Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual

DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM FIELD MANUAL Begin Reading Table of Contents About the Author Copyright Page Thank you for buying this St Martins Press ebook To receive special offers bonus content and info on new releases and other great reads sign up for our newsletters Or visit us online at usmacmillancomnewslettersignup For email updates on the author click here DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM FIELD MANUAL BY JOCKO WILLINK The author and publisher have provided this ebook to you for your personal use only You may not make this ebook publicly available in any way Copyright infringement is against the law If you believe the copy of this ebook you are reading infringes on the authors copyright please notify the publisher at usmacmillanusacompiracy This book is dedicated to Marc Lee Mike Monsoor and Ryan Job from SEAL Team Three Task Unit Bruiser who lived and fought and died as warriors For the best reading experience set your device to night mode and use the publishersupplied fonts PART 1 THE WAY OF DISCIPLINE People look for the shortcut The hack And if you came here looking for that You wont find it The shortcut is a lie The hack doesnt get you there And if you want to take the easy road it wont take you to where you want to be Stronger Smarter Faster Healthier Better FREE To reach goals and overcome obstacles and become the best version of you possible will not happen by itself It will not happen cutting corners taking shortcuts or looking for the easy way THERE IS NO EASY WAY There is only hard work late nights early mornings practice rehearsal repetition study sweat blood toil frustration and discipline DISCIPLINE THERE MUST BE DISCIPLINE Discipline The root of all good qualities The driver of daily execution The core principle that overcomes laziness and lethargy and excuses Discipline defeats the infinite excuses that say Not today not now I need a rest I will do it tomorrow Whats the hack How do you become stronger smarter faster healthier How do you become better How do you achieve true freedom There is only one way THE WAY OF DISCIPLINE WHY Why Over and over and over again I am asked Why What drives me When I was younger I was preparing for war I knew that somewhere out there another man was also preparing That man was my enemy He was working training planning and preparing to meet me on the battlefield I didnt know when I didnt know where But I knew that at some point We would meet And I wanted to be ready Ready mentally Ready physically Ready emotionally So I trained And I prepared And I did everything I could to be ready for that day When I became a leader I took the same approach To prepare my men in the same way To train brutally and without mercy so we could fight brutally and without mercy And the day came We met the enemy on the battlefield We were ready and we fought and we won Then one day it was over I was no longer a soldier no longer a leader of men I was no longer preparing myself or my men for war So What drives me now The answer is simple The answer is simple The men that did not come home Marc and Mikey and Ryan But it is not only them There are others Hundreds more Thousands more Countless more Who fought and died to give me the gift of freedom And for them I will make every dayevery minuteevery second I will make it all count I will live to honor their sacrifice A life worthy of the price they paid for me for us I will not let them down WHERE DOES DISCIPLINE COME FROM Where does discipline come from This is a simple answer Discipline comes from within Discipline is an internal force Sure you can have discipline imposed on you by a person like a drill instructor or that selfhelp guru on TV but the reality is He wont give you real discipline Because that external discipline is not strong It will not survive It cannot stand on its own What you are looking for what you need is SELFDISCIPLINE Selfdiscipline as the very term implies comes from the SELF YOU It comes when you make a decision to be disciplined When you make a decision to be better When you make a decision to do more to BE more Selfdiscipline comes when you decide to make a mark on the world If you dont think you are disciplined It is because you havent decided to be disciplined YET It is because you havent created it YET You havent become it YET So where does it come from It comes from you So make the decision Make the commitment Become the disciplineembrace its cold and relentless power And it will make you better and stronger and smarter and faster and healthier than anything else And most important It will make you free OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION WHEN AND WHERE TO START People want to know how to stop laziness They want to know how to stop procrastination They have an idea in their head Maybe even a vision But they dont know where to startso they ask And they say Where do I start When is the best time to start And I have a simple answer HERE and NOW Thats it You want to improve You want to get better You want to get on a workout program or a clean diet or start a new business You want to write a book or make a movie or build a house or a computer or an app Where do you start You start right HERE When do you start You start right NOW You initiate action You GO Here is the reality That idea isnt going to execute itself That book isnt going to write itself Those weights out in the gymthey arent going to move themselves YOU HAVE TO DO IT And you have to do it now So stop thinking about it Stop dreaming about it Stop researching every aspect of it and reading all about it and debating the pros and cons of it Start doing it Take that first step and Make It Happen GET AFTER IT HERE and NOW THE PERSON YOU CAN CONTROL People are not who you want them to be Kill your idols Sure there are things we can learn from people but people arent going to be what you think they arewhat they should be People even those people you have put up on a pedestal are going to be faulted weak egomaniacal condescending They are going to be lazy entitled shortsighted They will not be perfect Far from it Thats fine Learn from their weaknesses Of course Learn from their strengths and mimic and copy them in what they do well But equally as important Learn from their faults See what not to do Because you cant control other people You cant make them what you want them to be You cant make them who you want them to be The only person you can control is you So focus on making yourself who you want you to be Faster Stronger Smarter More humble Less ego Discipline your body Free your mind Get up early and go Get after it and you will become the person you want to be And you become that person through One Small Decision At A Time MIND CONTROL When people think of the words mind control they think of people controlling the minds of other people Not me I think about controlling my own mind Sure we are physical beings and we must obviously embrace our physicality But we are our minds And Im not going to go philosophical on what that means and where the YOU actually iswhether it is a soul or your brain or your heart or some other conjuredup place What I do know is this You your mind the thing that is reading and comprehending these words right now that IS YOU And you can control it You are the machine and you can control it People ask me How do I get tougher BE TOUGHER How can I wake up early in the morning WAKE UP EARLY How can I work out consistently every day WORK OUT CONSISTENTLY EVERY DAY How can I stop eating sugar STOP EATING SUGAR You can even control your emotions How can I stop missing that girl or guy or whoever broke up with me STOP MISSING THEM You have control over your mind You just have to assert it You have to decide that you are going to be in control that you are going to do what YOU want to do Weakness doesnt get a vote Laziness doesnt get a vote Sadness doesnt get a vote Frustration doesnt get a vote Negativity DOESNT GET A VOTE Your temper doesnt get a vote So next time you are feeling weak or lazy or soft or emotional tell those feelings they dont get a vote You are declaring martial law on your mind MIND CONTROL Impose what you want on your brain DISCIPLINE POWER POSITIVITY WILL And use that Mind Control to move your life where you want it to be stronger faster smarter quicker friendlier more helpful more driven Dont let your mind control you Control your mind And then you can SET IT FREE WEAKNESS Do I have weakness I am nothing but weakness I am not naturally strong or fast or flexible I am certainly not the smartest person in the world I get emotional over stupid things I eat the wrong foods I dont sleep enough I procrastinate and I waste time I care too much about meaningless things and not enough about important things My ego is too big My mind is too small often trapped inside itself Now all that being said I have a saying A persons strength is often their biggest weakness But their weaknesses can become strengths Me I am weak in all those ways I am weak BUT I dont accept that I dont accept that I am what I am and that that is what I am doomed to be NO I do not accept that Im fighting Im always fighting Im struggling and Im scraping and kicking and clawing at those weaknessesto change them To stop them them To stop them Some days I win But some days I dont But each and every day I get back up and I move forward With my fists clenched Toward the battle Toward the struggle And I fight with everything Ive got To overcome those weaknesses and those shortfalls and those flaws as I strive to be just a little bit better today than I was yesterday STRESS First of all and I dont mean to minimize the stress people face but Imagine what Eugene Sledge went through on Peleliu and the tens of thousands of Marines there who suffered unimaginable horror Imagine David Hackworth assaulting enemy positions in Korea wounded over and over again on the line still going back for more Imagine the poet warrior Alan Seeger in World War One getting ready to go over the top and make his rendezvous with death Imagine the thousands of warriors who have gone before you who have stood and faced evil and death And now imagine you I used to do this myself while in Iraq facing stress Yes we took casualties and yes it was awful and heartbreaking and every bit as wretched as I could imagine But warriors have faced much much worse The Battle of the Somme or Gettysburg or the Battle of the Bulge or the Chosin Reservoir Humans can withstand almost inconceivable stressand you can too So that is your first step Gain perspective And to do that you must do something critical in many situations Detach Whatever problems or stress you are experiencing detach from them Stress is generally caused by what you cant control The worst thing about incoming artillery fire is The worst thing about incoming artillery fire is you cant control it It is happening and you just have to accept it Dont stress about things you cant control If the stress is something that you can control and you are not that is a lack of discipline and a lack of ownership Get control of it Impose your will to make it happen Solve the problem Relieve the stress If the stress is something you cant control Embrace it You cant control it but How can you look at it from a different angle How can you use it to your advantage I couldnt control the chaos of combat I had to embrace it I had to figure out a way to take advantage of it Make it into your ally So Dont fight stress Embrace it Turn it on itself Use it to make yourself sharper and more alert Use it to make you think and learn and get better and smarter and more effective Use the stress to make you a better you DESTROYER MODE Where does the switch come from The overdrive The berserker mode The fullon destroyer that will not stop I think this is something that is learned And it is a hard lesson and not everyone gets it And it is an important lesson A critical one It is the thing that allows you to go the extra distance To dig a little deeper To push a little harder To get after it And it actually takes two opposing forces to bring it to life It takes both emotion and logic to reach your maximum potential to really give everything you have to go beyond your limits Because emotion and logic will both reach their limitations And when one fails you need to rely on the other When it just doesnt make any logical sense to go on thats when you use your emotion your anger your frustration your fear to push further to push you to say one thing I dont stop When your feelings are screaming that you have had enough when you think you are going to break emotionally override that emotion with concrete logic and willpower that says one thing I dont stop Fight weak emotions with the power of logic fight the weakness of logic with the power of emotion And in the balance of those two you will find the strength and the tenacity and the guts to say to yourself I DONT STOP UNTIL THE END Something I saw in combat that I later tried to train out of people was the tendency to relax once the primary objective of a mission was complete I tried to train that out of them because you cant relax until the entire mission is complete In training we always attacked the platoons hard on their primary objective but we always attacked them even harder after they left the main target once the platoons were patrolling back to base when their minds had already gone home and turned off Thats when we would bring it to them Hit them from multiple angles with all kinds of mayhem So they would develop the attitude and the muscle memory to keep going until the end And even when they got back to base we would retask them so they had to begin planning again It wouldnt stop Thats the mentality I wanted to instill in them It is never finished You always have more to do Another mission Another task Another goal And the enemy is always watching Waiting Looking for that moment of weakness Looking for you to exhale set your weapon down and close your eyes even just for a moment And thats when they attack So dont be finished Be starting Be alert Be ready Be attacking BE RELENTLESS Let the enemy stop Let the enemy rest Let the enemy finish You Dont finish Dont stop Dont rest Not until the enemy is completely destroyed And even then Turn your focus inward on yourself and take the opportunity not to rest But to make yourself better faster smarter stronger Because with those goals nothing is ever finished APPLICATION OF DISCIPLINE Discipline starts with waking up early It really does But that is just the beginning you absolutely have to apply it to things beyond waking up early It is working out every day making yourself stronger and faster and more flexible and healthier It is eating the right foods to fuel your system correctly It is disciplining your emotions so you can make good decisions It is about having the discipline to control your ego so it doesnt get out of hand and control you It is about treating people the way you would want to be treated It is about doing the tasks you dont want to do but you know will help you Discipline is about facing your fears so you can conquer them Discipline means taking the hard roadthe uphill road To do what is right For you and for others So often the easy path calls us To be weak for that moment To break down another time To give in to desire and shortterm gratification Discipline will not allow that Discipline calls for strength and fortitude and WILL It wont accept weakness It wont tolerate a breakdown in will Discipline can seem like your worst enemy But in reality it is your best friend It will take care of you like nothing else can And it will put you on the path to strength and health and intelligence and happiness And most important discipline will put you on the path to FREEDOM QUESTIONS Knowledge is a powerful tool It is the master of your tools It is where your tools come from because without knowledge there is nothing Lets take that one step further Knowledge is the ultimate weapon it trumps all other weapons Thought is what winsthe MIND is what winsknowledge is what wins And you gain knowledge by asking questions Which questions should you ask Simple Question everything Dont accept anything as truth QUESTION IT ALL When you dont understand a wordget out the dictionary When you dont understand a conceptbreak it down until you do When you dont know how something worksdig into it until you do Ask every question that comes to mind That is how you learn And most important Question yourself Question yourself every day Ask yourself Who am I What have I learned What have I created What forward progress have I made Who have I helped What am I doing to improve myselftoday To get better faster stronger healthier To get better faster stronger healthier smarter Is this what I want to be This Is this all Ive got is this everything I can give Is this going to be my life Do I accept that Ask yourself those questions those hard questions and then answer them truthfully And realize that all of usALL OF UScan do better We can be better And it starts when you begin to ask those questions So ask the hard questions of yourselfand find the path to progress and discipline and to freedom inside the answers FIGHT Go down swinging And Ill tell you If you fight with all you have more often than not you wont go down at all You will win But you have to make that attitude a part of your everyday life Do the extra repetition Run the extra mile Go the extra round Make the right choices Give the full measure Make yourself stronger mentally and physically Stand and fight Fight against weakness Against fear Against time and against decay FIGHT BACK Go down swinging Give every day everything youve got And when you face a challengeeven something you dont believe you can win or a situation where you know you cannot winremember this You have nothing to lose So STAND UP GO FORWARD Go out in a blaze of glory fighting with everything youve got every ounce of energy every bead of sweat every drop of blooduntil your last breath And thenand only thencan you stand down put down your sword and your shield and rest in peace COMPROMISE When working with other people and dynamic situations and relationships and deals a person especially a leader must compromise Finding the common ground between teams Merging different approaches to the same problem Bridging personalities with people who might not get along Reaching agreements in courses of action All of these require compromise And in many cases a failure to compromise is a failure to succeed But those