Superhuman To Superhero
For the part two weekends running Black Adam has become No.1 Movie in the World. To celebrate this momentous achievement we take a look into how the leading man the legend himself, Dwayne Johnson went from superhuman to superhero physique.
Images Courtesy Of Warner Bros UK
As we all know Dwayne Johnson is never shy of hard work, going by his personal slogan “Hardest Worker in the room” and if you ever tune into his live workouts on Instagram you would fully agree with that statement and some. Black Adam has been 15 years of Johnson’s life from the concept of bringing the character to the big screen to finally opening in cinemas around the globe on 21st October 2022. Over the course of those years DJ has committed and sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in his personally built portable training facility “The Iron Paradise” where he goes, it goes.
Dwayne Johnson’s “Iron Paradise” Homegym
Check out DJ’S Black Adam project rock training apparel – www.underarmour.co.uk/en-gb/c/project-rock/
Let’s firstly start with his incredible nutrition and diet regime. Dwayne intakes 6000 calories per day just to maintain the energy levels that he needs to fuel those big muscles. His meals typically involve a combination of lean protein to support muscle growth along with plenty of carbs for energy. In his pre-workout breakfast there would be fruit, oatmeal, egg whites and steak. Lunch and dinner are often quick digestible carbs such as rice or sweet potatoes beside a portion of chicken or buffalo to tick the protein box. He often mixes it up with fish such as salmon or cod to provide healthy fats. He has said he never skimps on vegetables either, these offer rich micronutrients for all round overall health.
When it comes down to getting in the best shape possible for the big screen, DJ gets very strict with his diet, even though it is very tedious he weighs every meal and keeps track of his calorie intake to ensure each meal is exactly on point and he is fuelling his body with the correct amount of everything. Now this process works very well with Sports Athletes, Bodybuilders and film stars however this strict dieting is not required for the average person to keep in shape. It has recently been proven that a strict calorie counting regime is not the best for your overall physical and mental health. Many actors have spoken out about the sheer amount of hard work and dedication involved with getting into shape for such roles. Will Poulter recently commented on his transformation for his role as Marvel’s Warlock “I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do what I have done to get ready for that job”.
Will Poulter will be “Warlock” in Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3
Now every person needs a cheat day and Dwayne Johnson is no different. He is known for his ridiculously carb filled, sugar crazy cheat meals. These cheat meals become a workout in their own right, they can consist of shed load of sushi to a stack of cookies. Lately he has indulged himself with two “Big Daddys” cheeseburgers with avocado, bacon, onions, lettuce, tomato with a double portion of fries. In his words “Work hard, play hard”. Not forgetting a glass on the side of his signature tequila “Teremana” on the rocks.
Moving swiftly onto this actual training program, Dwayne Johnson is a big believer and advocate for “Fasted Cardio” which means working out on an empty stomach. This method is also used by Superman himself Henry Cavill. This helps with those super defined muscles and keeping to a low body fat. Even though superstars and trainers highly rate and swear by this process. A 2016 study has found cardio does burn more fat, but evidence suggests it doesn’t affect your overall body fat percentage.
Johnson splits his workouts throughout the day, starting off in the early hours of the morning with a fasted cardio session, then later on in the day returns to the gym once his family have gone to bed.
See below his weekly routine –
Monday – Back and Biceps
Tuesday/Wednesday – Shoulders
Thursday – Return to Back and Biceps with super sets or tri sets.
Friday – Chest and Triceps
Saturdays – Reserved for Legs and in his words the “Hardest Workout of them all”
Sundays – Rest day and his legendary cheat meal day.
As you can see The Rock trains each muscle group so let’s find out what he does in each session.
CHEST AND TRIP WORKOUTS
Like most people, Johnson works his larger muscle group with a smaller one i.e. he workouts back and biceps in one session. Because his chest and triceps workout comes at the end of the week, it contains less volume however the intensity is at maximum level. He starts with three “Giant sets” of four exercises; flies, chest press, incline press and bodyweight dips, all of which are performed until failure. Then, after a brief rest, he moves onto three sets of four different exercises that target the long, lateral and medial heads of the triceps.
THE HARDEST WORKOUT OF THE WEEK – LEGS
It comes every Saturday and be sure that Johnson does not skip leg day. He begins with 20 to 30 minute stretching session. Remember you can’t work those muscles hard without loosening them up first. He then moves into the workout with giant sets of
- Leg extensions/Leg curls
- Compound Pressing Movement
- Chain Lunges
- Shark Pit Squats
- Barbell Squats
He has commented that he prefers using a two-legged rig which allows him to alternate legs in a ladder routine. After this he moves onto walking lunges with two huge 23kg chains around his neck (yes he does this for real not just for show in his Under Armour adverts) then he finishes with squats, using a Pit Shark machine, which moves the load from a bar on the spine to a belt around his hips, before transitioning to a rack to perform more traditional barbell squats. Last but not least after the giant sets, he completes the leg day targeting hamstrings and calves. In his words “It’s a lot of hard work (especially balancing everything else life throws our way), but I really enjoy the challenge of new goals,”
Now after he works out he needs to fuel those muscles to help with recovery and ensure he is able to perform once again the next day. Here is his recipe of his post-workout protein shake.
- 65 to 70g of protein powder
- 35g of carbohydrate powder
- 1 apple
- 1 scoop electrolytes
- Creatine
- Water
- Ice
Then an hour after working out, he will eat a meal which usually is chicken breast with rice and greens. He adds “Don’t overlook the importance of getting in your protein/carb/sugar immediately after your workout,” says Johnson. “It’s that critical time where your muscles will optimally absorb these nutrients after you’ve torn the muscles down from your workout.”
Now this is just small insight into what Dwayne Johnson has put his body and mind through to get into such physical health and shape for the role of “Black Adam”. I can honestly say after watching the film his sacrifice has paid off and the box office figures agree with me, raking in $111 million in domestic ticket sales and $250 million globally.
Image Courtesy Of Warner Bros UK
Check out Dwayne Johnson on stage in his Black Adam costume at SDCC this year, there is no need for muscles pads on this super suit!
If after reading this you feel superhuman and want to try DJ’S routine and regime, please tread with caution others have tried and failed miserably. Always seek professional help and consult your Doctor before entering into such a hard core routine. Keep in mind Johnson’s job was to become Black Adam with the backing of a global multi-million movie studio, us mortal civilians have bills to pay and families who rely on us not get injured.
Either way just typing this is making me sweat. I am going to cool off with a protein shake and maybe lift a dumb bell or two on the way.