WE BET YOU never thought Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would need to train harder for a role, but here we are. It’s 2025, and The Rock is set to play one of the most fearsome fighters of all time, two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr, so even he needs to put in some extra work.
The Rock has plenty of size, but in the years since exiting the ring, he’s lost some stamina and cardiovascular fitness. To handle the intense, stunt-heavy scenes in The Smashing Machine, rebuilding that cardio base has been the focus of his training, while also leaving space for him to learn the ropes of mixed martial arts.
The Rock’s training routine for The Smashing Machine is high intensity, a mix of cardio, strength and combat training, and of course, it begins on an empty stomach. See what The Rock has said about his routine below.
The Rock's training routine for 'The Smashing Machine'
“I wake up in the morning and I do cardio on an empty stomach.” The Rock says in a video shared on Instagram. “I have a little bit of caffeine. Maybe a 100-150mg, maybe 200. Have some aminos with that and a probiotic. And an hour later I’m doing cardio.”
“I did 40 minutes today of interval cardio. I guess somewhat high intensity,” he continues. “I do 45-50 seconds on the stair master, at level 14 or 15. Then I bring it back down to level 7 or 8. And I’ll recover for the next two minutes. So, it’s basically almost a minute of high intensity and then 2 minute recovery. But you’re keeping a really nice steady state.”
The Rock doesn’t stop there, however. That’s just the start his day. “I’m done now, I’ll go home, I’ll eat breakfast, I’ll get some more work done. And then I’ll eat again, my lunch. And then I will come back here to the gym and train on the weights and then I’ll have my post-workout shake.”
The Rock has also shared a number of intense combat training sessions on Instagram, as he learns MMA fighting.
“Even though I grew up in the world of professional wrestling, it’s still super f**cking hard to do,” he said on Instagram. “And combat sports like MMA are completely new to me, this is a whole new world.”
“I’m a hard worker, but I realised that I’d have to work harder with this role than anything I’ve ever worked for in my life,” he said in another post.
When does The Smashing Machine come out?
The Smashing Machine is set to hit cinemas on October 2nd and will see Johnson star alongside Emily Blunt.