are external compromises with other people other humans that have their own personalities and ethos and issues And compromise is needed to unify So to work with them compromise is a must But internallyits different With myself I have to hold the line There are areas within myself where I CANNOT compromise I am going to work hard I am going to train hard I am going to improve myself I am not going to rest on my laurels I am going to own my mistakes and confront them I am going to face my demons Im not going to give up or give out or give in Im going to stand I am going to maintain my self discipline And on those points there will be No Compromise NOT NOW NOT EVER DEFAULT AGGRESSIVE Proactive and aggressive are similar and they are both good You certainly have to be proactive in the world You want to be dictating what happens not responding to it And yes That means creating or controlling a situation as much as you can But being aggressivethat means you are ready to attack As I always point outthis doesnt mean you walk around with your chest puffed out ready to bang heads with everyone around you It doesnt mean you confront people physically or mentally headon and without a tactically superior plan It doesnt mean you go straight forward into conflict without thought and without reason It doesnt mean you engage in attrition warfareno That is almost never smart What it does mean is that you are going to get after it You are going to move fast You are going to think fast You are going to outthink and outmaneuver the enemy If I think the enemy is going to attack meIm going to attack them first If I think they are going to seize a piece of If I think they are going to seize a piece of terrainI am going to be there waiting for them If I think the enemy is going to flank metoo lateIm already flanking them I dont view aggression as an outward attitude I view aggression as an internal character trait A fire in your mind that says I am going to win I am going to battle and I am going to fight and I am going to use every tool I have to crush my enemy And that tool might be fists but it might be guile It might be a frontal attack but it might be a flanking maneuver It might be an undeniable display of forcebut it also might be a subtle political maneuver And that is what aggression is to me The unstoppable fighting spirit The drive The burning desire to achieve mission success using every possible tool asset and strategy and tactic to bring about victory IT IS THE WILL TO WIN And if that kind of internal relentless aggression is your DEFAULT MODE YOU WILL WIN NATURE VS NURTURE What is more important Nature or nurture In my opinion Neither I have seen people from every stratum of life In the military I worked with every type of person Ivy League kids with silver spoons former gangbangers hood rats prep school kids kids from bluecollar families kids from strong families and kids with no families kids who were pampered and kids who were abused And everything in between Everything And with all those different types of people there were good and bad Successful and unsuccessful And in working with businesses I see the same thing People from every walk of life From the bottom to the topand I have seen every type of person be successful So to me it is not about nature or nurture It is about choice The people who are successful decide they are going to be successful They make that choice And they make other choices They decide to study hard They decide to work hard They decide to be the first person to get to work and the last to go home first person to get to work and the last to go home They decide they are going to take on the hard jobs Take on the challenges They decide they are going to lead when no one else will They choose who they are going to hang around and they choose who they will emulate They choose to become who they want to become they arent inhibited by nature or nurture They overcome both And I will tell you something else It is never too late to make that choice You are never too old to decide where you are going to focus your efforts and push to make the most out of every situation So Think not about what youve been through and where you were Think about where you are going and choose Choose to make yourself smarter and stronger and healthier Choose to work out and study and eat good food and keep your mind clean Dont let nature or nurture make you Choose to MAKE YOUR SELF FEAR OF FAILURE Fear of failure Fear of failure can keep you from taking the risk It can leave you sitting there paralyzed into not taking action And that is obviously bad But I dont want you to overcome fear of failure I want you to be afraid of failure FEAR OF FAILURE IS GOOD Fear of failure will keep you up at night planning rehearsing going over contingencies Fear of failure will keep you training hard Fear of failure will stop you from cutting corners Fear of failure will keep you working thinking striving and relentlessly trying to be more prepared for battle So I want you to be afraid of failing I fear failure But more important I want you to be horrified terrified of sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing That is what I want you to be afraid of Waking up in six days or six weeks or six years or SIXTY YEARS and being no closer to your goal You have made NO PROGRESS That is the horror That is the nightmare That is what you really need to be afraid of Being stagnant what you really need to be afraid of Being stagnant So GET UP AND GO Take the risk take the gamble take the first step Take action And dont let another day slip by THE WARPATH The Path The Warpath A Path of War The actual definition of warpath means moving toward a battle a fighttoward war And that is what I am doingand what I have always been doing Whether it was the actual war against our nations enemies or the war against my own weaknessesthat is what I am doing Preparing Sharpening my sword Honing my skills Maintaining the unmitigated daily discipline IN ALL THINGS And The Warpath is a pathits a routeit leads somewhere Where does it lead Yes it can lead to war And that is fine Because I am ready I am waiting But the war might not come And that is okay Because The Warpath is also a war against weakness and so it leads to strength It is a war against ignorance and so it leads to knowledge It is a war against confusion and so it delivers understanding And The Warpath leads to control and to ownership of your life your life That is The Warpaththe path of fire and adversity The path of blood and sweat and suffering The Warpath is the interminable path of discipline which is why it leads to FREEDOM And beyond thatin the endThe Warpath leads To peace SUGARCOATED LIES Yes I know I know those donuts are tempting All those colorful sprinkles The cream filling The Glaze The Glorious Glaze And on top of all that They are freesomeone brought them in and just left them here Right here Right in front of me Surely this must be some kind of sign some kind of miracleright I mean Food is food and if it is freeI pretty much need to eat it It would be ungrateful for me to say no Right Right WRONG DEAD WRONG Those donuts arent food THEY ARE POISON Same with the chocolate chip cookies the double Dutch chocolate cake the can of soda the bag of potato chips and the pretzelwrapped hot dogs All that junk isnt food It doesnt fuel you It kills you It literally kills you It isnt going to make you stronger faster It isnt going to make you stronger faster healthier smarter or better Its going to do the opposite And you know this You know you DO NOT NEED ANY OF THAT JUNK But its the only choice WRONG Unless you have gone an extended period of time without food you dont need to eat And you definitely dont need to eat that poison YOU DONT NEED TO EAT You dont even know what hungry is Humans can go thirty days without food You can make it So When those foods are tempting you calling your name and enticing you with their SUGARCOATED LIES get angry Get aggressive Stand your ground in the battle and fight by saying NO HOLD THE LINE Hold the line for your health your mental toughness and to exercise your WILL which I promise is stronger than the will of a donut if you want it to be HOLD THE LINE BAD INSTINCTS There is one instinct to be wary ofone that you must fight This one is a liar This one is a saboteura backbiter Andlike the devil himselfhes a shapeshifter He will disguise himself make you think that he has got your best interests in mind But he doesnt This is the instinct that says YOUVE HAD ENOUGH Youve given it your best shot You can stand down You can back off You can take a knee This is the instinct that says You can rest now Do not listen to that instinct DO NOT LISTEN Because that instinct is a liar and wants to bring you down You see this instinct is a defense mechanism for your ego It gives you an outa place to run to A place of sympathy and amnesty where all can be forgiven Where failures gather together in comfort and drown their sorrows in lies and deception They tell each otherand they tell you You did the best you could and The deck was stacked against you and Its not your fault And so they tell you Its okay to stopits okay to settle ITS OKAY TO GIVE UP And that is the instinct you need to fight To push back to smash into the ground DO NOT TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT Do not give up based on instinct If you are forced to stand downto retreat so that you can rebuild and reattackso be it But make that decision based on logicnot on the instinct of surrender and defeat Destroy that instinct Replace it with the instinct that says GET UP GO FIGHT ON Make that your fundamental reaction to adversityMAKE THAT YOUR GUT INSTINCT and you will overcome anything that stands in your path NOT FEELING IT How do I handle those days when Im just not feeling it Those days when I am tired or worn out or just sick of the grind What do I do on those days I GO ANYWAY I GET IT DONE Even if I am just going through the motions I GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS Dont really want to work out I work out Dont really want to hammer on a project I hammer on the project Dont really want to get up and get out of bed I GET UP AND GET OUT OF BED Nowthese could be signals that you need some time offand those signals might be right BUTdont take today off Wait until tomorrow Dont give in to the immediate gratification that is whispering in your ear SHUT THAT DOWN DO NOT LISTEN Instead Go through the motions Lift the weights Sprint the hill Work on the project GET OUT OF BED I dont like procrastination But if you feel like you need a breakthat is one thing you should procrastinate Taking a break is the one thing I put off until tomorrow And ifwhen tomorrow comesyou still feel like you And ifwhen tomorrow comesyou still feel like you need rest or you need a breakthen go ahead Take it Chances are you wontyou wont need that rest Chances are you will realize that the desire to rest was just weaknessit was the desire to take the path of least resistancethe downhill paththe downward path And by going through the motions you overcame that weakness And you stayed on the righteous paththe disciplined path You stayed on The Warpath Right where you know you belong REGRET Regret The things I could have done differently or learned sooner Theres so much knowledge out there so much information so many ways to get better And we make so many mistakes We are the product of our mistakes And oftentimes the lesson is sitting in front of our face There to be learned But we miss it or we dont pay attention to it or we think we know better Until it punches us in the face The most important thing to learn is that we have so much to learn We all do And we can learn from school and people and experience and life But you have to process the information Absorb it You have to accept it You have to open your mind FREE YOUR MINDso that you can learn and make real progress Are there things I regret and things I wish I had done differently Of course Hindsight is 2020 and looking back who wouldnt want to take another go at something and improve by doing it again And then why not do it again and again and again Who wouldnt want to do things over until you have it perfect But the fact is You dont get that chance You get one shot one shot We get one shot at this gig right here Life One lifethats all weve got And the most important thing to understand about regret is that in and of itself regret is worthless It does nothing for you In fact The only thing valuable in regret is the lesson you learned The knowledge you gained But walking around filled with regret gets you nothing So Learn and move on Dont let regret beat you down Dont be a slave to regret NO Let it teach you Let it make you better Let the fear of regret fuel youto take action todaynow Take action now to become a person not filled with regret but a person filled with knowledge and strength and power and life FOCUS In combat focus comes pretty easily because the battle is right in front of your face You have no choice but to focus But sometimes in daytoday life you can lose track of the longterm goal It fades from your vision It slips from your mind WRONG I want that longterm goal to be so embedded in my mind that I never lose sight of it EVER And the little tasks and projects and shortterm goals that you tackle need to lead toward strategic victorywinning the long war But we want results NOW We want the shortcut to the winners podium We need the instant gratification And when we dont get the shortterm glory sometimes we lose sight of those longterm goals They fade We lose focus So we stop the daily tasks and the daily disciplines that will allow us to achieve our goals And a day slips by And then another day And a day turns into a week and a week into a year And you look up in six weeks or six months or six years And youve made no progress None You never moved In fact You might be even further You never moved In fact You might be even further from your goal than you were when you started You might have gone backward Why Why did you let that happen Because you lost sight of it You lost sight of the longterm goal And it faded It faded from memory and the passion dried up and you began to rationalize Maybe I cant Maybe I dont really want to Maybe this goal isnt for me And so you give up You let it go And you settle You settle for the status quo You settle for the easy road You settle for oh well No Dont do that Embed that longterm goal in your mind Burn it into your soul Think about it write about it talk about it Hang it up on your wall But most important Do something about it Every day Every day Do something that moves you toward that goalthat keeps that goal alive and in sight and in focus However small or insignificant that step might seem take it Do it Make it happen Because that goal isnt going to achieve itself It is All On You HESITATION Between the acting of a dreadful thing And the first motion all the interim is Like a phantasma or a hideous dream That is Brutus from Shakespeares Julius Caesar who in the play is plotting to kill Caesarsomeone he was loyal to And Shakespearethe master of understanding human naturecaptures what that feels like This is how Shakespeares words would translate today Between the acting of a dreadful thing Between the moment when you are waiting to do something that you dont want to do And the first motion and the moment when you initiate the action All the interim The whole time you are waiting to take that action Is like a phantasma or a hideous dream is like an evil spectre an apparitiona nightmare So the battle the strugglethe hesitationtakes place in that moment That moment when we must step into the unknownthat moment filled with fear and horror And that fear is what causes hesitationand hesitation causes defeat HESITATION IS THE ENEMY Hesitation allows the moment to pass the opportunity to be lost the enemy to get the upper hand to be lost the enemy to get the upper hand Hesitation turns into cowardice It stops us from moving forward from taking initiative from executing what we know we must Hesitation defeats us So we must defeat it To win all you have to do is overcome that moment The Waiting The Hesitation And to do that all you have to do is Go Move Take the action Get out of bed Get your feet on the ground Step forward Do not hesitate Do not wait Go forward And win DRAW FIRE Sometimes bad things happen to good people I dont know why Life is not fair That is the reality Disease and accidents dont care if their victim is a good person They have no reason no justification and no mercy And even the best person you know can end up in the clutches of evil And you cannot stop it So What do you do Are you going to get angry Frustrated Are you going to lash out at people Who are you going to lash out at Are you going to start going down the spiral of negativity Are you going to let the horrible situation dictate the way you feel and the way you handle it Are you going to fall over Fall down Fall apart Or are you going to lead Are you going to face this issue with courage and with resolution I say Lead Lead Step up Be the one who people look to Absorb the impactand the negativity Absorb the impactand the negativity Draw fireyes Draw fire Thats when a member of a platoonfor tactical reasonssteps into the open to draw enemy fire maybe to give another part of the team a chance to move maybe to distract the enemy maybe to help the platoon locate the enemy But thats what I say Draw fire Bring that pain to me I can handle it when others cannot When bad things are happeningI will be the one good thingstanding tallthat can be relied upon I will bolster those around me And the positive attitude will spread And we will fight And in fighting we will win If not the battle and if not the warwe will win Because our spirit will never surrender And that is the ultimate victory To hold your head high andeven in the face of inescapable defeat To Stand and Fight GOOD How do I deal with setbacks failures delays defeats or other disasters I actually have a fairly simple way of dealing with these situations summed up in one word Good This is something that one of my direct subordinates one of the guys who worked for me a guy who became one of my best friends pointed out He would pull me aside with some major problem or some issue that was going on and hed say Boss weve got this thing this situation and its going terribly wrong I would look at him and Id sayGood And finally one day he was telling me about something that was going off the rails and as soon as he finished explaining it to me he