Dwayne on cover of Men’s Athletic Quarterly
Undisputed.
CINDY PEARLMAN
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the most recognizable faces in the world. He dominated the wrestling world and is now a legitimate box office threat. Action hero, family films; he can do it all. What’s next for the undisputed Hollywood success story?
The Rock doesn’t do things halfway. “When I’m in the gym, I’m very hardcore,” says the wrestler turned movie star. “I love training and I love the challenges of training every day and getting after it.”
“When you train - inside or outside - you gotta be an animal,” Johnson says. “You go for it. You get your sweat on.”
How does he get his sweat on? “It’s all about cardio and weights for me. You can get a cardio workout with weights and you don’t have to go too heavy or go to the gym for two hours,” he says.
“I prefer a good balance of both,” Johnson says. “I think when you finally decide to become active and train it’s important to be efficient with your time.
“I go for 45 to 50 minutes to the gym. I’m efficient and I see results,” he says.
He says that if it’s nice outside he’ll hit the pavement. “I’ll run and do some sprints,” he says. “I also do biometric work. I work with a great trainer and we’re constantly trying to find new and inventive ways that are cutting edge.”
But, he doesn’t discount the old ways. “At the end of the day the old exercises, like push ups are the best.”
He says that women have to really make working out a priority. “Women have this wiring where they will put themselves last and put everybody else first,” he says. “By the end of the day they’re too tired to workout. They’re a mom and they’re working.”
“You have to make time and exercise,” he says. “With women, you should make it fun. Get a partner and go to the gym. Get an Ipod. Take a class. Whatever is fun for you.”
He admits that he does splurge on certain junk foods. “I will order pizza and eat the whole pizza. I love the big deep dish pie.”
“There is a balance there. You eat clean most of the time, but you don’t drive yourself batty,” he says. “It’s important to find that balance. But you gotta eat a pizza every once in awhile.”
“You gotta treat yourself and not cheat yourself,” he says. “Life is too short.”
Johnson is busy these days with his recent hit film “The Game Plan” and the recent “Southland Tales.” He’s currently filming the kiddie classic “Witch Mountain” with director Andy Fickman. “We’re re-imagining the Disney classic, not remaking it,” he says.
He plays a cabbie in Las Vegas. “My relationships run the length of my cab fare. These kids get in my cab and the chase is on. What my cabbie doesn’t know is these kids are being chased because they have these sixth sense powers. They can communicate with each other in a special way and animals too.”
He adds, “We’re approaching ‘Witch Mountain’ like a ride. You’ll have a few minutes to prepare and then you just go.”
However, all of this is a far cry from before his wrestling days. He was so poor that his idea of getting a new bed was to go to the dumpster of a hotel and drive away with some horrible old stained mattress they were throwing away.
We wondered: Does he have a great bed now?
“Are you kidding me?” Johnson says. “When I was pulling mattresses out of garbage cans I was never positive I would ever make it, but I knew I was going to try.
” I didn’t want to be famous; I just wanted to be good. That was the key for me. Now you’re right…I have a great and brand new California King mattress. I’ve come a long way since those dumpsters,” he says with a laugh.
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