When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was first positioned because the inheritor obvious to Arnold Schwarzenegger within the function of cinema’s action-hero megastar, many dismissed it as a joke. Positive, the pro-wrestler-turned-actor had an out of doors shot at big-screen success…however an icon? The jury was out.
Roughly 20 years after Johnson swapped the squared circle for Hollywood full-time, he reached the highest of the movie-star mountain, repeatedly rating number-one on lists of highest-paid entertainers on the planet.
Like Schwarzenegger, Johnson’s system for field workplace dominance was constructed on a mixture of his pre-filming aura and status, mixed with measurement, charisma, chiseled facial options, and common shows of bodily power that border on unreal.
However that begs the query: How sturdy is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? We have a look at the proof under:
[Related: How Strong Was Arnold Schwarzenegger?]
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Coaching Model
Johnson educated in another way throughout his time as a school soccer participant, a professional wrestler, and an actor. When he was nonetheless a WWE Famous person in his early 30s, “The Rock’s” coaching program appeared to emphasise the upkeep and maximization of explosiveness and athleticism. Coaching this fashion ensured Johnson’s potential to duplicate spectacular feats of energy within the ring, evening in and evening out, with no particular results division or CGI stunt doubles to bolster his performances.
As he’s settled into the function of Hollywood’s go-to motion hero, Johnson seems to have transitioned his coaching methodology to a extra conventional bodybuilding type. He doesn’t flirt with weight totals which are on the uppermost fringes of his one-rep limits — and why would he?
Why would Johnson put filming schedules of Jungle Cruise 14 or Jumanji 11 in danger for an aching want to know precisely how a lot he might bench press with out his ulnas snapping in two? With thousands and thousands of {dollars} and a status for reliability at stake, some questions aren’t value discovering the solutions to.
Thankfully, for our functions, Johnson freely gives glimpses into his coaching routines and posts exercise movies to his Instagram web page on a weekly foundation, so we will see the type of power and muscle management he’s working with.
The Rock’s Pattern Exercise
There are many Johnson’s exercises floating round on-line. Beneath you’ll discover his again routine from his prep for 2019’s Hobbs & Shaw with coach Dave Rienzi:
Johnson and his staff present full exercises for public consumption. Moreover, followers usually see Johnson going arduous and heavy on the weights on Instagram. These feats embrace Johnson incline benching 100-pound dumbbells like they’re manufactured from paper and belt-squatting greater than 700 kilos for reps on the tail finish of leg day.
[Related: 8-Time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney’s Back Workout Explained]
Most often, these movies on social media not often illustrate the place Johnson is within the development of his exercises, what his rep rely is, or precisely how a lot weight he’s utilizing. What is obvious is that the Rock’s coaching strategies are per bodybuilding ideology.
We don’t see any proof of Johnson performing clear & jerks or in any other case whipping round a unfastened, plate-loaded barbell like he’s getting ready for a basic weightlifting competitors. He does each train with a manageable weight — at the least to him — inside a rep vary meant to induce hypertrophy.
So, How Sturdy Is “The Rock”?
Whereas we’re bereft of any concrete examples of Johnson making an attempt to point out off his one-rep max lifts, we do have some anecdotal proof and a few extrapolations to attract from.
On the Bench Press
Earlier than we get into how sturdy the Rock is, let’s speak about how sturdy he was, or at the least how a lot energy he allegedly possessed as soon as upon a time.
The Rock’s soccer teammate from the College of Miami, Leon Searcy, pegged Johnson’s bench press at round 400 kilos and his squat at 500 kilos as a freshman. Searcy mentioned Johnson was out-lifting the veterans on the staff.
For a extra fashionable have a look at his energy, fast-forward to an interview with WIRED from 2021, when Johnson estimated that his one-rep bench max fell someplace between 400 and 500 kilos. That’s not a lot to go on, however luckily, we have now another technique of estimation at our disposal.
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Take the elevate above, the place Johnson mentioned he benched 275 kilos on a impartial grip bar for 5 partial reps, adopted by 10 full reps with two-second pauses. If the burden and reps are correct, we might use a one-rep max conversion instrument to place his whole within the 430-pound vary. When viewing the effortlessness with which he cranked out pause-rep units with 120-pound dumbbells, these projections don’t appear outlandish.
On the Squat
In June 2022, Johnson uploaded a video of himself performing belt squats with what appears to be like to be 740 kilos for at the least six reps. In response to one comparability of belt squat vs. again squat weights, a single belt-squat elevate at 800 kilos would place his most squat at round 480 kilos.
[Related: 12 Science-Backed Benefits of Squats You Should Know About]
Primarily based on the amount of reps, Johnson’s single-rep max for conventional again squats could possibly be within the 500-pound vary, if not increased. Once more, these are all forecasts of potential power, and Johnson doesn’t have many movies of himself performing conventional again squats.
How Does His Energy Stack Up?
Impressively. If exercise-to-exercise extrapolations are wherever close to precise, Johnson basically maintained the uncooked power he possessed as a 20-year-old NCAA Division 1 defensive deal with within the mid-90s. He probably constructed upon that power to exceed his marks from three a long time prior.
Whereas Johnson doesn’t seem to elevate for optimum energy anymore, we will use his projected max on the bench of round 430 kilos to place his power in perspective.
In 2019, Johnson posted that he weighed round 260 kilos, placing him within the 120kg (264-pound) weight class within the Worldwide Powerlifting Federation (IPF). For comparability’s sake, that weight class’ heaviest bench press on the 2022 Powerlifting America Traditional Open Nationals went to Enrique Lugo, who topped out at 230 kilograms (507 kilos), adopted by Nicholas Guidice at 225 kilograms (496 kilos).
[Related: How Strong Was Ronnie Coleman?]
The truth that a 50-something actor like Johnson owns a bench press probably inside 100 kilos of a number of the most elite lifters on the planet is spectacular. Johnson’s additionally inside 100 kilos of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s self-reported bench max of 525 kilos.
The Rock’s present peak upper- and lower-body power rank him extremely amongst athletes from all walks of life. On the identical time, he understands to not elevate along with his ego; it’s why you don’t see one-rep max movies on his Instagram each week. He is aware of that probably billions of {dollars} on the world field workplace are resting upon his large shoulders — and that sort of restraint requires an entire totally different sort of power.
Featured Picture: @therock on Instagram