said I already know what youre going to say And I asked What am I going to say And he said Youre going to say Good He continued Thats what you always say When something is wrong or going bad you just look at me and say Good And I said Well I mean it Because that is how I operate So I explained to him that when things are going bad theres going to be some good that will come from it Oh mission got canceled Good We can focus on another one Didnt get the new highspeed gear we wanted Good We can keep it simple Didnt get promoted Good More time to get better Didnt get funded Good We own more of the Didnt get funded Good We own more of the company Didnt get the job you wanted Good Go out gain more experience and build a better resume Got injured Good Needed a break from training Got tapped out Good Its better to tap out in training than to tap out on the street Got beat Good We learned Unexpected problems Good We have the opportunity to figure out a solution Thats it When things are going bad Dont get all bummed out dont get startled dont get frustrated No Just look at the issue and say Good Now I dont mean to say something trite Im not trying to sound like Mr Smiley Positive Guy That guy ignores the hard truth That guy thinks a positive attitude will solve problems It wont But neither will dwelling on the problem No Accept reality but focus on the solution Take that issue take that setback take that problem and turn it into something good Go forward And if you are part of a team that attitude will spread throughout Finally if you can say the word good then guess what It means youre still alive It means youre still breathing And if youre still breathing that means youve still got some fight left in you So get up dust off reload recalibrate reengage and go out on the attack DEATH But how does good apply to the worst of losses the death of a loved one It is easy to think that there is nothing good in death But then I remember the people I have lost throughout my life the memories of them the experiences the fun their unique personalities and everything they gave me Not only in their life but in their death What their life taught me and what their death taught me The mark they have left on me And I realized there is good even in death there is good First of all I was lucky to have had that person in my life even if it was only for a short timetoo short a timeat least I got that Those precious moments those unforgettable memories at least I got those and got to experience those timesto know the beauty of their personality their attitude their outlook on the world They were all unique and I am thankful for the opportunity I had to interact with them Now comes death Death is horrible and death is wretched and death is cruel And Death isnt fair And I dont know why the best people seem to be taken from us first Death is also inescapable There is no way out No one gets out alive Death is part of life like the contrast between the darkness and the light darkness and the light Without death there is no life And the people that I have lost They taught me that They taught me how precious life is How blessed we are to have every day To learn To grow To laugh To live To Live To live every day with purpose and passion To wake up in the morning and be thankfulthankful for that morningthankful for that opportunity to go into the world and live Live for them For those who dont have the opportunity For those who were stolen away by deaths cruel hand For them I will live I will revere their memory and I will live So Let us cry no more Let us mourn no more Let us rememberbut let us not dwell Instead Let us laugh and love and let us embrace and venerate everything that life is and every opportunity it gives us Let us LIVEfor those WHO live no more Let us live to honor them EVERY DAY This isnt a parttime gig This isnt punch the clock and go home for the day You dont get weekends off No Here Theres no such thing as a weekend This is an everyday gig Every day is a Monday And you might not like that Me I love it To me every day is a beginning A new day A new week A new shot at life An opportunity to come out of the gate like a man possessed and attack the day Without mercy Today Im taking scalps Im putting the pressure on Im the aggressor Im on the attack And of course I will get tired I will get beat up I will get knocked down and drained and will have some bad days have some bad days But I will not Stop NO MORE No more No more NO MORE No more excuses No more Ill start tomorrow No more Just this once No more accepting the shortfalls of my own will No more taking the easy road No more bowing down to whatever unhealthy or unproductive thoughts float through my mind No No more No more waiting for the perfect moment and no more indecision and no more lies No more weakness No No more Now is the time for strength And through strength and through will and through unwavering discipline I will become what I want to be I will become who I want to be And thenand only thenwill I rest and say No more STAYING MOTIVATED Dont worry about motivation Motivation is fickle It comes and goes It is unreliable and when you are counting on motivation to get your goals accomplishedyou will likely fall short So Dont expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen You wont be Dont count on motivation Count on Discipline You know what you have to do So MAKE YOURSELF DO IT You do that with Discipline Everyone wants some magic pillsome life hackthat eliminates the need to do the work But that does not exist No You have to do the work Youve got to hold the line Youve got to MAKE IT HAPPEN So Dig in Find the Discipline Be the Discipline ACCOMPLISH Thats it Thats it ME VERSUS ME There are people in the world who have skills and strength and talent that I will never have Never These notions that you can be whatever you want to be as long as you want it bad enough are not true They are fairy tales We all have limitations I dont have the right genes to be an Olympic weightlifter I dont have the right genetics to be an Olympic sprinter Or gymnast Sure if I trained my whole life perhaps I could have become fairly decent in those sports But the best in the world No I simply do not have the DNA to be the best in the world in those categories But what does that mean Does that mean I give up Does that mean I quit Of course not Not at all It means that I am going to try to be the best that I can be The strongest The fastest The smartest human being that I can become That is what I am going to go for And it doesnt matter that I will not be better than others when I compare myself to them No I will look at others who do achieve greatness in a category and I will say Look at what is possible How close can I get to that greatness How close can I get to that glory But my glory it doesnt happen in front of a crowd It doesnt happen in a stadium or on a stage There are no medals handed out It happens in the darkness of the early morning In solitude Where I try And I try And I try again With everything I have to be the best that I can possibly be Better than I was yesterday Better than people thought I could be Better than I thought I could be Faster and stronger and smarter And claim one victory that no one can ever take away from me Ever A victory that is earned every single day A victory of determination and will and discipline A victory achieved because I will not stop REMAIN VIGILANT It wasnt in a war It wasnt in a battle It isnt in a melee of fire and destruction that most of us succumb to weakness We are taken apart slowly Convinced to take an easier path Enticed by comfort Most of us arent defeated in one decisive battle We are defeated one tiny seemingly insignificant surrender at a time that chips away at who we should really be It isnt that you wake up one day and decide thats it I am going to be weak No It is a slow incremental process It chips away at our willit chips away at our discipline We sleep in a little later We miss a workout then another We start to eat what we shouldnt eat and drink what we shouldnt drink And without realizing itone day you wake up and you have become something that you never would have allowed Instead of strongyou are weak Instead of disciplinedyou are disorganized and lost Instead of moving forward and progressingyou are moving backward and decaying And those things happen without you seeing them Without you recognizing them So So You have to BE VIGILANT You have to be ON GUARD You have to HOLD THE LINE on the seemingly insignificant little things things that shouldnt matterbut that do FEAR Fear is normal Every person feels fear at some point What should you do Step Step Take the step Step aggressively toward your fearthat is the step into bravery We are scared of what we dont know and there is but one way to confront that fear Step GO And that simple action this simple attitude answers so many questions How do you get to the gym every day Step GO How do you change your diet Step GO How do you overcome fear of failure or fear of success or fear of fear itself Step GO How do you face the fear of the unknown Step GO Dont wait anymore Dont wait anymore Dont think anymore Dont plan anymore Dont contemplate anymore Dont make any more excuses or justifications Dont rationalize anything else No No NO NO Instead Be aggressive Take action Now And the first action you need to take The first step you need to take The first step you need to take is just that Step Step Go Now THE DARKNESS The sun doesnt shine every day The storms will come There are times when the nights will be long and dark and you will be alone There will be times when The Darkness seems to consume everything But dont let it consume you Dont let it consume you Even in the darkest times Even in the strongest storms Even when the sun is blotted out and the world is falling apart The Darkness cannot extinguish your light You Your WILL Your determination No matter what is happeningno matter how hard the fight is As long as you keep fightingyou win Only surrender is defeat Only quitting is the end Because The Darkness only wins if you let it Do not let The Darkness win Fight Fight on To fight against The Darkness is to win Fight on OVERWHELMED Yes Life can be overwhelming Thats the way life works It is testing you It is going to throw problems at you and it is going to throw them at you all at the same time This is the way life works Murphys Law It is easy to feel beaten when you are faced with all those problems at once But let me tell you that does not mean give up fighting In fact It means the opposite It is time for you to fight harder To dig in To go on The Warpath To assess what the problems are and decide which one you are going to attack first Then get started Attack And listen It wont be easy In fact It will be hard Life is hard Thats what life is And these challenges you face they are going to do their best to Take you down DO NOT LET THEM Stand up Dig in Line up those problems and confront themface themfight them DO NOT LET THEM BRING YOU DOWN Instead let these challenges raise you uplet them elevate you Let their demands and their trials make you stronger let the adversity you face today turn you into a better person tomorrow So in the future you look back at these struggles and you say to them Thank you you made me better NEGATIVE TALK FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE The old classic What do you do about the negative person talking behind your back and trying to bring you down Sure you can confront them and join them in their little game You can give them the satisfaction of knowing that they got in your head You can turn your life into a grade school gossip hall Of course there are times unfortunately that you have to engage with people like this You may have to set the record straight on a serious allegation You may have to challenge statements that might be damaging to the team or the mission And when you do have to engage do it professionally Say something like I heard you had some pointers for me about how Im doing my job Id love to get your feedback so I can tighten up my game A statement like that will likely diffuse the scenario The person will know that there are informants who will tell you what is going on And that will likely stifle the situation But let me tell you what my preferred methodology is for this situation It is simple Ignore and outperform Yes While you are over there watching me and talking about meIm working Im working hard Im taking things to the next level You keep gossipingIll keep working You keep talking smackIll keep working You keep chattering about thingsIll keep working You keep focusing on what everyone else is doing wrongIll keep focusing on what I can do RIGHT And when you finally look around at where you are and where I am you will realize that you have nothing to talk smack about Because you will lose And I Will Win And this applies to when people are playing office politics or forming their cliques or working their personal agendas Of coursesometimes you have to play those games too But when dealing with people like this let your first course of action and the fundamental core of how you handle it be very clear and very direct Outwork and outperform every last one of them HOLD THE LINE Instead of going backwardinstead of decayingget stronger Get better Grow and learn and developand live Live in defiance of the weakness and in rebellion against the decay Fight them as they creep in with their offers of instant gratification and immediate rewards Fight them for every inch they try to take Do not surrender any ground EVER BEGIN This is where it begins In the darkness Before the sun and the birds and the world Every day When the alarm sounds IT IS TIME Rise Despite fatigue and soreness Curse the warmth of the bed Curse the comfort of the pillow Fight the temptation of weakness Get up and go Do it quickly without thought Do not reason with weakness You cannot You must only take action Get up and GO ENGAGE Engage Weakness is strong I must be stronger I must crush it into submission Through force of will So I savage the body I push and pull and fight against gravity I fight against fatigue and soreness and the weakness that says Give in I will not give in I will fight LAUGHTER WINS Sure there is darkness everywhere And I have seen my share But that is not where I live my life At all In fact the opposite is true I am not wandering around suffering in despair No I am having fun FUN I am laughing I am joking I am clowning around making fun of everything and everyone Especially of myself Im an easy target to poke fun at And Im good with that Because sure Life is tough But it gets a lot easier when you are laughing at it So Despite the suffering In fact To spite the suffering To spite the hardships To spite the challenges To spite the challenges Laugh at them all They cant stand it when you do And they all get easier Yes Laugh at them all Laughter wins PART 2 ACTIONS PHYSICAL TRAINING GETTING AFTER IT PHYSICAL TRAINING There are all kinds of benefits from physical training You will be healthier This is a fact By working out you will increase your endorphins testosterone growth hormones cardiac volume insulin sensitivity and natural killer cells Those changes will help prevent or treat the following health issues high blood pressure obesity heart disease type 2 diabetes insomnia and depression BOOM Still not convinced Working out will make you smarter Yes Smarter It improves blood flow to the brain It boosts growth hormones that promote growth of new nerve cells It improves synaptic plasticity the ability for neurons to send and receive messages It releases brain chemicals that help cognition like dopamine glutamate norepinephrine and serotonin It also boosts the production of brainderived neurotrophic factor BDNF a protein that helps with mental processes But dont just take my word for it Go Do Go Do Get some exercise done and pay attention to your mental state You will feel more aware sharper and smarter THIS IS REAL STRESS GOOD AND BAD Stress is good and bad In order to improve we need stress We need to push the body and the mind in order to get better One of our main physical reactions to stress is the release of the hormone cortisol into the body It has a multitude of effects including making glucose available to the brain generating energy from stored reserves and focusing energy on immediate threats rather than less urgent needs It also raises blood pressure to optimize the flow of blood throughout the body But stress can also be bad If we are under too much stress and cortisol is released into the body too often it begins to have negative effects like a car running in the red for extended periods of time When cortisol levels remain consistently high the immune system can become repressed increasing blood pressure and causing hypertensiona sustained high blood pressure that causes damage to the heart and blood vessels It can also encourage fat deposits and even cause some level of bone loss Exercise is a form of stress and does cause the release of cortisol However just as exercise release of cortisol However just as exercise conditions the muscles and the heart it also conditions the body to react properly to the release of cortisol and trains the body to keep cortisol levels balanced Excessive regular release of cortisol can also be a significant factor in overtrainingwhen we push the body too hard excessive cortisol leads to fatigue and a drop in performance So you have to be careful not to stress the body and mind too much But again YOU MUST STRESS THE BODY AND MIND SOME IN ORDER TO IMPROVE WHEN The biggest excuse not to work out is lack of time Something always comes up But there is one time of day that no can take away from you predawn The military has a term Stand To It means get up early and be ready for enemy attack It has been a standard practice for many wars For instance in World War One each man was expected to be awake well before first light standing on the trench fire step rifle loaded bayonet fixed and ready to repel an attack Further back in history from Rogers Rangers Standing Orders All hands shall be awake alert and ready for action before dawn Dawns when the French and Indians like to attack So Get up before the sun Be ready to attack Yes that means GET UP EARLY This will be hard at first but it will become normal And once you are accustomed to it early rising is guaranteed to make your day better So GET AFTER IT PSYCHOLOGICAL EDGE There are a slew of psychological advantages that come from early morning physical training First there is a psychological win over