The Rock's Workout (BRUTALLY HONEST REVIEW)

If you wanted to know all about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s leg workout that was recently posted online, then you’ve come to the right place. In this video, I am going to break down what The Rock’s leg workout looks like and give my thoughts on what he’s doing as well as why I think he is doing it. Just like I’ve done for every celebrity workout critique that I have done in the past, I am going to be respectful and provide an unbiased review of The Rock’s workout leading up to Wrestlemania.

The Rock’s leg workout starts with him walking into the gym and observing the equipment that he is going to be using. During this clip, you might notice something with his calf; one appears to have more muscle hypertrophy than the other. This is due to a muscle compensation that results from the fact that The Rock ruptured his achilles tendon back in 2006. So, knowing he has an injury history is important to understand some of the context of why he is doing what he’s doing.

The first exercise up in The Rock’s giant set is an ISO lateral leg press. You will notice that he does 10 reps on each leg before doing 10 reps together for a total of 20 reps on each leg. A few things to notice here - the high foot placement and torso angle of The Rock in the machine. The foot placement and torso angle looks to me like he is biasing his glutes and hamstrings more than the quads. This could very well be by design as we know that athletes need to train the posterior train just as much if not more than the anterior chain muscles so that they can perform to the best of their abilities.

The second exercise in The Rock's leg workout is a vertical leg press. Again, you have to take note of the torso angle here - with the angle between the torso and the hips being fairly closed, compared to open, the shift of the focus is going to be on the posterior chain again. Now, I don't love this exercise because of its ability to aggravate the SI joint. Anyone with SI joint pain or dysfunction is likely not going to find this exercise at the top of the list because of its biomechanics.

Next up in this circuit is the belt squat. I love this exercise and ranked it as one of the best you can do to build your quads if you have access to the machine. Looking at the torso angle, The Rock is definitely more upright which shifts the brunt of the work to the quads. Now, some might want to get on him for his depth, but I think his range of motion is chosen for a reason. With a history of knee injuries, there is a possibility that going deeper might cause discomfort. There is also the reasoning that The Rock is keeping constant tension on the quads by staying within the limited range of motion and not stopping at the top or the bottom.

Coming in the fourth spot of this 5 exercise giant set is the reverse hack squat. There are two ways to use this machine; facing in and facing out. The Rock chooses to face in, which means that he is, again, biasing the muscles of the posterior chain. Looking at the angle of the torso, which again is more closed, as well as the angle and direction of the feet on the foot plate shows that the quads are not going to be taking on the brunt of the work in this exercise. If he were facing outward with the angle of the torso being more open as well as the feet angle upwards instead of down, he would be biasing the quads.

The final exercise that The Rock chooses for his leg workout is the dumbbell walking lunge. The lunge is one of my favorite exercises for training the legs and it makes me happy knowing that The Rock chose it for his workout too. With a slight lean forward, I think he is again trying to bias the muscles of the posterior chain a little more favorably. The first thing to notice is the way he steps up and out, increasing his base of support to maintain balance throughout the exercise. Also, pay attention to the high step he takes - this allows for full knee and glute extension as well as provides a soft landing which can be useful for someone with a history of knee discomfort.

As a bonus exercise to finish the 3rd round of his giant set leg workout, The Rock finishes with a stiff legged deadlift.

Here is what The Rock's leg workout looks like:

GIANT SET x 3 rounds:

A. ISO Lateral Leg Press x 20 reps
B. Vertical Leg Press x 12 reps
C. Belt Squat x 10 reps
D. Reverse Hack Squat x 10 reps
E. DB Walking Lunges x 20 reps

*BONUS* Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift - 3 x 10 reps

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[mudo]

I can hear The Rock interrupting you already saying, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!"

[tomcraig]

Hi Jeff! I've learned a ton from you. Your teaching on facepulls and deadlift saved my back. No more painful arthritis. No more supplements to attempt to ease the pain. Thank you! I'd like to see a video with a thorough discussion on Dwayne's actual workout. Like many people, I don't believe much of what's on the internet and because he's an actor, I can't help but to wonder if it's all an act on his side. Meaning, we're not getting the true story of the dedication and the sacrifices he makes in order to look like he does. Again, thanks for your content and keep the videos coming!

[SantomPh]

Dwayne had a promising football career, but a complete shoulder separation (requiring total reconstruction), a torn Achilles heel, and five separate knee surgeries during his time at the University of Miami have carried on through his entire life.

[championluvah]

I'm a little surprised that through the entire career of The Rock there hasn't been any rival wrestlers named "The Paper" or "The

[A_Coffee_Bear]

Great explanations! Especially for the step technique of the Walking Lunges. I will try this version next time.

[ivystorm]

“If you look at this through the lens of hypertrophy like some people do” lol 😂 I get it!

[DogmaFight]

Definitely looks like a workout of a guy with a chronic low back injury. Gotta do some of these alternatives to build leg strength without loading the back too much.

[nptfit]

I like the authenticity to look at this in a big picture sense. Some people do this for entertainment. You do this to educate. Some people critique because it doesn't fit their "hypertrophy" narrative. You understand there are different variables, training methods, goals. Too many people view workouts from purely a bodybuilding aspect. The reality is we do not know what each person's own goals are and the full picture of their training workout/plan

[nomnomyourmom]

1:05 Calf
2:22 Uni Leg Press
4:10 Vertical Leg Press
6:00 Belt Squat

7:35 Inverted H ck Squat
9:05 Walking Lunge
13:30 Stiff Legged Deadlift
15:55 Feedback

[dradakang]

This rock dude looks extremely similar to dwayne Johnson

[VConley]

Great video and break down. I know the Rock had talked about not getting gassed as he did 10-11 years ago when he wrestled cena, (and he tore several muscles during that match) so he definitely elevated his conditioning.

[WickedRibbon]

Thanks Jeff! Really enjoy hearing your Physical Therapist knowledge applied to these workouts.

[diy]

I love the Romanian dead lift. It's made a huge difference in my hamstring size and it helps break through plateaus in regular dead lift.

[akapabs]

Can't wait to see Dr. Mike critiquing Jeff critiquing The Rock's leg workout.

[przybylskipawel]

Your content is pure gold! It was the source of many adjustments and changes to my diet and workout regime, that I struggle with as a skinnyfat guy. What is a bit problematic to me is the audio quality. Despite using lav mic, your voice is still heavily reverberant, making it hard to understand sometimes. Impression of recording being made in a gym is very organic and adds credibility but the your phonation is very explosive (It is a great thing - I sing in a choir and since I start to work-out and strengthen my core, my voice improved dramatically) and it could use some softening perhaps through taming that reverb a bit more.

[boots]

Jeff talking about The Final Boss' workouts? Look at you now!

[nboss]

This Rock guy is never going to get big lifting this

[benjaminpujols]

I agree with everything and as far as the backward lunges go I really prefer those as well not only for knee protection but also specifically because if I do it in my living room I don't have miles to go so if I go backwards and back to where I started then I can pretty much do it in one spot like running in place for example

[PG]

On the lunges. Also notice that he raises the rear leg before he pushes off with the forward leg. This takes the pressure off of the knee of the rear leg. I have done this for several years as well due to knee issues.