Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been seriously interested in fitness for decades, but recent experience shows that even the pros don’t always get those moves right in the gym.
The actor and former professional wrestler shared a video on Instagram to reveal the injuries to his face that occurred during training.
“Okay, look. Sometimes, many times, things get intense here in iron paradise, but we don’t play tiddlywinks and we don’t recite lullabies,” the 48-year-old said. “They group you up from time to time and things happen.”
During the video, a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. Did The Rock get a first aid kit to clean up? Hell no. He used a finger to wipe some of the blood, then put his finger in his mouth and licked it clean.
In the caption of the post, Johnson explained what caused the injury. “I threw around my 50-pound chains for a drop game; they bunched me up and I need points,” he wrote. “Taste your blood, keep training, and sew later the house rules. And I can confirm that my blood tastes like Teremana, tripe, and BlaMoan hot sauce (black and Samoan).”
The star ended the text by wishing his followers a “productive week.” “Keep it light and a little fun, but do it like an MF,” he said.
Johnson and his family tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year, and in a video posted to Instagram in early September, the Moana star described it as “one of the most challenging and difficult things we’ve had to endure as a family. ”
With more of us training at home thanks to the current COVID-19 restrictions, this might be a good time to recap some safety tips, so that an injury like Johnson’s is not noted. Besides taking extra care with those heavy chains, it’s, of course, important to make sure you have adequate space to exercise.
“Verify that you are safe by raising your arms to the side and doing a 360-degree turn,” Derek Ochiai, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at Nirschl Orthopedic Center in Virginia, previously told Health. Eliminate all tripping hazards (such as shoes, books, toys) and keep the weights in front of you so you can see them.
Do your training calmly if you are a beginner or if you return to exercising after a long rest. “If you try to be too ambitious and start an exercise routine that you think will put a lot of pressure on you and then do it for a few days in a row, you could get overuse injuries, then you will probably stop and not do it again,” Ochiai said. Instead, he suggested starting with something you’re familiar with or a workout designed for beginners.
When it comes to your training gear, comfort is key, and it’s important to think carefully about how safe your footwear is. Sneakers are your best option, but going barefoot is fine as long as you don’t have anything on the floor you can come across. And if you really want to work out in socks, Ochiai recommended the ones with grips at the bottom, like no-slip socks.
