You Wouldn't Last a Day on The Rock's 6,000 Calorie Diet
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Maybe you already know this, but just in case you don't, Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson didn’t rise to fame as an actor.
Before we get into the diet, here's a quick recap of his blockbuster muscle.
In 1996, Johnson joined the cast of WWE (then WWF), and for eight years he was simply known as “The Rock,” a charismatic, trash-talking professional wrestler with a major physique to boot.
His big screen star turn happened five years later, when he played the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns. The movie was such a hit that Johnson later starred in his own spin-off movie in 2002, The Scorpion King, and also set the Guinness World Record for highest salary for a first-time leading man: $5.5 million dollars. Since then, The Rock has continued to be a jack-of-all-trades while maintaining the hulking size he's known for. He left WWE in 2004, but continued to make appearances until announcing his official retirement in 2019. In 2016, was named the world’s highest-paid actor. He's starred in a slew of action movies, including The Fast and The Furious franchise, GI Joe: Retaliation, and Hercules. But he’s also a bona fide comedic actor, as evidenced by the most recent Jumanji movies and his co-starring role in Central Intelligence alongside Kevin Hart. And of course, kids love him as the voice of Maui, the demigod of South Pacific legend, in Moana.
The Rock is also a serious businessman as co-owner of the Extreme Football League (XFL), Teremana tequila and the energy drink Zoa. His Under Armour line, Project Rock, is a hit. And, he co-owns the production company Seven Bucks Productions behind Red Notice, Jumanji and several other blockbusters.
Let’s also not forget: As of November 2022, The Rock has the sixth-largest following on Instagram (after Instagram itself, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner, and Lionel Messi), where he's famous for sharing his heavy workout routines and even heavier meals.
But despite The Rock’s many accomplishments—we should also mention that he played football at the University of Miami on a full scholarship—he’s definitely famous for his extraordinary diet and grueling workout routine.
This is what he eats to keep The Rock "rock" solid.
What does The Rock eat?
Muscle and Fitness documented that The Rock once ate 52 ounces of cod per day for years to build his incredibly muscular physique. Cod was included in six of his seven daily meals, alongside huge portions of various starches, including sweet potatoes (12 ounces), white rice (2 cups), and oatmeal (2 cups). Each meal was rounded out with a cup of vegetables, and various add-ins like casein protein, a 10-egg-white-omelet, and a tablespoon of omega-3 fish oil. In 2016, he recounted a similar daily diet to People Magazine, although he reported swapping out cod for proteins like beef, chicken, and bison.
In his December 2022 cover story for Men's Health, The Rock expanded on this protein variation.
Well, I eat six meals a day [and they’re all similar in terms of nutrients]. Breakfast consists of eggs, a meat like bison, a complex carb like oatmeal, and fruit, usually either papaya or blueberries. My second meal, around 10:00 A.m., usually consists of a chicken breast, a complex carb like rice, and some greens. And dinner is fish or chicken, a complex carb like sweet potatoes, and some greens.
As far as macro counting, The Rock explained that he does keep track.
I do see results quickly when we adjust the macros. [The range: protein 40–45 percent, carbs 40–50 percent, fats 15–20 percent.] We’ve got it down to a science where we fine-tune the macros and I never feel hungry. That’s a key: Training and dieting down for a goal requires discipline, and you can often feel hungry.
In an interview with Delish, The Rock said that over the years this diet has added up to between 6,000 and 8,000 calories per day.
Here are some of his meal variations reported over the years.
Breakfast
He wakes up to a bowl of cream of rice or oatmeal alongside some buffalo and some eggs. On his Instagram, you can find him starting the day with a rich bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts, strawberries, and apples.
Second Breakfast
After a workout, he eats a bowl or rice (or another “fast-acting carb" he describes to Delish, which means that it digests quickly), and chicken.
Lunch
For his third meal, he’ll eat rice again alongside chicken or buffalo, and add some greens alongside.
Dinner ... and beyond
He has two or three more similar meals, and then before bed, he has some kind of protein (like casein powder), carbs, and greens.
To keep hydrated, The Rock also drinks a ton of water; anywhere from 2.5 to 3 gallons per day. And while he doesn’t drink coffee, he does take in caffeine from Zoa, his own brand of energy drink.
The Rock's cheat meals
But there’s room for fun in The Rock’s diet. He’s practically famous for once-per-week “cheat” days.
Recently, he posted a plate of fries and two bacon-cheeseburgers alongside a glass of tequila. In October, he showed a delicious looking stack of coconut-lemon pancakes. And he’s getting into the holiday spirit, too, with the latest ice cream flavors to come out of his Dwanta Claus (Johnson’s alter ego) collaboration with Salt and Straw. All five of them— including PB&J Coconut Banana Pancakes and Chocolate Gooey Brownie, among others —sound delicious. And he’s no teetotaler; the same Instagram post revealed a freezer shelf full of Teremana Tequila, his own label.
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