Currently out in theaters is Pain & Gain, an action-crime film that features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the role of a born-again Christian, sober ex-con who gets caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes “terribly wrong.” For the role of a sadistic bodybuilder, the former wrestling champion added twelve to fifteen pounds of lean muscle to push his 6-foot-4 frame to over 250 pounds to portray a massive bodybuilder in the flick.
Courtesy of USA Today (read more here), here is an approximation of Johnson’s seven-meals-a-day diet, which combined with an intensive workout regime, he followed for sixteen weeks to prepare for the role, as well as to maintain his sizable look for the film.
Meal one: ten-ounce beef fillet, two cups of oatmeal, two-egg omelet.
Meal two: eight ounces of cod, twelve ounces of sweet potatoes, one cup of steamed vegetables (onions, peppers, mushrooms).
Meal three: eight ounces of chicken, two cups of white rice, one cup of vegetables.
Meal four: eight more ounces of cod, two cups of rice, one cup of vegetables.
Meal five: eight ounces of steak, twelve ounces of baked potato fries, a salad.
Meal six: ten ounces of cod, two more cups of rice, another salad.
Meal seven: thirty grams of casein protein powder, ten-egg-white omelet, one cup of vegetables, one tablespoon of Omega-3 fish oil.
Though Johnson portrayed a drug-fueled character, the WWE Superstar insists he did not utilize steroids to achieve the hulking physique for the role.
“Oh, no,” says Johnson when asked directly by USA Today in an interview published this week whether he used steroids to get big for the role. He then looked at castmate Mark Wahlberg and said, “How about you? You did all kinds.”
“What?” says Wahlberg, snapping to attention. “Steroids? No. I don’t (mess) with those.”
Johnson, however, did acknowledge experimenting with steroids while playing football at the University of Miami.
“We didn’t know what we were taking or if anything worked,” he said.
