Few athletes have maintained peak physical condition for as long, or as consistently, as John Cena. Even today, his physique continues to turn heads, as he proved in his action-heavy scenes like in HBO’s Peacemaker (2022). But exactly why does his workout regimen deserve attention? John Cena has spent more than two decades performing in one of the most physically demanding environments.

Despite being diagnosed with skin cancer twice and countless impacts throughout his wrestling career, he remains a benchmark of discipline.

Before getting into his Physical training and workout regime. Let's see what  The Cenation Leader's diet looks like.

John Cena believes in a functional diet which rather gives fuel to his muscles rather than pleases his palate. At roughly 3,600 calories per day, featuring approximately 450 grams of carbs, 290 grams of protein, and 65 grams of fat, it’s a plan designed to support muscle repair and performance.

His meals rely on clean proteins such as eggs, chicken, tuna, and cottage cheese, paired with brown rice, oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables. Protein bars or whey shakes serve as convenient fillers throughout the day, while a casein shake before bed supports overnight muscle recovery. 

The Training Philosophy Behind His Physique

John Cena’s training system is built on a high-volume bodybuilding split across five days a week. His week begins with an intense leg and calf session that combines seated calf raises, high-rep leg presses, and multiple squat variations.

His calf work alone often exceeds 10 sets, followed by leg curls, extensions, and hack squats to exhaust every major lower-body muscle group. The next day focuses entirely on the chest, where he alternates between incline machine presses, heavy incline bench work, pec deck movements, cable crossovers, and classic barbell bench pressing.

Midweek, Cena turns his attention to arms with a marathon session of bicep curls, cable variations, tricep extensions, and dips, often pushing certain exercises to failure. His shoulder day continues the high-volume theme with rear-delt flyes, overhead pressing on machines and free weights, and lateral-raise variations to round out the deltoids.

The week wraps up with back training, combining high-rep lat pulldowns, heavy barbell and dumbbell rows, deadlifts, shrugs, and pull-ups performed to failure. Every day ends with a single set of 60 crunches, one of his long-standing habits.

Beyond bodybuilding, Cena incorporates Olympic lifting patterns such as the snatch and power clean. These lifts follow progressive weekly percentages that peak at a one-rep max test every six weeks.

John Cena’s routine is a masterclass in longevity and obviously a very high-volume training for muscle, Olympic lifts for power, and a disciplined diet built for recovery. 

Ready to take inspiration from Cena’s regimen? Let us know which part of his routine you’re trying first.

Written by

Amanjeet Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu