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 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
• 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
• 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
• 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”

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
• 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

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