case, he often has to go straight from cardio, to eating, to working out. For those of us pressed for time, this is often the road we’ll have to take.

      Instead of eating that first meal, you can also take BCAA’s and jump right into training.

86. Can u recomend me supliment what to use

    I want to get muscle but not lose my abs to ger belly and i want to use creatine

    • Creatine is the best. Research has proven that it is the best supplement when it comes to adding lean muscle. BCAA’s (amino acids) are good at giving you energy and preventing muscle breakdown during a long workout. You could also take a pre-workout. Pre-workouts combine caffeine with creatine and other nutrients.

      Whey protein is the best thing to take after a workout. Your body absorbs that kind of protein faster than anything else. But, some people have a bad reaction to it. You are likely to put on weight or inflammation. Because cows are fed grains instead of grass, whey protein is risky and could put on belly fat. You’re free to try whey protein, but if you get bad results, just stop taking it.

87. What is the best formula for hard nice stomich to get rid of skin and a little bit of fat and emphasize abs

    • Cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is key. Diet is even more important. The Rock diet is a good example of what to eat to get a hard body.

      • A got a fat on belly with this diet so i wanna to know what is wrong

        • Diet is the most important thing. Your body composition is 80% based on what you eat. So, make sure you’re eating the same type of foods as The Rock. The more you tailor your diet to exactly what The Rock is doing, the better. Unless you’re as muscular as The Rock, you don’t need to eat as much.

          Lower your caloric intake if you find yourself gaining too much. Changing your diet is tough, but find where you’re falling off track. Once you focus on lean protein and vegetables, you will be successful.

          • I eat rise and chiken more instead of some food that rock. Eat beacuse dont have time for other to cook

            • Add more greens to your diet. Green vegetables have the most nutrition per calorie of any food. You can even eat them raw if you don’t have time to cook.

              Also, make sure you’re getting early morning cardio in. Take a “pre-workout” for added motivation to get moving first thing in the morning. That’s what I do.

88. Will working out so many days a week decrease gains? I want to know, since people tell me that having more rest days its important for muscle recovery.

    • What works for The Rock may be different than what works best for you. He has been working out for so long that his body requires intense workouts almost every day of the week. Try a month of this workout routine. Then, try it with more rest days. Find what is best for you.

      The reason The Rock eats so much, is to recover. Instead of needing days of rest between workouts, The Rock’s diet allows him to recover much quicker.

      • I also wanted to know if you have a replacement for dips, because my gym removed got rid of the dip bars.

        • Check with the training staff. Sometimes there’s still equipment there to do dips. If not, you’re going to have to get creative. The plus side, is that all you need are 2 horizontal planes, to do dips. Some people even resort to using two kitchen counters, so I’m sure you can think of something.

89. Hey, when should u do cardio? For fat loss should I try to do the 50 min steady pace at the end?
    Cheers

    • It’s best to do cardio first thing in the morning. The Rock does it first thing, then eats, then gets his weight training in. For fat loss, it is best to do cardio first thing in the morning. This way, you burn the energy your body has produced to keep your brain awake during sleep, instead of turning that energy back to fat.

90. What should be the running distance?

    • The distance is not important. Running for 50 minutes is the key. You want to do it first thing in the morning. This way, you’re burning the fuel your body burned from fat storage, to support your brain during sleep. Cardio first thing in the morning will burn this fuel, instead of letting your body return it to fat.

91. Thanks Chris.

92. Is it better white or brown rise and why

    • Brown rice is better because it has more fiber and vitamins. White rice is much more easily digested, which means it turns to sugar faster. This is good for quick energy before a workout, but bad for weight loss in general.

      White rice promotes a faster insulin response. Insulin is a hormone that promotes fat storage. You want to eat brown rice if you can for the added fiber, vitamins and minerals. Still, some people handle white rice just fine. So, it is best to test both and find what you like best.

93. I can’t stand eggs. They are impossible for me to eat. What kind of meal do you suggest I have in the evening to replace the egg meal before bed.

    I’ve received great gains, but still experiencing soreness the second day after the training, esp with chest and legs, do I up my protein even more? I’m at 290 grams per day while weighing 275. I’m 6’8″ and still look lanky

    • It’s tough to find a substitute for eggs. From a recipe perspective, scrambled tofu is the next best alternative. But, I’ve probably just grossed you out even more. From a nutritional perspective, eggs deliver an amazing amount of protein and fat. More importantly, they deliver fat-burning hormones like leptin.

      If you don’t like eggs, go with more steak, pork chops, chicken, and a double scoop protein shake. Look for a protein shake with casein to take at night (some people’s stomachs handle it better than others). For fat, I really like chia seeds. Take some at night by mixing them with water. They form a jelly like substance that is full of omega 3-‘s (something the Western diet needs a lot more of because our animals no longer eat grass).

      I used to suffer from DOMS (sore the second day after a workout) after chest and leg day. I found that taking a protein shake right after the workout was the key to recovery. Also, you may want to experiment with eating more throughout the day. Sometimes, its about eating more often to keep your body fueled properly.

      If you’re already eating 7-8 meals, then yes it’s time to increase your protein. In fact, The Rock diet involved consuming 1.3-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight for his workout. The key, I’ve found, is that if you’re still sore, you want to take in more protein (or protein shakes). Also, you may want to experiment with different brands. People say the Optimum Nutrition brand of whey protein is the Best!

94. I’ll try that Chris! Everything but scrambled tofu! Haha
    Thanks for the advice.

95. Is it necessary to get sweat in gym or training can be better if you dont and is it sweat can because of little rest

    And what is best period of time for rest how much time betwen serias and reps

    • The amount you sweat is personal. Everyone is going to experience something different because of their genes and environment. Measure your results by how well you can lift after enough rest.

      The best rest period between reps also depends on your body. For most, the best amount is between 60-90 seconds of rest between sets. The way you know you’ve rested too little is if the next set is progressively harder than the one before. It’s hard to rest too much.

      If you feel like you’ve spent over a couple minutes resting and have “lost the pump,” then you know you’ve rested too long. Most people err on not resting enough. So, if you feel the load gets harder each set, you know you want to rest more often.

      • And if i eat tuna with what carbs i can eat tuna

        • The Rock eats vegetables and brown rice with his lean protein.

96. Is it good to eat 8-10 eggs before sleep like rock beacause that is about 40grams fat

    • The Rock eats 8-10 eggs. But, for a normal person that would be 3-5 eggs. Eating carbs is what is bad before bed. Eating fat is actually good, because you need fat for cholesterol. Cholesterol, while you sleep, turns into testosterone, which helps build bigger muscles and aid in muscle recovery.

      The Rock avoids fat all day long. There may be trace amounts in the protein, but the key is finding lean protein sources. The less fat you eat during the day, the better. The Rock’s trainer says that eating fat and bad carbs during the day promotes fat storage, inflammation, and carrying extra water weight. Eating fat in the form of eggs and fish oil (or chia seeds) before bed allows the body to recover during sleep.

97. What is the best routine for workout

    If i do

    Mon chest&biceps
    Wen back&tricpes
    Fri legs&calves&shoulders

    First I do chest workouts then bicpes?

    And how much exercies,serias and reps are best for each part

    • Do The Rock workout, but change up the exercises listed above. Like this:

      Monday:
      Dumbbell Incline press (Both Arms)
      Dumbbell Incline press (Alternating Arms)
      Chest Flys with Dumbbells (On Bench)
      Dumbbell Bench press (Both Arms)
      Dumbbell Bench press (Alternating Arms)
      Cable Flys (Standing Both Arms)
      Superset each set of Cable Flys with Dips Until Failure
      Barbell Bicep Curls
      Preacher Curls (machine)
      Dumbbell Hammer Curls (alternating)

      Wednesday:
      Dumbbell Rows
      Lat pull-downs (Wide Grip)
      Lat pull-downs (Narrow Grip)
      Seated Pulley Rows
      Barbell Shrugs (8-10 reps)
      Heavy Dumbbell Shrugs (10-12 reps)
      Triceps Push-downs (Normal Grip)
      Triceps Push-downs (Narrow Grip)
      Lying Tricep Skullcrushers

      Friday:
      Seated Leg Presses
      Lying Leg Curls
      Smith Machine Lunges
      Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
      Box Jumps (3 x20 reps)
      Calf raises (3 x20 reps)
      Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
      Dumbbell Front Raises
      Dumbbell Side Raises
      Bent-Over Lateral Raises

98. I want to know whether i can use Resistance Bands instead of the Cable machine exercises used by Rock..

    Also can you suggest an alternative for the seated cable row?

    Best workout i’vs come across so far…

    Thank you Rock and Chris Davis for the repies

    • Sure thing. As long as you can get enough resistance from the bands. A Bent-over Row or Barbell Row would be the best alternative to seated cable rows. Good Luck!

99. Is it good to eat food with fiber after workout

    Beacuse fiber make proces of food slow

    • After a workout, The Rock drinks a hydrolyzed protein shake right away. This is the exact opposite of fiber. Hydrolyzed Protein shakes include shortened chains of amino acids that get into your body quickly. The shake allows the muscle recovery process to begin right away. He wants to avoid muscle breakdown.

      A half hour after lifting, The Rock eats a meal that includes protein and fiber. The Rock eats fiber in the form of brown rice and vegetables. This allows for slow digestion to fuel his muscles all day long.

