Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Kicks Off ‘Hardcore’ Eight-Month Workout Program

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has kicked off a grueling eight-month diet and workout program to get himself in top shape to film two movies back-to-back.

Johnson is on location in Hawaii to begin filming Disney’s Jungle Cruise on May 14, to be followed immediately by the Fast and the Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw.

The Rock made the revelation on an Instagram video from the gym (see below). “Hard core [sic] 8-month commitment to diet, training and body transformation for our period piece, Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE to our Fast & Furious spinoff, HOBBS & SHAW,” Johnson wrote.

He added, “We start shooting this Monday [May 14] all the way to Christmas. Feels great to be back home in the Hawaiian Islands.. the perfect place to kick off this special journey.”

‘Working Out Is My Therapy’

Johnson is a former professional wrestler who said he turned to exercise as a teen to stay out of trouble. As an adult with a stressful career, The Rock says working out keeps him mentally tough and emotionally balanced.

“Working out is my therapy, and it’s cheaper than a shrink,” Johnson told Bodybuilding.com. “I can’t imagine my life without training, honestly. And for getting results — as with anything in life, but especially with working out — there’s no substitute for hard work.”

To maintain a rippling physique like he does, Dwayne Johnson also follows a high-protein, high-calorie diet.

“Diet-wise, I generally eat five meals a day,” Johnson said. “I’m very prepared and organized, and everything is planned out in advance. It’s all measured depending on what I’m training to achieve. Usually I start off my day with some dead cow and oatmeal for breakfast.”

He added, “The other staples in my diet include chicken, steak fillets, egg whites, oatmeal, broccoli, halibut, rice, asparagus, baked potato, leafy salads, peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and then also some casein protein.”

Johnson said if you want to be ripped like him, you have to be consistent and disciplined. “I work out six days a week, and usually in the morning,” he said.

The Rock works different body parts each day, and changes up his routine to stave off boredom. “My workout is constantly changing and adapting, but for the most part, I do 4 sets of 12 reps with a 60-90-second rest,” he said.

“I don’t play around in the gym. I always aim to be the hardest worker, and I make sure I clang and I bang to the best of my ability.”

Like other fitness fanatics, Johnson says exercise helps him look and feel his best. Judging by Johnson’s rippling 6-foot-5 physique and the enormous success he has achieved in his life, it’s hard to believe that he has battled crippling depression.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, The Rock has battled depression for decades, saying his mental health struggles were triggered by his mom’s suicide attempt when he was 15 years old.

When a fan wrote him a letter revealing that he was battling severe depression, Dwayne Johnson wrote back, “I hear you. I’ve battled that beast more than once.”