Bryan Johnson trains and diets for longevity and overall health.
Regular exercise is a powerful tool for preventing disease and enhancing quality of life (1). Yet few people harness personalized workout routines to combat aging. Enter Bryan Johnson, an entrepreneur, investor, writer, and the mind behind the Blueprint Protocol.
Despite his impressive business credentials, Johnson prioritizes his health and has achieved remarkable physical results through disciplined training and a meticulous diet. At 47, he proudly showcases a physique that defies his age.
But how does he do it? This article explores the secrets behind the renowned entrepreneur’s anti-aging protocol. We’ll break down what separates his approach, from his workout routines to rep schemes and key training principles. Let’s dive in.
Who Is Bryan Johnson?
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Bryan Johnson was born and raised in Utah, the third child of three brothers and a sister. Although he wasn’t much of an athlete growing up, he earned his first degree in International Studies from Brigham Young University in 2003 and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2007.
While at Brigham Young University, Bryan Johnson sold cell phones to help pay his school fees. He also recruited other students to help him with his business, selling service plans and cell phones. Between 1999 and 2003, he co-founded a VoIP company called Inquist and a real estate agency with his brother.
In 2007, Bryan Johnson founded Braintree, which was 47th on Inc. Magazine’s 2011 list of the 500 fastest-growing companies. The company purchased Venmo, an electronic payment platform that year, for $26.2 million. Later, on September 26, 2013, PayPal acquired Braintree Venmo. With speculations, Johnson went home with a massive $300 million.
After that, Bryan Johnson founded Kernel in 2016, investing about $100 million to launch the company. Kernel later pivoted to building hardware that measures electrical and hemodynamic signals produced by the brain. In October 2021, Johnson announced an anti-aging attempt called Project Blueprint. He went through six monthly 1-liter plasma transfusions and had his son as a donor for one transfusion. However, the FDA has stated that transfusions that Johnson performed have no benefit and may be considered harmful.
Workout Approach
Bryan Johnson’s mission is to fight aging with a series of workouts. To keep his body in top shape, he does a 45-minute to one-hour session of 20-plus exercises daily. Johnson’s exercises consist of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), cardio, and strength training exercises, with one day for rest and recovery.
According to Johnson, the science behind his exercises is straightforward and basic. He stated he isn’t training to be an athlete, run a triathlon, or be a bodybuilder. Johnson just wants to slow his aging speed and maintain optimal health.
“My objective is really focused. I’m not training to become a triathlete; I’m not training for a marathon; I’m not training to become a bodybuilder; I’m not training to be dropped into the forest and fight a wild animal. I’m training to slow my speed of aging and maintain optimal health; it’s a very narrow goal.”
Bryan Johnson’s Workout Routine
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Backward Sled Pull
Bryan Johnson’s workout starts with warming up by pulling the backward sled for three to five minutes for four laps. Between exercises, he takes a 30-second break to allow his muscles to rebuild. This study shows that warm-ups before exercises can help improve exercise performance (2).
Levator Scapula Shrug & Suboccipital Stretch
The levator scapula shrug helps Johnson correct his posture and open his veins. He says that in correcting his posture, he learned that it takes a lot of muscle, attention, and diligence to maintain proper posture.
The suboccipital stretch is his second daily posture exercise. He says not to overdo it, but at least two or three times a week is enough to avoid overstraining the muscles.
Triceps Extension
Bryan Johnson uses light 10 lbs dumbbells to perform 25 reps of triceps extensions during his workout. He holds one second at the top, placing more strain on the triceps.
Face Pull
When doing the face pulls, Bryan Johnson does his best to maintain a good posture and utilizes a full range of motion, which is good for muscle hypertrophy. He does one set of this exercise with 25 reps.
Butterfly Pull (Chest Fly)
Bryan Johnson uses a resistance band during his chest flyes to place tension on his pecs. He does one set of about 15 reps.
Band Pull Apart
During the band pull-apart, Bryan Johnson grabs the short ends of his resistance bands and does one set with 15 reps, working his upper back and shoulders.
