I Tried Dwayne Johnson’s Brutal 30-Set Push Workout – Here’s How it Really Feels to Train Like The Rock
Description: Nine exercises, 30 sets and relentless shoulder volume
No one grinds in the gym quite like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s built his hulking physique through years of relentless training, pushing an intensity most of us would struggle to comprehend. Still, I wanted to find out just how tough his sessions really are by trying one for myself.
For his WWE comeback and in preparation for GI Joe: Retaliation in 2013, Johnson began training with Aaron Williamson. Looking to shake things up, Williamson introduced new movement patterns and training sequences, removing much of the guesswork around what Johnson needed to do to get back into fighting shape.
On push days, that meant completing a brutal 30 sets across nine exercises. Williamson pushed the Hollywood star to his limits in the gym – and here’s what happened when I attempted one of those workouts.
The Workout
Practical note: If your gym doesn’t have the exact incline hammer press machine, use the closest incline or chest press pattern. Keep the intent the same: controlled reps, strong positions.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Primary Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Push-Up Controlled tempo, full lockout |
3 | 10 | Chest + triceps (primer) |
| B. Incline Hammer Press Incline press machine pattern |
3 | 10 | Upper chest + front delts |
| C. Weighted Dip Deep stretch, strict control |
3 | 12–15 | Lower chest + triceps + front delts |
| D. Incline Cable Crossover Low-to-high cable path |
3 | 12–15 | Upper chest finisher |
| E. Leaning Single-Arm Lateral Raise No momentum, long lever |
4 | 10 / arm | Middle delts (burn) |
| F. Shoulder Press DB or barbell, clean reps |
4 | 10–12 | Delts + triceps (grind) |
| G. Bus Driver Plate rotations at shoulder height |
3 | 12 | Front delts + stability |
| H. Tricep Extension Overhead extension pattern |
4 | 10–12 | Triceps (long head) |
| I. Tricep Pushdown Rope or bar, strict elbows |
3 | 10–12 | Triceps finisher |
Is it Worth Trying?
By the end, I could definitely smell what The Rock was cooking. My shoulders, in particular, felt like they’d been on the receiving end of the People’s Elbow, having taken a beating across most of the nine exercises.
The damage really set in during the middle of the session. After decent front-delt activation from weighted dips and incline cable crossovers, the leaning single-arm lateral raises were where things started to get truly uncomfortable. Stripping away momentum forced me to lift purely through the middle delt, which had even more work to do thanks to the leaning position.
Shoulder presses then piled on the pressure. With my front delts already pre-fatigued from chest-focused movements, every set became a grind. And that was before tackling the bus drivers. By reps eight, nine and ten, simply holding your arms straight out in front of you feels punishing, even before adding the rotational element.
Personally, I would’ve liked to see a slightly different exercise order. Push-ups felt fairly comfortable at the start; placing them later would likely make them more challenging. I also didn’t have access to an incline hammer press machine, so I substituted a standard chest press instead. It worked well enough and targets a similar pattern.
Weighted dips took things up another notch. Controlled depth with a loaded stretch hits the chest, front delts and triceps hard. Incline cable crossovers add a clean finishing touch for the upper chest.
Rounding things off with extra arm work felt welcome even though the triceps were already heavily involved throughout. I swapped the machine extensions for lying dumbbell tricep extensions due to equipment limitations.
- Massive push-day volume for chest, delts and triceps
- Lateral raise variation forces strict middle-delt work
- Easy to scale via load and rest without changing structure
- Front delts take a serious beating
- Session can run long with full rest periods
- Not ideal if you’re already doing high pressing volume weekly
Time-saving edits: Drop push-ups or one tricep isolation exercise to speed things up. Want less shoulder punishment? Remove one shoulder movement—your delts already work hard during pressing.
How to Do the Movements
| Movement | Form Cues | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Push-Up | Start in a high plank, hands slightly wider than shoulders. Brace your core and keep shoulders away from ears. Lower with elbows under shoulders, then push back to full extension. | Hips sagging or elbows flaring too wide |
| Incline Hammer Press | Back pinned to the pad, core engaged. Press to extension while keeping shoulder blades tight. Control the return without losing position. | Shoulders rolling forward at the bottom |
| Weighted Dip | Support yourself on parallel bars/rings with arms straight. Add load via belt or dumbbell. Lower until elbows reach ~90°, then drive back up. | Bouncing at the bottom or cutting depth |
| Incline Cable Crossover | Set handles low. One foot forward, core braced. Pull handles upward and cross in front of the face. Return under control. | Shrugging shoulders or turning it into a press |
| Leaning Single-Arm Lateral Raise | Hold a rack for support and lean away. Avoid hip momentum. Raise the dumbbell to shoulder height, pause, then lower slowly. | Swinging the weight or lifting too high |
| Shoulder Press | Feet hip-width, ribs stacked over pelvis. Press overhead with forearms vertical and elbows slightly forward. Lock out without arching the low back. | Over-arching the lower back to finish reps |
| Bus Driver | Hold a plate with arms straight out at shoulder height. Rotate clockwise and then anti-clockwise. Maintain a braced torso throughout. | Bending elbows or dropping arms under fatigue |
| Tricep Extension | Lie flat and lock dumbbells overhead. Bend at elbows only, keeping upper arms fixed. Lower toward the head, then extend back up. | Letting elbows flare and upper arms drift |
| Tricep Pushdown | Elbows pinned to sides. Push down to lockout without moving upper arms. Return slowly to the start position. | Using body momentum or elbows drifting forward |
Execution rules: Keep reps clean, avoid sloppy lockouts, and prioritize shoulder position—especially after the lateral raise + press combo.
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