Muscle-building tips you can learn from The Rock's 'Black Adam' meal plan, according to a dietitian

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson said he's on a strict new diet to play the title role in "Black Adam."
• It involves measuring all his food, chugging protein shakes, and having heroic cheat meals.
• Here's how you can implement some of his tips at home, according to a dietitian.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, known for transforming into muscle-bound heroes for the big screen, is now putting the finishing touches on his diet for an upcoming role in "Black Adam," Men's Health recently reported.

While Johnson plays a god-like superman in the movie, mere mortals can learn a thing or two from his routine, according to registered dietitian Georgie Fear.

Keeping track of what you eat, and leaving room for treats can be good advice, but non-movie stars can skip some of the intensive extra steps, like chugging mountains of protein.

Measuring food can be a helpful guide but isn't necessary for everything

Leading up to the movie shoot, The Rock is weighing out everything he eats to maintain a very strict diet, he said in a recent Instagram post.

That approach takes a lot of time and effort if you're doing it yourself, Fear said. Fortunately, most people don't need to.

"It's rarely called for," she told Insider. "It's a pain in the butt and he's doing it for a temporary period of time."

It can be helpful, though, to occasionally measure out food to give yourself a better sense of what one portion looks like. This can help you more accurately assess what you eat, even if you usually just eyeball it. The technique can be particularly helpful for calorie-dense food or condiments like peanut butter, butter, and cooking oils where a small amount adds up quickly.

"In that case it might be helpful to pretend you're The Rock for a few minutes and see how much you're eating," Fear said.

Treat yourself

The Rock's cheat meals are legendary, from a mountain of sushi to a stack of large pizzas. The concept is dietitian-approved, too.

"I think it's important to include treats that we can include just for fun, I like that we're not expecting people to be machines," Fear said.

However, she doesn't love the term "cheat meal." That kind of framing implies a sense of guilt or shame around enjoying foods, and it can trigger cycles of excessive restriction and binge eating.

"Framing it as a cheat meal can be problematic. I often hear clients say that they're eating like a car whose brakes have failed," she said.

Instead, plan to regularly incorporate favorite foods, regardless of nutritional value, as about 10% of your daily calories. For most people, that's about one treat a day, such as glass of wine, a small donut, that you enjoy guilt-free.

That's a more sustainable approach for most people than waiting for one day a week, and then diving into a platter of fully-loaded burgers or a few pizzas in one meal.

"The Rock has an epic calorie burn, so he can have more treats. For the average person, you could obliterate a week of healthy eating and hard workouts in one cheat day like that," Fear said.

The Rock follows his workouts with a huge protein shake, but you don't have to

Johnson is well-known for grueling sessions in his personal gym, nicknamed the "Iron Paradise." Within 10 minutes post-workout, he follows up by chugging a shake with about 70 grams of protein, 35 grams of carbs, and electrolytes, and creatine, according to a recent Instagram post.

Both carbs and protein are essential for recovering from exercise, according to Fear, so it's not a bad idea to fuel up. However, you don't need to rush, since there's not a time limit on when you need protein.

"That window of opportunity is not as important as most people make it out to be," Fear said. "It is important if you're working out again within 12 hours so you can be at peak recovery in a short amount of time."

Finally, if you aren't The Rock, you also don't need as much protein as Johnson does. In fact, too much can backfire for diet goals and be added to your body as fat, not muscle.

"70 grams is likely more than most of us need at any one time. If your body doesn't use it, it will be converted to fat, just the same as other nutrients," Fear said.

Don't sacrifice sleep for extra time in the gym

One part of The Rock's routine you definitely shouldn't emulate is his meager sleep schedule - he routinely posts about going to bed after midnight, only to wake up a few hours later for a dawn gym session.

"Sleeping only five to six hours would definitely make it harder to make progress. Getting closer to seven or eight hours helps manage appetite and keep your stress low," Fear said.

It might make sense for Johnson to do so, since he has to keep up with work, family life, and his entrepreneurial endeavors, she said, but he's an outlier.

"Most physique athletes and professional athletes are strict about sleep. So I'm surprised the Rock isn't - I'd think he would be a strict about sleeping as he is about his diet," Fear said.