Blake Hall
Think your morning workout routine is challenging? Think again.
Take one look at retired United States Navy SEAL Jocko Willink — former commander of the most decorated special operations unit in the Iraq War, Task Unit Bruiser — and his daily morning workout regiment and you’ll surely have doubts about the legitimacy of your own.
Willink, who hosts a podcast about leadership, ownership and more, sat down and detailed what he goes through daily, at dawn, and how it keeps him not only in shape, but dedicated to his broader goals. Which basically centers around being a real-life badass, and a successful entrepreneur (he owns and operates his own consulting firm).
Business Insider was lucky enough to get the scoop.
And here’s what they gathered from Jocko and his fitness system, which could also serve as a bay window into his way of life:
Wake up at 4:30 a.m. Three alarms are set — one electric, one battery-powered, and one windup — but he almost always only needs one. The two others are safeguards.
After a quick cleanup in the bathroom, take a photo of wristwatch to show his Twitter followers what time he’s beginning the day. It’s become both a way to hold himself accountable as well as inspire others to stick to their goals.
Grab his workout clothes, laid out the night before, and head to the gym in his garage for one of the following strength workouts, which lasts around an hour. The exercises can either be lower weight with high reps and little rest or heavy weight with low reps and lots of rest.
- Day 1: Pull ups, muscle ups, related exercises.
- Day 2: Overhead lifts, bench press, deadlifts, handstand push-ups, kettle-bell swings.
- Day 3: Ring dips, regular dips, push-ups.
- Day 4: Overhead squats, front squats, regular squats.
Spend anywhere from a few minutes (intense bursts) to a half hour (steady) for cardiovascular training. This could include sprints or a jog.
Finish workout around 6:00 a.m. Depending on the day, go out to hit the beach near his home near San Diego, California, to spend time swimming or surfing. If the weather is nice, he may also do his cardio on the beach.
Shower and start working for his leadership consulting firm, Echelon Front, any time after 6:00 a.m. He doesn’t get hungry until around noon, and only has a snack, like a few handfuls of nuts, in the morning.
Willink also mentions that he fits in martial arts training somewhere throughout the day (somehow) and finally hits the sack at around 11 p.m.
In the BI piece he stresses that it doesn’t matter really when you do your regiment, just that early morning works for him. He does point out, however, that the important thing is to stick to the program, and maintain the discipline that you set out to uphold in the first place.
He refers to it as “owning” it. We refer it to as “not being lazy”.