To become Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson had to disrupt his routine. He vowed to come into this role in the best shape of his entire life, and his physical journey in football, wrestling and everyday training prepared him to do just that.
It took putting in the work, day in and day out, for over two years throughout the pandemic to achieve the transformation he desired.
The Project Rock Black Adam Training Collection is inspired by Dwayne’s ferocious dedication and relentless passion for his craft.
Like Black Adam himself, the collection represents grit, determination, hard work and most importantly, disruption; and aims to inspire athletes to disrupt the status quo in their own lives, in and outside of the gym.
“The film has without question some of the biggest action sequences I have ever been a part of. The training we did for this movie was the most arduous I’ve ever done in my life.”
– Dwayne Johnson
NO MUSCLE SUIT. JUST REAL WORK.
Dwayne created his opportunity to become Black Adam and knew he had to give the role his everything to bring the character to life for fans. So instead of wearing a muscle suit, he chose to morph into Black Adam’s unrivalled physique his own way.
Dwayne and his team, including trusted strength and conditioning coach and Chief Health and Fitness Brand Officer Dave Rienzi, built an exhaustive training program that incorporated a new philosophy and methodology to his typical training routine—all while making sure he could achieve his goal in the most healthy and productive way.
“We believe Dwayne was the first actor in a superhero role that did not use a body suit to get into character. We knew it was our job at UA to provide Dwayne with the tools and products needed in his training to help him deliver on this superhuman goal.”
– Sheldon Donnell, Sr. Director Athlete Solutions
BATTLE-TESTED THROUGH DWAYNE JOHNSON’S HARDEST TRAINING YET
To achieve his fitness goals for the role of Black Adam, Dwayne needed the ultimate training shoe. Something comfortable, responsive and breathable that could still support even his toughest levels of training; a shoe that would stand the test of time and hold its own in his wear-testing process.
This led to the development of the Project Rock 5 (PR5), “Every time I get out my PR5s and lace up, by that last tie I become very inspired and I am ready to run through a wall”, said Johnson.
“Dwayne’s love for the PR5 led to this collection. The PR5s were a canvas for the colours and the storytelling of the movie.”
– Jonathan Hutnyan, Senior PLM Performance Footwear at UA
The combination of HOVR and TriBase underfoot provides stability and support, while offering plush comfort via HOVR foam to get through the toughest workouts.
The upper engineered mesh delivers a perfect balance of breathability and durability without extra layers. And rounding it up with an external heel-to-midfoot TPU strap that is integrated into the lacing and provides an additional layer of support and stability to the medial and lateral sides. The shoe comes with a bonus: the medial side TPU has Dwayne’s signature on it – the first-ever shoe to incorporate it.
Beyond the footwear—which is the anchor for the collection according to Johnson— there is a full Black Adam apparel collection for men, women and youth.
The development and incorporation of technologies such as UA Iso-Chill into the Black Adam Training apparel collection were paramount.
Dwayne likes his Iron Paradise gym to be very hot, so Iso-Chill is his go-to base layer as it is cool to the touch and cool on the body, providing breathability and moisture management in hot and humid environments. Other similar tech and design considerations were taken into account when designing Dwayne’s peak performance gear.
“I hope that the athlete wearing Black Adam gear feels empowered and strong and confident…I hope they feel motivated to go out and disrupt. That’s what Black Adam is, and that is what the collection represents. Disruption.”
– Dwayne Johnson
The collection offers a variety of options—from Dwayne’s signature sleeveless hoodie to baselayers and tanks— for athletes to layer in and peel back when things get heated. The women’s collection leads with the HeatGear Sports Bra and ankle leggings, among other styles.
Warner Bros’s Black Adam movie premieres in theatres only on October 21, 2022. The UA Project Rock Black Adam collection will launch on October 6, 2022, in North America and will be available on UA.com and at select UA Brand Houses.