100. Hi Chris, My name is Deepika, female 27 yo, 5’5″, currently weighing 155 pounds.

     It is amazing to see Mr. Johnson, the workout is great, the diet is huge, and Dwayne looks too good. Thanks for this blog and information, very useful. My question is that I was 187 pounds last year July 2012, I shed about 40 pounds in about 4 months with healthy diet, immense training mixed with cardio and strength training, Felt very good, energetic and confident. I did all this by my hard work, some multi vitamins, healthy nutritious food, reducing carbs and sugar, drinking green tea, worked out 2 hours a day doing running, skipping, steps, celliptical and weight exercises, super sets, HIIT. This was the best time of my life. My body could not feel any better or stronger.

     But somewhere during the Feb of this year I got depressed due to some domestic problems and I started eating randomly, not working out at all, stress was high, and I did not control my eating habits at all. Today I have gained about 20 pounds and I consider it mostly due to eating badly and unhealthy foods at wrong time of the day and spoiling my metabolism. I am out of shape and feeling very bad. After this loophole and bad time I want to come back, I love working out, I want to hit the gym and shed all this extra fat and define my body. And I want to start new. Since I am an intermediate in terms of working out, I need a good effective weekly plan of my workout regimen, should I take some of Dwayne’s workout routines.

     Kindly give some useful advice.

     • Thank you for taking the time to share your story. You describe something that many of us go through in life when dealing with stress/drama. The great thing is that you are very knowledgeable about health, diet and exercise. You already know what you need to do. It’s just time to go out there and do it. I highly suggest The Rock workout to help motivate you. Sometimes workout motivation can be the problem. One step I take when I don’t feel like working out is telling myself, “That I’m only going to work out for 5 minutes.” After that, I’ll either stop or keep going, depending on how I feel.

       Whenever I give myself the 5-minute challenge–to just exercise for 5 minutes then see how I feel–I end up continuing to exercise. Never do I decide to stop, because once you start exercising it feels too good. Your mind has a way of giving you 1,000 excuses why you don’t need to exercise. Counter that by remembering how easy it is to just work out for 5 easy minutes. From there, I’m confident you will want to keep going. This is a brain trick to counter all the excuses swirling around in your head.

       Channel the stresses of life into the energy you need to workout every morning. Working out first thing in the morning is the key. You burn more fat, and avoid eating bad foods that cause inflammation. Speaking about food/inflammation, I just read an article this morning about how the foods you eat can cause depression. An October 2013 study in the Journal of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that eating refined grains and sugary beverages causes inflammation and even depression.

       What this means is that when we reach for bad food during times of stress, this leads to all sorts of inflammation in our body. Inflammation is hard to define, as it can feel like anything from “brain fog” to “icky muscles,” and generally gives you that “I just don’t want to work out today feeling.” Counter inflammation and feeling of not wanting to work out by going back to that diet full of green tea and healthy vegetables that you were used to. This will help get rid of those nasty feelings that prevent you from working out, despite knowing how good it is for you. Stay away from sugar and flour at all costs. Wheat, due to the protein Gliadin, is known to cause inflammation, so stay away from bread, naan, refined grain cereals, etc. Experiment to find your inflammation triggers.

       The Rock workout and diet will help you get back on the right track. Feel free to ask any questions about the workout!

101. hi

     what is the best solution for getting better abs i eat 5 times per day i eat mostly chicken brown rice, vegetables eggs etc.

     i ate 6-7meals per day but i quckly getting bigger stomich and losing my abs and now I am on 5meals per day,

     • Make sure that you’re doing 50 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning. I know it’s tough with your busy schedule, but that will optimize fat-burning and get your abs showing. I use a “pre-workout” to get myself motivated to work out first thing in the morning. Do what you love to get your 50 minutes of exercise in the morning. Whether it’s HIIT cardio on the treadmill, going for a run, or doing 15 minutes of cardio on 3 different machines to add a little spontaneity. I also like to adjust the treadmill to increase the incline. This mimics running hills.

       It sounds like you’ve got a great diet going. Maybe think about what else your eating-besides chicken, brown rice, and vegetables. Is that affecting your weight loss? Try sticking 6-7 meals, but cutting the portion in half. This will lower your caloric intake, helping you with your abs. Trust that your doing the right thing, and stick to your meal plan. Have the confidence that it will work for you, if you stick to the right diet and exercise plan.

       Lastly, some people have a bad reaction to eating rice. It makes them gain weight. You may want to replace eating rice, with another healthy carbohydrate. Some weightlifters love sweet potatoes. Health nuts are replacing their rice with something called quinoa. Quinoa has more fiber and protein than rice. It may be worth a try if the above suggestions don’t suffice.

102. Chest day.

     Can u Explain exercise 11?

     What does cable flys superset with dips mean?

     • A superset means you do 2 exercises back to back. On chest day, these two exercises are considered a finisher. When you’re lifting weights, you’re trying to temporarily tear every muscle fiber you can. That way, your body is forced to repair all the torn microfibers, making you stronger. The chest flys/dips superset is the finisher on chest day where you’re trying to go as hard as you can to work your chest.

103. Instead of 50min cardio on treadmill,,

     is running for 50min a suggestion??

     • Yes, the most important thing is to run first thing in the morning. The Rock says that sometimes he will do 50 minutes on the treadmill, sometimes 15 minutes on 3 different machines, and even just go for a run. Do what you love.

104. Hi Chris,

     Thank you, very inspiring. It is just little difficult to stand up again sometimes when you are knocked off once before. But when you make up your mind nothing can be difficult. It will be very helpful if you can illustrate a workout routine for 6 days as I intend to workout 6 days a week. How much weight should I carry, 5 or 10 lbs. Also, I am looking to invest in some good nutrition like Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Fish oil, Pre workout Thermogenics, Post workout, BCAA, MULTIVITAMINS, CLA’s and Casein.

     Can you suggest which of these are the most necessary for me at this stage. Also if we talk about Hydrolyzed Whey protein, it means it is the fastest absorbing protein, then will Casein still help as it slows the absorption of protein. How can these both be related.

     As I am in India, I have few stores here supplying ON nutrition which I guess is a good reliable brand. I came across this website though BodyBuilding.com, they supply to India, they use OPTIMUM and BSN products, will that be reliable in your opinion.

     Please advice.
     Thanks again

     • Yep, train your mind and you’ll be good to go! The Rock workout is a 6 day workout. The Friday and Saturday routines are on page 2 of the article. So, all 6 days of the workout regimen are listed. You can start out with light weights-5 or 10 lbs. to get the form down, but try to lift as much as you can. The more you lift, the better your results will be.

       The Rock figures out how much to lift by finding a weight that brings him to failure. For example, in Week 1:

       Week 1: 4 sets x 12 reps

       The Rock would use a weight that he can only lift 12 times. If he can lift it more than 12 reps, then he knows to go up in weight. Since he has a spotter, he can do this very easily. If you don’t have a spotter, then just try to find a weight that challenges you decently for 12 reps. Safety and proper form are the most important thing. Go heavy, but maintain control.

       Bodybuilding is who I use. They’re a good site for supplements. I suggest the most important to be:
       Hydrolyzed whey protein-Optimum Nutrition is a good brand
       Pre-workout- (take this only if you are fine with caffeine, it gets you jacked up and ready to lift)
       Multivitamins- I love Animal Pack

       Less important:
       ZMA-This is something that Hugh Jackman’s trainer has his clients take. It helps you sleep like a baby.
       Fish oil-Most fish oils are bad, because they burn the fish at such a high temperature, the omega-3’s denature. This renders the fish oil worthless. I get my omega-3’s by eating chia and flax seeds. Chia seeds-put them in water and they turn into jelly (hope they have them in India)
       BCAA’s-This gives you energy during your workout. If your energy levels are great, then you don’t need it. If you’re doing cardio/weight training back-to-back, without eating, then BCAA’s might be a good idea. If you have time to eat in between your cardio and when you weight train, then just eat protein/carbs instead. Post-workout is just the hydrolyzed protein you already mentioned.

       Hydrolyzed protein is taken right after a workout to prevent muscle breakdown. Casein is taken at bedtime, to slowly provide your body with protein while you sleep. I don’t use casein. Some people like it better than others. If I’m feeling sore at night, I opt for a vegan protein powder instead.

105. Gotcha! I am making my workout plan, my diet plan and my required supplements and I am hitting the gym tomorrow first thing in the morning. This time it will be different. Will post you my progress.

     Thank you

106. Is it better to drink extreme mass ( protein, carbs, creatini..) or to mix whey + creatine + dex

     I want to get on muscle mass

     In extreme mass are carbs so what is better

     • I would go with the whey/creatine/dex over extreme mass. The Rock takes a whey shake post-workout. He also takes creatine. He then eats a meal composed of lean protein, vegetables and a starch. Dex is a high GI carb source. I have seen arguments that is is better to just stick to a low GI carb source. Here is a discussion of the best carb sources in your PWO shake.

       • But isnt dex for insulin to raise it?

         And what do you think is problem
         When i workout i do 6 exercises for chest and then on 5,6 exercise when im lifting that i cant move more that 4 times like my arms doesnt work good, and after some time i have feeling like i didnt working anything

         • And what is the best bcaa amino and glutamine to mix with whey/dex ?

           • MusclePharm BCAA 3:1:2 is a great BCAA amino. I also like just taking Animal Pak. I’m not a big fan of glutamine, because no studies have shown that it helps you. What helps you is a diet full of protein, fiber and healthy carbs.

         • The science is evolving. It used to be that is was great to take dex, because of that small window you have to recover after a workout. Now, they’re finding that the window is much bigger than previously believed. In fact, muscle recovery and growth has more to do with how much you’re eating all day long-than it does with just your post-workout meal.

           Dex is fine for really skinny people. But, for most people who want to get bigger while maintaining their abs, you want to go with slow-digesting carbs. That’s why bodybuilders are now opting for steel-cut oats, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. That’s why The Rock diet is about eating those types of carbs.

