In this podcast, recorded at Spartan World Championships in Lake Tahoe, I got put in the hot seat for an hour by a former podcast guest of mine: Will Ahmed of WHOOP.
Will is a two-time previous guest of mine, appearing on the episodes, “The Go-To Self-Quantification Wristband Now Used By The Navy SEALs, Pro Sports, Top College Teams, Olympians & Beyond” and “WHOOP: The Performance Enhancing Wearable That Tells You When To Sleep, How To Exercise, Your Strain Levels & More!“
On today's episode, Will grilled me about every step of my day, and my exact morning, afternoon, and evening routines—from sleeping to pooping to sex and more.
During this discussion, you'll discover:
-How Ben first got involved with performance and fitness [5:00]
- Always had a desire to teach; consummate learner
- Write for kids magazines, teach what he learned to other kids
- Love for nature immersion and movement
- Constitutional assessment labeled him as a mover
- Began playing tennis at age 14
- This began the search for optimizing his game, which led to a focus on exercise, nutrition, etc.
- Endurance sports are more appealing due to the importance of physiology, nutrition, etc.
-Ben Greenfield's routine [9:20]
- Christian Gratitude Journal
- One thing grateful for
- One truth
- One person to pray for, help, serve
- Read for 15 minutes
- Book: Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
- Wash face with an oil cleanser
- Oil pulling for the mouth
- The Dirt (it's an oil pulling brand)
- Make coffee
- Kion Coffee
- Wilfa Precision coffee maker
- Spend 15 minutes taking care of body – self love
- 20-30 minutes Morning reading: Twitter, research digests, emails
- Learning vs. reacting/responding
- No creating at this point
- Giant glass of water w/ hydrogen tablets
- Water and Wellness tablets
- Off to the toilet, take care of business
- Coffee enema once a week
- Two types of activity per day:
- Full workout (high-intensity interval training)
- Light workout: walk in the sun, a swim
-What Ben thinks is underrated when it comes to fitness [20:45]
- Minimal effective dose of training
- Time under tension vs. sets and reps
- Vasper machine
- ARX Fit machine
- Focus on mindfulness and breath at the gym
- No phones
- Exercise your spirit as well as the body
-Thoughts on breathwork through the nose [24:00]
- Breathing through the nose increases Co2 levels
- Focus on the exhale, should last slightly longer than the inhale
- Book: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown
- Exhaling through the nose humidifies the air
- Exercises the diaphragm
- Regulates the sympathetic system
- Opti O2 device
- Meditation: Be driven by your prana (life force)
-What Ben eats for breakfast [27:30]
- Family meeting, planning future activities
- BGF podcast on unschooling
- 9:30 eat a morning superfood smoothie
-A typical day at the office [32:45]
- Beginning at 10 am, hyper-focused on tasks for the day (podcasts, articles, consults, etc.)
