Eternal Life Enthusiast Bryan Johnson's Hour-a-Day Fitness Routine
While the majority of us are committing to conventional New Year's fitness resolutions like cutting down on booze and moving a bit more, Silicon Valley billionaire Bryan Johnson is off doing blood transfusions and gene therapy in an attempt to lower his biological age. In his new Netflix documentary Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, Johnson can be seen starting his day with 54 supplements and an hour in the gym.
'This is the gym and it's my happy place,' he shares. 'Every morning I come in here, and I exercise for roughly an hour.' Johnson continues to explain that he usually does a 35-exercise circuit: 'Everything we do, we measure it. So we're able to see in a closed-loop way, is it working, or is it not?'
While in the documentary, Johnson can be seen completing barbell work and time on a cross-trainer, in a previous YouTube video he details his exact 'anti-ageing' workout programme. Here are the details, along with the MH verdict.
Bryan Johnson's Daily Workout Programme
Johnson attributes his longevity to training one hour a day, every day, five to seven days a week. He also mentions he plays basketball and tennis weekly and will run a 3.4-mile mountain trail with 1,200 ft elevation gain in approximately 34 minutes.
Sled Pull x 6-8 lengths for 3-5 minutes
Johnson completes sled pulls at 95 lbs with 30 seconds rest between laps (if needed). He then continues to complete levator scapula shrugs and suboccipital stretches for his posture. Sled pulls are an efficient lower-body builder while delivering a cardiovascular hit.
Tricep Kickback x 25 reps
Tricep kickbacks are a fairly light isolation exercise, of course targeting the triceps. He holds at the top of the move for 1 second.
Face Pull x 15 reps
If you're looking to improve your posture and shoulder health, face pulls are a great addition to your programme. Focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together and keeping the chest lifted throughout the move.
Banded Chest Flye x 15 reps
While Johnson refers to these as 'butterfly pulls' — he completes banded chest flyes for 15 reps. Throughout the workout he completes one set. If your goal is to gain muscle, higher reps using bands may be necessary.
Band Pull-Apart x 15 reps
Another exercise that will benefit posture and shoulder health, band pull-aparts are a great addition to your workout warm-up.
Shoulder External Rotation x 10 reps each side
Johnson likely includes external rotations to assist his rotator cuff strength. These are usually included as a rehab exercise for shoulder injuries. He notes that he completes them to improve posture, and prepare his body for safe and effective workouts.
Hamstring Stretch x 30–60-second hold
By including a hamstring stretches, Johnson explains that he does so for improved flexibility, but also because he enjoys them.
Glute Ham Raise x 25 reps
The glute ham raise is a highly effective hamstring and glute strengthening exercise and the majority of us would benefit from including move in our training.
Oblique Raise x 25 reps each side
Johnson then uses the GHR equipment to turn sideways and work his obliques. This is a super efficient way of targeting the obliques.
Couch Stretch x 30–60-second hold each side
The couch stretch is a fairly intense quad stretch. As long as there is support under the knee, it will advance standard quad stretches and can be tagged on the end of a long day sitting to aid lower-body mobility.
Kneeling Shin Stretch x 30–60-second hold each side
Johnson continues to sit on heels with knees bent in order to stretch his shins. He does this to aid with ankle mobility and support performance.
Pigeon Stretch x 30 seconds each side
While Johnson refers to this as a hip flexor stretch, he completes what can be referred to as a pigeon stretch. The target muscles to stretch are the glutes of the pigeon stretch, contributing to a well-rounded stretch routine.
Lying Leg Raise x 50 reps
Johnson advises you use a kettlebell to anchor yourself if needed, placed above your head. This move works the abdominal muscles, fairly close to fatigue at 50 reps.
Oblique Touch x 50 reps
He then completes lying oblique touches, which isn't necessarily the most effective exercise to target the obliques, as usually there's just not enough resistance provided to improve strength. A good substitute for this move would be Russian twists.
Inverted Row x 25 reps
Johnson refers to this move as 'reverse push-ups', however we might more commonly know the exercise as inverted rows. These are a formidable addition to your back training routine, and are a great precursor to getting your first pull-up.
Seated Calf Raise x 25 reps and 3 sets
While seated calf raises are a fairly good calf exercise, new evidence has shown that standing calf raises deliver enhanced calf gains in comparison. So, if building calf muscle is your goal, the standing variation would be a good swap.
Poliquin Step-Up x 10 reps and 3 sets
Using a slant board, Johnson completes this move which predominantly works the quads. The move is well suited to those who want to enhance their knee and quad strength for athletic performance, while gaining lower-body mass.
Heel-Raised Squat x 10 reps and 3 sets
With 20 lbs in each hand, Johnson completes heel-raised squats. These are another efficient quad builder and would be suitable for the majority of lower-body programmes.
Long Lunge Split Squat x 10 reps and 3 sets
Johnson then completes a variation on the split squat, by performing them in a long lunge position. This will further target the glutes while improving hip mobility.
Nordic Hamstring Curl x as many reps as possible
Johnson completes as many reps as possible of nordic hamstring curls, which are an highly effective hamstring builder and strengthening exercise. He then completes tibialis raises and isotib ankle rotations to build ankle strength.
Pull-up and Chin-up x 15 reps of each
He explains that usually he completes 15 of each move. Pull-ups predominantly target the back, however chin-ups will target the shoulders and biceps more.
Barbell Bicep Curl x 15 reps
Johnson uses a 45 lb barbell with 10 lb plates each side for barbell bicep curls. While the move is undoubtedly one of the most effective muscle-building moves for the biceps, some additional sets would be optimal for hypertrophy.
10-Minute HIIT
Finally, Johnson uses a bike, elliptical, or rower. He'll complete 5–10 minutes, maintaining a heart rate of 130–140 bpm, before cranking out some high-intensity intervals.
The MH Verdict
It's important to note that whenever we break down celebrity workouts, we never do so with the soul intention of them being carried out by the reader. This is usually due to workouts being individualised for the participants needs, not ours. However, we can give our two cents as to whether we think they're effective.
This workout, while well-rounded, is missing one key ingredient for hypertrophy: volume and proximity to failure. The programme could also benefit from more compound moves, but with a focus on mainly rehab exercises, it is likely suited to Johnson's own body and injury history.
Another issue is that the workout doesn't include much chest work. Posture is clearly a primary concern of Johnson's, which might explain the omission, but the addition of a chest-focused exercise wouldn't negatively impact this.
Would it have the longevity effects it's purported to have? We're not convinced it would be superior to any other well-rounded resistance training programme. And, if anything, it could include some more sets working a little closer to failure for optimal results.
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