           What you’re describing is often the cause of not resting enough in between sets. Try resting more between sets, and you should have more strength to work out.

           • Thank you a lot chris

             From now I will drink whey/creatine/bcaa

             • Even further, try taking creatine and bcaa’s before your workout. This will help you feel stronger as you lift. Then, you can take all 3 post-workout, along with slow-digesting carbs. Good Luck!

107. Is Animal Pak and Animal Cuts good for female as pre and post workout supplements. The animal pak has Creatine in it so can it be taken after the workout or should I take it separately.

     • I don’t have experience with Animal Cuts. But, I do love Animal Pump (creatine) and Animal Pack (multivitamin). I just answered a similar question under The Rock Hercules Workout.

       Animal Pump- Of all the supplements I’ve tried, Animal Pump has given me the best results. This is the one that has creatine, NO Blast and BCAA’s. You take it 30-45 minutes before a workout. Your ability to perform will totally be enhanced with this product. I totally feel stronger, and I am certain I lift more with this product. This has your daily serving of creatine. I like taking it pre-workout, because I feel so much stronger. Don’t take the whole package, try half at first.

       Animal Pak- This is the multivitamin. I take it right now, but only once every few days. You don’t get any benefit from taking more than just the vitamins you need. Animal Pak is way beyond the dose you need. So, I only take half a pack, instead of the 2 suggested. You could do the same.

108. So per day i will take 10g of creatine 5g before and 5after

     • Sounds like a plan!

       • And the last question

         If whey gold standard has 5g bcaa then i dont need to add extra 5g in pwm ?

         • Correct. Whey Gold Standard already has it loaded in.

109. And that what you say, if we can lift more that 12 times to add weight, ok and for example in first seria we lift 100kilograms on bench and that 12th time is very hard, and then in second seria we can lift just 7-8 time only if we dont have break about 3-4 minutes

     What is your suggest

     • Use the 12 reps as a general guideline. In the case you describe, I suggest maybe using 90-95 kg. I don’t suggest lifting so heavy that you have to rest 4 mins between sets. Rest 60-90 secs between most sets. It sounds like you’re working hard. Keep it up!

       • So best will be to do whole exercise, 4 sets and see what weight is the best

         • Yes, use a weight that you can do 12 reps for each set. If by the 11th or 12th rep, you struggle or can’t do anymore, that’s OK. But, you don’t want something so heavy that you have to rest for a really long time. You also don’t want to breeze through all 12 reps easily. The theory is to use the heaviest weight you can, but still do 11-12 reps per set.

110. I read that the rock works out 6 days and I usually do to. Does he go through the workout twice a week and rest the 7th day?

     • Yes, that’s what The Rock does. You may have missed Page 2 (orange button above) that details the workout for the rest of the week. The Rock takes Sunday off as his rest day.

111. What size of meals are the best for me im 17 years old 187cm height and I have 80kg and I want to grow muscle

     If rock for example take 10 oz chicken what size will be best for my

     • Tailor your diet by eating the right amount of protein for your bodyweight. You always want to eat your protein combined with a starchy vegetable and a fibrous vegetable. Guidelines for eating the proper amount of protein, while bodybuilding, are that you should eat 1.8 grams of protein per kg, or .8 grams of protein per pound. Note that these guidelines are for lean body mass, don’t include excess fat you may have in your lean bodyweight calculations.

       So, a 100 kg person (of lean bodyweight) should be eating 180 grams of protein. A 100 pound person should be eating 80 grams of protein. You can divide this by 7 to get how much you should eat per meal. The Rock eats even more than that for his bodyweight. So, if you’re training hard, but not getting bigger, then you may think about increasing it from there. But, most research says the above guidelines are best for lean muscle weight gain.

       • And how much carbs are best per kg

         • It’s tougher to answer that question. Because everyone functions slightly different, they require a different ratio. Still, most people require around a 60/40 ratio.

           This means you eat 60g of carbs for every 40g of protein. Since you’re young, you may find that you need slightly more than this. So, if you’re low on energy, increase your carbs slightly. Conversely, if you find yourself gaining belly fat (despite doing your running in the morning), reduce your carb intake slightly.

112. How much exercises per muscle part are best proples say that for large part 12 serias per week are best isnt that little

     • It’s a tough question to answer, because everyone is different. Starting out, a person is best doing around 12 sets. But, for someone like The Rock, who has been lifting for over 20 years straight, he has to do more. Some people look at this workout, and say it’s way too much.

       You just have to keep in mind that everyone is going to require a different amount of training. Also, the reason The Rock gets away with doing so much work is that he eats a ton. Focusing on recovery, The Rock prevents the overtraining that would come from a workout like this.

       The trainer that did Superman and 300 likes to say, “There’s no such thing as Overtraining, just Underecovery.” While I’m sure you have to take that statement with a grain of salt, the meaning behind it is that you want to think about the 22 hours you’re not in the gym. Feeding yourself, stretching, and taking supplements can go a long way.

       Starting out, you may not need to do as much as The Rock. If you’re resting 60-90 secs between sets, at a weight that challenges you, you’re on the right track.

113. I will do 6 exercises with 4 serias for large part and 3 exercises with 4 serias for small part

     And when im going to do first exercise in gym is it good to have 1 seria for warming up and then second with real weights and should I do that for every other exercise or is it enough just for first

     • Yes, warming up is a good idea. Generally, you can just warm up for the large exercises. For the smaller ones, you don’t have to warm up as much. If you’re short on time, you can do just one warmup set per body part.

114. How much vegetables are best per meal in grams and what i have to look the most in vegatables

115. Should I eat fruits when I’m on this diet if yes, when is the best and what fruit is best?

     • The Rock doesn’t eat fruits on his diet. The Rock’s trainer says that eating fruit leads you to carry too much water weight. This is problematic if you’re starring in a movie, or about to enter a competition.

       If you’re doing The Rock workout for more than 2-3 months though, I would advise you to bring fruit back into your diet. The best time is in the morning, or 30 minutes before a workout.

116. Is it good to eat oatmeal with yogurt, beacause i dont have time to cook them

     • Yes, that’s a good snack. Opt for steel-cut oatmeal, and non-sugar added yogurt. Also, cooking in advance is key to The Rock diet. I like to BBQ on the weekend, so I have food for the week. Try to cook in advance, and put everything in some cheap Tupperware containers to store for the week.

117. How much exercises are best for big ( chest back legs) and small (biceps triceps shoulders..) muscle parts

     Im doing for big parts 6 exercises, 4 serias and 12 reps

     for small 3 exercises, 4 serias and 12reps

     • That sounds about right. Everyone is a bit different, so it’s all about making sure you’ve killed it. Also, sometimes it’s better to do more reps at lighter weight for the small muscles. That’s what Dwayne Johnson’s bicep workout is all about. He found that, with biceps, it’s all about getting as much blood as you can into the area. You do that with a lot of sets, at lighter weight. For the major muscles, just make sure to lift heavy to get to failure.

       • Yes but I do like that and that 11-12 reps is soo hravy to lift and after that and dont feel killed no sweat

         • Experiment with going lighter, or taking more rest between sets. You may also want to change your routine, or the exercises you’re doing up for a bit. By changing things around, you may find something works better for you.

           Lastly, you could add drop sets. This is where you go down in weight 2-3 times, after your last set and go to failure each time. Every time you can’t do any more, drop 10 pounds and go to failure again. Make sure to have a spotter for this.

           • Is it good that i do as much i can to reps/serias/exercises until i cant do more, something like every seria to go as much I can

             Or is good that I do faster and have small exercises beacuse then i get tired, get sweat and feel like im progressing

             Or can I do for example i am on 4th seria and that put smaller weight so i can do reps that was my point?

             What is the best

             Why rock eats 10eggs isnt that eggs have 10grams of fat per 100gr eggs and in that last meal there isnt carbs anywhwre?

             And can i eat Mashed Potatoes like replacemnt for rise is that similar

             • There’s a small risk of injury, the longer you go. Try to stick in the rep/set ranges provided in the workout. Add weight to your reps/sets, if you feel it is too easy. If your goal is to get bigger, then adding weight and sticking to 8-12 reps is the key. If you’re looking to get leaner, then that’s when you’d go faster, get sweaty, use lighter weight.

               Yes, on your 4th set drop the weight, but only if you need to. It is better to rest longer and do heavier weight. But, if you can’t get the reps in, then it’s time to drop in weight. The best is to stick to the plan. Research shows that 8-12 reps with as heavy weight as you can possibly lift is the key to muscle growth.

               The Rock eats 10 eggs for the fat and protein. For a normal person (normal weight), it’s closer to 5 eggs. The reason for eating protein is for muscle repair and growth. The fat is needed, because the body needs to produce testosterone. So, while The Rock is sleeping his body is repairing itself and making a ton of testosterone from the eggs he ate.

               Mashed potatoes are high glycemic. This means they quickly turn to sugar/fat in your body. If you’re skinny, they’re ok. If you’re looking to lose weight, you have to stick to sweet potatoes or brown rice. These foods take a longer time to digest, and have more fiber to keep you full longer.

118. ok thank you very much chris for everything

     and one thing more i saw that rock eats baked potato isnt that similar like boiled potatoes ? beacuse i prefer boiled potatoes

119. beacuse i see white rise have 98 GI

     • Ya, go with boiled if you like them. After a workout is the best time to eat high GI foods. Just don’t eat them in the late afternoon/evening.

120. What oil is best to cook on?

     I use olive and is it good before bed?

