March 17, 2019
Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter) on Meditation, Extreme Time-Saving Workouts, DIY Cold Tubs, Sauna Use, One-Meal-A-Day & More – Ben Greenfield Fitness
Check out the Ben Greenfield Fitness Episode Page & Show Notes
Key Takeaways
- Jack’s daily routine (which he tries to follow most days):
- He wakes up around 6:15 AM
- Then he meditates (Vipassana) for an hour
- Next he does a version of the 7-minute workout using the Seven app
- He’ll then use his SaunaSpace near-infrared sauna (it gets to about 125 °F) for 30 minutes to an hour
- Then he’ll hop in his cold tub which is set to ~37 °F
- Over the course of the morning, Jack will try to drink about 28 oz. of water
- He then leaves for his 5-mile walk to work around 7:30 AM and gets there by 9:00 AM (except for Tuesdays and Thursdays when he works from home)
- Jack only eats one large meal between the window of 6:30 – approx. 9:00 PM
- Most nights (and very often on the weekends) he’ll hop back and forth between the dry sauna and cold tub
- The dry sauna is set to 220 °F (he stays in for ~15 minutes) and the cold tub is set to 37-41 °F (he’ll try to stay in for 3 minutes)
- Jack typically does 3 rounds of each
- Before bed, Jack will meditate for an additional hour and then journal using the Notes app on his iPhone
Products, Tools, and Supplements Mentioned
- Jack uses the Seven app to dictate a high-intensity interval training workout (1-3 iterations of the 7-minute workout) which he does every day
- Ben also sometimes does a version of the 7-minute workout wearing a Hyperwear Weighted Vest
- Jack will occasionally throw in a Tabata workout on an Assault AirBike (20 seconds hard, 10 seconds easy, for 4 minutes)
- Jack uses a barrel sauna most nights in conjunction with an ice bath
- Most mornings, Jack will use a SaunaSpace (a near-infrared sauna)
- Ben uses a ClearLight infrared sauna
- SaunaSpace also sells just the bulbs if you want to increase your near infrared light dosing
- Jack actually keeps one of the separate solo bulbs near his standing desk, which he’ll turn on while he works
- Supplements:
- Jack doesn’t take any supplements besides a daily multivitamin and a lot of vitamin c
- Brands not specified
- Every now and then he takes Athletic Greens
- Jack doesn’t take any supplements besides a daily multivitamin and a lot of vitamin c
- Jack recently bought an Oura Ring – Use code “podcastnotes” for $50 off a ring at checkout – to track his sleep
- Ben uses the VT Bodyweight app which is loaded with tons of bodyweight workouts
- Ben recommends people check out the book Body by Science
Intro
- Jack Dorsey (@jack) is the CEO of Twitter and Square
- Check out the Podcast Notes from his latest appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience and the Podcast Notes from his appearance on Sam Harris’ podcast
Meditation
- Jack has been meditating for about 20 years, getting more serious as the years passed, experimenting with many different types along the way
- He’s been drawn most to Vipassana
- He tries to meditate for an hour in the morning, right after waking up (around 6:15 AM) and then for an additional hour at night
- Last year in Dallas, Texas, Jack did a 10-day silent Vipassana Meditation retreat from December 21st to January 1st
- There was no reading, writing, or speaking allowed
- Minimal eye contact was made
- Every day, participants woke at 4:00 AM
- 2 meals were eaten per day (breakfast and lunch) – no food was consumed after 12 PM
- Both meals were vegetarian
- Jack had hot oatmeal every day for breakfast
- Tea was served every day at 5:00 PM
- Meditation lasted each day from 4:30 AM to 9:00 PM (besides meals)
- Jack says day 6 was the hardest for him
- One thing he learned:
- “You can’t grab on to the highs and you can’t grab on to the lows. It’s all about detaching yourself and being more in control of your reactions.”
