Bretman Rock Deadlifted 405 Pounds In a Skirt
Bretman Rock—who, for the record, is named after Bret “The Hitman” Hart and The Rock—first shot to viral internet fame on Vine (RIP!) and YouTube by posting makeup tutorials, comedy sketches, mukbangs, ab workout videos, and really anything else he could think of. “Anybody that knows me, girl, I be doing so many random shit, like putting diapers on my chickens,” the 24-year-old told GQ via Zoom from his gym’s parking lot. Since then, he has amassed more than 18 million followers on Instagram, 15.4 million on TikTok, and 8.8 million YouTube subscribers.
From makeup partnerships and an MTV reality series to being the first openly gay man to grace the cover of Playboy, Rock has an impressive and growing list of accomplishments under his belt. With the release of his memoir, You’re That Bitch, the multi-hyphenate entertainer can officially add “author” to the list.
Rock says many people assume he’s not the athletic type. “When you grow up gay as fuck, you’re kind of pencilled in as weak and flamboyant,” he says. “It releases such a different serotonin in me knowing that I can lift something heavy, even though I don’t look it.” From the fifth grade to high school, Rock was part of his school’s track team (and almost went to college for it), but now he mostly sticks to heavy bodybuilding workouts.
GQ caught up with Rock to discuss how he got into track, cold plunges, TikTok foods, and why working out has given him a new type of confidence.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: Can you talk to me about how you got into track?
Bretman Rock: All the way back to the minute I was born. I was named after the wrestlers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and The Rock. My dad was really big on sports and my mom was also a sports girl—they bonded through that because she was a volleyball girl and he was a baseball guy. Since I was raised by sports people, with a sports name, I had to be gay and do good in sports. First I did more team playing sports like football and baseball. That’s kind of why I stuck to track, because those two sports helped me figure out that I’m not a team player and I love track because either you’re fast or you’re fucking slow, you know what I mean? There’s no such thing as team in track. I stuck with track all the way from fifth grade to high school and I almost went to college for it. But now I just do bodybuilding workouts and I still run as often as I can.
What does your training routine look like these days?
That is a heavy question because every time I tell somebody my training routine they’re like, ‘there is no way you work out that much.’ Monday to Friday I’m at the gym and I do bodybuilding workouts where we focus on a different body part every day. Today I did legs, tomorrow I’ll probably do back, and the next day I’ll probably do chest. On my weekends I love to do group workouts, because during the week it’s just me and my trainer and I miss the environment of working out with a lot of people. With my trainer it’s like his eyes are on me the whole time. I can’t cheat my reps, I can’t even look out for air. I do that every Saturday, and then on Sundays I do an active rest day. I’ll do a hike, I’ll go to the beach, or I’ll do a run. I even count babysitting as an active rest day because girl, my sister’s kids, they be putting me through it. But I am active all throughout the entire week, bad bitches don’t take days off, honestly. As long as I’m doing something active every day, that’s really all that matters to me.