     • It goes making your own nut-based oils>olive oil>other oils like canola. A tiny bit is good. You want to get your fat from eggs before bed. The Rock also used fish oil. Fish oil denatures if you cook it at a high temperature. So, make sure it’s quality. Or, do what I do: eat chia seeds instead (they’re available online).

121. Hi Chris, What do you think about doing 50min of cardo first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? I’m worried that my body will use my muscle tissue as fuel and then I won’t gain muscle as fast as I would like. Should I eat a little bit of protein before cardio? Thanks.

     • I too, was skeptical at first about cardio on an empty stomach. But, it has really worked for me! I’ve done some research and found that your body creates fatty acids while you sleep to keep your vital functions and high brain activity going while you sleep.

       When you wake up, you still have readily available fatty acids. As long as you keep your heart rate below 60% max (low-intensity), your body will burn off those fatty acids. If you eat protein, then your body will burn protein instead of fat.

       This is why cardio first thing in the morning is key. It burns fat like no other time of day. If you workout at any other time, your body will prioritize burning glycogen, instead of fatty acids.

       The Rock does his cardio, then eats right after if he has time. Other people, like the Wolverine, will weight train first, then do cardio. The Wolverine’s trainer suggests buying BCAA supplements to combat empty stomach muscle loss.

       I’ve done The Rock workout, and can attest to losing fat while building muscle. Take your pick: cardio or weight training, whichever you prefer. But if you’re doing both, you want to take BCAA’s. Otherwise, do cardio, then eat, then weight train.

       Training hard, and eating a lot of lean protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats is key. Cardio, done on an empty stomach, started in the bodybuilding community. So, you don’t have to worry about muscle loss. Taking BCAA’s or eating right after cardio is what it takes.

122. Hi Chris,
     First wanted to say thanks for doing all of the research to determine the rocks workout. I’ve got a couple questions with this workout vs the rock’s Hercules workout. Is it beneficial to hit each muscle group once or twice a week? Additionally, the Hercules leg workout seems much more complete in terms of working the legs to failure. So is it better to use the Hercules leg workout with back if it is better to work the muscle groups twice a week? And is it beneficial to treat the workouts as a superset where (for example) you do squats for a set then do pullups for another? Thanks for the help!

     • Research shows that working each muscle group twice gives better results. The caveat is that this only applies to people who have been working out for years. If you’re just starting out, stick to hitting each group once per week. You do sound excited and motivated, which is great!

       Yes, the focus of the Hercules workouts is legs, whereas the focus of the Pain & Gain is total body. So, if you’re looking for that total body pump, I’d suggest using The Rock workout here. The reason The Rock Hercules workout has more leg days is because The Rock thinks that’s what the true Hercules should look like. But, feel free to mix and match, as long as you’re getting a full workout day in, plus whatever you want to add to it.

       Building your own supersets into the workout is a great idea. Just make sure to not do too much. You don’t want to be in there for more than an hour and a half doing weights. I like to do supersets when working the large muscle groups-back and legs. So pullups during legs day is a great idea. When you get down to the smaller muscle groups, it’s better to focus on supersets that work the same area.

       Breathing is important while doing supersets. Make sure you’re breathing well, to turn that ATP into energy at an optimum level. The other thing is rest and diet. You want to focus on what you eat while your body is resting. Getting stronger is really about what you eat, not how many supersets you can add into your workout. So stick to a strong, clean diet for the best results you can get.

123. which work out do you recommend?
     this one or the hercules on.(sorry for my english i am egyptian)

     • Go with this one. The Rock workout is a great total body routine for everyone. Hercules specializes in legs, so do that one if legs is your focus.

124. is drinking milk is considered a cheat.
     because i am into muscle building and i drink milk 3 cups per day.so if it is bad for muscle building then pls tell me.thanks

     • Yes, it’s considered a cheat on The Rock diet. If you’re not drinking protein shakes, then maybe it’s OK after workout. The problem with milk is the sugar content. Also, it contains the IGF-1 protein.

       The main thing is how your body deals with it. Some people can drink it just fine. Others get bloated. You may find it’s hard to develop abs or really good muscle definition, because milk keeps you full of water weight.

125. If u said that is better to eat foog with low GI, why then The Rock eat rise ( high GI) and why is mashed potatoes bad if rise and mached have GI hight

     And what pasta has low GI?

     • Rice is important to bodybuilders because it contains magnesium and selenium. These minerals are required for cell repair and muscular gains. Also, the GL of Brown rice per serving is low, about 13. Even Uncle Ben’s white rice (a hybrid grain), is 14.

       Mashed potatoes are higher in GI and have less of the bodybuilding nutrients needed for muscle growth. Fettucini GI 32, with a Glycemic load per serving of 17 is the best pasta. But again, it doesn’t have the same nutrients as rice, a staple of any bodybuilder’s diet.

126. What is the best time to go workout after a meal

     30min? 1hour,2?

     • You want to drink a hydrolized whey protein shake immediately after. 30 minutes is the best.

       But, you have up to 2 hours before your body really begins to break down it’s own muscle for food. The sooner you eat, the better the chances that your body doesn’t break down it’s own muscle.

       • I wanna now if i have trainig in 6pm when is best time to eat BEFORE trainig

         • 1/2 hour before training. Lean protein and slow burning carbs. The only time you don’t eat 30 minutes before your workout, is if you’re working out first thing in the morning. In that case, you workout on an empty stomach for extra fat burning.

127. How to do seated pulley rows with dumbbells?

     • You don’t. Good catch. I’m copy/pasting in tables to make the workouts look more presentable. Copy/paste fail!

128. does having sex affects muscle building.
     because that question i have asked thousand time before and all of answers said no but i feel that it does.
     so i said to my self that i should ask a professional.(i know it’s weird but i really need answer)

     • Funny question! The ancient Chinese, and other cultures, thought so. But modern science says it actually promotes testosterone production. So, you’re fine. The only concern may be with zinc. Take a zinc supplement to make sure you’re safe. I highly suggest taking ZMA. It has zinc and magnesium, two things that you deplete during weight training. It also helps you sleep amazingly well!

129. where is dwayne johnson’s pain and gain workout?
     i have seen people thanking you for it but i can’t find it.

     • Although I don’t mention Pain & Gain that much, this article is the one he used. The other Rock workout is the Hercules one found here. Also, there’s the Mark Wahlberg workout for Pain & Gain here.

130. hey chris! what do you really recommend for me when i am not working out or eating while i am in home cause i don’t like to go out.and please if you answered i don’t want it to contain watching movies or computers.

     • That’s a tough one. I can’t answer that for you, because it’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself. My suggestion is to try new things, even if that means leaving the house more often than you like. At home, I’d suggest you buy a PS4 and play Destiny when it comes out, Sept. 14th. Until then, work out a lot, so that you’re in perfect shape by then.

131. Is turkey good enough like chicken? I saw they have same percent protein, carbs and fat?

     • Yes, turkey is another lean protein that you can sub for chicken in The Rock diet.

132. hello

     currently im training with the rock workout and I like it very mutch thx for posting it….

     but i have a question i’m 1.83 meter and weigh 83 kg with a body fat of 17%

     now should i do the whole the rock routine or mix it up with the routine from zac efron 3-2-1

     so

     monday : chest/shoulder

     t: legs/back

     w: arms

     t: 3-2-1 lowerbody

     Friday: 3-2-1- upperbody

     saterday: interval training

     what do you suggest? thx

     • Yes, you’ve got to keep it fun. So, go with a routine that offers the variation you require. The Zac Efron workout has more fat burning thrown into the routine, and less strength training. So, my question would be: what is your primary goal? Do you want to separate strength training and fat-burning, or do them at the same time? Or, a mix of both?

       If you want to get bigger, then focus on The Rock workout. If you want a routine that combines muscle-building and fat-burning, then I like what you’ve written above. Also, make sure to do the empty stomach cardio, first thing in the morning, if you really want to burn fat. Diet is important, too. Check out the BMR calculator to find the right amount of calories for you.

133. when we have to eat 100grams of rise do we count 100grams before or after cooking beacuse of the water that rise absorb

     • Good question. Always measure pre-cooked. 100g of rice means 100g dry.

134. Im 6″0 233 but look like I weigh about 180. Kinda bulky with a little flab. I started doing the Brad pitt fight club workout but I noticed it didn’t have cardio which I think is crucial for me. I really just want to cut up and build and add a little to my frame but nothing crazy. Im an actor and don’t want to be limited to only the bulky roles. I don’t have a hard time losing or gaining weight. Is this workout for me?

     • The Rock workout is for you, if you’re trying to get bigger, while staying lean. If you want to cut, and are willing to include HIIT afternoon workouts, then I suggest The Wolverine Workout. Otherwise, you could do The Rock workout, but include the HIIT workouts as detailed by Hugh Jackman’s trainer.

135. Or better yet, how would I tilor this if my goal is to get lean and cut ALL the way up? Im open to anything really even adding HIIT to whichever days needed it.

136. chris, im 5’10 250. whenever i start lifting weights i gain 10 pounds or more. i do cardio 3 to 4 times a week for 30 mins but when i lift weights i do them fast and in between sets drop to the floor and do crunches. Get back up and wait 10 secs and back at it again. my goal is not to gain the weight but to get leaner. Im sure the first thing you would say is get in more cardio. I just read this workout plan today and for the rock whos already lean to do as much cardio woke me up on that. My question is this, even at my height and weight is this workout right for me? and is my weight gain to not eating enough? i only eat 3 times a day and get in 5 days a week in the gym.

