WHEN DWAYNE JOHNSON When he reached the age of 40, he began to change his gym tactics. “The wear and tear on the joints catches up with you,” he says his longtime trainer, Dave Rienzi. This coincided with one of Johnson’s biggest projects since he became the global icon known as The Rock: building a physique fit for a superhero. And not just any comic book figure, one strong enough to be played by the biggest man in movies.
This year, Johnson turned 50 (which we discussed with him, among other things, in his new men’s health cover interview). To keep the icon in the form of an antihero for his role in black adam without putting him in danger of overtraining or injury, Rienzi implements these four strategies into his routine.
How The Rock’s Strength Trainer Keeps Him Healthy (And Strong) At 50
1. Previous escape!
Johnson He doesn’t want to train ultra-heavy, so it makes lighter loads a challenge. He often does a series of isolation movements (for example, a chest pulldown fly), and then immediately follows with a compound movement (for example, a bench press). The iso movement leaves your chest fatigued, causing the compound to move with more force, even with moderate weight.
2. Do buttocks for days
“We really prioritize train the posterior chainsays Rienzi. Johnson does Romanian deadlifts 2-3 times a week to target his back, gluteal and hamstring muscles. The gluteal muscles help protect the lower back and keep it explosive.
3. Late squat
Most lifters squat early in their workout. Johnson often makes them like the last move of leg day. That means your leg muscles are already burned from other lifts (like those Romanian deadlifts!), so you can test your quads and hamstrings with a moderate weight.
4. Slow. It’s. Down.
For at least 2 movements in each workout, Johnson focuses on time under stress. You’ll take a moderate weight for, say, a bicep curl, then curl up, squeeze your biceps, and slowly lower the weight for 4 seconds. “The thirty-five-pound dumbbell curl with a 4-second negative for 10 reps is a brutal exercise,” says Rienzi. Do 3 to 4 sets. Enjoy the burn.
Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS, is the director of physical conditioning for men’s health and a certified trainer with over 10 years of training experience. He has logged training time with NFL athletes and track athletes and his current training regimen includes weight training, HIIT conditioning and yoga. Before joining Men’s Health in 2017, he served as a sports columnist and technology columnist for the New York Daily News.
