As a former WWE Champion, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson knows all about the process of bulking up for bodyslams, and recently pushed his weight up to 282-pounds in order to play UFC legend, Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine.” But with his latest role requiring a significant weight cut, the Jumanji star has opened-up about the strategy behind dropping fat to play “Chicken Man” in his latest project, “Lizard Music.”
After working with filmmaker, Benny Safdie on The Smashing Machine in 2025, the duo have reprised their partnership for “Lizard Music,” a fantasy adventure story about a boy called Victor, who discovers a secret community of musical lizards, leading to themes around imagination, curiosity, and fitting in with society. Johnson’s character, known as “Chicken Man,” serves as a mysterious guide to the boy. “Thanks for all the cool questions lately about my training/diet/conditioning, and why I slimmed down for my current role I’m filming now,” wrote the wrestler-turned-movie-star via an Instagram post for his whopping 381-million followers. “
I took almost a year to lose approximately 50lbs – from stepping on set to film, ‘The Smashing Machine’ weighing 282lbs, to my current weight today — 235lbs. Last time I was this weight, was my freshman football season at University of Miami. I was a little ‘light in the ass’, for a defensively tackle, but still a monster.”
DJ also explained that he’s been feeling far healthier with less body weight to balance. “At this current weight and body composition, I’ve never felt better,” he said that “strength, endurance, cardiovascular, metabolic health, inflammation, joints, insulin sensitivity, stress hormones, immune function, incredible pumps etc.,” have been the positive results of his significant loss of pounds.
How Did Dwayne Johnson Lose 50 Pounds for ‘Lizard Music’?
Fortunately, The Rock’s weight cut was not the result of the latest Hollywood trend of prescription-based jab. Instead, the inspirational star took a more tried and tested approach. “I wanted to take my time, drop the weight in a smart, wise and healthy way — nothing extreme,” shared the Moana star. “I also focus on partitioning my carbs strictly around my training and tapering off from there.”
The Rock’s sensible approach has led to significant results. “What’s also made a HUGE impact in my progress was completely cutting out all refined sugars,” shared the actor. For an athlete who was constantly battling a calorie surplus, this move was transformative,” he says of meeting his macros. “Also keeping fat on the lower side as well; 50-60g daily.”
With so many social media accounts promising instant results with little effort, it’s reassuring to see figureheads like The Rock sharing his own committed journey of trusting in the process and being patient for progress. “You vs You,” says the star.
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