the enemy Knowing that you are working harder than your adversaries gives you an advantage It gives you confidence that you can overcome them in battle Another advantage to waking up early and working out hard is that it demands discipline to do both Now some scientists have claimed that discipline dissipates the more it is usedthat willpower is a finite resource that is reduced every time it is used during the day This is wrong That does not happen To the contrary I believe and studies have shown that discipline and willpower do not go down as they are called into actionthey actually get stronger This is obvious if you actually try the experiment yourself Before you go to bed plan what workout you are going to do in the morning Stage your workout clothes so you dont even have to think when you get up Write down a list of things you need to accomplish the next day Set your alarm clock for 430 am and go to sleep When the alarm clock goes offget up Put on your When the alarm clock goes offget up Put on your prestaged clothes Brush your teeth and go get your workout on Hard Get done shower get dressed and begin to crush your list of tasks for the day When it is time for breakfast see what happens You wont want to eat junk You wont want that disgusting donut You will want some eggs and bacon And that will happen at lunch too You are feeling good Energized You dont want to eat the worthless calories of pizza or French fries You want fuel Good fuel to rebuild your body Clean fuel that keeps your mind sharp When you are on the path you want to stay on the path Unfortunately the opposite is also true Once you step off the path you tend to stray far When you dont prepare what you need to do the next day when you sleep in and then skip your workout and you dont start attacking the tasks you havebecause you didnt write them down the night beforethat is when you make bad decisions That is when your will and discipline fail You figure you might as well have that donut for breakfast and once you have done that might as well put down four or five pieces of pizza for lunch It doesnt matter anymoreyoure off the path and that is a disaster Your will didnt break it never showed up in the first place So Get on the path of discipline and stay on the path Discipline begets discipline Will propagates MORE WILL Hold the line across the line and victory will be yours SLEEP Sleep is a necessity Humans need sleep Failure to get enough sleep has serious side effects Lack of sleep can cause negative hormonal changes interfere with the metabolizing of glucose increase blood pressure and suppress the immune system Less sleep also means less human growth hormone in your body which means less muscle mass and weaker bones Mentally the brain is impacted as the ability to pay attention and concentrate begins to diminish and problem solving and basic reasoning become less acute Furthermore over an extended period there are psychological effects like paranoia and even hallucinations But how much sleep is enough Different people need different amounts of sleep Newborns can sleep up to seventeen hours a day toddlers can sleep up to twelve hours a day As people grow older less sleep is required Teens generally need eight to ten hours and by the time people are full adults eight hours becomes the standardthough the actual number is between seven and nine hours depending on the individual Some people genetically need even less sleep than that but those people are rare I am one of those people But it isnt only genetics You can also sleep less and fall asleep faster if you are in good physical condition eating clean and are in good physical condition eating clean and have a clear mind For me the better the condition Im in and the cleaner I eat the more quickly I will fall asleep and the less sleep I need So while I do have shortsleep genetics on my side equally important is that I stay healthy and eat clean And finally I choose not to sleep in I dont give in to the temptation of the warm blankets and soft pillow I mobilize the will to get me out of bed and into the game Obviously I am an advocate of waking up early But since sleep must be a priority to maintain health how can we get enough sleep and still wake up early The answer is simple Go to bed earlier Going to bed at 10 pm and waking up at 5 am gets you a solid seven hours Go to bed at 955 pm and you can get up at 455 am still get your seven hours and be up before the enemy Try it If you get up and get out of bed at 455 a vast majority of the world is still sleeping You arent You are up getting after it The world is yours when you are up before the enemy There is no traffic The gym is empty There is no one to distract you or call you or send you some stupid text about something you dont care about Its just you So go to bed early and wake up early People constantly ask me for the secret of getting up early I tell them it is simple SET YOUR ALARM CLOCK AND GET OUT OF BED WHEN IT GOES OFF Thats it Is it easy No Everyone likes that warm bed Everyone needs just five more minutes of slumber in the morning So they hit snooze They roll over They go back to sleep No Get up and get going And one thing that will help you do that is going to bed earlier which can be at least as hard if not harder than waking up FALLING ASLEEP Yes It can be just as hard for some people to go to sleep early as it is to wake upif not harder So here are some steps to help that 1 GET TIRED Yes get tired If you are not active throughout the day you wont be tired Getting a hard workout in the early morning will not only energize you during the day but will also make you fall asleep faster at night Getting a morning workout and another workout at lunch or after work will also get you tired Unfortunately you may find that working out just prior to going to bed will keep you awake so try not to work out any closer than two hours before you want to sleep 2 Turn off the computer Turn off the smartphone Stop checking social media and stop watching one more YouTube video Sure there is some science that says that the light from computer and phone screens tricks your mind into thinking it is daylight and time to get up But on top of that the internet is filled with professionals that create content with the sole purpose of getting you to click on it Yes clickbait is real and just like a bait used in fishing it is a trick to get you hooked So Dont Dont click it You will get nothing positive from it AT ALL 3 Read If your mind is still active when you reach your bedtimethats okay Get into bed and get a book and start reading Reading is relaxing It settles your mind And it makes you smarter So do it And if the book you are reading is too good and makes you want to stay up and readsimpledont read that book Read a boring onean educational onebut a boring one That will send you to sleep 4 Most important The key to getting to sleep early is GETTING UP EARLY No it might not help you tonight but tomorrow night it will If you need seven full hours of sleep and you want to get up at 430 am that means you need to go to bed at 930 pm But it can be hard to force yourself to sleep at 930 So You stay up until 1130 You should STILL GET UP AT 430 Yes that will be only five hours of sleep And yes you will likely feel tired through the daywhich is actually good because at the end of the day you WANT TO BE TIRED Now you can go to bed at 930you are now on track 5 Do it every day People ask me if I still get up early on the weekends YES For a bunch of reasons Obviously the weekend is only two days so I want to get up and take advantage of it I get up early get my workout done and complete any mustdo tasks as quickly as possible That allows for time to relax and enjoy without things hanging over your head The other reason I wake up early on weekends is to keep my sleep pattern consistent If I sleep in to 530 or 6 am on Saturday I will likely stay awake a couple of extra hours on Saturday night which now has me sleeping in until 7 am on Sunday which now has me awake even later on Sunday nightwhich means when I go back to waking up at 430 on Monday I havent gotten the sleep I need So Dont break the cycle Get up early every day If you need extra sleep take a power nap POWER NAPS Power naps They are real If you are feeling tired they can be a lifesaver And if you are feeling tired due to lack of sleep they can be very powerful I have a technique for power naps that is a combination of two things I learned The first was in high school My anatomy and physiology teacher was a highenergy passionate teacher But if you went into his classroom during lunch you would find him sitting in a chair with his feet elevated on the lab tables sleeping He did it just about every day One day I asked him about it he said his goal was to elevate his feet above his heart and sleep for ten to fifteen minutes before he ate his lunch He said the nap gave him energy Elevating his feet above his heart took the strain off the circulatory system in his lower body and helped move some of the blood that might have pooled in his feet and legs I began to try it occasionally and it certainly felt good But I really noticed it when I got to BUDS the basic SEAL training course Obviously we were operating in a fairly sleepdeprived environment there on an almost daily basis and the schedule was very tight going from evolution to evolution throughout the day on a strict timeline But there were some holes in the schedule usually ten to fifteen minutes a couple of times a day for us to prepare for our next evolution and use the bathroom During those breaks if I got the chance I would lie down on the floor put my feet up on my bed set my alarm for six to eight minutes and sleep Of course I was tired so I would fall asleep very quickly and when the alarm would go off I would wake up and feel completely refreshed It was awesome When I got to the SEAL Teams I used the same technique and found it especially helpful during long patrols in the field When we formed a perimeter for a break and I wasnt on security I would immediately elevate my feet and take a power nap The effects were even more obvious since on a patrol we were on our feet for many hours carrying a heavy load I still use this effective technique when I am overly tired Warning Be careful about letting your sixto eight minute nap turn into a twohour slumber If you do this you will have trouble falling asleep at night which leads to trouble waking up in the morning That means there is a higher chance you will fall off the early morning schedule THE WORKOUTS Everyone wants to know What should a workout actually consist of And first of alllet me say this The most important thing to do is SOMETHING ANYTHING Walk Jog Calisthenics Swim Lift some weights Hike Stretch Do burpees Play a game of basketball or go get on the jiujitsu mat Some people arent sure what to do for a workoutbut that is often just an excuse Exercise doesnt need to be some complex multi level multidimensional scientifically proven methodology But it does need to be SOMETHING Once you begin doing something it is a good idea to track it Recording weights repetitions and times is useful The records allow you to track progress They can serve as goals They also let you know when you are overtraining But it is important to pay attention to your state at the end of a workout The more experienced you become at working out the easier this is You will know when to push You will know that there are days to hold back My workouts are divided into some broad types of movements Pull Push Lift Squat In addition to those the workouts focus working the Gut and metabolic conditioning MetCon For the purposes of this field manual I have established three basic levels of exercises Beginner Intermediate Advanced This is only a guide As you become stronger more experienced and more in tune with your body and your desired outcomes make adjustments Read and learn Try new systems Learn new exercises Try new movements and new sports Mix it up and have fun Push yourself but do so in a measured way so you avoid burnout overtraining and injury To see the actual workouts go to Appendix The Workouts Again use the workouts as a guide Learn about your own body Push yourself Most important Be consistent And consistency starts with GETTING IN THE GYM If you are tired or sore or burned out dont just give up completely Go to the gym and stretch Move Do some light exercises But keep the routine in place Too often people take the day off And that turns into two And two into three And then they have gone a week without getting in a good workout SO Maintain the routine Maintain the discipline BUILDING THE HOME GYM Having a gym in your home eliminates all kinds of excuses There is nothing more convenient than having your gym collocated with your domicile I have had a garage gym since I have had a garage But garage gyms dont need to be in a garagethey can go anywhere basements spare bedrooms offices backyards front yards patios carports anywhere Just like anything else in life you do what you can with what youve got Once you have carved out some space it is time to start getting equipment in place Start with a pull up bar You can mount one just about anywhere and once you have a pullup bar you can work your whole body with all the varieties of pullups pushups gut work and squats Another useful and relatively cheap piece of equipment is gymnastic rings They can also be mounted just about anywhere and allow a great number of exercises including ring dips ring pullups ring pushups Lsits all kinds of various holds and countless variants of each of those Next up is a squat rack which should include a pull up bar and some kind of dip bar attachment With the squat rack a barbell and weights are needed Rubber bumper plates allow for dynamic lifts like the clean and jerk and the snatch Thats it Thats all you need Thats it Thats all you need That basic setup should go a long way in achieving exceptional fitness Beyond that there are countless implements to include in your arsenal when time and budget allow Kettlebells are probably the next addition then a rowing machine andor an air bike A GluteHam Developer GHD is another piece of equipment that is definitely nice to have at home Medicine balls plyometric boxes bands chains club bells sledgehammers are also fun to use But while all those pieces of equipment are nice to have and can add some variety to training none of them are really necessary and although I have all those in my gym I still most consistently use the basic equipment pullup bar dip bars rings squat rack and barbell with bumper plates MARTIAL ARTS Everyone should train in martial arts just as everyone should eat But just as food is different and varies greatly in how it affects your body not all martial arts are created equal There are three broad forms of martial arts grappling striking and weapons Grappling uses leverage and holds to control or submit your opponent Striking uses punches kicks knees elbows headbutts and any other body parts to hit the opponent Martial arts with weapons obviously utilize a variety of weapons including sticks knives and in the modern world firearms Perhaps the most critical form of selfdefense is the mind By being smart and aware you can avoid situations that are likely to expose you to danger That being said there are times when your mind and your intelligence can no longer help you That is the reality In those cases the ultimate form of self defense is obviously the firearm It is an equalizer without parallel and is simply unmatched in its ability to eliminate an attacker regardless of size and strength If a person truly needs selfprotection in a highthreat area there is no substitute for the firearm Even in an area that might be considered lowthreat there are no guarantees There have been horrific home invasions carjackings kidnappings and other vicious and violent attacks in some of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the world that were also considered to be the safest There is no choice but to be prepared Of course mishandled firearms are extremely dangerous and can cause serious injury and death to the owner or other innocent people if they are not handled with the four principles of firearm safety constantly in mind 1 Treat every gun as if it is loaded 2 Never point your gun at something you are not willing to destroy 3 Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target 4 Always be sure of your target and what is behind it Additionally firearms should always be stored in a safe place where they cannot fall into the wrong hands Most important without proper training possessing a firearm is useless or even more dangerous to its owner than not having one Learning how to shoot quickly and accurately while under stress is absolutely mandatory if one is going to own a firearm This means finding a good instructor at a quality range to participate in firearms training Safety is paramount in firearms training When treated properly and with respect firearms training is safe Not only does it prepare you for worstcase scenario confrontations but also provides additional benefits even if you never need to utilize your firearm for selfprotection Firearms training builds handeye coordination speed concentration and instincts It demands repetitive movement to develop muscle memory and demands a high level of proprioception when shooting in a dynamic situation Finally training competitively for speed and accuracy conditions you for highpressure situations by teaching the need to relax detach get control of breathing and focus on the immediate task at hand But firearms are not always available There are many places in the world where carrying a gun is illegal There are also times where firearms malfunction So it is important to know how to defend yourself in unarmed situations which brings us back to martial arts First let me say that the martial arts are very emotional for some people Their martial art becomes their religion and they become blinded by it Martial arts are not static They evolve all the time If you do not evolve with them you will be left behind Picking one martial art versus another or saying that one martial art is better than another martial art drives some people crazy I do not engage in irrational theoretical discussions on which martial art is best There is no reason to theorize anymore The Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC put many theories to the test The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also put many theories about handtohand combat to the test Finally every person now carries a video