External Rotation
During the shoulder external rotation, Johnson tucks his elbows inside his knees and does an external rotation movement unilaterally for each arm. Doing this exercise works the shoulders and its surrounding joints. He does one set and ten reps of this exercise with a testosterone patch to increase his testosterone levels because he’s on a calorie-restricted diet. This means he consumes 20% fewer calories than he would typically have. When you’re on caloric restriction, your testosterone goes down.
Hamstring Stretch
For the hamstring stretch, Bryan Johnson grabs a dumbbell and stands on a platform, going down for 30 to 60 seconds.
Weighted Back Extension
Weighted back extensions improve back stability. Bryan Johnson uses a 45 lbs weight and squeezes his glutes for this exercise. He does one set of 25 reps, working his lower back, spine, glutes, and hamstrings.
Oblique Extension
Johnson works each side of his obliques, doing one set of 25 reps during the oblique extension. He leans on the machine and stretches from side to side. Johnson says he loves this exercise because it gives him flexibility and range.
Couch Stretch & Kneeling Shin
For the couch stretch and kneeling shin, Bryan Johnson tucks his back leg against a wall and lunges forward. He holds this position for each side for about 30 seconds. He also does the kneeling shin for about 30 seconds, giving him a good stretch.
Hip Flexor Stretch and Leg Raise
Johnson does the hip flexor stretch unilaterally, focusing on each side of his hips and holding them for 30 seconds. After this, he uses a kettlebell for leg raises, lying flat on his back with his knees bent. Then, he lifts his legs up and down, doing one set of 50 reps.
Oblique Touch and Inverted Row (Reverse Push Up)
Johnson does one set of oblique touches with 50 reps twisting from side to side. Then, he goes underneath a bar and grabs the handles to perform inverted rows of 25 reps. Inverted rows work your upper back and biceps muscles.
Seated Calf Raise
Bryan Johnson then mounts the calf raise machine to perform three sets and 25 reps of seated calf raises, working his calf muscles.
Poliquin Step Up
Johnson says he learned this exercise from Ben Patrick. He grabs a pair of 20-lb dumbbells, steps on a slanted platform, and performs three sets of ten reps on each leg. Poliquin step-ups strengthen the knees and work posterior chain muscles.
Slant Board Squat
For this exercise, he uses the same slanted platform with the same pair of dumbbells to perform three sets of ten reps squats. Slant board squats work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles.
Split Squat
This is another exercise he learned from Ben Patrick. Johnson does three sets of split squats with ten reps, building his core and posterior chain muscles.
Nordic and Reverse Nordic
Bryan Johnson is proud of doing nordics and says his son introduced this exercise. He performs one set of ten reps for this exercise, working his hamstring, glutes, and core. He then hits one set and ten reps of reverse Nordics to work his quads, hip flexors, and core muscles.
Tibialis Raise
Next, Johnson lies on a bench, places a weight plate on his feet with a bar attached, and moves it back and forth. Tibialis raises work the tibialis anterior muscle. He does one set of this exercise with 25 reps.
Isotib Ankle Rotation
He starts by working each ankle unilaterally and doing isotib ankle rotations. This exercise works the tibialis anterior, soleus, peroneals, and gastrocnemius muscles. He does one set of each exercise, hitting 25 reps for each leg.
Pull Up & Chin Up
Bryan Johnson also incorporates pull-ups and chin-ups into his daily exercises. He does one set of 15 reps for each exercise. Pull-ups and chin-ups work the biceps, lats, shoulders, and upper back. They’re similar to pull-ups except for the handgrips. Chin-ups supine your hands, while pull-ups place them in a pronated position.
Bicep Curl
Johnson uses a 45-pound barbell for the biceps curls exercise and does one set of 15 reps. Doing the biceps curl primarily works your bicep muscles and forearms.
HIIT Workout
Bryan Johnson chooses between an elliptical bike and a row machine for his HIIT workouts. He rides the elliptical bike for ten minutes and maintains good posture.
“In addition to doing this every seven days a week, I also play basketball and tennis.”
Every Sunday, he races a local mountain trail that is 3.4 miles long and has a 200-foot incline. He does this for about 30 to 40 minutes.
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References
- Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 174(6), 801–809. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.051351
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
