The hour-a-day fitness routine of Tech Millionaire Pursuing Eternal Youth

Johnson attributes her longevity to working out an hour a day, every day, five to seven days a week. He also mentions that he plays basketball and tennis weekly and will run a 3.4-mile mountain trail with 1,200 ft of elevation gain in about 34 minutes.

Sled pull x 6-8 lengths for 3-5 minutes

Johnson completes sled pulls at 95 lbs with 30 seconds of rest between rounds (if necessary). He then proceeds to complete levator scapula shrugs and suboccipital stretches for his posture. Sled pulls are an effective lower body builder while delivering a cardiovascular hit.

Triceps Kickback x 25 reps

Triceps kickbacks are a fairly easy isolation exercise, targeting the triceps of course. He holds at the top of the move for 1 second.

Face Pull x 15 reps

If you’re looking to improve your posture and shoulder health, facelifts are a great addition to your program. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together and keeping your chest lifted throughout the movement.

Banded Chest Fly x 15 reps

While Johnson refers to these as ‘butterfly pulls’ – he completes banded chest flies for 15 reps. Throughout the training, he completes one set. If your goal is to gain muscle, higher reps using bands may be necessary.

Band Pull-Apart x 15 reps

Another exercise that will benefit posture and shoulder health, band pulls are a great addition to your workout warm-up.

Shoulder external rotation x 10 reps each side

Johnson likely includes external rotations to help his rotator cuff strength. These are usually included as a rehabilitation exercise for shoulder injuries. He notes that he completes them to improve posture and prepare his body for safe and effective exercise.

Hamstring stretch x 30-60 second hold

By including a hamstring stretch, Johnson explains that he does it to improve flexibility, but also because he enjoys them.

Glute Ham Raise x 25 reps

The glute skin raise is a highly effective hamstring and glute strengthening exercise, and most of us would benefit from including the movement in our training.

Incline raise x 25 reps on each side

Johnson then uses the GHR equipment to turn sideways and work his inclines. This is a super effective way to target slopes.

Sofa cover x Hold for 30-60 seconds on each side

The couch stretch is a pretty intense quad stretch. As long as there is support below the knee, it will promote standard quad stretches and can be felt after a long day of sitting to help lower body mobility.

Kneeling shin stretch x 30–60 second hold on each side

Johnson continues to sit on heels with bent knees to stretch his shins. He does this to help ankle mobility and support performance.

Pigeon stretch x 30 seconds on each side

While Johnson refers to this as a hip flexor stretch, he completes what can be referred to as a pigeon stretch. The target muscles to be stretched are the glutes of the pigeon stretch, which contributes to a well-rounded stretching routine.

Lying leg lift x 50 reps

Johnson advises using a kettlebell to anchor yourself, if necessary, placed above your head. This move works the abs, pretty close to fatigue at 50 reps.

Oblique Touch x 50 reps

He then completes prone oblique touches, which are not necessarily the most effective exercise for targeting obliques as there is usually not enough resistance to improve strength. A good substitute for this move would be Russian twists.

Reverse row x 25 reps

Johnson refers to this move as ‘reverse push-ups’, but we may more commonly know the exercise as reverse rows. These are a terrific addition to your back training routine and are a great precursor to getting your first pull-up.

Seated calf raise x 25 reps and 3 sets

While seated calf raises are a pretty good calf exercise, new evidence has shown that standing calf raises provide improved calf gains in comparison. So if building calf muscles is your goal, the standing variation would be a good trade.

Poliquin Step-Up x 10 reps and 3 sets

Using an incline board, Johnson completes this move, which predominantly works the quads. The movement is suitable for those looking to improve their knee and quad strength for athletic performance while gaining lower body mass.

Heel Raised Squat x 10 reps and 3 sets

With 20 lbs in each hand, Johnson completes heel-raised squats. These are another effective quad builder and would be suitable for most lower body programs.

Long Lunge Split Squat x 10 reps and 3 sets

Johnson then completes a variation of the split squat, performing them in a long lunge position. This will further target the glutes while improving hip mobility.

Nordic Hamstring Curl x as many reps as possible

Johnson completes as many repetitions as possible of Nordic hamstring curls, which are a highly effective hamstring builder and strengthening exercise. He then completes tibialis raises and isotib ankle rotations to build ankle strength.

He explains that he usually completes 15 of each move. Pull-ups mainly target the back, but chin-ups will target the shoulders and biceps more.

Johnson uses a 45 lb barbell with 10 lb plates on each side for barbell bicep curls. Although the movement is undoubtedly one of the most effective muscle-building movements for the biceps, some additional sets would be optimal for hypertrophy.

10-minute HIIT

Finally, Johnson uses a bicycle, elliptical or rower. He will complete 5-10 minutes and maintain a heart rate of 130-140 bpm before starting some high-intensity intervals.

It’s important to note that whenever we break down known workouts, we never do it with the soulful intent that they be done by the reader. This is usually because training is individualized to the needs of the participants, not ours. However, we can give our two cents about whether we think they are effective.

While this workout is well-rounded, it lacks one key ingredient for hypertrophy: volume and proximity to failure. The program could also benefit from more compound movements, but with a focus on mainly rehab exercises, it’s likely suited to Johnson’s own body and injury history.

Another problem is that the workout doesn’t include much chest work. Posture is clearly a primary concern for Johnson, which may explain the omission, but the addition of a chest-focused exercise would not adversely affect this.

Would it have the long term effects it is claimed to have? We’re not convinced it would be better than any other well-rounded resistance training program. And if anything, it might include a few more sets working a little closer to failure for optimal results.

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular training, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a postgraduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours of coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she’s not lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.