This Guy Is Trying The Rock's Insane Fitness Plan, And It's Changing His Life
Halfway through a month-long trial of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's insane diet and workout plan, one family man shared his experience with the world.
The 37-year-old Redditor, who goes by the name "nycballer," posted a halftime update detailing exactly how much exercise he has to do every day, along with the ridiculous amount of food he has to eat to keep up with The Rock's standards.
As far as his reasoning for doing such an experiment, he said he was inspired after seeing The Rock's fitness regimen detailed in a magazine.
The 37-year-old explained,
I decided to see if I could do the same thing, see how I measure up. This isn't about following a fitness and eating plan that's optimized for me. It seemed like too much food for a guy my size. It's also not about using this plan for specific results. I have no desire to look like The Rock. It was just about 'can I do this really hard thing this successful guy does while living a normal life?'
That "really hard thing" is this insane plan, which was recorded in nycballer's Reddit post at the 17-day mark of his experiment. Check it out below.
Daily diet: seven meals and 5,390 calories per day
Meal 1 – 10 oz cod, two whole eggs, 2 cups oatmeal Meal 2 – 8 oz cod, 12 oz sweet potato, 1 cup veggies Meal 3 – 8 oz chicken, 2 cups white rice, 1 cup veggies Meal 4 – 8 oz cod, 2 cups rice, 1 cup veggies, 1 tbsp fish oil Meal 5 – 8 oz steak, 12 oz baked potato, spinach salad Meal 6 – 10 oz cod, 2 cups rice, salad Meal 7 – 30 grams casein protein, egg-white omelet with 10 eggs, 1 cup veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms), 1 tbsp fish oil
Monday workout: chest
50 minutes elliptical Incline Barbell Bench Press 4x12/10/8/6 Flat Bench Dumbbell Press 4x12 Incline Hammer Strength Press 4x12 (alternate arms, start extended) Flat Bench DB Fly 3x12 Cable Crossover Superset with Dips 3x15/to failure
Tuesday workout: legs
50 minutes elliptical Leg Extension 4x25 Leg Press Superset with Weighted Walking Lunges 4x50/40 Hack Squat Machine 4x20 Romanian Deadlift 4x12 Lying Leg Curls 4x12 Standing Calf Raise 5x75 Seated Calf Raise 5x50
Wednesday workout: arms
50 minutes elliptical Preacher Curl with EZ Bar 4x12 Standing BB Curl with EZ Bar 4x12 Dumbbell Curl 4x12 Rope Pushdown 4x12 Rope Overhead Tricep Extensions 4x12 Triceps Dips to Failure 4x12
Thursday workout: back
50 minutes elliptical Pullups (wide grip) 4x to Failure One Arm DB Row 4x12/10/8/8 Hammer Strength Two Arm Row 4x10 Close Grip Pulldown 3x12 Cable Row (double drop set) 3x12 Rope Pullover Super Set with Rope High Row 3x15/15 DB Shrugs 4x12 (15-sec hold at end of each set)
Friday workout: shoulders
50 minutes elliptical Hammer Strength Shoulder Press 4x12/10/10/8 Seated DB Shoulder Press 3x10 Standing Side Lateral Raises 4x12 One Arm Cable Side Lateral Raise 3x20 Reverse Fly Machine 4x12 Bent Over Lateral Raise 4x10
Saturday workout: legs
50 minutes elliptical Leg Extension 4x25 Leg Press Superset with Weighted Walking Lunges 4x50/40 Hack Squat Machine 4x20 Romanian Deadlift 4x12 Lying Leg Curls 4x12 Standing Calf Raise 5x75 Seated Calf Raise 5x50
So, how does he feel after going through all this? Nycballer wrote,
Though I'm 6'3”/207lbs and The Rock is 6'5”/260lbs, I haven't gained any weight eating 5,000 calories a day. I would have thought at this surplus it would have led to putting on some weight. But I'm noticeably building muscle while getting leaner.
Among his other takeaways is the fact that preparing the meals his new diet requires while trying to balance a full-time job and his family is the toughest part. Also, the cost of those meals is about $42 per day.
The experimenter, additionally, said the use of podcasts and audiobooks helps him focus and feel "smarter" throughout his two-hour workouts.
Crucially, though, he said eating more has helped him avoid age-induced soreness so far, explaining,
I feel great. I'm 37, around the time when mysterious aches and pains pop up. Eating like this is preventing any muscle soreness or DOMS. And I'm lifting heavier than I had in awhile. Makes me realize I definitely haven't been eating enough, and that sometimes your body needs high glycemic carbs (something I've avoided for years).
So, The Rock's fitness regimen is apparently the Fountain of Youth. Who knew?
