Photo: Los Angeles Rams
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Aaron Donald teamed up for a workout just before the NFL season kicks off tomorrow evening with Donald’s Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams facing the Buffalo Bills. The Rock, a movie star and mogul, is one of the world’s most recognizable celebrities. Aaron Donald, a 7-time first-team All-Pro and only NFL player to be a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, is arguably the greatest defensive lineman of all time.
Besides being mega-celebrities, the two superstars have things in common. First, football. The Rock played collegiate football for Miami at Donald’s position (defensive tackle), and he’ll be relaunching the XFL next year. Second, muscles. They’re both jacked. Despite the fact that Aaron Donald plays in the fleshy middle of the d-line and goes 6’1″ and 280 lbs., he sports abs year-round. We know how diesel The Rock stays. Third, gym-loving fathers. As they discussed in a video posted today, both are workout fiends who were first motivated as kids by watching their dads sweat through early morning workouts.
They bonded over their childhoods, idolizing their dads:
Aaron Donald: We used to workout [at] 4:30 in the morning before school. My dad was a muscle guy, so I gotta be like dad.
The Rock: So he brought you to the weight room?
Aaron Donald: Yup.
The Rock: My dad, too, early.
Aaron Donald: Where we used to be as a kid, [we] used to sit on the basement steps and watch him workout.
The Rock: Dude, me too. I was sitting there. I’d try to get down there.
Aaron Donald: He was like, “Nah, y’all sit on the steps.” I’d watch and just be amazed by him.
The Rock: My old man was the same way, talking about work ethic. He had me get up in the morning, like even when I was 5, 6, 7 years old, like ‘cmon, you’re gonna go to the gym with me. I wanted to sleep. “No, no, I don’t want…” “Get up, you’re going to the gym with me.” But then he made me sit there and watch him. I couldn’t even train until I got to 12.
Aaron Donald: My dad always talked about hard work pays off. As a kid, you’re like “Okay, dad.” Then you start seeing it actually pay off. Where you’re seeing how much is going into work behind closed doors that nobody sees. Seeing the change in your body, seeing how strong you get, being able to move weight, how you’re able to move it. So it’s like, you know, you kind of get addicted to it. Working out is like, I get to clear my mind, you know.
The Rock: That’s it.
Check out the video with footage of their workout in the L.A. Rams weight room here.
See also: 10 Strongest NFL Players Ever
