How To Train Like Jocko Willink – A Retired Navy Seals Commander

Jocko Willink is an intimidating, 235-pound retired Navy Seal battle commander known for his leadership books (especially “Extreme Ownership” and “Discipline Equals Freedom”), as well as the Jocko Podcast with over 400k subscribers. He’s waking up every day at 4:30 AM and posting a picture of his wristwatch on Twitter to motivate others to do the same and get after it. 

He’s a kind of man who walks his talk, as nearly every day he’s doing a monster workout at his home gym, and later training BJJ in a nearby Dojo. In this article, you’ll find out more about his training routine, personal philosophy, and staying fit regardless of your current occupation.

Yes, Navy Seals are known for their iron self-discipline, but they’re not the only professionals who take their fitness routine seriously. Over the years, there’s been a rise of “corporate athletes” who punctuate their business meetings with quick Tabata-style workouts and office stretches. Nowadays even pro gamers and poker players do their best to stay healthy in spite of the long hours spent at tournament tables. There’s no reason for you to shy away from a heavy workout routine described below. 

Still interested? Let’s dive in and pump some iron.

In this video, Jocko shares his home-gym favorites including a pull-up bar, dip station, and of course, kettlebells…

How Jocko approaches a workout

Jocko is a versatile athlete who’s never satisfied with one type of workout. He lives close to the beach so if the weather allows, he will sometimes surf the waves for an hour or so after waking up. Otherwise, he might jog barefoot on the beach to enjoy the scenery and burn a few extra calories. After all, he’s waking up at 4:30 AM so he can get a proper workout done before regular people even hit the snooze button on their alarm clocks.

On a regular day, after waking up, he quickly jumps into workout clothes laid out the night before (this is key) and heads to the gym situated in his garage. His gym workout lasts for around 1 hour during which he’s doing either push or pull exercises that use his weight and the power of gravity. 

These might include pull-ups, muscle-ups, overhead lifts, bench press, deadlifts, kettlebell, burpees, swings, dips, as well as pushups and squats of all kinds. 

He doesn’t take long breaks between sets to increase the intensity of the workout. Instead, he pushes hard with 10 to 15 seconds of rest maximum.

After the strength workout, he’ll usually follow up with a high-intensity cardio workout or a gentle jog. The whole workout routine usually ends by 6:00 AM when Jocko gets to work on his consulting business, as well as podcasting and book writing.

Once he’s finished with work, he usually hits the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Dojo to choke a few people out before calling it a day. As you can see, that’s quite an intense all-in approach to training.

Example of a Jocko-approved training session:

Warmup – slow squats, hanging on a pull-up bar, a few burpees, jumping jacks, slow pushups.

• 12 x kettlebell swings both hands
• 12 x front squats
• 12 x throw bag slams
• 12 x kettlebell swings left side, then 12 right side
• 12 x deadlift

Do the above session twice with little to no rest.

Abs – do sit-ups until it burns. 

Cardio – 50 m sprint x 8.

A quick 10-minute stretch followed by a cold shower.

Are you ready to take your workout to the Jocko level?

Next time you’re in the gym, perhaps you can employ some of the ideas listed above. It always helps to try something new and attack multiple muscle groups at a time. According to Jocko, the shredded body is just a by-product. 

The thing you should be looking for is strength, mobility, flexibility, and being able to handle life-threatening situations. To improve on these things, you’ll need more than your regular few sets on the bench, and a couple of easy movements on the machines.