camera in their pocket and there are thousands of street fights and confrontations to watch on the internet With all that information readily available there is no need to theorize anymore It is easy to see what works and what doesnt Furthermore it is also obvious that martial arts are not stagnant They evolve People develop new techniques and new moves to counter other techniques and other moves But the fundamental principles do not changethey only become reinforced With all this information available and with so many theories now tested in the cage on the street and in combat martial arts are no longer just a theory There is simple pragmatic reality So here are my recommendations on which martial arts to learn and how to proceed down the path of learning martial arts Start with Brazilian jiujitsu It is a form of grappling that is highly advanced because for the grappling that is highly advanced because for the most part the actual fighting takes place on the ground This is a key point because our first form of selfdefense is to get awayyes run If you are confronted by another person or a group of people the best thing you can do is run away avoid the conflict This is relatively easy if someone is trying to strike you with punches or kicks They do not have control over you so you can simply run away from them You have won The problem comes in a selfdefense situation when someone is grabbing you Now they are preventing your first line of defense Running away As soon as someone grabs you you are in a grappling scenario and one of the most critical parts of Brazilian jiu jitsu is escaping from someones grip so you can run Oftentimes an attacker will take you to the ground in order to prevent you from escaping their grip When this happens the ability to ground fight is used not to stay on the ground but to get up and get away from the attacker The first goal of a beginner in jiujitsu is not to get the fight to the ground but to get up off the ground and get away This is an important distinction from people who believe the goal of selfdefense in jiujitsu is to get the attacker to the ground This is not true The goal is to get away But as has been seen over and over again fights often end up on the ground and therefore a person must be prepared for it Not training in jiujitsu because you dont want to go to the ground is like not learning to swim because you dont want to go in the water It doesnt make sense The safest way to deal with water is to be comfortable in itjust as being comfortable on the ground is the best way to deal with that scenario should it unfold in real life Another reason I recommend starting martial arts by learning Brazilian jiujitsu is because it is the most complex of the martial arts Although there is a finite number of basic moves and positions there is an infinite number of moves beyond the basics and more are developed every day in this constantly evolving art Due to this unending depth in jiu jitsu it is also the most cerebral of the martial arts It provides incredible mental stimulus and a neverending challenge to learn develop and improve Jiujitsu never gets old The next martial art I recommend learning is boxing Boxing is an incredibly effective striking art despite its relative simplicity There are only two weapons in boxingthe left hand and the right hand But with those two weapons an incredible advantage can be gained if you know how to throw them in effective combinations Other critical elements learned in boxing are angles movement both of which are based heavily on footwork and speed which are utilized in both the offense and defense of boxing With basic boxing knowledge a person can throw effective punches and avoid being punchedboth extremely useful assets when attempting the primary goal of selfdefense Run Boxing develops the goal of selfdefense Run Boxing develops the ability to hit quickly avoid being hit and run away from the area of confrontation The next two martial arts to invest time into are Muay Thai and wrestling They both add a plethora of options and skills to any fighter Muay Thai adds a massive arsenal of striking options to a fighter Where boxing utilizes only the fists Muay Thai utilizes the fists the elbows the knees and the shins in very aggressive combinations that are absolutely devastating in a fight Muay Thai is also about pain and the ability to withstand pain The conditioning of the shins to kick and shield kicks as well as the conditioning of the body and legs to absorb punishment is brutal and requires an iron will Muay Thai also offers great work in striking from the clinch position when an opponent is grabbing you by the head andor arms The strikes from this close range especially the knees and elbows are vicious Techniques are also taught to trip or sweep the opponent to the ground that are powerful and effective Wrestling is a grappling art perhaps the most widely known and practiced It is an amazing sport for conditioning of both the mind and the body The physical grind of wrestling hardens the body and mind without mercy On top of the conditioning and mental toughness derived from wrestling it is also king of position in martial artsmeaning a good wrestler can decide what position they will be in during a confrontation No other martial art provides the practitioner a better ability to dictate the position of a fight with one simple idea The main focus of wrestling is to get an opponent to the ground and keep them there This means wrestling increases the ability not only to take an adversary to the ground and keep them there but also the ability to defend yourself from being taken to the ground So if you are more skilled in wrestling than your opponent you can dictate where you fight If you are a better striker than your opponent you can defend their takedown and win the fight on your feet If your opponent is a better striker you can take them to the ground and defeat them with superior grappling Unfortunately submission holds do not exist in wrestling so there are no techniques taught on how to actually finish fights That being said there are some practitioners of what is known as catch wrestling who continue to teach extremely effective submission holds that were outlawed by the sport as wrestling gained popularity Once a good base is established in Brazilian jiu jitsu boxing wrestling and Muay Thai there are plenty of other martial arts to explore Judo is a fantastic art and has very effective takedowns especially against an opponent wearing a jacket or shirt that can be grabbed which is often the case Once on the ground judo has many similarities with Brazilian jiujitsu and many of the same techniques are taught In areas where there might not be any Brazilian jiujitsu schools judo is the next best replacement The Russian art of SAMBO is also an extremely effective grappling art with an emphasis on leg locks There are other martial arts that can be good to look into such as Krav Maga and Systema both of which focus on selfdefense as its primary mission Martial arts like Escrima and Kali from the Philippines also known as Arnis which focus on fighting with sticks and knives Also the Dog Brothers have pushed the limit in fullcontact weapons sparringand in that effort have garnered realworld knowledge beyond what was previously available The list could go on and on There is no reason to ever stop training and learning martial arts Of course it is good to be prepared to handle a self defense situation but the benefits of martial arts training go far beyond selfdefense Of course you get physically conditioned You also get mentally tougherreal martial arts are hard They are a mental and physical grind If the martial art you are training in is easy it isnt likely doing you much good Martial arts also get you used to being in uncomfortable situations and continuing to fight on This is important in any endeavor Martial arts will make you better So train Dont think about it Dont take time to get in shape before you start Just go start The rest will come WHERE TO TRAIN When picking a good jiujitsu academy first things first Find some schools that are in your immediate area Proximity is important The more convenient it is to get to training the more often you will be able train So find some schools that are close to your home or work or some other place where it isnt an outofyourway gut check to show up and train Once you have identified some academies close by go and pay a visit The atmospheres in gyms can vary greatly Some are very traditional demand matching uniforms bowing to instructors and to the mat and are run in a very rigid manner Other schools do not operate with that tradition There is no bowing A wide variety of uniforms can be seen on the mat Instructors are called by their first names instead of Master or Sensei or Professor I have trained in both these types of schools I am fine with both and both types have produced world champions You may end up preferring one style or another but when you show up dont have any preconceived ideas of what the school will be like Also dont just show up and watch Bring your gear and participate Evaluate the class How was it taught What was the attitude of the instructor and the other students Talk to the students What are their goals Are their goals similar to yours Was there much ego on the mat Did anyone try to rip your head off head off What about the instructor Depending on where you live the instructor may or may not be a black belt While a black belt instructor is optimal some areas of the world just dont have any Thats okay A brown belt or a purple belt can give great instruction as well There can be some concern about the legitimacy of the lineage of the instructor as well Luckily the internet has solved most of that A quick internet search can tell you more about the instructor where they got their black belt what competitions they have won and how long they have been training Do some research and even ask some knowledgeable people in the area or on the web Once you are confident the instructor is legit assess their personality Was he or she personable Did they teach clearly and methodically Were they having fun Also with regard to the instructor remember jiu jitsu is not a religion and a jiujitsu instructor is not a god So while they deserve respect just as any other person does they should give respect as welleven to brandnew white belt students Jiujitsu should not feel like a cultat all Bottom line jiujitsu should be fun friendly and engaging You should look forward to going to jiu jitsu because you know you will get pushed mentally and physically While jiujitsu will absolutely be humbling tiring and frustrating if you dont enjoy it you are either letting your ego get in the way or you are in the wrong school IMMEDIATE ACTION DRILLS FACING A THREAT Obviously training is the best way to prepare to face threats But there is a difference between a training scenario at the gym or at the range and a real confrontation on the street How can you be ready for that And how should you react The first thing to do is train Train hard Train for worstcase scenarios Train for things to go wrong by putting yourself in horrible training situations and finding your way out of them The next most important concept is avoidance Yes Avoid the danger Stay away from highthreat areas But we cant always avoid highthreat areasand sometimes the highthreat area doesnt avoid us In the world today conflict and danger can occur anytime and anywhere So it is important to maintain situational awareness at all times Pay attention to your surroundings Look at suspicious people Look at unsuspicious people What are they doing Where are they going What are they looking at Assess While you assess think of contingencies Where is your closest escape route Where is the closest cover and concealmentcover being a place to shield you from bullets and concealment being a place to hide If you are maintaining situational awareness you should be very hard to surprise If you sense something is going wrong or you sense a threat proactively move away from it Walk to the other side of the street Accelerate your car Walk out the door Dont wait for things to get worse If you do get surprised and you are caught in a bad situation ACT If you can run away from an assailant do it If you cant run because they have a hold on you attack them Put all your training to use as quickly and as violently as possible As soon as you can break free do it and run If shooting starts get down Call the police at the first opportunity If the shooting is single shots being fired at a slower pace run immediately and keep running If the shooting is rapidfire find some solid cover to get behind Wait for a lull When the lull comes runthat may be your only chance If you are trapped in a room with an active shooter outside barricade yourself If there is an ideal hiding place hide If not prepare to attack them as soon as they enter the room Get anyone in the room with you on board and ready to swarm the attacker with you on board and ready to swarm the attacker If you are carrying a firearm use it to eliminate any immediate threat to your life or the life of someone else USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN USING A FIREARM IN ANY SITUATION KNOW YOUR TARGET KNOW THE BACKDROP And recognize that you might not know who is a good guy and who is a bad guy The police might also see you as the threat Some police officers might be in plain clothes So if you confidently know your target and have to use your weapon do it quickly and efficiently Then put it away and do your best to identify yourself as a friendly FUEL FEEDING THE MACHINE BALANCE Homeostasis is the tendency to move toward a state of balance For instance in a house the thermostat keeps the temperature in balance In the summer it turns on the air conditioner when it gets too hot and in the winter it turns on the heat when it gets too cold Homeostasis is being maintained The body also tries to maintain a state of balance in many ways Like the house the body maintains a balanced temperature by shivering to heat or sweating to cool Osmoregulation is the regulation of water content in the body In order to maintain balance the body uses thirst to increase water levels and sweat and urine to expel excess water The body also uses systems to maintain the balance of acidity blood pressure sodium and potassium concentrations in the blood and plasma ionized calcium Failure to maintain the proper balance in these systems can cause significant health problems There is another balance our bodies maintain that we have a huge influence over It is our blood glucose level what we commonly call our blood sugar level We can directly influence our blood sugar levels by what we eat When we eat carbohydrates our blood sugar levels go up When we eat a lot of carbohydrates our blood sugar levels go up a lot The primary action our bodies take to regulate high blood sugar levels is to release the hormone insulin into our blood from the pancreas Once released into our blood from the pancreas Once released insulin pushes the sugar in the blood into fat cells and also slows down the process of fat in the fat cells being pulled out and used for energy Obviously when your body is putting fat into fat cells and not using your fat for energy you get fatter In order to use the fat in your body for energy the body must have gone through its most readily available source of energy glucose or sugar in the blood Once that is depleted the body begins to utilize fat for energy You can deplete that sugar in the blood by exercising until it is gone fasting until it is gone or adjusting your carbohydrate intake There are other extremely negative effects of continued elevated insulin levels in the blood beyond gaining or maintaining body fat Consistent spiking of insulin in the blood can lead to insulin resistance which can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes Other longterm impacts that prolonged elevated insulin levels can cause are heart disease diabetic retinopathy blindness strokes and kidney failure Not good So the solution seems obvious Stop eating carbohydratesor at least minimize carbohydrate intake Why is that so hard The answer is simple Carbohydrates are addictive Yes sugar is like a drug in your brain and causes neurochemical responses drug in your brain and causes neurochemical responses similar to drugs like heroin ADDICTED TO SUGAR Sugar truly is addictive It stimulates the same parts of the brain as heroin and cocaine When you have it you want more of it And you know this to be true Thats why you cant stop eating it And when you do stop eating it you will feel withdrawal Headache Irritation Anxiety Lies The lies will come and they will come from you The lies you will tell yourself are Its no big deal You can just have a little It isnt worth it to feel this bad The body needs carbs You will rationalize and start to listen to the lies DONT Stay strong Get off the sugar train Get off the addiction Stop eating sugar FUEL The modern diet has been around for about 10000 years That is when man figured out how to plant some foods grow them harvest them make them easier to digest and store them These foods were grains Wheat rice corn Our bodies have not adapted to eating grains yet When we eat grains they are turned to sugar in our stomachs The insulin level spikes and punishes our bodies internally So it is better to eat what we have evolved to eat that is the diet of Paleolithic man or caveman Here is what that diet consists of Eat these Beef preferably grassfed Poultry preferably freerange Fish Eggs Nuts Vegetables Fungi Roots Some dairy fullfat butter cream yogurt cheese Limited fruit Do not eat these Grains Potatoes Refined salt Refined sugar Processed oils margarine Legumes Eating a paleo or caveman diet flips the Standard American Diet on its head from a macronutrient perspective Instead of eating mostly carbohydrates with minimum fat this diet consists of mostly fat then protein and finally minimal carbohydrates Some people use the 8020 rule meaning they stick with clean paleo eating 80 of the time and then the other 20 of the time they eat whatever they want The problem is that the 8020 becomes 6040 then 4060 then 2080 and then all bets are off Dont follow the 8020 rule Follow the 100 rule that might turn into the 99 rule and that is okay But the 8020 rule isnt a rule Its a step down the slippery slope We know sugar is addictive You are an addict There is no such thing as an addict who is allowed to use their drug of choice 20 of the time whether it is alcohol or cocaine or heroin