     • I suggest doing empty stomach, low intensity cardio first thing in the morning. This way, your body will burn the fatty acids that churn up during sleep. To calculate your target heart rate, check out the Wolverine Workout here.

       Of course, you can do all the cardio in the world, but that’s only 30% of the equation. Your body composition is 70% (give or take) what you eat. So, focus on the meal plan here and on the Wolverine page. For calories, check out the BMR calculator here. Use your ideal weight, now what you weigh now.

       Also, remember that health is not a sprint, but a life-long marathon. Get better each week; find ways to constantly get better. It is a challenge for all of us to stay fit. The key is to constantly get better at it.

137. Was wondering on the alternate arms and even on the lunges is it 12 total or 12 each leg?

     • 12 each leg on lunges; 12 each arm on alternating arms.

138. Where is the diet listed? And how realistic is this training for hospital employees who work 3-5 days a week 12 hr shifts..getting up at 530 to be at work by 7 and home at 730 8 pm? How do you fit in workout and food. Its bad to eat heavy past 7pm and be in bed by 10 pm..and getting up any earlier to do cardio is extremely hard?

     Wish someone would post a simple diet plan and routine geared toward our profession. Dont get me wrong hubby and I are both in gym and precook our meals and take supplements however we are not seeing results we want..I want less of a belly and to show my muscle definition more..hubby wants more mass and less belly. He is already big chest arms and back..

     Any suggestions would be appreciated
     Thanks meg and mike

     • The Rock’s diet is on page 2 (orange button). With your type of work schedule, it would be ideal to learn about Lean Gains guide to intermittent fasting. This way, you can tailor an eating/fasting phase for your work schedule. You’ve probably heard that you have to create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. While this is mostly true, the 45 minutes of cardio on an empty stomach will burn fat no matter the calorie deficit (or lack thereof). That’s why bodybuilders use this secret.

       So, if you can get that cardio in, I highly suggest it. Even more important is to get some interval training in after work. For fat loss, interval training is the way to go. But with this approach, you must maintain a calorie deficit. I’ve decided to make a post just for you two (and anyone else trying to lose weight). Check it out here: “Why I’m Not Losing Weight:” Three Big Reasons.

139. hey chris! i want to know which workout do you recommend if i want to get puffy and bulky cause i am very thin.
     i know about diet but i want to get bulky and then get leaner which i will then use this workout but for now i want bulk workout. THX

     • The Rock workout is the way to go! You can also check out The Rock Hercules Workout. The diet on page 2 is the bulking type of diet that bodybuilders use to bulk up. Let me know if you have questions as you progress.

140. I see that chest and shoulders are on Thursday, the day right after doing arms and arms are on saturday, the day after doing back (which involves the biceps i believe). Is it bad to work out the same muscles 2 days is it bad to over work the muscles like that? Wouldn’t I still be sore from the previous day?

     • I’ve found that The Rock diet, if done right, prevents you from being sore. The first week or two, you may be sore. After that, I’m sure you’ll have no problem. Although back day may involve some secondary muscles, try not to use your biceps. For example, it’s easy to lift more weight on Dumbbell Rows if you involve your shoulder and bicep. But, if you just focus on your lats, you’ll get a more beneficial lift.

       Also, arms days isn’t about going heavy. It’s about getting as much blood into the region as you can. The biceps and triceps are small muscles. They need frequent activation, not heavy lifting, according to The Rock’s trainer. You will find that arms day is about a lot of reps, not heavy lifting.

141. Thanks for your reply. However I been doing a strength building routine for quite sometime now but will start to be doing the rocks routine. I just want to do know, will I lose any strength gains while switching to this routine? I usually lift heavy in the 6-8 range for all upper body work outs. Same goes for dips, I would attached plates to my belt for ultimate strength. I want to start gaining size now which is why I’m switching to this routine but also want to keep my strength

     • If size is your priority, feel free to stay in the 6-8 range. I suggest trying The Rock workout reps, though, as a way to change it up a bit. Your muscles will benefit from variation. In order to adapt to different stress levels, your muscles will grow quicker. It seems like you have the right idea. At your weight, continuing to use weighted dips is a great idea.

142. Also, due to limited financial resources I have a typical diet. I eat oatmeal, banana and a glass of OJ in the morning(5am), then at 7 I eat a can of tuna on whole wheat bread with mayo with 2 rice cakes, at 9-10am I eat a turkey and ham sandwich also in wheat with 2 rice cakes. And 1 hour before my workout (around 12 or 1pm) I eat an 8 ounce chicken Breast. After my workout I eat another 8 ounce chicken Breast with a bowl of rice (which is my last meal) . I am 150lb male and am curious if this is an acceptable diet for for building Lean cut muscle while doing the rocks routine. Please advise any additional foods I should include in my diet. I stay away from supplements because I rather have the honorable feeling of being natural.

143. 70% of your body composition comes from diet. You want to eat as closely to The Rock’s diet as you can. You just have to adjust the calories for what is right for you. I suggest signing up for free at My Fitness Pal to log your meals.

     OJ-The Rock doesn’t drink juice because high glycemic foods add water weight to your body. Maybe you don’t have to worry as much since you’re trying to gain.

     Rice Cakes-Switch to actual rice. Rice cakes are another high glycemic food you should avoid. Brown rice has more fiber, protein and magnesium. All three of those nutrients are critical for bodybuilding.

     Everything else looks good. Just remember that if you’re still having a hard time gaining, then you need to continue eating more. Every 3 hours you should be eating good carbs/lean protein. I suggest adding eggs to your diet as well.

     You also need some fats at night (fat turns into testosterone). I use chia seeds, but many people use fish oil. I despise fish oil because high heat during processing denatures the fish oil. Find a healthy, omega-3 fat and add that to your diet to ensure that you have a testosterone boost while you sleep.

144. Since chest is done twice a week, would you recommend going heavy on one day (6-8 reps per set) and then follow the rocks routine on the 2nd day to keep up with size/strength? Same will go for arms as well. You also stated to stick to the rocks diet as close as possible, that’s a lot of food for me as a 150lb male. My ideal weight is 160 with lean muscle. And I am having difficulty accessing http://www.myfitnesspal.com/. It states page cant be found. Is there another redirected site else where?

     • Yea, that plan sounds great. The Rock stays in the muscle-building region (6-12 reps), but just varies the reps from week to week. By “eating the same food,” I mean the same “type” of food. It looks like you do for the most part. Just make sure to eat rice, not rice cakes. And, get some eggs or other healthy fats in there. Maybe Google “My Fitness Pal” to find it will work.

145. These workouts are killer!!!!!! Going through the first one be prepared to hit a wall right around the dumbell shoulder press they are going to kick your #@#!!! My chest was on fire and fell great. Also being so heavy if you can’t do the box jumps I found frog jumps worked for workout 2.

     • Awesome, sounds Great!

146. is it good to stay in gym until we dont feel that our part of muscle that we do that day, arent in “pain”

     • Sounds like you’re overdoing it a bit. Do the sets as described. You want to “feel the pump” or “get a slight burn,” but not to where you’re in pain.

147. The article says the rock had a knee injury and does seated leg presses, and front and back leg curls instead of squats. Can I replace all three of those exercises with squats? Meaning I would be doing 4 sets of different variations of squats per exercise (12sets). Which method would be more beneficial?

     • Yes, squats are more beneficial. It’s just that there is increased risk of injury when you’re doing squats. As a compound movement, you will probably see more results though.

148. im 20, 6’1 and 265 pounds. will this make me drop weight and get toned

     • Sure, if you put in the time and work. The workout is fun, but intense. The diet is strict. But, the more you stick to the diet, the stronger you’ll be.

       Make sure to limit the calories you eat to your height and bodyweight. Find how much to eat based on your base metabolic rate here. Also, check out my fitness pal.

       For cardio, make sure to do empty stomach AM cardio. If you can’t do that, then do HIIT intervals in the afternoon. Cardio twice a day is even better if you really want to get lean. But, remember it’s easier to eat 400 less calories than it is to spend an extra 40 minutes on the treadmill, having to burn those calories.

149. Can I add mashed potatoes to the pain and gain diet?

     • Mashed potatoes have a higher glycemic index than regular potatoes. This means they can possibly increase your waistline. But, if you’re doing everything else right, I think they’re OK to eat.

150. I am on the 2nd week of this routine but when doing chest I feel the burn mostly in my arms. I come down with each rep at a 90 degree angle and push straight up but i feel the workout more in my arms then my chest. Also, when doing 4 sets of each workout, is it ok to lower the weight if i cant reach the rep range? 2nd weeks states 10-12 reps per chest exercise but after the 2nd set i can only get to 7-8 then my arms give out. Please advise.

     • The research behind The Rock workout states that max muscle building happens between 6-12 reps. So, The Rock stays in that range each week. I suggest lowering the weight, so that you can perform all the reps each set. Otherwise, you can try resting more between each set. There’s no reason not to rest longer between each set, unless you’re trying to keep your heart rate up for fat burning.

       To address where you’re feeling the burn, try to concentrate on your chest muscles. Actively focus on squeezing them during each rep. Also, if you grip is too narrow if will work your arms too much. Widen your grip a bit, to see if that helps. Good Luck!

151. hey chris! i just wanna ask you about the dumbell rows. how to get 45 sec rest when i do every arm alone.THX

152. For muscle building, the key is to make sure that you rest 45 secs per side. The faster you go, the more fat-burning your workout will consist of. The slower you go, the more dedicated to strength and muscle-building your workout will provide. So, it depends on your goals. Do you want to prioritize fat-burning? Go fast and count 45 secs as the rest after both arms are done. Do you want to focus on muscle-building? Then, rest 45 secs between each arm. This will allow for optimum fiber recovery, giving you more muscle size.

