It’s been almost impossible not to notice Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new look, with pictures of his transformation at the 82nd Venice Film Festival going viral.
Johnson was there promoting his new film The Smashing Machine, where he plays ex-UFC champion Mark Kerr, but what really got people talking was the almost unrecognisable star.
Fans are used to seeing Johnson dominate the screens with his massive and muscular presence, but this time around, he appeared on the carpet debuting a new slimmer look, where he has reportedly lost around 60 pounds.
Everybody is debating how he has done it, with many theorising he has ‘come off’ steroids, despite no evidence of the megastar taking them in his adult years. Now, two celebrity personal trainers, Jill Charton and Katie Boyd, have weighed in with their opinion.
Personal Trainers Discuss Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Weight Loss
Charton, who was the coach behind She-Hulk and has worked with the Lakers, theorised that this new eye-catching physique is down to a new diet, rather than an altered exercise plan. She told the Daily Mail he had likely entered a calorie deficit, eating fewer calories than what he burned per day to lose weight, and was on a high-protein diet.
Similarly, Boyd, who has previously trained members of the Royal Family, said the diet would have consisted primarily of lean proteins such as chicken and white fish, with careful consideration to eat carbohydrates that would not raise his blood sugar, such as broccoli or other vegetables.
Boyd also spoke to the Daily Mail, saying: “Food is the number one, abs and a slimmer frame are definitely made in the kitchen.”
The Rock has posted his ‘cheat days’ on social media before, which show plates full of pancakes. Both trainers are convinced this day would not have happened too regularly, with Boyd estimating the new look would have taken Johnson ‘just 12 weeks.’
Both experts also claimed that he would have been doing a lot more cardio in his training routine, as compared to weightlifting. This causes the body to burn much more calories.
Johnson has always owed his muscles to weightlifting, so they added he was likely still lifting weights, but perhaps now was focused on lower weights for more repetitions, which studies have suggested burns more calories and boosts endurance.
Boyd and Charton have swatted away the idea that he would have used any sort of weight-loss drug, and that this was all achieved naturally.
Boyd said: “I bet you he is getting up in the morning and doing at least an hour of cardio first thing on an empty stomach. And then working out five to six times a day doing high interval training and full body sessions.
“What’s really funny is that when I was like 18 years old, I was an extra for one of his movies, where they were filming in Boston. At that time, he was so thin, similar to the way he looks right now for this movie, where he had to get really lean like that. So, you know, I think all big people like that have the capacity to get small again if they need or want to.”
Charton praised Johnson’s dedication, saying: “The daily discipline and the constant grind that you have to put in when it comes to this transformation, the nutrition and working out are relentless.”
The Smashing Machine is set to release in the UK on the 3rd of October, and Johnson admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that his new transformation for the role was something he was ‘really hungry’ to do.
He then said: “I had been very fortunate to have the career that I’ve had over the years and to make the films that I’ve made, but there was just a voice inside of me, a little voice that said, ‘Well, what if I could do more – I want to do more and what does that look like?'”