You are in the same boat Going cold turkey and HOLDING THE LINE is the best way to stay on track Once you have spent enough time staying 100 clean and you are adapted to that method of eating both mentally and physically you can make some excursions to the dark side I have an occasional mint chocolate chip milkshake or some other delicious but not nutritious treat And I make sure I earn it beforehand with some serious extreme physical activity Over time you will realize that you have lost your sweet tooth You will also realize that the aftereffects the sugar rush the sugar crash and the lack of energy the next day make the excursions to the dark side highly undesirable and will encourage you to STAY CLEAN I have some treats that make it easier to stay clean I eat a couple squares of 80 dark chocolate dipped in coconut oil I have a small glass of full cream with a little MCT oil and a dash of chocolate milk powder Sometimes Ill have whipped cream with nuts on it If you are on a strict diet each one of those treats will taste like the richest most satisfying dessert you have ever had Now there are times during travel and work and life when the right foods simply are not available In an airport or an office party or a restaurant where you are having a business meeting My solution to that is very simple Dont eat Its called a fast and it is actually very good for you FASTING Newsflash YOU DONT HAVE TO EAT Fasting is a gift All those times you are at a party or the airport or on a train and they dont have any good healthy food for you to eat the answer is simple DONT EAT Often not eatingfastingis beneficial for you Here are some of the physiological benefits that fasting appears to bring Improves function of cells genes and hormones Induces loss of body fat Reduces risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes Reduces oxidative stress and inflammation Induces cell repair processes Increases brainderived neurotrophic factors Increases levels of endorphins Induces detoxification process There are also some psychological benefits that I find very real First of all fasting demands that you exercise your will It is not easy In this modern age we are surrounded by food all day every day Your caveman survival instinct which is afraid of starving screams at you Eat that food Eat as much as you can This might be your last chance DONT FALL FOR THAT This isnt the last food you will ever see In fact You will see more food in about ten minutes You dont need it You wont die without it In fact Just the opposite is true In this age much of the food around is actually trying to kill you It is poison Donuts Poison Soda Poison Potato chips Poison YOU DONT NEED IT Another huge benefit of fasting is that it recalibrates your hunger demand signals We often think we are starving after a few hours without food I havent had anything to eat since breakfast we shout at 115 in the afternoon We literally say Im starving YOU ARE NOT STARVING Humans can survive thirty days without food You can make it a few extra hours You can actually make it a few days without any issue I fast twentyfour hours fairly regularly I do seventytwohour fasts approximately every three months And you know what they arent that big of a deal When I am fasting I still do everything I would normally do if I were eating I work Work out Train normally do if I were eating I work Work out Train jiujitsu I drink water some tea maybe eat some sunflower seeds in the shell just to have something to chew on But fasting isnt that hard and you will feel better at the end of it Fasting will recalibrate what hunger is to you You will realize that you arent actually hungry most of the time You are just bored And at the end of a fast your food will taste better too REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY STRETCHING Stretching is an important part of being physically fit It improves range of motion helps in recovery and also prevents injuries There are a multitude of stretching routines out there from ancient forms of yoga to presentday innovations from people like Pavel Tsatsouline and programs like Kelly Starretts MobilityWOD Explore those and find the stretches that work best for you Some basic stretches that I find most useful are kneeling hip flexor stretch swimmer stretch Cossack stretch hip external rotation stretch reverse sleeper stretch couch stretch downward dog and the cow face pose You can also stretch during your warmups and your workouts by ensuring that you use a full range of motion during the exercises especially during warm up sets when doing slow repetitions For instance when doing a slow squat during warmup make sure it is not only slow but also makes it through the entire range of motion of the squat perhaps even a little further than you might go when performing the exercise with weight The same thing goes for exercises like dips pushups and pullups When warming up go slow and go through the entire range of motion even pushing a little bit past normal at the top and bottom of the exercise Like anything else in health and fitness stretching requires consistency so figure out what movements are most beneficial for you Dont pick too many are most beneficial for you Dont pick too many stretching can be done in as little as ten to fifteen minutes But it needs to be done so make it part of your routine Then Stick to your routine DEALING WITH INJURIES AND ILLNESS You are going to get injured You are going to get sick Regardless of how careful you are in your training how clean you eat and how healthy you live you are still human Injuries and illness will occur My theory for overcoming injuries and illnesses is simple DO WHAT YOU CAN If you are sick or injured dont use that as an excuse to skip workouts or stay in bed all day Do what you can Hurt your knee Work your upper body Work the good leg Hurt your shoulder Time to work on onearmed pullups and pushups Focus on your core and legs until your shoulder heals up Tendinitis from using the grip too much Sounds like it is time to focus on sprinting and jumping plyometrics Got a little cold Flu Same thing DO WHAT YOU CAN Maybe it is just going for a walk A couple sets of situps and pushups But dont just stay in bed all day Now sometimes you get plain knocked out by illness or a virus If it is that bad and your body absolutely needs rest good listen to your body and TAKE THE REST Also dont bring your disease to the gym to spread around Work out at home Same thing with injuries Some injuries prevent you from doing the physical things you like to do Good Do what you can work on some skills that you can do Pick up a guitar Write a book Draw Paint Compose a song Blog Create Learn Do something Take advantage of physical injuries and sickness by doing something you dont normally have time for In other words GET AFTER IT APPENDIX THE WORKOUTS WARMING UP Before you start your workout you need to get warm I like my warmup to include exercises or exercises with light weight slowly and through the entire range of motion Here is a nice little warmup Hang on the pullup bar for 1015 seconds Get in the pushup position and hold it for 1015 seconds Drop your hips to the ground and stretch your abs Lift your hips to the sky and stretch your hamstrings and your back Stand up Do a slow squat and sit at the bottom for 1015 seconds Do a burpee Do a few jumping jacks Now go back to the bar and do one pullup Drop down and do a pushup then do a slow divebomber pushup Stand up and do a slow fullrangeofmotion squat Follow that up with a burpee then five jumping jacks Now repeat the cycle again doing two repetitions of each exercise and ten jumping jacks Then do the cycle with 3 repetitions of each exercise and 15 jumping jacks Continue increasing repetitions until you get to 5 of each exercise and 25 jumping jacks That is a solid warmup the blood is flowing If your workout for the day is focused on a specific movement do that movement with some light weights movement do that movement with some light weights For instance if you are doing deadlifts do some deadlifts with light weight If you are doing clean and jerks do some clean and jerks with a PVC pipe or just the bar If you are doing squats do some slow deep controlled squats with a very light weight perfect form and through the complete range of motion These will not only get your body warm but will also strengthen your muscle memory of the movements Once you are warm loose and focused you can start the workout WARNING DONT LIFT WEIGHTS THAT ARE TOO HEAVY FOR YOU OR DO MOVEMENTS WITHOUT PROPER TECHNIQUE OR YOU WILL GET INJURED BEGINNER SERIES ONE PULL Primary Work 8 sets of max pullups Gut 2 minutes of situps MetCon Run 400 meters 2 times Directions Do as many pullups as you can in 8 sets Allow yourself 23 minutes rest between each set If you can do deadhang pullups do as many as you can each set and then add 35 kipping pullups to the end of each set without dropping off the bar If you do drop off the bar at the end of your deadhang pullups jump back up onto the bar immediately for 35 kipping pull ups and then commence the 23 minute rest If you cant do any pullups at all then use the ground or a stable box on the ground to jump up and get your chin over the bar Once your chin is over the bar hold yourself there as long as you can This is called a negative repetition PUSH Primary Work 8 sets of max pushups Gut 2 minutes of legraises 1045 degrees MetCon Max burpees in 2 minutes Directions Do as many pushups as you can in 8 sets Allow yourself 23 minutes rest between each set Vary the width of your hands anywhere from 6 inches closer than shoulderwidth to 6 inches farther apart than shoulderwidth If you cant do any pushups at all try doing them from your knees instead of toes If even that is difficult try leaning into a wall and see what you can do there LIFT Primary Work 8 handstand holds Gut 2 minutes of Vups MetCon Run 400 meters 2 times max effort Directions Hold the handstand position 8 times Do not go all the way to muscle failure but to muscle fatigue Count how many seconds you hold the position Allow yourself 23 minutes rest between each set Use a wall to balance yourself during the handstands Try not to rely upon it too much If you cannot do a handstand at all get in the pushup position with your feet touching a wall Walk your feet up the wall and walk your hands closer to the wall See how close you can get to vertical Walk your feet and hands back down Repeat that 8 times SQUAT Primary Work 50 forward lunges Gut 1 minute of crunches 1 minute of reverse crunches MetCon Max burpees in 2 minutes Directions Perform 50 forward lunges for each leg alternating legs with each repetition Do the lunges in a steady controlled manner Your knee should brush the ground on each repetition Time yourself for your records but the goal is not speedthe goal is controlled lunges at a steady pace If you reach muscle fatigue take a 23 minute break and then continue Repeat until you have done the 50 lunges BEGINNER SERIES TWO PULL Primary Work 5 sets of pullups maintaining reps Gut 2 minutes of situps MetCon Run 400 meters 2 times Directions For the firstset workout do your maximum set of pullups If you can do deadhang pullups do them If not do kipping pullups If you cant do kipping pullups do jumping pullups or assisted pull ups For the remaining 4 sets do as many pullups as you can and once you drop off the bar give yourself a 1015 second rest before jumping up on the bar and doing more pullups until you reach the same number of pullups that you did in your first max set This is called a broken set meaning you cannot perform the required repetitions so you take a quick break and then continue Once you have completed the broken set take a 23 minute rest then go again until you have completed 5 sets PUSH Primary Work 5 sets of pushups maintaining reps Gut 2 minutes of legraises 1045 degrees MetCon 2 minutes of max burpees Directions This workout is the same as the Pull workout in this series but utilizing pushups instead of pullups For the firstset workout do your maximum set of pushups If you can do full pushups do them If not do pushups from your knees If you cant do pushups from the knees do pushups against the wall For the remaining 4 sets do as many pushups as you can and once you cant do any more give yourself a 1015 second rest and then continue doing more pushups until you reach the same number of pushups that you did in your first max set using the broken set methodology Once you have completed the broken set take a 23 minute rest then go again until you have completed 5 sets LIFT Primary Work 5 handstand negatives Secondary Work Arm circles side front overhead Gut 2 minutes of V ups MetCon Run 800 meters once as hard as you can Directions Get into the handstand position and lower yourself as slowly as you can Use a wall to maintain your balance Once your head reaches the ground drop your feet to the ground stand up and rest for 23 minutes then do it again for 5 full repetitions Once that is complete do 1 minute each of arm circles to the side to the front and overhead SQUAT Primary Work Jump squats squat thrusts lunges Gut 1 minute of crunches 1 minute of reverse crunches MetCon Run 1 mile Directions Set a timer for 3 sets of 20 seconds Do 20 seconds of jump squats 20 seconds of squat thrusts and 20 seconds of lunges Rest 2 minutes Repeat this for a total of 3 rounds Although you are trying to get maximum repetitions do not sacrifice range of motion or form for increased repetitions BEGINNER SERIES THREE PULL Primary Work Pullup pyramid Gut 2 minutes of situps MetCon 4 x 100yard shuttle runs Directions This workout is recommended when you can do at least 5 pullups Start by doing 1 pullup Rest for a bit Do 2 pullups Rest for a bit Do 3 pullups Rest for a bit Continue to increase the number of pullups by 1 each set until you do not beat your previous number When you miss your previous number drop off the bar shake it out quickly and then get up and complete the set Now come back down the pyramid by decreasing 1 pullup from the previous set If you cant do all the pullups in a single set to get to the required number do the required number in a broken set If you can do deadhang pullups do deadhang if not and you can do kipping pullups do them If you cannot do kipping pullups use jumping pullups For this and any pullup workout if you can utilize kipping or jumping pullups to complete your set without breaking it do that sometimes But sometimes drop off the bar get a quick rest and then complete the set For the shuttle runs mark a start line and then a line at 5 10 15 and 20 yards Start on the starting line and run to the 5 yard line touch the line run back to the start line repeat this for the 10 15 and 20 yard lines Keep your time Complete 4 sets Take 23 minutes between sets PUSH Primary Work Pushup pyramid Gut 2 minutes of Vups MetCon Run 1 mile hard Directions This workout is recommended when you can do at least 610 pushups It follows the same pattern as the pullup pyramid Start by doing 1 pushup Rest for a bit Do 2 pushups Rest for a bit Do 3 pushups Rest for a bit Continue to increase the number of pushups by 1 each set until you do not beat your previous number When you miss your previous number rest quickly and then continue with your pushups until you complete the set Now come back down the pyramid by one repetition of pushups per set If you cant do all the pushups in a single set to get to the required number do the required number in a broken set If you cant do regular pushups do them from the knees If that is still not achievable do them on an incline such as against a wall or with your hands on a table or a bench For this and any pushup workout if you can utilize pushups from the knees to complete your set without breaking it do that sometimes But sometimes take a quick rest and then complete the set LIFT Primary Work 4 handstand holds Secondary Work Arm haulers Tertiary Work Arm circles side front overhead Gut Hold a plank for 1 minute MetCon 1 squat thrust and 5 jumping jacks repeatedly for 2 minutes for max number of burpees Directions Do a handstand hold Hold until muscle fatigue not muscle failure Once complete do 1 minute of arm haulers then 1one minute of arm circles for each position side front and overhead Once complete rest for about 23 minutes and repeat the circuit 3 more times SQUAT Primary Work 5 sets of 10 squats5 forward lunges Gut 1 minute of crunches 1 minute of reverse crunches hold 1minute plank MetCon Run 400 meters 2 times Directions Do 10 squats followed by 5 forward lunges for 5 sets Rest as needed but try to maintain a steady pace and move through the exercises with minimum rest Maintaining good form trumps speed Lunges are performed with 1 repetition for each leg Run 400 meters rest 23 minutes then run another 400 meters BEGINNER SERIES FOUR PULL Primary Work 5 sets of pullup sprints 1 minute on 2 minutes rest Gut 2 minutes of situps MetCon 4 x 100yard shuttle runs Directions This workout is to gain strength and some endurance in your pullup muscles Set a timer for 1 minute of work and 2 minutes of rest During the 1 minute of work do as many pullups as you can These will likely be broken sets meaning you will be dropping off the bar to rest even during your work set Make the rest during the work set as short as possible 57 seconds before jumping back on the bar and continuing to do pullups until the minute is complete Once the minute is over rest for 2 minutes then do another minute of pullups Repeat this until you have done 5 sets of pullups If you can do deadhang pullups do deadhang if not and you can do kipping pullups do them If you cannot do kipping pullups use jumping pullups You can also utilize all three types of pullups to maximize the number of pullups you do during the minute of work For the shuttle runs mark a start line and then a line at 5 10 15 and 20 yards Start on the starting line and run to the 5 yard line touch the line run back to the start line repeat this for the 10 15 and 20 yard lines Keep your time Complete 4 sets Take 23 minutes between sets PUSH Primary Work 1 minute of pushup sprints and 2 minutes rest for 5 sets Gut Hold 1minute plank MetCon 2 minutes of burpees Directions Similar to the pullup sprints this workout is to gain strength and some endurance in your pushup muscles Set a timer for 1 minute of work and 2 minutes of rest During the 1 minute of work do as many pushups as you can These will likely be broken sets meaning you might have to rest even during your work set Make the rest during the work set as short as possible 57 seconds before continuing to do pushups until the