153. Hey Chris, first of all I just wanted to say thank you for doing all the digging & research to find this information & putting together an amazing workout. I just started Monday & let me tell you, it’s a killer. I just have a few questions for you if you wouldn’t care to answer them:

     1) What exactly are aminos used for? I just purchased Amino1 from musclepharm & I’m going to start taking them during my workout. Will they aid in recovery & endurance?
     2) I’m just coming off of a bulking phase. Consuming 3300+ calories a day. I gained 22lbs (169 to 191) & made good solid gains. I want to lean out now (keep gaining size, cut fat, get stronger, and get ripped) – do you prefer this workout for the results that I’m looking for?
     3) I’m currently cutting back on my carbs, going from 400+ a day to about 250-300 a day, timing them & making sure not to consume them past 5pm unless I’m training in the evening. Will that help me with recovery & gains?
     4) For my last question, can you consume too much protein daily? My macros this week have looked like this: 40, 50, 10. Averaging 275g carbs, 320g protein, 45g fats.

     I know I asked about a lot, and I’m sorry for that. I just want to maximize gains & become more knowledgable with my training & nutrition.

     • 1) Amino acids are used to prevent your body from going into a catabolic state. If you are doing early morning cardio, you take aminos to prevent your body from using muscle as energy.

       2)This is a great workout for that, especially if you do the cardio early in the morning on an empty stomach. You may want to add HIIT training a few days a week, in the afternoon.

       3)Cutting back on carbs should help with getting lean and cut. Make sure you have enough energy throughout the day, because that’s a low amount of carbs. Try using My Fitness Pal to track your food. They have a good smartphone app, with a bar-code scanner that’s both useful and free.

       4)There is a thing as too much protein. It’s differs based on who you ask. You macros look pretty good, maybe go 40/40/20 and see how that works. It’s good to change things up a bit, and see how it turns out. Diet is the key to everything. Eating more healthy fats (fatty fish, avocado, chia seeds) means more testosterone production during sleep. In turn, that will help you with gains and recovery.

154. hey chris ! firstly thanks for the answer but i have another question i need to know how to focus in my workout
     because a lot of pages in the internet says that you should focus and Arnold Schwarzenegger says
     “In my mind I saw my biceps as mountains, enormously huge, and I pictured myself lifting tremendous amounts of weight with these superhuman masses of muscle.”

     i really don’t understand is that really affect your muscle gains?
     if it does tell me how to do it because i didn’t understand anything of these i workout right i take rest as you said
     but sometimes i would watch tv or thinking about anything else so i am not focusing in the workout wich i don’t know how .THX

     • Feel free to visualize success, like Arnold does. That is what he is doing between sets, and it helps to pump him up and lift more. Or, think about whatever challenges you’re going through in life. Often times, the best time to think about how to overcome the obstacles in your life is when you’re pumping iron. While lifting, it is important to focus on form and breathing. Proper form will keep performance maximized, while breathing gives you more energy to work with. I’m going to create a post on this soon talking about it more.

155. Chris, that video with Brock Lesnar is for Summerslam…..in 2002! A much different and skinnier look for The Rock!

     • Yea, it’s Old School for sure!

156. hey chris ! i want to know is it right to eat nuts all the time,cause i do that when i am not eating my meal or working out so i want to know.THX

     • Yes! Nuts are a great source of healthy fats. Just make sure there’s not too much salt added with them. Almonds and walnuts are 2 of the best nuts to eat. They both have a lot of magnesium, fiber and omega-3’s.

157. Are there any good ab workouts to coop along with this?

     • The best looking athletes and celebrities like to train their abs before the rest of their routine. The Ryan Reynolds workout is a good example. The Magic Mike Workout: How Joe Manganiello Got A Six-Pack is another great abs workout.

158. Way to many sets for the average lifter. Mike & Ray Mentzer would be rolling in their graves. The average guy who is lifting and working for a living wouldn’t be able to eat and or sleep enough for this routine.

     • The Rock has been lifting for over 20 years. So, his routine is going to be much longer, and more complex, than the average lifter needs. You bring up a good point. If someone doesn’t have the time, diet, and experience then tone down the workout plan. Still, what I learned more than anything, is how important diet is to recovery and making gains.

       Hollywood actors are not doing Mike & Ray Mentzer’s workout routines. Actors are preparing for roles in very expensive projects, where can’t afford to get hurt lifting really heavy. Some won’t even go on the treadmill, because there’s a higher risk of injury.

       The standard approach they use is more sets, but with less rest between sets. Keeping your heart rate up burns more fat during your workout. Recent studies show that reps between 1-5 are optimal for strength building. Reps between 6-12 are ideal for size.

       A way for the average lifter to break this down is to change the routine from: Chest & Shoulders/Legs & Back/Biceps&Triceps to Chest/Legs/Back/Shoulders/Biceps & Triceps. Or, you can just reduce the number of sets. But, if your diet is really good, then your recovery is going to be really good, as well.

159. So what route should I take to make this more of a fat burning workout. Ive changed my diet around with ome trial and error for the past month but finally got that part down. Im already a bulky guy and dont want to continue to put on mass. Ive tried this workout, and glanced at a few others. Im 6″0 tall and 230, but not fat at all. I dont want to pack on much more size. I just want to cut up what I have. Help????? Thanks in advance :)

     • I suggest the Magic Mike Workout. Joe Manganiello wrote a book called Evolution, detailing his training and diet for the movie. I love The Rock workout for getting bigger. But, the Magic Mike workout is my favorite for cutting/trimming down. The idea behind Manganiello’s workout is to superset everything.

160. What if I did insanity as cardio in the morning before i workout? Starting with that, which would be a good workout for me to do alongside this one. Im also started the abs 7 days a week from ryan reynolds workout!

     • Insanity is a great way to start the day. Some people says it’s better to do low intensity. They reason that your body turns fat stores into energy while you sleep to keep the brain functioning. Low intensity cardio burns that the best. Others say that HIIT training is always the clear winner. Research is showing that HIIT is the best overall way to burn fat.

161. Or…..should I go about the workout as a circuit? (sorry for all the questions)

     • First, check out the Magic Mike Joe Manganiello workout. Then, realize that you could easily superset The Rock’s workout in the same fashion. For example, you would do a chest exercise, superset with a shoulder exercise. Then, rest for 50 secs. The key is to keep your heart rate up, in the fat-burning zone, throughout your entire workout. This, combined with a good diet, is a surefire way to cut the fat while building muscle.

162. hey chris! i want to know how to be strong.
     i am asking because i am much weaker than anybody at my school it’s so strange cause i started working out and i am 6’3” feet tall my weight is 95 kg that means i am much bigger than anyone at my school and my muscle mass is bigger i went to a doctor and he said that so why i am so weak.For me i think it’s genetics my father and his ancestors never lift weights they are so weak and also my mother’s family so if you know how pls tell me.THX

     • Genetics can play a part, but there is research that shows what the optimal rep ranges are. Rep ranges from 1-5 will give you the most strength. Rep ranges from 6-12 are ideal for size. If your situation is that you want to be stronger: use The Rock workout, but stay in the 1-5 rep range.

       Make sure to have a spotter, so that you go to failure. Also, you will feel week if you don’t rest enough between sets. Proper rest means being able to the same amount of reps (or slightly less) than the previous set. If you don’t rest enough, then you will feel weak on the next set. Instead, increase rest to around 60-90 secs (even longer if you need).

       The science behind the 1-5 rep range is that scientists find more mitochondria in the cells of lifters at this range. More mitochondria, means you will get stronger. Mitochondria are the “powerhouse” parts of your cells.

       If you lift in the 6-12 range, then there is less mitochondria, but more support material/water. In other words, if you lift 1-5 reps at a heavy enough weight where you can’t do any more, then your body will build more cellular mitochondria. You may not look bigger, but you will be stronger. If you lift at a higher rep range, your body will look bigger, but it’s mostly just water and support material. You will look bigger, but not be as strong.

163. Hey Chris!

     I’m following this and I want to know what is a good food scheme for me. I’m 174 cm and 63 kg. Whats a good foodscheme for me?

     Sorry if my English is bad!

     • The food scheme is on page 2. Click the Orange Button that says “Continue to Page 2” to get there. The Rock eats 7 times a day. You may not have to eat as much, but I suggest eating the same type of food that he eats. Lean protein, fibrous carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

       Also, check out the The Wolverine Workout and the Magic Mike workout for similar food schemes. Click the Orange Button to get to page 2 (the food schemes) on each page.

164. I’m still confused on how the pyramid set works. So you do the same amount of reps of the same weight for 4 sets? And then increase the weight and lower the reps the next week but still do 4 sets of the same weight? So do you increase the weight in sets or increase by week doing the same thing for one whole week?

     • For this type of pyramid workout, you change it up on a weekly basis. So, you do the same thing for the whole week. Then, the next week you go up in weight, and down in reps.

165. hey chris thanks for your answer about how to be stronger but i have another question.
     you said that lifting at 5 rep range is going to give you strength but not mass that means to be strong has nothing to do with size,So why all the strongmen are very big and fat??

     • Big diet and no exercise. Rep ranges at 1-5 cause the most muscle hypertrophy. So, they eat a ton to make sure they have the nutrition to mend their muscles . Also, they don’t exercise, for fear they will lose muscle.

       It’s also why The Rock needs to do early morning cardio. He eats a ton. To make up for it, he burns fat first thing in the morning (the most optimal time to do cardio because your body has more amounts of fatty acids in the bloodstream to keep your body going at night). Unless you have a fast metabolism, you don’t want to do The Rock diet, unless you’re also doing cardio.

