We all know that a morning routine can make or break you. Start off with a bad morning and it’s difficult to get your day back on track. On the contrary, a well-organized morning routine will lead to much better days – improved attitude, clarity of thought, better effort, more energy, and a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day.
That is why Joe Rogan believes in a quality morning routine to meet the demands of his busy schedule:
Joe Rogan’s morning routine consists of an ice bath, drinking lots of water, exercising with fasted cardio, yoga, or weightlifting, having caffeine via coffee or an energy drink, and taking supplements. Depending on his schedule that day, he wakes up around 10 a.m., contingent on whether he performed a comedy show the previous night or has an early morning podcast.
Also see: Former SEAL Jocko Willink: Why He Wakes Up So Early
Step 1: Jump in Ice Bath
On JRE #1906 with David Goggins, Rogan revealed the new first step of his morning routine strategy – jump in his ice bath. At home, he has a Morozco Forge, a sophisticated self-maintaining ice bath , and at his podcast studio he has a BlueCube cold plunge.
Rogan’s ice bath strategy is multi-faceted – to build mental strength, improve his physical well-being, as well as feeling completely rejuvenated to tackle his busy schedule.
Not everyone can afford Rogan’s ice bath and cold plunge setups because they are quite expensive. Two good alternatives would be to buy a cheaper one, although the drawback is you have to supply your own ice. Or two, take a cold shower.
Check out this ice bath top seller on Amazon which is very affordable:
Ice Bath Tub for Athletes with Cover: 85 Gallons Cold Plunge (Amazon)
For full details on Rogan’s ice bath routine check out this article: Unveiling Joe Rogan’s Ice Bath Recovery Strategy
Step 2: Pound Water
One of the absolute first things Rogan does when he wakes up, other than going to the bathroom, is go straight to drinking water.
Your body is in a state of dehydration from not having drank water for 8 hours or however long you slept and water is a critical component for rebalancing your body systems. It’s important to drink at minimum 16-20 ounces of water upon awakening.
Rogan adds “stuff” to his water, especially Himalayan sea salt which contain electrolytes, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Basically, adding salt to your water adds minerals that regular water does not have.
Also, sometimes Rogan adds lemon or cayenne pepper to his water to give it a little extra kick.
How early does Rogan wake up? It really depends on schedule. He values his sleep but prides himself on “conquering his inner b****.” He has mentioned getting up as early as 3am but on other days will sleep in if he stayed up late UFC commentating or performing a comedy show.
Step 3: Fasted Cardio & Workouts
After drinking lots of water, Rogan goes straight to fasted cardio exercises, which means working out on a fast from food. He mentioned that his fasts last from 14-16 hours with no food/calories and the time differential based off his busy schedule.
Rogan’s preferred fasted cardio exercises are yoga and running, but often hits the elliptical bike when he is on the road for UFC or comedy. He often alternates each day to create more diversity and prevent boredom.
Although Rogan said that he can tolerate fasting while doing cardio, he does prefer to eat something before weightlifting so that he can push hard enough to last the entire workout.
See also: Joe Rogan’s Ultimate Exercise and Fitness Guide
Step 4: Caffeinate
Not always, but usually Rogan drinks some sort of caffeinated drink in the morning. He’s been a fan of various coffee and energy drinks, and has had a variety of them actually be sponsors of his JRE podcast.
Here’s a list of the caffeinated drinks that he has sipped on during JRE podcast episodes:
- Caveman Nitro coffee (can)
- Black Rifle Coffee Company coffee
- Jocko Willink’s GO fuel energy drink
- Kill Cliff’s Ignite energy drink
Also see: Joe Rogan & Coffee: Everything You Want to Know
Fortunately, you can drink black coffee and still keep your fast going. If you need some caffeine prior to your fasted cardio workout, like Joe Rogan sometimes does, then black coffee is probably your best option.
Step 5: Supplement
“I believe absolutely wholeheartedly in supplements,” says Rogan, responding to Bryan Callen’s question about supplements.
Rogan’s logic for consistent supplementation is that he wants to fill in the nutritional gaps that his diet might not. By taking supplements, he ensures that his body will not become deficient in any critical vitamins or minerals.
Rogan takes a variety of supplements every single morning/day:
- Onnit’s Alpha Brain
- Encapsulated multi-vitamin
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D (also recommended for coronavirus)
- Probiotics
- CBD
- Athletic Greens
Also see: How to Supplement Like Joe Rogan: Products You Need
5 Bonus Tips for a Healthy Joe Rogan Lifestyle:
#1: Quality over Quantity: If you’re short on time in the morning, Rogan says that you can get a brutal workout in just 30 minutes using interval training or hill sprints.
#2: Exercise = Meditation: Rogan uses exercise as his form of meditation. If you push hard enough, the only thing your mind can focus on is the next rep (weightlifting) or the next foot (running).
#3: Multitask: Rogan digests books now mostly in audio form. Use your N.E.T. time (No Extra Time) to multitask by listening to an audio book while exercising.
#4: Work First, Play Second: Rogan says that relaxing only feels good after you have worked hard. At the end of the day learn how to relax and feel good, but only if you’ve worked your butt off during the day.
#5: Recover: Try out an alternative way to recover from workouts and meditate using some Rogan favorites like Sauna, Cryotherapy, and Sensory Deprivation Tanks (Salt tanks.)