minute is complete Once the minute is over rest for 2 minutes then do another minute of pushups Repeat this until you have done 5 sets of pushups Once again for this and any pushup workout if you have exhausted your pushup muscles and you can utilize pushups from the knees to complete your set without breaking it do that sometimes But sometimes take a quick rest and then complete the set utilizing strict pushups with the feet on the ground LIFT Primary Work 5 minutes of handstand holds Secondary Work Arm haulers Tertiary Work Arm circles side front overhead Gut 2 minutes of Vups MetCon Run 400 meters 2 times max effort Directions Hold the handstand position for a total of 5 minutes Do not do this workout if you cannot hold a handstand position for at least 1 minute If you cannot hold a handstand position for at least 1 minute go back to the Lift workout in Series 1 2 or 3 For this workout go into the handstand position using a wall for balance Stay there as long as you can without reaching complete muscle failure and falling onto your head Count the seconds to track how long you stayed up Repeat sets until you have reached a total amount of 5 minutes in the handstand position Once complete do 1 minute of arm haulers then 1 minute of arm circles for each position side front and overhead SQUAT Primary Work 50 forward lunges and 50 squats Gut 1 minute of crunches 1 minute of reverse crunches MetCon Max burpees in 2 minutes Directions Perform 50 forward lunges for each leg alternating legs with each repetition Do the lunges in a steady controlled manner Your knee should brush the ground on each repetition Time yourself for your records but the goal is not speedthe goal is controlled lunges at a steady pace If you reach muscle fatigue take a 23 minute break and then continue Repeat until you have done the 50 lunges Once you have completed 50 lunges do 50 bodyweight squats Again the goal is not speed but controlled movement with the fullest range of motion you are capable of If you need to stop and rest that is fine Rest for a minute or two then continue If you lose your balance at the bottom of the squat it may help to put a 2inch block under your heels during the squat Over time you can move down to a 15inch block then a 1inch block then 5inch block and eventually you will have improved your flexibility and mobility to where you no longer need a block INTERMEDIATE SERIES ONE PULL Primary Work 8 sets of max pullupschinups Secondary Work Hang cleans Tertiary work Straightbar reverse curls and curls Gut 2 minutes of situps 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Run 400 meters 3 times Directions Do a set of maximum pullups Once the maximum has been reached drop off the bar rest for 1520 seconds then get back on the bar with the chinup grip and do as many chinups as you can Once both rapidfire sets are complete rest for 23 minutes and then do your next set Complete a total of 8 sets Attempt to use deadhang pullups for sets requiring maximum numbers If you can get a couple more repetitions with kipping then do so Do 6 sets of hang cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Once complete do a set of reversegrip curls to exhaustion aiming for 610 repetitions then switch to a normal grip and complete another maximum set Rest approximately 1 minute then repeat for a total of 6 sets Gut Complete 2 minutes of situps and 2 minutes of leg raises MetCon Complete a 400meter sprint 3 times PUSH Primary Work 8 sets of max dipspushups Secondary Work Hang snatch movement Gut 100 Vups MetCon Max burpees in 3 minutes Directions Do a maximum set of dips Once the maximum has been reached drop off the dip bars and do a set of maximum pushups Rest for 23 minutes and then complete the next set Perform a total of 8 sets Use a PVC pipe to perform the hang snatch Do 40 repetitions with perfect form Gut Do 100 Vups Break the set if you have to MetCon Do the burpees Fast LIFT Primary Work 8 sets of handstand pushups and deadlifts Secondary Work Barbell press Gut 4 sets of knees to elbows max reps MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs Directions Do 8 sets of maximum handstand pushups followed by 1 minute of rest followed by deadlift For the deadlift utilize a weight you can lift for 68 repetitions You will get fewer repetitions of each exercise the more sets you do That is okay Keep form correct to avoid injury especially with the deadlift Once initial work is done do some barbell presses with a moderate weight that you can get 48 repetitions of Do 5 sets of presses Gut For the knees to elbows hang from a pullup bar and raise your knees to touch your elbows Do the max reps and then rest 23 minutes Perform 4 sets MetCon Complete 6 sets of 100meter shuttle runs with 1 minute of rest between work SQUAT Primary Work Back squats Secondary Work Overhead squats Tertiary Work Jump squats Gut 3minute plank MetCon 2mile run Directions Perform 50 back squats with half your body weight Break up the set as needed to complete the work Perform 50 overhead squats with a PVC pipe Perform 50 jump squats Gut Hold the plank position for 3 minutes MetCon Run 2 miles Run at a good pace to get metabolic conditioning but also to loosen the legs after the higherintensity work Run hard but not with an allout effort INTERMEDIATE SERIES TWO PULL Primary Work 50 deadhang pullups and 100 kipping pullups for time Secondary Work Cleans Tertiary Work Straightbar reverse curls and curls Gut 2 minutes of situps 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Max burpee pullups in 5 minutes Directions Complete 50 deadhang pullups followed by 100 kipping pullups as quickly as possible Break up sets as needed to complete Do 6 sets of cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Once complete do a set of reversegrip curls to exhaustion with a weight that allows you to complete 610 repetitions then switch to a normal grip and complete another maximum set Rest approximately 1 minute then repeat for a total of 6 sets Gut Complete 2 minutes of situps and 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Do the maximum number of burpee pullups you can in 5 minutes PUSH Primary Work 50 dips and 100 pushups for time Secondary Work Snatch movement Gut 100 Vups MetCon Max burpees in 3 minutes Directions Do 50 dips followed by 100 strict pushups in as short a time as possible Use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to perform the snatch Do 40 repetitions with perfect form Gut Do 100 Vups Break the set if you have to MetCon Do the burpees Fast LIFT Primary Work 50 handstand pushups and 50 bodyweight deadlifts for time Secondary Work Barbell press Tertiary Work Clean and jerk Gut 4 sets of knees to elbows max reps MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs Directions Do 50 handstand pushups followed by 50 deadlifts with your body weight Keep form correct to avoid injury especially with the deadlift Once initial work is done do some barbell presses with a moderate weight that you can get 48 repetitions of Do 5 sets of presses For the clean and jerk use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to practice perfect form for 40 repetitions Gut For the knees to elbows hang from a pullup bar and raise your knees to touch your elbows Do as many as you can then rest 23 minutes Perform 4 sets MetCon Complete 6 sets of 100meter shuttle runs with 1 minute of rest between work SQUAT Primary Work 6 max sets of back squats with 100 body weight Secondary Work 6 sets of front squats with 50 body weight Tertiary Work Overhead squats Gut 3minute plank MetCon 2mile run Directions Complete 6 sets of maximum repetitions of the back squat with your body weight on the bar Rest 23 minutes between each set Maintain correct form If form weakens stop rest and move on to the next set Complete 6 sets of maximum repetitions of the front squat with half your body weight on the bar Again form is paramount if your form weakens your set is complete Perform 50 overhead squats with a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight Gut Hold the plank position for 3 minutes MetCon Run 2 miles Run at a good pace to get metabolic conditioning but also to loosen the legs after the higherintensity work Run hard but not with an allout effort INTERMEDIATE SERIES THREE PULL Primary Work 5 sets of Lsit pullups Ltuck pullups deadhang pullups kipping pullups chinups Secondary Work Cleans Tertiary Work Straightbar reverse curls and curls Gut 2 minutes of situps 2 minutes of legraises MetCon 20 15 10 5 of pullupscleans Directions Do a max set of Lsit pullups rest 15 seconds do a max set of L tuck pullups rest 15 seconds do a max set of deadhang pullups rest 15 seconds do a max set of kipping pullups rest 15 seconds do a max set of chinups Rest 15 seconds and repeat this 5 times Do 4 sets of cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Once complete do a set of reversegrip curls to exhaustion with a weight that allows you to complete 610 repetitions then switch to a normal grip and complete another maximum set Rest approximately 1 minute then repeat for a total of 6 sets Gut Do 2 minutes of situps and 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Complete sets of 20 15 10 and 5 repetitions alternating between pullups and cleans For the cleans use the heaviest weight you can without breaking up your sets PUSH Primary Work 5 sets of dips clap pushups deep pushups triceps pushups Secondary Work Snatch movement Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists MetCon Max burpees in 3 minutes Directions Do a maximum set of dips rest 15 seconds do a max set of clap push ups rest 15 seconds do a max set of deep pushups rest 15 seconds do a max set of triceps pushups Upon completion rest 23 minutes and then repeat this series for 5 For the deep pushups simply find a way to elevate your hands off the floor about 6 inches so you can go all the way down in the pushup position to the bottom of the range of motion Use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to perform the snatch Do 40 repetitions with perfect form Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists Break the sets if you have to MetCon Do the burpees Fast LIFT Primary Work 8 max sets of HSPUs Handstand Pushups and 8 sets of bodyweight deadlifts Secondary work Clean and jerk movement drills Gut 4 sets of hanging straight legraises max reps MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs Directions Do 8 max sets of HSPUs followed by a set of deadlifts with your body weight on the bar Do not go to complete muscle failure on deadlifts Instead go to muscle fatigue and then stop so you can keep form correct to avoid injury For the clean and jerk use an extremely light weight approximately 25 of body weight to practice perfect form for 30 single repetitions Gut Hang on the pullup bar and raise your straightened legs as high as you can Do max reps and then rest 23 minutes Perform 4 sets MetCon Complete 6 sets of 100meter shuttle runs with 1 minute of rest between work SQUAT Primary Work 8 max sets of front squats 50 body weight Secondary Work 3 max sets of back squats 100 body weight Tertiary Work Overhead squat movement Gut 3minute plank MetCon 2mile run Directions Front squat with 50 body weight for 8 sets Rest approximately 2 minutes between each set Do not go to muscle failure only muscle fatigue Failure to maintain proper form can result in serious injury Back squat with 100 body weight for 3 sets Rest approximately 2 minutes between each set Maintain proper form and do not go to muscle failure only muscle fatigue Do 50 overhead squats with a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight MetCon Run 2 miles at a good pace to get metabolic conditioning but also to loosen the legs after the higher intensity work Run hard but not with an allout effort INTERMEDIATE SERIES FOUR PULL Primary Work Every Minute On The Minute EMOTM pullup pyramid Secondary Work Cleans Tertiary Work Straightbar reverse curls and curls Gut 2 minutes of situps 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Max burpee pullups in 5 minutes Directions Set a timer for 1 minute The first minute do 1 pullup the second minute do 2 pullups the third minute do 3 pullups Start with dead hang pullups and transition into kipping pullups as needed to achieve the required number Continue to increase the number of pullups by 1 each set until you do not beat your previous number Complete that number of pullups by breaking up the set and finishing Then come back down the pyramid breaking up sets as needed and resting 12 minutes between sets Do 6 sets of cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Once complete do a set of reversegrip curls to exhaustion with a weight that allows you to complete 610 repetitions then switch to a normal grip and complete another maximum set Rest approximately 1 minute then repeat for a total of 6 sets Gut Complete 2 minutes of situps and 2 minutes of legraises MetCon Do sets of 20 15 10 and 5 repetitions alternating between pullups and cleans For the cleans use the heaviest weight you can without breaking up your sets PUSH Primary Work On the minute dip pyramid Secondary Work On the minute pushup pyramid Tertiary Work Snatch movement Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists MetCon Max burpees in 3 minutes Directions Set a timer for 1 minute The first minute do 1 dip the second minute do 2 dips the third minute do 3 dips Use slow deep full rangeofmotion dips Continue to increase the number of pullups by 1 each set until you do not complete the required number Complete that number of dips by breaking up the set and finishing Then come back down the pyramid breaking up sets as needed and resting 12 minutes between sets Once dips are completed do the same thing again but using strict fullrangeofmotion pushups Use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to perform the snatch Do 40 repetitions with perfect form Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists Break the sets if you have to MetCon Do the burpees Fast LIFT Primary Work Tabata bodyweight deadlifts followed by Tabata HSPUs Secondary Work Clean and jerk movement drills Gut 4 max sets of hanging straight legraises MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs Directions For the Tabata protocol set a timer for 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest Use this protocol to do the max number of deadlift repetitions with body weight on the bar Strict form is paramount to avoid injury Once the deadlifts are complete do the same protocol for HSPUs For the clean and jerks use an extremely light weight approximately 25 of body weight to practice perfect form for 30 single repetitions Gut Hang on the pullup bar and raise your straightened legs as high as you can Do max reps and then rest 2 minutes Perform 4 sets MetCon Complete 6 sets of 100meter shuttle runs with 1 minute of rest between work SQUAT Primary Work 8 max sets of back squats 100 body weight Secondary Work 3 max sets of front squats 50 body weight Gut 3minute plank MetCon 2mile run Directions Back squat max reps with 100 body weight for 8 sets Rest approximately 2 minutes between each set Do not go to muscle failure only muscle fatigue Keep form right and correct Failure to maintain proper form can result in serious injury Front squat max reps with 50 body weight for 3 sets Rest approximately 2 minutes between each set Maintain proper form and do not go to muscle failure only muscle fatigue Gut Hold the plank position for 3 minutes MetCon Run 2 miles at a good pace to get metabolic conditioning but also to loosen the legs after the highintensity work Run hard but not with an allout effort ADVANCED SERIES ONE PULL Primary Work 5 sets of weighted pullups and pullups Secondary Work Hang cleans Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists MetCon 25 pullupsrun 400 meters x 4 Directions Utilize a weight belt or weight vest of 20 of your body weight Complete 5 sets of deadhang weighted pullups resting 12 minutes between each set Then complete 5 sets of weighted kipping pullups resting 12 minutes between each set Next remove the weight belt and complete 5 sets of deadhang pullups Finally do 5 max sets of non weighted kipping pullups Do 6 sets of hang cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists MetCon Do 25 pullups then run 400 meters Repeat for a total of 4 rounds PUSH Primary Work Weighted ringdips weighted bardips Gut 5 sets of hanging legraises MetCon Power snatchclap pushupsburpees 20 15 10 5 Directions Utilize a weight belt or weight vest of 20 of your body weight Complete 5 sets of weighted ringdips resting 12 minutes between each set Then complete 5 sets of weighted bardips resting 12 minutes between each set Next remove the weight belt and complete 5 sets of ringdips Finally do 5 max sets of unweighted dips Gut Do 5 sets of hanging legraises MetCon Perform rounds of power snatches clap pushups and burpees with 20 15 10 and 5 repetitions as fast as possible For the power snatches use 3040 of your body weight LIFT Primary Work Snatch clean and jerk deadlift Gut GHD situps x 100 MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs Directions Form and technique are absolutely critical Sacrificing proper form will not make you stronger it will only make you injured Attending a live handson coaching program by a professional for these lifts is highly recommended prior to these workouts If you cannot perform these lifts with strict technique and form DO NOT DO THEM YOU WILL GET INJURED Begin snatching 35 repetitions per weight Increase weight toward maximum 520 pounds each lift looking to reach your maximum in approximately 8 sets Once you have missed a weight 2 times switch to the clean and jerk Continue to add weight in 520 pound increments until you reach your maximum which you are trying to do in approximately 6 sets Once you have missed 2 clean and jerks switch to the deadlift Continue to add weight in increments of 1050 pounds until you have reached your maximum Once you have reached your maximum do 2 singles at that weight Gut Do 100 GHD situps MetCon 6 x 100meter shuttle runs SQUAT Primary Work Overhead squat front squat back squat Gut Hanging legraises MetCon 2mile run Directions Maintain strict form when doing these exercises Failure to do so can and will result in serious injury Do not let your ego dictate the weight you use Rest approximately 2 minutes between each of these sets Begin overhead squats in 35 repetitions per weight Increase weight toward maximum 520 pounds each lift looking to reach your maximum in approximately 8 sets Once you have missed a weight switch to the front squat Continue