- Book: Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Non-reactive work
- Reactive work can wait (emails, small tasks)
- Brain enhancement supplements:
-How to eat meat the right way [36:00]
- Organic wild meat
- Hunt whitetail deer, elk, turkey, with a bow and arrow
- Train to Hunt
- Petersen's Bow Hunting magazine
- Nock on Archery podcast
- Nose to tail
- Coffee in the morning, wine in the evening
- Raw honey
-More on Ben Greenfield's routine (Mid-afternoon) [38:20]
- Have lunch around 3 pm
- Take a nap 20-40 minutes
- 2-3 more hours of work (small tasks: emails)
- No coffee after noon
- Nicotine gum for a cognitive pick-me-up
- Hard workout (if not in the morning)
-What Ben dedicates his evenings to [42:30]
- Belongs entirely to family
- Family dinner, games
- Play music: piano, guitar
- Read, review gratitude journals
-Getting ready for bed [43:45]
- Red incandescent bulbs (close to fire light) no blue light
- RA Optics red and clear blue light blocking glasses
- ChiliPad
- Essential oil diffuser
- Reading, chatting w/ wife
- No TV in the bedroom
- Supplements used:
- 60 mg of CBD
- Sleep Remedy
- Quicksilver melatonin
- 4-7-8 breathing
- MindFold sleep mask
-Under the radar hacks to improve your life [49:45]
- Sunlight exposure first thing in the day
- ReTimer glasses (use BGF30 for $30 off of your purchase)
- Human Charger (use BEN20 for 20% off)
- Red light at night
- Self-quantification
- Whoop (use BEN for a $30 discount)
- Test for inflammation and blood glucose
- Dexcom G6 blood continuous glucose monitor
-And much more…
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– Book: Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
– AnneMarie Skin Care products
– RumbleRoller Foam Roller
– Water and Wellness tablets (use GREENFIELD for a 10% discount)
– Vasper
– ARX Fit (use BEN for $500 off shipping and installation)
– Book: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown
– Book: Deep Work by Cal Newport
– Walking treadmill (use BEN10 to save 10%)
– Ultimate Longevity Grounding mat
– JOOVV Red light therapy device
– TrueForm treadmill (BEN10 to save 10%)
– NuCalm Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation Device (discount applied at checkout, 65% off the first month of any new monthly subscription)
– Biomat Infrared Sleep Mat
– NormaTec Pulsing Compression Recovery Boots
– RA Optics blue light blocking glasses
– ChiliPad Sleep System
– Quicksilver melatonin
– MindFold sleep mask
– ReTimer glasses (use BGF30 for $30 off of your purchase)
– Human Charger (use BEN20 for 20% off)
– Whoop strap (use BEN for a $30 discount)
– Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor
Episode sponsors:
–Kion: My personal playground for new supplement formulations, Kion blends ancestral wisdom with modern science. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 10% discount off your entire order when you use discount code: BGF10.
–Organifi Glow: A plant-based beverage that helps support the body’s natural ability to produce collagen, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and protect the skin from sun exposure and toxins. Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code: BENG20
–ButcherBox: Delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door on a monthly basis. All their products are humanely raised and NEVER given antibiotics or hormones. For 2 lbs of 100% grass-fed beef FREE in every box for the life of your subscription PLUS $20 off your first box go to ButcherBox.com/BEN OR enter promo code BEN20 at checkout
–Native Deodorant: Safe, simple, effective products that people use in the bathroom everyday. Native creates products with trusted ingredients and trusted performance. Get 20% off your first purchase when you use discount code: BEN
Hi Ben! Which is better: fasted walk or a fasted run when it comes to losing weight? I’ve doing a fasted walk and the hot cold showers for a month but I eat a lot so haven’t seen much results :( is there a way to improve my routine so I can still eat whatever I want and lose weight? Thank you much and I admire you for your everyday hustle :) – a 17 year old from the ph
Of all these daily items you use, do you have an essentials list for those just starting out? I am just beginning wanting to replicate a lot of this routine from health to exercise to learning so what are the foundations to get in place to really starting building this kind of lifestyle? Also for those on a budget, what essentials do you recommend getting to start out?
This is the first podcast I have listened to and randomly landed on this episode after browsing through the topics. I can’t keep from mentioning that I was disappointed in the Butcher Box ad. I come from a family of farmers with a variety of degrees in fields such as agronomy, animal science, business and finance. With the type of physical and mental skills required to run a successful farming operation today, it’s alarming to me that the stereotypical impersonation of a farmer you used is what comes to mind for you. Looking forward to learning more from your podcast. It seems as though you have a big platform for those seeking nutrition information, so hopefully your understanding of the American farmer and products they are producing is deeper than came off from the ad.
Ben, For those of us who preordered you Boundless book on Amazon. Will we still have access code to read your unpublished chapters ?
Ben, you don’t even use a Whoop, bro. You know the Oura Ring is superior.