The Titan Games sees Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson dare people like you and me to compete in Herculean challenges inspired by his grueling workout routine and by a literally spirit-filled moment.

You might know Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson from his days as a professional wrestler or action hero in blockbuster movies, including in The Fast and Furious franchise.

In between his numerous movie roles and his sporadic returns to the wrestling ring, fans of Johnson would not want to miss the Samoan hunk’s newest project, The Titan Games.

Originally shown on NBC for a United States audience, The Titan Games has been picked up for simultaneous broadcast in Asia by FOX, with a special two-hour premiere on Jan. 4 and new episodes on Fridays.

Billed by Johnson as “the biggest athletic competition series in the history of television”, The Titan Games is a 10-episode series where contestants of diverse backgrounds compete to win a grand prize of US$100,000.

On paper, this seems like any other athletic competition on TV.

However, unlike the lighter, more comedic shows like Wipeout or Takeshi’s Castle, The Titan Games offers high-octane obstacle courses and challenges designed by Johnson himself, who also acts as the host and producer.

The challenges are designed to test the limits of the contestants, with obstacles including “Heavy Metal”, an uphill weight-lifting course, and “Herculean Pull”, a tug-of-war with the rope replaced with a huge metal rod.

The struggle is real: The Titan Games sees people from normal backgrounds taking on obstacle courses inspired by host Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s workout routine.

While most of the challenges are based on Johnson’s grueling workout routine, the “Lunar Eclipse” came to his mind in a — quite literally — spirit-filled moment. The challenge has contestants run around a half-moon shape.

“I was probably on my third tequila and looking outside and seeing the moon and thought, ‘What if there was something like this?’” Johnson said told usatoday.com.

Each episode begins with eight contestants — four men and four women — going head-to-head in a show of power and determination.

Each contestant who beats his or her opponent in a challenge will advance to a final obstacle course titled “Mount Olympus”, named after the highest mountain in Greece.

Living up to its name, “Mount Olympus” features a wide array of obstacles that will test the contestants’ agility and strength to the breaking point, beginning with toppling a half-ton wall and ending with contestants breaking a slab of concrete with a sledgehammer.

In each episode, the male and female contestant conquering “Mount Olympus” will become a Titan. In the end, the Titans will be pit against each other, with one male and female Titan emerging as Titan Champions, each taking home the $100,000 prize.

Despite facing tough challenges, the contestants of The Titan Games are not people who necessarily have above-average physical strength.

Neck-and-neck: Contestants advance, tournament-style, until a male and female winner is declared “Titan Champion” who will take home the grand prize of US$100,000.

The youngest contestant is a 20-year-old student named Jack Kwan, while the most senior one is Julie Dudley, a 50-year-old firefighter paramedic and grandmother.

“It’s fun and intense. The great stories come from the diverse backgrounds of the competitors, and that is the heart of the show,” said Indira Christiani, Indonesian Fox Networks Group marketing representative.

“You won’t be rooting for just one person, but you will be cheering for everyone,” Indira said, adding that the contestants included cancer survivors, military veterans and amputees.

Indeed, couch potatoes who need an injection of motivation should check out The Titan Games. Who knows, one may be tempted to start a workout routine after watching the series.

— Photos Coutesy of Fox