to add weight in 520 pound increments until you reach your maximum which you are trying to do in approximately 6 sets Once you have missed a front squat switch to the back squat Continue to add weight in increments of 1020 pounds until you have reached your maximum Once you have reached your maximum do 2 singles at that weight Gut 5 sets of max hanging legraises MetCon Run 2 miles at a good pace but not with an allout effort The goal is to loosen the legs after heavy work Again During the lifts keep form tight and correct ADVANCED SERIES TWO PULL Primary Work 30 muscleups 100 deadhang pullups 100 kipping pull ups for time Secondary Work Hang cleans Tertiary Work Reverse curlscurls Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists 100 situps 100 reverse crunches MetCon 20 15 10 5 of pullupscleans Directions Do 30 muscleups followed by 100 deadhang pullups followed by 100 kipping pullups as fast as possible Do 6 sets of hang cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Complete 5 sets of reverse curls followed by curls with a weight that allows you to complete 812 repetitions Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists MetCon Perform 4 sets of cleanspullups with these repetitions 20 15 10 5 Utilize 60 body weight for the cleans PUSH Primary Work Ringdips dips ring pushups pushups Gut 5 sets of hanging legraises MetCon 100 burpees for time Directions Do 100 ringdips followed by 100 dips followed by 100 ring push ups followed by 100 regular pushups as fast as possible Gut Do 5 max sets of hanging legraises MetCon Complete 100 burpees for time LIFT Primary Work Deadlift Gut 100 GHD situps MetCon Circuit HSPU clean and jerk deadlift Directions Form and technique are absolutely critical Sacrificing proper form will not make you stronger it will only make you injured Attending a live handson coaching program by a professional for these lifts is highly recommended prior to these workouts If you cannot perform these deadlifts with strict technique and form DO NOT DO THEM YOU WILL GET INJURED Perform 810 sets of deadlift building up to 4 sets with a weight that allows you to complete 24 repetitions Gut Do 100 GHD situps MetCon Set up a bar with 150 of your body weight and one bar with 60 of your body weight For time perform 4 rounds of HSPUs clean and jerks with 60 body weight and deadlifts with 150 body weight with these repetitions 20 15 10 5 SQUAT Primary Work Back squat Gut 100 situps with 20 body weight on chest MetCon Overhead squatback squatrun Directions Maintain strict form when doing these exercises Failure to do so can and will result in serious injury Do not let your ego dictate the weight you use Perform 810 sets of back squats building up to 4 sets with a weight that allows you to complete 24 repetitions Gut With a plate on your chest of approximately 20 body weight perform 100 situps MetCon For time perform 4 rounds of overhead squats with 60 body weight followed by back squat with 100 body weight for repetitions of 20 15 10 5 Run 400 meters between each round Again During the lifts keep form tight and correct ADVANCED SERIES THREE PULL Primary Work 3 minutes on 1minute rest muscleups Lsit pullups Ltuck pullups deadhang pullups deadhang chinups kipping pull ups Secondary Work Hang cleans Tertiary Work Reverse curlscurls Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists MetCon 20 15 10 5 of pullupscleans Directions Set your timer for 3 minutes of work followed by 1 minute of rest Perform as many muscleups as you can in 3 minutes then rest 1 minute Repeat the same pattern for Lsit pullups Ltuck pullups deadhang pullups deadhang chinups and kipping pullups Once your time is up for kipping pullups continue doing kipping pullups until you reach 100 Do 6 sets of hang cleans with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Complete 5 sets of reverse curls followed by curls with a weight that allows you to complete 812 repetitions Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists MetCon Perform 4 sets of cleanspullups with these repetitions 20 15 10 5 PUSH Primary Work 3 minutes on 1minute rest ringdips ring pushups dips clap pushups deep pushups pushups Secondary Work Snatch movement Gut 5minute plank MetCon Burpees 3x3 Directions Set your timer for 3 minutes of work followed by 1 minute of rest Perform as many ringdips as you can in 3 minutes then rest 1 minute Repeat the same pattern for ring pushups dips clap pushups deep pushups and regular pushups Once your time is up for pushups continue doing pushups until you reach 100 Do 40 repetitions of the snatch movement with an extremely light weight Gut Hold the plank position for 5 minutes MetCon Perform 3 rounds of max burpees in 3 minutes with 1 minute of rest between rounds LIFT Primary Work Clean and jerk Gut 100 GHD situps MetCon Circuit HSPUs clean and jerks deadlifts Directions Form and technique are absolutely critical Sacrificing proper form will not make you stronger it will only make you injured Attending a live handson coaching program by a professional for these lifts is highly recommended prior to these workouts If you cannot perform these lifts with strict technique and form DO NOT DO THEM YOU WILL GET INJURED Perform 810 sets of the clean and jerks building up to 4 sets with a weight that allows you to complete 24 repetitions Gut Do 100 Vups followed by 100 Russian twists holding 1025 pounds MetCon Set up a bar with 180 of your body weight and a bar with 80 of your body weight For time perform 10 rounds of HSPUs clean and jerks with 80 body weight and deadlifts with 180 body weight with these repetitions 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 SQUAT Primary Work Overhead squat front squat back squat Gut 100 situps with 20 body weight on chest MetCon Run Directions Maintain strict form when doing these exercises Failure to do so can and will result in serious injury Do not let your ego dictate the weight you use Perform 50 overhead squats with 60 body weight Perform 50 front squats with 80 body weight Perform 50 back squats with body weight Gut With a plate on your chest of approximately 20 body weight perform 100 situps MetCon Run 2 miles at a decent pace Again During the lifts keep form tight and correct Form is paramount If form starts to slip go lighter in weight ADVANCED SERIES FOUR PULL Primary Work Muscleups Lsit pullups Ltuck pullups deadhang pullups kipping pullups deadhang chinups Secondary Work Hang cleans Tertiary Work Reverse curlscurls Gut 100 Vups 100 Russian twists 100 situps 100 reverse crunches MetCon Every Minute On The Minute EMOTM burpeespullups Directions Perform as many muscleups as you can in one set Next do a set of max Lsit pullups then max Ltuck pullups max deadhang pullups max kipping pullups and finally max chinups Repeat this circuit 5 times taking minimal rest between sets Do 6 sets of deadhang chinups with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Complete 5 sets of reverse curls followed by curls with a weight that allows you to complete 812 repetitions Gut Perform 100 each of Vups Russian twists situps and reverse crunches MetCon On the minute perform 5 burpees and then maximum pullups for a total of 6 minutes PUSH Primary Work Ringdips ring pushups bardips clap pushups deep pushups pushups Secondary Work Hang snatches Gut Ring Lsits MetCon On the minute burpeesringdips Directions Perform as many ringdips as you can in one set Next do a set of max ring pushups then max bardips max clap pushups max deep pushups and finally max regular pushups Repeat this circuit 5 times taking minimal rest between sets Do 6 sets of hang snatches with a weight that allows you to do 36 repetitions per set while maintaining good form Gut Complete 5 max sets of ring Lsits MetCon On the minute perform 5 burpees and then maximum ringdips for a total of 6 minutes LIFT Primary Work Clean and jerk Gut Complete 5 sets of hanging windshield wipers MetCon Circuit HSPUs clean and jerks deadlifts Directions Form and technique are absolutely critical Sacrificing proper form will not make you stronger it will only make you injured Attending a live handson coaching program by a professional for these lifts is highly recommended prior to these workouts If you cannot perform these lifts with strict technique and form DO NOT DO THEM YOU WILL GET INJURED Perform 810 sets of the clean and jerks building up to 4 sets with a weight that allows you to complete 24 repetitions Gut Complete 5 sets of hanging windshield wipers MetCon Perform 30 repetitions of clean and jerks with 60 body weight without putting the bar down rest 2 minutes perform 20 repetitions with the same weight rest 2 minutes perform 10 repetitions SQUAT Primary Work Overhead squat back squat Gut 100 situps with 20 body weight on chest MetCon Run Directions Maintain strict form when doing these exercises Failure to do so can and will result in serious injury Do not let your ego dictate the weight you use Perform 810 overhead squats increasing weight each set until you reach failure Rest 23 minutes between sets Once failure is reached drop the weight back down to the last weight you made and perform 3 more max sets Once overhead squats are complete add 20 to that weight This weight should be a weight that you can back squat about 10 times Now perform 20 back squats without racking the bar This should be the most brutal set of squats you have ever done From repetition 12 on each rep should require total focus concentration grit and pure will Gut With a plate on your chest of approximately 20 body weight perform 100 situps MetCon Run 2 miles at a decent pace Again During the lifts keep form tight and correct Form is paramount If form starts to slip go lighter in weight ROAD WARRIOR WORKOUTS Many jobs require travel Travel can make working out difficult BUT IT DOESNT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE There are many ways to get good workouts on the road Now If you are going to a location for an extended period of time such as a military deployment it is important to plan ahead to either bring or have access to the right equipment so you can continue working out In the civilian sector if you are going to spend an extended amount of time in an area this might mean joining a local gym Whether you bring equipment utilize someone elses or join a local gym it is almost always possible to set up or gain access to some kind of solid workout area and stay on the program Traveling for shorter time periods for one to four days at a time can sometimes cause more disruption than long trips The difficulty in bringing gear while traveling is one issue because checking bags is a gamble and time consumer in an already compressed schedule So When I travel I travel light I carry a chalk bag with chalk wristbands a notebook to track my workout and some oneinch tubular nylon and a hard ball slightly larger than a lacrosse ball for doing mobility and maintenance work If the hotel has a gym I get in there and use it Of course hotel gyms are usually pretty pathetic They dont have very heavy weights they might not have a pullup bar or a dip bar and they are generally small But I get in there and improvise I will do what I can to reproduce my real workout Due to a lack of weight my workout usually consists of lower weights and higher reps If there is any kind of pullup bar I utilize it If not sometimes I will hang a towel over one of the machines in the gym and do pullups on that Many times I have done dips between two treadmills I will use benches to jump over or on jump ropes to push the heart rate up and any other object they have in the gym that I can use to get my blood flowing I consider these workouts more of a maintenance routine than a workout that will result in serious progression Sometimes the hotel doesnt have a gym or it is just worthless or I have a very tight schedule and dont have much time In those cases I often just do a hotel room workout on the floor The hotel room workouts are rudimentary and again are usually not geared toward any great advancement in my physical conditioning They are more focused on maintaining the discipline of working out early and getting the benefits that come from working out blood flow to the brain releasing endorphins and overall kickstarting my day Also I do try to plan my schedule to do several days worth of murderous physical training before I go on the road so that my body is in need of a rest and I can use some simple workouts for recovery That being said I have some quick workouts to keep me on track when I am on the road For a pull workout I will try to find some kind of pullup bar Usually I can find one in the hotel parking garage make sure they are solid or outside on a tree or a piece of scaffolding or anything that might work Then I will do 810 sets of pullups in a very slow controlled deadhang manner focusing on the negativecoming down slow I might also do various types of pullups chinups chesttobar typewriter and countless other variations If I need to get the blood flowing I will do some burpee pull ups and some gut For a push workout in the hotel room I will do push upslots of them Reps of 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Another variation is reps of 10 10 10 10 10 100 50 50 33 33 33 25 25 25 25 20 20 20 20 20 10 10 10 10 10 On top of that I will do some burpees100 for time And of course some gut For lift day I will do handstand pushups 810 max sets I will mix in some arm haulers some jumping jacks arm circles and of course burpees If I end up in a hotel room for squat day there are plenty of options One I like to do is pistols one legged squats and jump squats I will do 10 pistols each leg then 20 jump squats then I do 9 pistols each leg and 18 jump squats then 8 and 16 right on down to 1 pistol each leg and 2 jump squats Other possibilities are lunges split jumps mountain climbers squat thrusts and yes burpees If I am really sore and need a recovery day I will do some good stretching a little gut some drills from MobilityWOD with 100 burpees mixed in to get the blood going Like I said most of these routines are more about maintaining fitness on the road for a couple of days getting the blood flowing to wake up and be alert and maintaining my discipline If I need a real workout I will simply increase the volume of any of these hotel workouts Any one of these workouts can become vicious when volume and intensity are turned up I have destroyed myself many times in hotel rooms all over the world It just takes some creativity and of course WILL So When you are on the road Dont get lazy Dont get complacent Dont use the road as an excuse Get creative Get aggressive Get it done When you are on the road When you are on the road STAY ON THE PATH CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT AND EXPLORATION There is much more out there than what I have covered Check out kettlebells They are an outstanding way to get in shape Swings snatches goblet squats high pulls lungepresses Turkish getups weighted pull ups pushups with rowsthe list is infinite Add them to your game to get it on Use them to supplement your workouts or do some allkettlebell days There are also an unbelievable number of movements that can be taken from gymnastics The muscleup is a staple of my workouts and it is a basic movement in gymnastics Other moves like hanging leglifts L sits Vups front and back levers all kinds of multiplane pushes and presses The list goes on and on Find a gym or a coach or an online program to start getting after some of the hardest bodyweight exercises in the world And dont stop with kettlebells and gymnastics Keep looking Keep experimenting Keep exploring Keep getting better DO Dont just read this book Dont just listen to the podcast Dont just watch videos online Dont just take notes Dont just study them Dont just share them with your friends Dont just plan Dont just mark your calendar Dont just get motivated Dont just talk Dont just think Dont just dream No None of that matters The only thing that matters is that you actually do SO DO ABOUT THE AUTHOR JOCKO WILLINK served 20 years as a Navy SEAL He was in combat in Iraq during the Battle of Ramadi a conflict that resulted in numerous medals for his efforts After his tours Willink served as a Navy SEAL instructor before forming Echelon Front with Leif Babin a leadership training group that uses the lessons and expertise the pair learned as SEALs to train leaders beyond the military Willink lives in San Diego California He is the author of the 1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership the childrens book Way of the Warrior Kid and creator of the popular podcast JOCKO PODCAST You can sign up for email updates here Twitter Thank you for buying this St Martins Press ebook To receive special offers bonus content and info on new releases and other great reads sign up for our newsletters Or visit us online at usmacmillancomnewslettersignup For email updates on the author click here CONTENTS TITLE PAGE COPYRIGHT NOTICE DEDICATION PART ONE THOUGHTS PART TWO ACTIONS FUEL FEEDING THE MACHINE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY APPENDIX THE WORKOUTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR COPYRIGHT The information in this book is not intended to replace the advice of the readers own physician or other health care professional You should consult a medical professional in matters relating to health especially if you have existing medical conditions and before starting any new fitness regimen or adopting new dietary choices The author and the publisher do not accept responsibility for any adverse effects individuals may claim to experience whether directly or indirectly from the information contained in this book DISCIPLINE EQUALS FREEDOM FIELD MANUAL Copyright 2017 by Jocko Willink All rights reserved For information address St Martins Press 175 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010 wwwstmartinscom Produced by the Stonesong Press LLC Photos by Jocko Willink Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional educational or business use Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 800 2217945 extension 5442 or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarketsmacmillancom First Edition October 2017 eISBN 9781250156952 First eBook Edition October 2017 Jocko Willink Retired Navy SEAL Officer 1 bestselling author of EXTREME OWNERSHIP and WAY OF THE WARRIOR KID Creator of the top rated podcast JOCKO PODCAST Cofounder of Echelon Front a premier leadership consulting company Cover photograph by Echo Charles wwwstmartinscom St Martins Press 175 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA