YOU MAY HAVE noticed that Dwayne Johnson has been looking leaner lately. You’re not imagining it. The Rock has lost 22kg over the last year for his next role in Lizard Music, in which he stars as an eccentric 70-something known as the Chicken Man. For perhaps the first time in his acting career, the hulking physique that has become his trademark isn’t necessary.
Let there be no mistake, The Rock is still much bigger than the average man – but it’s been a long time since he was this light. “My current weight is 106kg and holding conditioning very nicely,” Johnson said in a recent Instagram post. “Last time I was this weight was my freshman football season at the University of Miami. I was a little ‘light in the ass’, for a defensive tackle, but still a monster.”
As a result of the cut, Johnson feels better than he has in years. “[I] feel phenomenal at this weight,” he said. “Strength, endurance and pumps with training are all fantastic – cardiovascular is excellent and holding conditioning nice and tight. Of course my muscle fullness fluctuates through the week with lower-carb days, but nothing a few pre-workout rice cakes, honey and a pinch of salt can’t fix.’
The cut has required Johnson to pay close attention to his nutrition. He’s been in perma-bulk mode for decades, but recent posts have detailed how he’s changed his diet to support the weight drop while remaining sustainable. “[I] wanted to be strategic and wise about the weight cut and not implement anything extreme,” he explained. “My high-carb days (approx 450 grams of carbs) fall on my two leg days and Sunday, and my low- to medium-carb days (250-300g) fill out the rest of the week.
“What’s also made a HUGE impact in my progress was completely cutting out all refined sugars,” he continued. “For an athlete who was constantly battling a calorie surplus this move was transformative. Also keeping fat on the lower side as well. 50-60g daily.”
Dwayne Johnson's weight cutting nutrition plan
Johnson broke down his regular pre- intra- and post-workout meals in a recent Instagram post. While the meals have allowed him to lose weight, they would put most of the population in a fairly heavy calorie surplus (who puts rice in their pre-workout for weight loss?). What we’re saying is to adjust these at your own discretion, rather than copying them measurement for measurement.
Pre-Workout
140g rice
50g protein powder
140-150g frozen blueberries
Ice
Water
“Not reinventing the wheel here, but started blending my rice with my protein powder for a fast-digesting pre-workout,” Johnson said. “Usually I do the old-school Cream of Rice (orange box), which has always been the staple, but this blended jasmine rice change-up works great too. By the time I get to my first round of working sets I’m ready to go.”
Intra-Workout
50g dextrin carbs
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
EAAs
275-300mg caffeine
10g creatine
Post-Workout
75g protein powder
140-150g frozen blueberries
Ice
Stevia
125g rice
“Post-workout meal since I’m always on the go and don’t have time to sit down and eat,” he says. “Blend. Enjoy.”
How dropping weight changed The Rock’s approach to training
You’d think a guy who must’ve spent half his life in the gym wouldn’t have much left to learn about training, but losing weight gave him a new perspective. “Doing it this way created a great opportunity for me to become super acutely attuned to my body – mentally/spiritually and of course physically,” he said. “It’s also given me a completely new perspective on the ‘mind-muscle connection’ that we as athletes are always chasing.”
Sharing the final set of a recent chest workout, Johnson revealed how he puts that mind-muscle connection into use. “When hitting peak fatigue, I’ll do two rest pauses and as many half reps as I can at the end,” he said. “Control the weight – especially at the end when you’re so fucking fatigued and all you got left is your grit and guts – that’s the time to really control your form. At this point it’s all mental flow state through the pain – and that’s where the magic happens. On the other side of your pain is your greatness.”
