The Rock Arm Workout: Let’s Check It Out

Table Of Contents

Breaking Down The Rock's Arm Workout
When Did The Rock Start Lifting Weights
Iron Paradise
The Rock Arm Workout: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you personally do not know me, you would probably never guess I was a huge fan of The Rock. I was never really into wrestling, but I became a big fan when he started doing action movies. His acting may not be the greatest, but he knows how to be damn entertaining. My favorite movie of his is Walking Tall, and my favorite scene in the movie is where he shows up to the casino smashes it up and beats the hell out of everyone with a giant piece of lumber 🤣.

Now, where I became an even bigger fan was when he started posting his workout clips and workout routines from “Iron Paradise.” on social media. I find his work ethic towards training and exercise extremely motivating, and it gets me pumped up!

Johnson’s training routine is a well-structured guide for anyone who wants to delve into strength training and build muscles. He mostly focuses on quality reps and maintaining the right posture in order to get the build he desires. Let’s go over his training routine involving heavy weights and bicep exercises to learn how he forms his body and builds his shape, especially on his arms.

The-Rock-doing-arm-exercise - Fitness Report

Breaking Down The Rock’s Arm Workout

Dwayne Johnson’s bicep training and arm workout consist of several types of arm exercise variations, all of which I will discuss in this article. Let’s look at how he starts and structures his training routine, and you can make your arm day challenging yet fruitful!

Dumbbell Biceps Curl

Using a barbell/dumbbell, The Rock’s first exercise is 7 sets of a dumbbell biceps curl, with around 8-12 reps. According to ‘Men’s Health’ fitness director, Dwayne Johnson never curls more than a 40-pound dumbbell, and his arms are always perpendicular to the ground – which helps him focus purely on his biceps.

Reverse Cable Curls

Johnson’s next bicep exercise is reverse cable curls using an adjustable cable machine or straight bar attachment. He does 3 sets of this particular exercise with around 8-12 reps. It takes him approximately 90 seconds to complete this exercise. This helps strengthen your biceps and forearms. Using the cable attachment is necessary for the focus to be on your biceps through the whole range of motion.

Tricep Press Downs

The rope press down builds endurance and strength in the tricep muscles, focusing solely on them and helping tone your arms. It is important to keep your elbows stationary through the entirety of this particular exercise. Again, The Rock does 3 sets of 8-12 reps each for this exercise. You should also use an adjustable cable machine with a rope attachment for press-downs.

EZ Bar Curls

Another arm workout that The Rock follows is the E-Z bar curls. He performs this exercise in a spider curl, focusing on the biceps and maintaining a tight core. He does 3 sets of around 8-12 reps each.

Cable Tricep Extensions + Reverse Tricep Extensions

These exercises are best to train the triceps and make them stronger. Use the cable machine with the rope attachment to do this exercise. You should press your glutes to the pole and bend at both the hips and knees.

Keep your shoulders still and extend your elbows, bringing the rope attachment in front of the face. Then, bend your elbows and let the rope ends go behind your head. Ensure that your elbows, wrists, and shoulders stay in line the entire time. Do 7 sets of these two exercise variants in total with 8-12 reps each.

The-Rock-Dwayne-Johnson-Training - Fitness Report

Concentration Curls

This is an important bicep training exercise that is more effective than a standard curl. Your arm should be in an anchored position to focus on the bicep fully, and your shoulders should be in one position. The Rock does 4 sets of 8-12 reps each for this exercise.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

This bicep training exercise also helps strengthen your wrists and boost your muscle endurance. They mainly target the outer biceps and help improve grip strength, making them ideal for arm gains. Johnson does 4 sets of these hammer curls with 8-12 reps each.

Weighted Dips With Chains

The Rock pushes himself into strength training and building endurance by doing dips. To make things more challenging, he uses chains around his waist to tighten his core and provide better results. He uses the dip station for this exercise and does 3 sets of 8-12 reps each.

When Did The Rock Start Lifting Weights

When he first started doing weight workouts, Dwayne Johnson was only 13 years old. However, he was not unfamiliar with them, as he was introduced to weights far earlier when he accompanied his dad, Rocky Johnson, to the gym. He remembers that his father never excused himself from his daily workout, hitting the gym after waking up at 5 am every morning.

The smell of sweat, chalk, and metal pounding has been familiar to him since he was five years old. It was when he bonded with his dad over workouts that he realized there was no substitute for hard work. Every week, he motivated himself to build a great fitness routine, strength training, and push his limits when lifting weights.

He wanted to make money to support his mother and took the passion of building a better stature more seriously, which he did through constant training and intense workouts. His message to his fans and workout freaks like him is to train for results, not to strengthen your ego.

Iron Paradise

Dwayne Johnson is known to live his life following the motto: Go big or go home. That also applies to his gyms (plural!). He does not allow traveling to get in the middle of his work ethic, which is why he has built a gym in each of his homes so he can work out wherever he may be. He has at least two Iron Paradises, with the main one at The Rock’s Miami Home.

Most of the machines present in this gym are by the company StarTrac. This well-known company specializes in making heavy-duty commercial equipment such as heavy bikes and oversized rollers. There is also a huge functional trainer from the same company at the centerpiece of his gym. Another large equipment piece you will notice in The Rock’s Iron Paradise is the huge selection of dumbbells made by Iron Grip.

Along with that, the gym also contains Hammer Strength machines, which can handle an enormous amount of weight. The Rock also keeps cardio equipment in his gym, of which he uses the elliptical and stair climber the most. These machines are made by Precor, another fancy premium brand that sells commercial gym equipment to places such as Gold’s Gym.

A crazy fact about Dwayne Johnson is that he likes to take his entire gym wherever he goes, especially if he travels for movie shoots. He packs up the gym in an 18-wheel trailer for places where there are extended stays. Can you imagine that life?

The Rock Arm Workout: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s go over some of the frequently asked questions that people may have regarding The Rock’s arm workouts and training sessions. This would help you gauge further into his lifestyle and provide answers to your basic queries.

What Is The Rock’s Weekly Workout Routine?

Dwayne Johnson wakes up at around 3:30 am, where he starts cardio for around 30-60 minutes, depending on his mood. He then has his – what he likes to call – ‘Power Breakfast,’ his first meal of the day. This is usually a flank steak, a dozen eggs (two whole and ten whites), brown rice, and sauteed mushrooms and onions.
After breakfast, he resumes his workout sessions, following 90 minutes of strength training. If you take a look at his social media, most of his workouts are intense and extreme. On the first day, he likes to focus on his chest and upper body, focusing mainly on the bench press, dumbbell press, chest dips, and hammer curls.
On the second day, he focuses solely on his legs, doing calf raises, squats, leg presses, and deadlifts. On the third day, he does back and traps, training his back with push-ups and machines. Day four is the shoulders and upper body, using dumbbells to build muscle. The fifth day is legs again, followed by arms and abs on the sixth day. The Rock likes to rest on the seventh day and eat whatever he desires.

What Does The Rock Arm Curl?

Labeling it ’21-inch Gun Salute’ by paying an ode to his huge biceps, this exercise is done using a barbell biceps curl, broken down into 3 phases with a mix of full and partial reps. I saw on a Men’s Health article the The Rock arm curls 40 lbs. dumbbells for his concentration curls, so this exercise probably uses a similar weight.

What Size Are The Rock’s Biceps?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has impressive 20 to 21 inch biceps that are huge because of all the work he puts into shaping and maintaining them.

Does Dwayne Johnson Workout 7 Days A Week?

No, Johnson works out 6 days a week, focusing on different body parts daily. He likes to keep his Sunday chill by resting and eating whatever his heart desires.