       Just because rep ranges in the 1-5 (where you can’t do any more after 5) zone are optimal for strength, doesn’t mean it won’t help with size, either. You will get bigger in this rep range, and it will be muscle. Just don’t forget to do cardio.

166. i had Inguinal Hernia from nearly 6 years and i wanna buff my self up but i heard that lifting is bad for my hernia and it will effect me later , so i started to make a excrise for curing my hernia the question is can i do the rock workout and the cure excrsie togther . (sorry for my bad english)

     • I would not advise doing this workout if you have a hernia. Every time you strain, it’s a potential to make your injury worse. Stick to the light exercising.

167. Hey Chris thank you very much amazing program but i wont to ask you please about i do cardio in the morning and weifght lifting at noon in the same day it can a be the same thing ? and thank you very much

     • Yes, that works fine. Just make sure to eat 1/2 hour before weightlifting. Lean Protein/ good carbs like sweet potato.

168. Hey Chris thank you very much amazing program but i wont to ask you please about i do cardio in the morning and weifght lifting at noon in the same day it can a be the same thing ? and thank you very much

169. Hey Chris thank you very much amazing program but i wont to ask you please about i do cardio in the morning and weifght lifting at noon in the same day it can a be the same thing ? and thank you very much

     • Yes, that works fine. Just make sure to eat 1/2 hour before weightlifting. Lean Protein/ good carbs like sweet potato.

     • Yes, that works fine. Just make sure to eat 1/2 hour before weightlifting. Lean Protein/ good carbs like sweet potato.

     • Yes, that works fine. Just make sure to eat 1/2 hour before weightlifting. Lean Protein/ good carbs like sweet potato.

170. Does he run on a morning and then do his weight routine on a night?
     If not, is this acceptable as doing a 2-2.5hr routine each day is not very practical for most people.

     • He runs first thing in the morning. Eats his first meal. Then, goes to the gym.

       I understand that not all of us have to time that actors do. So, it becomes a question of your goals & time. Do you want to lose weight? Then do the running portion of the routine.

       Do you want to put on muscle? Then, do that part of the routine. Or, try a combination of both. Work each muscle group at least once per week. Run on the other days. First thing in the morning for best, fat-burning results.

171. Does he run on a morning and then do his weight routine on a night?
     If not, is this acceptable as doing a 2-2.5hr routine each day is not very practical for most people.

172. Does he run on a morning and then do his weight routine on a night?
     If not, is this acceptable as doing a 2-2.5hr routine each day is not very practical for most people.

     • He runs first thing in the morning. Eats his first meal. Then, goes to the gym.

       I understand that not all of us have to time that actors do. So, it becomes a question of your goals & time. Do you want to lose weight? Then do the running portion of the routine.

       Do you want to put on muscle? Then, do that part of the routine. Or, try a combination of both. Work each muscle group at least once per week. Run on the other days. First thing in the morning for best, fat-burning results.

     • He runs first thing in the morning. Eats his first meal. Then, goes to the gym.

       I understand that not all of us have to time that actors do. So, it becomes a question of your goals & time. Do you want to lose weight? Then do the running portion of the routine.

       Do you want to put on muscle? Then, do that part of the routine. Or, try a combination of both. Work each muscle group at least once per week. Run on the other days. First thing in the morning for best, fat-burning results.

173. Is this his actual workout?? Is this workout for me trying to put on size ??

     • Yes, this is. The Rock workout will easily put size on you. But, you have to make sure that you’re not only pushing it in the gym, but the kitchen. You’ll only get size if your eating enough calories to repair muscle, and get the nutrition you need.

174. Is this his actual workout?? Is this workout for me trying to put on size ??

175. Is this his actual workout?? Is this workout for me trying to put on size ??

176. Is this his actual workout?? Is this workout for me trying to put on size ??

     • Yes, this is. The Rock workout will easily put size on you. But, you have to make sure that you’re not only pushing it in the gym, but the kitchen. You’ll only get size if your eating enough calories to repair muscle, and get the nutrition you need.

     • Yes, this is. The Rock workout will easily put size on you. But, you have to make sure that you’re not only pushing it in the gym, but the kitchen. You’ll only get size if your eating enough calories to repair muscle, and get the nutrition you need.

177. hey chris i have been following that workout for a year and it’s amazing.but now i am getting into a basketball team and a need a workout for basket ball. any thing would be appreciated a link a workout name any thing because my body isn’t for basket ball and i really want to enter the team.THX

     • Hey! You’ll find that Olympic Lifts are what basketball players use to get in basketball shape. These type of lifts make you react faster and jump higher.

       Kobe Bryant’s 666 workout routine is the most famous: http://popworkouts.com/kobe-bryant-workout-routine/

       The trouble with Olympic Lifts is that it is easy to hurt yourself if you don’t have proper form. They require supervision starting out, so that you don’t injure yourself. I only advise doing them if you have access to a friend or coach that can help guide you on your path to a totally different style of lifting.

       The Chris Davis workout for baseball also shows that Olympic Lifts are good for any sport: http://popworkouts.com/chris-davis-workout/

178. hey chris i have been following that workout for a year and it’s amazing.but now i am getting into a basketball team and a need a workout for basket ball. any thing would be appreciated a link a workout name any thing because my body isn’t for basket ball and i really want to enter the team.THX

179. hey chris i have been following that workout for a year and it’s amazing.but now i am getting into a basketball team and a need a workout for basket ball. any thing would be appreciated a link a workout name any thing because my body isn’t for basket ball and i really want to enter the team.THX

     • Hey! You’ll find that Olympic Lifts are what basketball players use to get in basketball shape. These type of lifts make you react faster and jump higher.

       Kobe Bryant’s 666 workout routine is the most famous: http://popworkouts.com/kobe-bryant-workout-routine/

       The trouble with Olympic Lifts is that it is easy to hurt yourself if you don’t have proper form. They require supervision starting out, so that you don’t injure yourself. I only advise doing them if you have access to a friend or coach that can help guide you on your path to a totally different style of lifting.

       The Chris Davis workout for baseball also shows that Olympic Lifts are good for any sport: http://popworkouts.com/chris-davis-workout/

     • Hey! You’ll find that Olympic Lifts are what basketball players use to get in basketball shape. These type of lifts make you react faster and jump higher.

       Kobe Bryant’s 666 workout routine is the most famous: http://popworkouts.com/kobe-bryant-workout-routine/

       The trouble with Olympic Lifts is that it is easy to hurt yourself if you don’t have proper form. They require supervision starting out, so that you don’t injure yourself. I only advise doing them if you have access to a friend or coach that can help guide you on your path to a totally different style of lifting.

       The Chris Davis workout for baseball also shows that Olympic Lifts are good for any sport: http://popworkouts.com/chris-davis-workout/

180. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

     • If you want to do The Rock workout, where there’s a tweet from him linked to every single exercise in the workout, then I suggest doing The Rock Hercules Workout. It has links to everything. Also, you can buy Issue 6 Vol. 1 of Train Magazine, which corroborates the details.

181. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

182. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

183. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

184. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

185. How do I know this is his actual pain and gain workout and not just made up

186. Hi Chris!
     I’m writing to You from Poland. I want to do this workout program from September. Now I’m 85kg and 174cm. How do You think how much should I eat? How much proteins, carbs and fat? My goal is to be bigger. I actually look big but I want to gain some more muscles.

     THX

     • Hi!
       You can use the calorie counter here to find your ideal amount of calories. For protein/carbs/fat, eat the same type of foods as The Rock. Just adjust it to the amount of calories that are right for you. The Rock eats more protein, and less fat, than most dietary guidelines will tell you.

       My Fitness Pal is also another good site for tracking what you eat. Good Luck!

187. Hi chris just wanted to ask roughly how long did the rock work out in terms of months to achieve his pain and gain size given mark wahlberg exclaimed that it took him 7 weeks as well could u tell about the time to take each supplement as mentioned on page 4 of this article.

     • Hi Zain,

       The Rock, I believe, had 6 months to train for Pain & Gain. The 7 weeks it took Mark Wahlberg to get so big, is the reason why some people claim he is on steroids.

       For the supps, you take:
       Multivitamins with breakfast
       BCAA’s/Creating before your workout
       Glutamine/Whey protine post-workout

       You also want to take more creatine if you’re really trying to bulk up. But, you have to cycle it on/off per the directions on the label. If you’re still sore after workouts, then you know that your diet needs to be increased. Diet is really important with this, or any, workout.

188. great workout! but i noticed how no decline bench press is involved? just concerned about abandoning lower chest muscles

     • The Flys are where The Rock works the lower chest. Emphasize that muscle group on the dips, as well. Feel free to add decline bench if you want to focus on that aspect, too.

189. Hi I have a question

     The last meal before bad has to be withour carbs

     But I have training late and I come home and eat meal that is supposed to eat after training ( proteins, CARBS. Etc) and after that I go to bad beacuse I have school in morning so my last meal have carbs

     What is your opinion about that

     • You generally want to avoid carbs before bed. Adding glycogen to your system before sleeping will likely turn that into fat. That’s why you don’t want carbs before bed.

       However, if you’re training late, then it’s okay to have carbs. Your muscles will likely scoop up that glycogen, to replace what you expended during workout. So, it’s likely fine to have carbs in your situation. Just try to find a level where you feel like you’re recovering–you don’t want to feel exhausted. Don’t load up on carbs before bed.