- Jack also recently did a silent retreat in Myanmar
- He shared his experience on Twitter
Exercise
- After meditating, Jack typically walks to work (which is 5 miles from his house)
- He leaves around 7:30 AM, and typically gets to the office by 9:00
- During the walk – Jack listens to podcasts, audiobooks, or just thinks
- He used to do this every day, but recently started working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Jack also typically tries to fit in:
- A high-intensity interval training workout (1-3 iterations of the 7-minute workout) every morning
- Jack uses the Seven app to guide him
- All the workout requires is a chair and a wall, so Jack can easily do it while he’s traveling
- Ben also sometimes does a version of the 7-minute workout wearing a Hyperwear Weighted Vest
- A Tabata workout on an Assault AirBike (20 seconds hard, 10 seconds easy, for 4 minutes) – sounds like he only does this occasionally
- He doesn’t say how many cycles he does
- A high-intensity interval training workout (1-3 iterations of the 7-minute workout) every morning
- Jack has also mixes in some kettlebell and medicine ball exercises, which he does at home
Hot and Cold Stress
- 3 years ago Jack bought a barrel sauna and ice bath with a built-in chiller (which gets it down to about 37 ° F)
- Most nights, Jack does the following:
- He sets the sauna temp. to 220 °F and stays in for about 15 minutes
- Then he hops in the cold tub for 3 minutes
- He does 3 rounds, ending in the cold tub – the whole process takes about an hour
- Most nights, Jack does the following:
- More on the cold tub:
- It’s an animal feeder cedar tub with a chiller system attached
- Ben has an article on his blog for how to build something similar
- Jack recently bought a SaunaSpace (a near infrared sauna)
- He keeps it in his garage
- When Jack uses it, he’ll go in for about 30 minutes to an hour – the temperature only gets to about 125 °F
- But your core body temp. increases very quickly, and perhaps even more so than with a dry sauna, causing you to really sweat
- Ben uses a ClearLight infrared sauna
- SaunaSpace also sells just the bulbs if you want to increase your near-infrared light dosing
- Jack actually keeps one of the separate solo bulbs near his standing desk, which he’ll turn on while he works
- Ben says infrared saunas result in more of a “deeper sweat” compared to dry saunas
- The photons penetrate very deeply into the tissue
Let’s Sum Up – Here’s Jacks Routine
- He wakes up around 6:15 AM
- Then he meditates (Vipassana) for an hour
- Then he does a version of the 7-minute workout using the Seven app
- He’ll then uses his SaunaSpace, near-infrared sauna
- Then he’ll hop in the cold tub which is set to ~37 °F
- He leaves for work (unless he’s working from home) around 7:30 AM and gets there by 9:00 AM
- While he’s walking, even if it’s in the 40s (°F), he’ll only wear jeans and a t-shirt…why?
- To really focus on getting on much sun as he can
- Jack also finds the cold air gives him more energy later in the day and helps him sleep better at night
- While he’s walking, even if it’s in the 40s (°F), he’ll only wear jeans and a t-shirt…why?
- Most nights (and very often on the weekends) he’ll hop back and forth between the dry sauna and cold tub
- The dry sauna is set to 220 °F (he stays in for ~15 minutes) and the cold tub is set to 37-41 °F (he’ll try to stay in for 3 minutes)
- Jack typically does 3 rounds of each
- He then meditates for an hour before bed
- Jack tries to journal at the end of every day
- He just uses the Notes app on the iPhone
More on Cold Stress
- Jack says every shower he takes is a cold shower
- “Nothing has given me more mental confidence than being able to go straight from room temperature into the cold”
- “If I can will myself to do that thing which seems so small, but hurts so much, I can do nearly anything”
- “For me, it’s better than caffeine”
- “Nothing has given me more mental confidence than being able to go straight from room temperature into the cold”
What does Jack’s diet look like?
- He was vegan for 2 years
- Eventually, he started eating more of a Paleo diet
- Then Jack listened to a bunch of Wim Hof podcasts and really resonated with everything Wim was talking about
- For this reason, like Wim, Jack started eating only one meal per day
- He’s been doing this for 2 years now
- For this reason, like Wim, Jack started eating only one meal per day
- What does Jack’s one meal consist of?
- He allows himself to eat from around 6:30 – approx. 9:00 PM
- There’s a protein (fish, chicken, or steak) with a ton of greens (often arugula or spinach) with something like asparagus or brussel sprouts
- For dessert, he’ll eat some mixed berries and occasionally a little dark chocolate
- Jack will often have a glass of red wine with dinner
- On eating only one large meal a day, Jack adds:
- “During the day I feel so much more focused”
- It also helps him fall asleep easier, as he’s pretty stuffed/relaxed from the large meal
- Every morning, Jack will down about 28 oz. of water as soon as he can
Supplements
- Jack doesn’t take any besides a daily multivitamin and a lot of vitamin c
- Brands not specified
- He tries to get most of his nutrients from his diet
- Every now and then he takes Athletic Greens
Sleep
- Jack recently got an Oura Ring (purchase a ring using our link for a $50 discount applied at checkout)
- He’s noticed that if he drinks too much wine, the time he spends in REM sleep drops
Fasting
- Jack has been experimenting with 2-day water only fasts from Friday night to Sunday night
- One thing Jack has noticed from doing this:
- How much of our days are centered around meals
- AND how much more productive he is
- One thing Jack has noticed from doing this:
Jack’s Personal Life
- He’s single
- He tries to have dinner with his best friends as much as possible
Random Yet Important
- “I learn best through experimentation” – Jack says he’s always experimenting health wise
- “My routine today is completely different from my routine 3 years ago”
- Ben uses the VT Bodyweight app which is loaded with tons of bodyweight workouts
- Ben recommends people check out the book Body by Science
- Jack really loved Ben’s recent podcast on ancestral wisdom vs. modern science
- Jack is a fan of Ray Cronise
- Jack listened to Ben’s podcast on freediving
These notes were edited by RoRoPa Editing Services
