Nearly the Same Age, Mark Wahlberg’s Approach to Fitness Is Surprisingly Different From Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson have become uber-famous through action films. 51-year-old Johnson and 52-year-old Wahlberg also share a similar passion for fitness and bodybuilding. The pair even worked out together on the silver screen in Pain & Gain (2013). However, Wahlberg’s approach toward fitness is drastically different when compared to his co-star.

The Unchartered actor no longer follows traditional weight training systems. Meanwhile, The Rock still believes in the “grind,” making most workout sessions as challenging as possible inside his gym. While Wahlberg’s exercise regimen doesn’t lack intensity, the 52-year-old has adopted a different workout philosophy rather than going to failure through traditional exercises.

Mark Wahlberg prioritizes functional fitness

In a recent interview with Fox News, Wahlberg explained how his workouts have changed with age. While Wahlberg had a similar approach to Johnson’s progressive overload style of intense training, he now trains through functional movements. Functional training differs from traditional training with free weights or machines. Instead, this method uses traditional exercises as a base and alters them to suit everyday activity rather than hypertrophy.

During the interview, Wahlberg explained that training “seven days a week,” at 52 resulted in injuries. He also had a hard time recovering from intense exercise sessions, he told Fox News. This is in stark contrast to how Dwayne Johnson trains. In fact, on November 21, The Rock uploaded a video on Instagram showing just how intense his workout sessions can get.

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“Hot as hell today in the gym like a sauna… We pushed hard and made progress,” The Rock had written as a caption for his post. In the clip, Johnson performed the “finisher set” of chest flies with every ounce of his remaining strength as a torrent of sweat dripped from his forehead and body. However, it’s important to note that Johnson’s goal is different. In 2022, The Rock got into arguably the best shape of his life for Black Adam, packing on even more muscle on his 260 lbs frame. However, the Hollywood stars are equally focused on recovery.

Different methods same goals

While Mark Wahlberg and the Black Adam star might have different approaches to fitness, they both prioritize recovery. Wahlberg and Johnson are advocates of recovery methods like saunas and cold plunges. While Wahlberg doesn’t go a day without taking a cold plunge, Dwyane Johnson is a fan of saunas. Despite the opposite approach, their goal is the same.

The actors prioritize recovery because, in the long term, improper recovery might lead to injuries. Not recovering also diminishes performance in the gym. They also pay attention to sleep quality, as it’s crucial for recovering from an intense workout. Hence, while Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson might have contrasting approaches, their passion for fitness remains the same.

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