Homepage | Muscle | Build Bigger Muscles

The Rock's Pain & Gain workout programme

Take on the workouts the Hollywood heavyweight used to bulk up for his meatiest role yet in Pain & Gain, created by his personal trainer Dave Rienzi

The Rock works hard. Sometimes too hard. "He loves to train so you struggle to keep him out of the gym," says his trainer, Dave Rienzi, who started working with 41-year-old Dwayne Johnson before Wrestlemania in 2011, and has designed his routines ever since.

"When I started working with [Johnson], he was spending too much time in the gym, which was a little counter productive, so I had to try to limit him to a really intense 45-60 minutes," says Rienzi. Intense, as anyone taking on this programme will see, is something of an understatement.

Monday: Back and abs

For all workouts unless otherwise stated do one set of 12 reps, one set of 10 reps and a last set of 8 reps for each exercise. Up the weight each set. Rest for 90 seconds betweens sets.

Warm up

Internal and external rotations on cable machine. 2 sets of 20 reps on each arm.

Back

Pull-ups
One arm dumbbell row
Reverse grip pulldown
Cable row
Stiff arm pullover with rope
Barbell shrugs

Abs

For both abs moves do 3 sets of 20 reps. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.

Rope crunches
Hyperextensions

Tuesday: Chest and calves

Warm up

Internal and external rotations on cable machine. 2 sets of 20 reps on each arm.

 Chest

Incline dumbbell press
Flat dumbbell press
Incline fly
Cable crossover (3 x 20 reps, high to low)
Cable crossover (3 x 20 reps, low to high)

Calves

Do 3 sets of 50 reps for each all three exercises.

Standing calf raise
Leg press calf raise
Single leg standing calf raise with dumbbells

Wednesday: Legs and abs

Warm up

Hip flexor stretches, leg swings and kicks, foam rolling and glute bridges.

Legs

Take 90 seconds rest betweens sets.

Leg extension (3 x 20 reps)
Leg press (3 x 50 reps)
Single leg press (3 x 20 reps)
Dumbbell lunges (3 x 20 reps)
Lying leg curls (3 x 15 reps)
Romanian deadlifts (3 x 12 reps)

Abs

Side plank (3 reps, hold for 60 seconds)

Thursday: Shoulders

 Warm up

Internal and external rotations on cable machine. 2 sets of 20 reps on each arm.

Seated lateral raise (5 sets)
Dumbbell shoulder press
Side lateral raise superset
Cable side lateral raise (no rest between sets)

Friday: Arms

Warm up

Internal and external rotations on cable machine. 2 sets of 20 reps on each arm.

 Barbell curls
Preacher curls
Close grip cable curls
V-bar pushdowns
Single arm overhead triceps extension
Rope pushdown superset with…
…Leaning rope extension