Joe Rogan is as muscly as he is motivated. Whether it’s revealing the secret to staying ripped in your 50s or speaking to the mind-melting benefits of sitting in a sauna, the 53-year-old comedian, UFC commentator and podcast host is a source of constant inspiration.
Our attention was recently drawn to one piece of advice that Rogan shared on his podcast a few years ago, which requires a simple change to your weekly routine, but one that could have huge ramifications for your gains. His tip? Schedule your workouts on a Sunday.
In other words: treat your workouts a bit more like work.
It sounds simple, but if you’re someone who turns up to the gym each visit dithering over what you’re going to do, you will find yourself much more motivated if you have a plan. And though there is still something to be said for varying your workouts and keeping them fun, when it comes to planning your week, you may actually be better off treating your workouts less like a hobby and more like a job.
You are also far more likely to turn up to the gym in the first place. As Rogan explains: “I schedule my workouts every Sunday. I schedule everything I’m going to do that week.”
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“I say, ‘I have to do yoga two times this week’ and ‘I have to lift weights three times this week’ and ‘I have to run twice this week'”.
“‘And however I fit that in, I fit that in. But I owe those things so I have to get those things in.'”
He also revealed he tries to fit in time for various martial arts including kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu.
It’s not just workouts Rogan gives the calendar treatment either; he also makes sure he knows what he’s doing to eat and what diet he’s going to adopt. He’s experimented with the carnivore diet in recent years, and going by his latest admissions, he appears to be continuing on that path (or somewhere close to it). He cuts out bread entirely (though still struggles to say no to a cheeky lasagna), strictly limits his carb intake and ultimately doesn’t feed his body with any “BS.”
“‘I do everything that I can to put my body and my brain in a good place so I’m keeping my engine smooth. I’m chaining my oil, I’m changing my spark plugs and I’m making sure that it’s operating.”
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This all adds up and over the long run can have a massive impact on your gains.
It’s not just Rogan who sees Sunday as an important day to think about fitness. 49-year-old American actor, producer and retired professional wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson also uses Sunday to “unplug and recalibrate.”
Taking to his Instagram account recently, the muscle mountain posted a video of himself having just come out of his “iron paradise” where he doesn’t have any air conditioning or mirrors so that he “doesn’t get distracted or get too comfortable.” He says the work you do on a Sunday can be especially important, especially if you can do it away from others and essentially just get into your own zone. You’ll feel the benefits immediately.
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DMARGE reached out to former NRL star and owner of Flow Athletic Ben Lucas, to get his thoughts on adopting a Sunday ritual.
“I actually already do this on Sunday,” Ben reveals, “and it is an enjoyable part of my routine.”
“I think of what workouts I want to do so I have an idea of what I’m doing before I even walk in the gym, which is a huge time saver. I then put my workouts into my diary and I stick to it as I would any other meeting or appointment.”
Ben also admits adopting this method can have huge mental health benefits, as well as physical ones. “No one wants to wake up feeling overwhelmed on a Monday morning. I imagine you would be way less productive on the first day of the week, which will probably then stress you out all week.”
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However, understanding that Rogan perhaps lives a slightly more self-driven life than the majority of us, who have 9-5 jobs and ‘life’ that gets in the way, scheduling workouts and other activities around your professional commitments can be tricky.
To this, Ben says, “it would really depend person to person. I would usually recommend signing up to a gym near home or near work, depending on which location you will be more likely to show up. Alternatively, you could have a home gym.”
“For me, I usually schedule my workouts for the morning as on the extremely off chance I can’t train in the morning, I have all day to make up for it. Everyone is different, but that works for me.”
We also wanted to get Ben’s recommendation for a solid weekly workout plan, as many gym junkies have their preferences for either isolating muscle groups, or grouping them all into something such as a push day and pull day routine.
Ben’s advice? “My ideal week would be hitting chest, arm, back day on Monday, leg day Tuesday, complete a full-body workout on Wednesday, take a break, or walk or practice yoga on Thursday, repeat Monday and Tuesday on Friday and Saturday, and then take Sunday to do whatever you want and schedule your next set of workouts for the week ahead.”
It’s a simple change, no doubt, but taking Sunday to plan your week could be the straw that breaks your skinny frame out into something larger. It could also have benefits for your mind and stress management too.