We all know Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is strong. If you didn’t know, then you must have been sleeping under…well, “a rock” for the past few decades or so. The six-foot-five famed Samoan has been bodybuilding for almost thirty years and, even at 51 years old, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
But, of course, it’s only natural for the former WWE star, considering he’s been a big gym rat for a long time – even well before he played football at the University of Miami. After dominating the WWE for nine years and becoming the world’s number-one action star for the last decade, it’s probably reasonable to say that The Rock can lift a considerable amount of weight. But exactly how much are we talking about?
How much is the Rock able to bench press?
According to Bench Press.net, it has been reported that The Rock can benchpress up to 450 lbs for a one-rep max on a good day and if his energy levels are up. That means Johnson easily pushes 600 to 700 pounds on a prime workout day in a session. With those types of stats, The Rock isn’t just Olympian; he’s Black Adam scary.
What are The Rock’s “giant sets”?
According to Men’s Health, the Jungle Cruise actor spends six days a week in his home gym, which he calls “The Iron Paradise”. Here, he intensely works on various muscle groups with what he calls “giant sets.”
Ever heard of the superset, that workout concept where bodybuilders will perform a set of two exercises back to back with little or no period of rest? Well, The Rock’s “giant sets” are an aggressive version of that, with three sets of four exercises performed until he can’t do it anymore. By incorporating heavy barbells, squats, chest presses, and other exercises to build his chest, back, legs, and biceps, Johnson has developed an unbelievable level of strength from this routine over time.
Usually, gyms have barbells that only go up to 100 pounds. That’s because it’s usually the end of the line for most gym rats. The average person wouldn’t even lift or actually do any reps with anything over 100 pounds.
However, Johnson is not your average person, and we could go as far as to say he’s not your average gym rat either. According to Garage Gym Reviews, the dumbbells in The Rock’s “Iron Paradise” go up to 150 lbs. Wow, my arm hurts just thinking about it.
The Rock uses chains in his workouts
That’s not all. In addition to the 150 lb barbells, The Rock employs multiple 50 lb chains in his leg regiment when performing lunges and squats. That means, at times, he’s carrying around at least 50 to 100 lbs of extra weight in addition to his 275 lb frame, which can total up to 375 lbs of weight on a good day. That’s almost 400 pounds!
A lesser man would have collapsed under all that weight just trying to move around for ten minutes. The Rock, on the other hand, finds it to be quite comfortable. He even leg presses 450 lbs for eight to 12 reps on each leg, then turns around and does the same amount of reps with both legs back to back.