190. How is the best way to use creatine
     I am using serious mass And should I add cratine, bcaa in it? And does I have to use something else

     • The best time to take creatine is 30 minutes before working out. This will help you lift more during your workout. Most importantly, it is the best supplement for creating lean muscle mass! There is not enough creatine in Optimum’s serious mass product.

       Here’s a basic chart of how much you want to take during the loading phase:
       Below 155 lbs. 12-16 grams 4-8 grams
       156 to 175 lbs. 13-17 grams 5-9 grams
       176 to 199 lbs. 14-18 grams 6-10 grams
       200 to 225 lbs. 15-19 grams 7-11 grams
       Above 225 lbs. 16-20 grams 8-12 grams

       Always follow the label when it comes to creatine. It will tell you exactly how much to take. You cycle on/off based on the label’s instructions. Taking creatine with some juice is the fastest and most productive way to get creatine to work. You can also take BCAA’s before the workout, but they’re less important. If you’re taking serious mass, then I don’t think you need BCAA’s (unless you’re always sore).

191. Thank you a lot and my last comment

     I have 3 times per week box ( 45min) then I go running (20min on speed 12)
     and other days I go to gym, sunday is break day

     I started using serious mass (they said to put 2 scoops but if I put that much I wont have space for water)
     I am using 1scoop after training and half beetwen meals

     I will start using creatine again

     I wont to get muscle mass, so is it good if im using serious mass and 3 times per week have “cardio training” ( boxing and running and I am dead after that) ?

     I am planning to getting muscle mass a couple months that I will stop using gainer beacuse I will work more on my stomich to get rid of fat that I got from gainer or is it possible to use gainer and have good abs?

     Before training I drink green tea what is your opinion about that?

     • Yes, protein shakes are a great way to recover from tough workouts. The best time to have a shake is right after a workout, especially if you’re ‘feeling dead.’ When you start focusing on getting rid of fat, think about using less protein shakes and more BCAA’s (no sweetener kinds). This will help you to lose weight, burn fat, while maintaining your gains.

       Green tea is great. For Creatine, though, you want just a splash of fruit juice to promote creatine delivery straight into your muscle cells. The newest research says ‘don’t take creatine and caffeine at the same time.’ So, use de-caf green tea pre-workout, and regular green tea any time you’re not ingesting creatine.

192. What type of Hydrolyzed Whey Protein does Rock use?

     • According to his website, ON Pro Complex for the Hydrolyzed Whey Protein. He also takes Serious Mass when trying to gain weight.

193. Hey Chris, i’m 14 (turning 15 in about 4 months),my height is 175 cm and i weigh kg ;i believe i am a mesomorph (according to online test, don’t know how accurate that data would be) and want to build a lean, muscular body, i was wondering what workout and diet you would recommend to me, and if this one i suitable for me?

     • Sorry i forgot to mention that i weigh 62.2 kg and am in good shape, thank you for your help

       • See above. Let me know how it goes, and if you have more questions!

     • Try a few different workouts, based on the celebrities you like. The Rock workout is too advanced for you, if you’re just starting out. Dial it back if you want to try it. Maybe only do 4-5 exercises per day. If you’re sore, then remember to eat more. Also, The Rock created The Team Hercules Workout, a great starter plan I advise that you do.

       I started working out around your age. The best advice I can give you is to have someone watch your form. If you don’t have someone knowledgeable to spot you, then watch the linked videos to verify your form. Most people are a mix of different body types, so find a workout/diet that works for you. You’ll find that most of them work, as long as you train hard and eat well. The Rock has one of the best fitness plans out there, and the proof is in the pudding.

194. I have been following the rock routine and I am heading to the 4th week. My question is what do you do once you complete the 4 weeks of training. Do you start all over with the weights from the 4th week as your week 1 weights?

     • Yes, after 4 weeks, go back to week 1. The Rock would try to increase amount of weight he could lift each time. If you’re training hard, and eating right, try to increase your weight amounts, as well.

195. I am going to gym 6 time per week ( chest, biceps x2, back, tricpes x2, shoulders x2, abs x2, legs x1, after gym I go running for 20min)

     I have a fat on stomich, I eat everything good (protein, low carbs)

     In morning i drink creatine+glutamine
     During the day I take hydrocut (to lose fat)
     Before training I take creatine+bcaa+glutamine
     After training I take creatine+bcaa+glutamine+whey 100%

     Is this all good or you have some advice for me
     I was on 80kilograms then I wanted to get more, now I am on 92 and its fine, and now I wanna lose belly fat and get muscle mass, what is your advice to do

     • Your plan looks good. What I would point out from The Rock workout, is that he does his cardio first thing on an empty stomach. This is the best way to burn fat. Your body breaks down fat stores more readily when you do aerobic cardio first thing in the morning.

       For supplements, everything looks pretty good, too. I’m not a fan of glutamine, because I’ve never seen any research proving it’s efficacy. Hydrocut may help burn fat, but there are also side effects (possible heart trouble later on). I’d stay away from it. At the very least, make sure you’re hydrated.

       Creatine is great. Don’t take it at the same time as caffeine, though, or you will lose the effect. The idea of losing belly fat while gaining muscle mass is a tough combo (because one requires less calorie consumption, while the other benefits from higher). But, I think the more you look at The Rock workout, you’ll find the blueprint for getting it done.

196. Ive been looking for the rocks diet and workout for so long. I just want to know, i am planning on losing 13kgs of fat while gaining muscle, any ways that u would recommend i change parts of the diet plan and possibly the workout?

     • Remember that your 2 goals are hard to do in tandem. Losing weight while gaining muscle requires special attention to your diet. To lose weight, you typically have to decrease calories. To gain weight, you have to increase big time.

       The key is to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will help you burn fat. Then, use your second workout to focus on building muscle. To make sure that you’re losing weight, you may want to decrease the rest between sets, and increase the cardio.

       You will have to experiment with the diet a bit. Maybe eat less carbs, in order to lose weight (provided you still have energy to work out). Track what you eat, stick to clean food, and you’re likely on your way to finding the right balance for you.

197. MR. Davis, Ok im in the same business as Dwayne actually worked with him a couple times. We are about the same stats hieght and weight and all. But no where near the muscle size. My work out routine is pretty close to Dwaynes im changing it to the same this week. My problem is the diet! I would love to get on and follow this diet "BUT" kids work and other respondsibilities get in the way. How can I make it easier to follow.

     • Preparing food on the weekends and putting it into Tupperware for the entire week makes The Rock's diet easier to follow. If you don't have the time to cook, then remember that the most important part of your diet is getting protein right before, and right after, your workout. Make sure to have protein in your system while working out, and drink that whey shake in right after. Also, consume another serving of protein within 2 hours of working out.

198. Amazing things here. I am very happy to see your article. Thanks a lot and I am looking forward to touch you.

199. I’m currently deployed and I am going to start this workout plan. Yet I am concerned due the diet! Certain foods are not available in my location. What do you recommend? Protein I have syntha 6 would that still benefit me? Last, how quick would I see a difference?

     • Yes, Syntha 6 is good for protein. The most important takeaway is to make sure you have carbs/protein before and after your workout. Body transformation totally comes from what you eat. Eating good carbs/protein will help your performance in the gym. And, getting carbs/protein will help your muscles grow and get bigger afterward. You can taper the carbs, and increase the protein as your day goes on.

       With the diet, use trial and error. You don’t have to eat as much as The Rock, but you have to maintain a quality diet. This means getting carbs from sources other than sugar/flour. Get protein, but avoid as much animal as you can. If you’re gaining fat, you know you’re eating too much. If you’re gaining muscle, you’re doing it right. If you can’t seem to gain, then increase your diet (especially making sure to eat before your workout, and increasing how much you eat afterward).

200. You are ganna sit there and tell me he does 40 sets in 90 minutes. There is no way. Nor is there a reason to RACE through a workout. Recent studies have shown longer (3+ min) rest periods for low,med, a high rep count exercises are more beneficial.

201. Hi Chris,
     Do you recommend any using Nitric Oxide supplements. I don’t see that listed as one of Dwayne’s supplements. However, I have read that Nitric Oxide can help with supporting blood flow, oxygen intake, recovery time etc.
     What are your thoughts?

202. To ensure and maintain a strong and healthy body, we must always remember several things pre-workout, during, and after working-out. Always stay hydrated, take patience, and have a game plan and stick to it.

203. Hi I’m doing school at the same time as these workouts. Will these run me down or will i still be able to have good energy? This is better than doing it all in one day (all upper or lower body on just one day). But how long should I do the workouts for to get the best results?

204. Wow! That is why! Thanks for sharing this info!

205. With my pescatarian diet, I think I can only do yoga for now. My small build will not prepare me for anything like this. Ill probably recommend this to my guy friend who is interested to weight lift and do work outs similar to this. Thank you for sharing!

206. I am 5’3 and I weigh 53kgs. I am a cyclist,can I follow this training method? And I am ready to increase my diet. If I don’t eat beef it’s fine or do I have to eat beef? Can you email me @siddheshsharma514@gmail.com. Thank you!!

207. WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson usually start with running. He loves to have some music while working out. His dedication to staying fit has been the reason for his fame. He religiously sticks to his workout and diet plan. Being a big-time foodie, he enjoys

208. So I want to try this, but I have concerns about the diet since I have had Gastric Sleeve done. The amount of food that is recommended will not work, and I could modify it or add more shakes but not sure how to do that and keep the workouts at their current level. Is there things I can replace to keep the calorie intake where it should be, but not kill myself trying to eat 7 meals day?

209. I understand I’m probably looking on the wrong article. However, I am 165lbs and 6’2. I’m a little thinner than most. I’m just trying to get that good six pack and gain muscle all around. Any help?

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