Let’s be honest – we have all heard about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The guy is a huge cultural icon.
Unless you have been living under a rock (no pun intended) for the past few decades, you must have come across his work in some form or another. After all, he is one of the highest-paid entertainment personalities today!
Most of his legacy is due to his massive physique, which has wowed fans and the general audience for years. In fact, it has led many to speculate about whether he takes steroids to maintain it.
By now, we are assuming you are also one of those people. At the very least, you must have some level of curiosity about it, or else, you wouldn’t be here. But hey, we aren’t judging because we are intrigued as well. That is why we curated this article in the first place.
So, does The Rock really use steroids? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
Dwayne Johnson – A Brief Biography
Dwayne Douglas Johnson was born in May1972 in the sunny state of California to parents Ata and Rocky Johnson. Right from an early age, he showed an affinity for sports, and he played quite a lot of football during his high school days. Although eventually, he quit playing football to pursue a career in wrestling.
He started his career as a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Federation, or WWF (which is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE). Initially, he went by the name Rocky Maivia which was a combination of the ring names of his father and grandfather. Shortly after, he changed his ring name to “The Rock” and has been using that as his trademark stage name since.
Dwayne Johnson played his debut match in 1996 and, since then, has had an illustrious career in professional wrestling. Many experts believe that he played an instrumental role in making WWE into the phenomenon that it is today.
The Rock landed his first major Hollywood role in 2001 when he starred in the cult hit film “The Mummy Returns.” There was no looking back for him after this point, as he kept landing one major role after another across several big-budget Hollywood productions.
It’s All About The Physique
Even though he is a charismatic individual with great comedic timing, that has never been the main focus of his personality. Obviously, these traits give a big boost to his overall likeability, but there is no denying the fact that his whole brand is built around that spectacular build of his. And given his background, one can easily see why that is.
Just take a look at his physique now – for a man that is nearing his 50s, he can put most younger bodybuilders and fitness freaks to shame. That is a big reason why most of his movie roles had him portraying a big, beefy action hero (or villain). And it is not like we are complaining, for these roles suit his figure just perfectly.
But the fact that needs to be taken into account here is that such a physique does not last forever. After reaching a certain age, the body’s muscles become weak and start drooping, and as a result, the body tends to become frail. However, in the case of “The Rock,” it is quite the opposite since he seems to be bulking up even more with age.
So, that naturally raises questions among people about scenarios of potential steroid usage. Of course, there are other factors to consider, such as extensive training regimens, heavily curated diets, and an overall active lifestyle. That said, the possibility of steroid usage cannot be completely discarded either, especially when the signs are all there.
Does “The Rock” Use Steroids?
Ever since he made his way into the limelight during his professional wrestling days, people have suspected that he used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. However, from the moment he started to become big in Hollywood, the flames of speculation started to grow even more alongside him.
To douse these flames, he admitted to using steroids in an interview a few years back. As per the interview, he only took steroids once when he was around 18 or 19 years old. But he also stated that he hadn’t used any steroids since then.
This should answer the central question of this article, although if you are even slightly skeptical like us, you will feel that this information doesn’t add up. If he hasn’t used any steroids or performance-enhancing drugs since he was 18, how come he is getting increasingly muscular and bulky with age?
That is why many people refused to believe his interview at the time. They still speculate that he uses steroids, albeit very discreetly. And despite all of this speculation, the man has stood by what he said in that interview.
Signs Of Steroid Use
The reason why many people still believe that he uses steroids is simple – he shows two of the most prominent signs of steroid usage. These signs are his flushed skin and his massive trap muscles.
1. Flushed Skin
Flushing is caused when there is an elevation in body temperature caused due to increased blood pressure. This, in turn, makes the skin appear relatively darker or redder than normal, which is said to often arise when an individual uses steroids.
2. Enlarged Traps
An enlargement of trap muscles is caused when the number of androgen receptors in these muscles increases drastically. And guess what? Androgen is one of the primary hormones used in steroids. Hence, this acts as further proof that the Rock still uses steroids.
What Steroids Does The Rock Use?
In view of the muscular build exhibited by Dwayne Johnson at his age, it is highly likely that he uses testosterone. Also known as androgen, it happens to be one of the most potent steroids out there. It is an anabolic steroid that promotes muscle growth and is the primary sex hormone in males.
Under normal circumstances, the body produces small amounts of this hormone for regulating libido, growth, and muscle mass. But when taken as a performance enhancer, it dramatically accelerates muscle growth rate and body metabolism. As a result, your muscles become ripped, and your overall body strength increases.
Apart from that, he might be using some Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to accelerate muscle growth further.
What Else Is Responsible For The Rock’s Hulking Build?
You may now be wondering – what other secrets does he have that help him to maintain such a fantastic physique? Obviously, it can’t just be all steroids, or else he would be riddled with some highly damaging side effects by now. Well, the answer might be more simple than you think.
1. It Runs In The Family
If you do a bit of digging, you will see that Dwayne Johnson is not the only one in his family to have such a massive figure. His father was Rocky Johnson, who was an established professional wrestler himself. Likewise, his maternal grandfather was Peter Maivia, who was a professional wrestler too, and a member of the WWE hall of fame.
Not only that, Peter Maivia belonged to the famous Anoa’i Family from American Samoa, which has produced a long line of established professional wrestlers throughout the years. So, with such a lineage, you can say he was destined to have that mammoth physique.
2. A Brutal Training And Diet Regimen
Clearly, the diet and training regimen will have a major impact on the physique. And for a man of his stature, it is pretty evident that he has a rigorous training schedule and stringent diet program that helps him stay in shape.
Yeah, we know what you are thinking right now – how can he push his body so much at his age? Well, to put it plainly, he would not be the first one to do so, as there are several others like him just in Hollywood itself.
Of course, he might have a bunch of personal trainers and dietitians helping him out along the way. And hey, if you can sweat it out in the gym and eat a power-packed diet as he does, then you definitely won’t need steroids to jack yourself up. That is just what helps the big man maintain his ripped figure.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if the legendary Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson uses steroids or not. Unless you are participating in competitive sports, using steroids isn’t strictly illegal, provided you have prescriptions for it.
Even if he does use steroids, it is fairly apparent that he doesn’t entirely depend on them. Yeah, he does have the advantage of having a notable lineage, but he complements it with his active lifestyle.
Given how influential a personality he is, it is no wonder that he would try to set a positive precedent for his fans around the world. That is probably the reason why he has denied using steroids all this time.
Anyways, that’s all that we have to say about it. We hope that we have been able to satisfy your curiosity.
Farewell, everyone!