When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson packed on more muscle than ever before for his role in Black Adam, a lot of that mass went to his giant quads. The actor has shared glimpses of his “insanely effective” leg workouts before, but in a recent Instagram Reel he highlighted one of the more challenging exercises that he still struggles with.
“Still finding my groove & balance on these Bulgarian split squats,” he wrote in the caption of his latest training video, adding that he uses this exercise to finish off his “giant sets” of 4 leg exercises.
“Haven’t done these in years due to my 4 knee surgeries and I tore the top of my quad off my pelvis (in a wrestling match) so deep single leg movements like this can be a burning bitch,” he continued. “But we gotta get consistently push and challenge ourselves daily or else life ain’t no fun… gettin’ my ass kicked in the iron paradise.”
Several of Johnson’s pals commented on his workout. “My favourite,” wrote Jason Momoa, adding that it’s “good for the knees.” Johnson’s Red Notice co-star Gal Gadot, on the other hand, is less of a fan, saying: “I HATE these!” Meanwhile, physical therapist and Squat University founder Dr. Aaron Horschig commented: “Bulgarian split squats are one of the best exercises – awesome work!”
You’ll notice that Johnson’s technique while executing the movement may seem a little atypical; he’s not going super deep on the descent due to those aforementioned leg injuries, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the exercise is being performed ineffectively.
“You don’t have to look like a textbook when you do any exercise, as long as you’re achieving the intent of the movement,” explains Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel C.S.C.S. “Johnson’s mechanics may seem unorthodox, but he’s doing a really good job of achieving the intention of the movement: Keeping the majority of load on his front leg.”
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
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