Despite beast body, 200lb bodybuilder questions Dwayne Johnson’s endurance to do bodyweight exercises: “You Can’t Just Bench Press”
In a recent review of various bodybuilding moments from movies, Julian Smith, a well-known bodybuilder, came across one of the toughest training regimes from the 2017 movie Baywatch. While watching the scene, he was particularly impressed by Zac Efron’s stunt performance, where he balanced himself through various obstacles. However, Smith couldn’t help but comment on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s presence in the film and the scene, suggesting that Johnson might not have been able to perform the same feat. Here’s why Smith thinks so.
During a breakdown of the scene for GQ Sports in 2020, Smith explained how challenging it is to perform such bodyweight exercises. Considering Johnson’s heavy, muscular physique, Smith believes it may not be suitable for him. Smith provided a detailed summary of the scene, emphasizing that this workout is not everyone’s cup of tea.
“These types of movements are so damn hard,” Smith remarked after watching Zac Efron showcase his incredible physique while balancing his entire body weight on each rod as he moved forward. Explaining the difficulty of such training, Smith continued, “Very endurance performance-based. A lot of people don’t realize how hard bodyweight exercises are because they are not really in the grasp of how heavy their body is. You have to train for this type of training.”
Smith then expressed his thoughts about Dwayne Johnson, stating, “The Rock, who is in great shape, I don’t think you see him do any of this stuff. You see him do different moves later, but to get up there and hold yourself and crawl around like that, you can’t just bench press, squat, and go jog five miles a day, and expect to get good at walking along with pegs and holding yourself up.”
Performing such activities requires being in good shape while maintaining a lightweight physique. Agility and flexibility also play a crucial role. Smith’s intention was not to be derogatory toward the Mummy star but to highlight the specific physical requirements for this type of workout. He mentioned, “It’s a very specific type of training that you need to get good at for this.”
While it is a rare instance where Johnson faces criticism, he was recently trolled by fans for failing to catch a Zoa energy can while driving a golf cart. In an Instagram post shared by The Brahma Bull, Johnson humorously faced backlash for missing a simple catch. However, the composed Johnson presumably took it in stride.
Dwayne Johnson stands at 6’5″ tall and has a muscular physique, while Zac Efron is 5’8″ and possesses a muscular yet lean body. This height and body composition difference could be a significant factor in Efron’s ability to train and successfully perform the scene, according to Smith’s belief. Smith also mentioned that Johnson could excel in other types of exercises that require heavy mass. In the subsequent scene, Johnson and Efron were seen lifting tires, and although Efron managed it, Johnson appeared effortless in his execution.