Pain & Gain: Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg Workout

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg are big and badass in the bodybuilding comedy Pain & Gain. Learn how they train and eat for gains.

Workout Summary

• Main Goal: 
  Build Muscle
• Workout Type: 
  Split
• Training Level: 
  Intermediate
• Days Per Week: 
  5
• Equipment Required: Barbell, Bodyweight, Dumbbells, Machines
• Target Gender: Male
• Author: 
  M&S Writers

Workout Description

Pain & Gain is the soon to be hit bodybuilding-centric movie starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg.

Directed by Michael Bay, Pain & Gain is an action comedy about two bumbling, drug-abusing bodybuilders who end up in an extortion ring.

Both Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg worked extremely hard to get (and stay) in top shape for the film. The Rock went through 150 days of clean dieting without a single cheat meal.

The reward for this supreme dedication? An epic 3 round cheat meal that looked like this:

• Round One: 12 pancakes
• Round Two: 4 double dough pepperoni pizzas
• Round Three: 21 brownies with a huge mug of milk

So the obvious question is...how did Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg prepare for the film? Let's take a look.

All Kinds of Gains!​

Before we dive into what the Rock is cooking, let's take a look at Mark Wahlberg's movie prep. For Pain & Gain Mark ate what Hollywood reporters were calling a "crazy 10 meal per day diet." He told E! News:

I was eating 10 meals a day and drinking mass gainers...It was a lot of work. A lot of getting up at 2 in the morning to eat another meal and I was still full from the meal at 10 o'clock.

This was the training split that Mark Wahlberg used:

• Day 1: Legs, Back and Biceps
• Day 2: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
• Day 3: Legs and Biceps
• Day 4: Off
• Day 5: Off

Rumor has it that his workouts were brief but intense 30-40 minute sessions, relying heavily on the use ofsupersets. Where's the ab work, you ask? Mark only performed light ab work, as he is generally not a huge fan of direct abs training.

Mark Wahlberg also focused heavily on progression, or getting stronger. He is currently bench pressing around 335 pounds.

Mark ​Wahlberg Workout

Here are the nuts and bolts of his workout routine:

Day 1
Legs, Back and Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Lunge	4	8-12
Leg Curl	4	8-12
Squat	4	8-12
Bent Over Row	4	8-12
Pull Up	4	8-12
Barbell Curl	4	8-12

Day 2
Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	4	8-12
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press	4	8-12
Skullcrushers	4	8-12
Cable Tricep Extension	4	8-12
Seated Arnold Press	4	8-12
Cable Crossovers	4	8-12
Push Up	3	Failure

For day 3, repeat the day one workout without training your back.

The Rock Says, Know Your Role!

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson uses a more conventional bodybuilding-style split:

• Monday - Shoulders
• Tuesday - Back
• Wednesday - Off
• Thursday - Legs
• Friday - Arms
• Saturday - Chest
• Sunday - Off

Dwayne Johnson workout​

Monday
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Machine Press	3	21
Dumbbell Lateral Raise superset w/ Front Dumbbell Raise	3	8
Cable Bent Over Reverse Flye	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Hammer Strength Shrug	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
4-Way Neck Machine	4	12

Tuesday
Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Wide Grip Lat Pull Down	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Close Grip Lat Pull Down	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
One Arm Machine Row	4	12
Hyperextension	4	15, 15, 12, 12

Thursday
Legs
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg Press	4	25, 20, 18, 16
Smith Machine Lunge	4	8
Leg Curl	4	12, 10, 8, 6
Standing Calf Raise	6	6

Friday
Arms
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Curl	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Machine Curl	6	12, 10, 8, 6, 21, 21
Cable Tricep Extension	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 20
Overhead Cable Tricep Extension	4	12, 10, 8, 20
One Arm Reverse Grip Cable Tricep Extension	2	15

Saturday
Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Incline Dumbbell Press	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Dumbbell Bench Press	5	12, 10, 8, 6, 4
Cable Crossover (super set with Push Ups)	4	12
Push Up	4	15

Note: 21 rep sets are "bicep 21's". Perform 7 upper half reps, 7 lower half reps, and 7 full reps.