We all know John Cena for his reign as the world’s most famous professional wrestler and for his leading roles in various movies. But did you know that John Cena was a bodybuilder before he became a wrestler? Yes, back in the days he was a competitive bodybuilder. In this article we’ll take a look at John Cena’s workout routine.
The man is a legend both inside the WWE ring, and outside of it. One of the few wrestlers still sporting an incredibly physique today, John Cena works hard to keep the gains he has made over the years. He was not always big and strong though. In fact he was a skinny kid that was often bullied at school because of how he looked and dressed.
John started exercising at home at first, and his parents bought him a weight set and a bench for Christmas. Three years later, at the age of 15, he joined a gym, and this decision changed his life.
The secret to his insane muscular body is the combination of intense training sessions and an equally challenging diet. John trains five days a week using high volume for building size. He ocassionally changes the routine and lifts very heavy weights and low volume.
His usual workout incorporates light to medium weights, typically of 3-5 sets per exercise, with high repetitions (15-20). The exercises are mostly compound lifts, and he adds some isolation work for his weaker bodyparts.
John Cena’s workout routine will be helping you to build muscle mass and volume, if you can handle it, that is…
John Cena’s full workout routine
Day 1 – Legs and Calves
Calves Exercises :
- Seated Calf Raises – 10 sets, 10 to 20 reps
- Standing Weightless Calf Raises – 4 sets, 25 reps
Upper Leg Exercises :
- Standing Single-leg Curls – 4 sets, 20 to 25 sets
- Leg Presses – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Leg Extensions – 4 sets, 15 reps
- Squats – 4 sets, 10 reps
- Hack Squats – 3 sets, 15 reps
- Single-Leg Extensions – 3 sets, 10 reps
Day 2 – Chest Exercises
- Inclined Barbell Press – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Machine Flies – 3 sets, 15 reps
- Inclined Machine Press – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Cable Flies – 3 sets, 15 reps
- Bench Press – 3 sets, 10 reps
Day 3 – Arms
Biceps Exercises
- Standing Barbell Curl – 3 sets, 10 to 12 reps
- Preacher Curls – 5 sets, 12 reps
- Seated Dumbbell Curl – 3 sets, 10 to 12 reps
- Standing Cable Curl – 3-4 sets, 12 reps
Triceps Exercises
- Overhead Cambered Extension – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Rope Press Downs – 3 sets, 20 reps
- Single-arm Cable Press Downs – 3 sets, 10 reps
- Lying Triceps Extension – 6 sets
- Seated Barbell Extension – 3 sets, 20 reps
Day 4 – Shoulders Exercises
- Rear Delt machine Flies – 5 sets, 2o reps
- Dumbbell Laterals – 3 sets, 12 reps
- Machine Overhead Press – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Machine Side Laterals – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Seated Military – 3 sets, 10 reps
- Machine Side Laterals – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Standing Barbell Press – 3 sets, 10 reps
Day 5 – Back and Traps Exercises
- Lat Pull Downs – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Shrugs – 5 sets, 20 reps
- Bent Barbell Rows – 5 to 12 sets, 20 reps
- Pull-ups – 4 sets
- Arm Dumbbell Rows – 5 to 12 sets, 20 reps
- Dead Lifts – 4 to 8 sets, 15 reps
- High Rows – 4 sets, 20 reps
John Cena also likes to perform 600 crunches each day after completing his workout. This may seem like a lot of work, and it is. It’s a enormous amount of volume. But on the other hand, this guy is strong as a bull and this routine obviously works wonders for him. Try it at your own risk !!!
John Cena’s Diet
John’s diet is “bland on flavor” as described by Men’s Health magazine. He usually consumes 7 meals a day, around 290g of protein, 450 grams of carbs, 65 grams of fat for a total of about 3,600 calories per day. The diet is constructed to replenish his muscles after the intense workouts and is abundant in lean meats, vegetables, cereals and grains.
Here’s what John Cena’s daily muscle building diet looks like:
Meal 1
– 4 scrambled eggs
– Swiss cheese
– Bacon
– Mix of vegetables
or
– 100g oatmeal with raisins and apple sauce
– 6 egg whites
– 2 whole eggs
Meal 2
– 200-250 calories protein bar
or
– 2 scoops of whey protein & 2 cups of water
Meal 3
– 2 chicken breasts
– 100g of brown rice
– Green salad
Meal 4
– Whole wheat pita bread
– One can of Tuna
Meal 5
– 200-250 calories protein bar
or
– 2 scoops of whey protein & 2 cups of water
Meal 6
– Pasta or brown rice
– Vegetables or salad
– Chicken or fish
Meal 7
– Low fat cottage cheese
– Casein protein shake
If you don’t believe our words for how strong Cena is, just check his squat video here – 611 LBS Squat and a New Personal Record by John Cena