Beginner Workout Series 4

This is the last Beginner series. If you've worked through Series 1, 2, and 3, you've gone from max-rep sets to broken sets to pyramids. Series 4 changes the format again — timed work sprints. One minute on, two minutes off, five sets. The clock doesn't care how tired you are. You work until it tells you to stop, and then you rest until it tells you to go again. Lift day accumulates 5 total minutes in the handstand position. Squat day stacks 50 lunges and 50 squats back to back. When you can get through all four days without falling apart, you're ready for Intermediate.

New to the program? Start with Start Here: The Jocko Workout Program. Previous series: Beginner Workout Series 1 | Beginner Workout Series 2 | Beginner Workout Series 3.

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Quick Reference

 

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Pull Day

The Workout

• Primary Work: 5 sets of pull-up sprints — 1 minute on, 2 minutes rest

• Gut: 2 minutes of sit-ups

• MetCon: 4 x 100-yard shuttle runs

Directions

This workout is designed to build strength and endurance in your pull-up muscles. Set a timer for 1 minute of work and 2 minutes of rest. During the 1 minute of work, do as many pull-ups as you can. These will likely be broken sets, meaning you will be dropping off the bar to rest even during your work set. Make the rest during the work set as short as possible — 5 to 7 seconds — before jumping back on the bar and continuing to do pull-ups until the minute is complete. Once the minute is over, rest for 2 minutes, then do another minute of pull-ups. Repeat this until you have done 5 sets of pull-ups.

If you can do dead-hang pull-ups, do dead-hang. If not and you can do kipping pull-ups, do them. If you cannot do kipping pull-ups, use jumping pull-ups. You can also utilize all three types of pull-ups you do during the minute of work to maximize the total number.

What's a Timed Sprint?

This is the new format in Series 4. Instead of counting sets and reps or climbing a pyramid, the clock dictates the work. One minute on, two minutes off. You go as hard as you can during that minute, breaking as needed but keeping rest to a few seconds. Then you recover for two minutes and do it again. It sounds simple. It's not. By set 3 your grip is going, and sets 4 and 5 are a test of will. This format builds work capacity — the ability to produce output under fatigue — which is exactly what you need before stepping up to Intermediate.

Scaling Summary

Shuttle Run Setup

Same format as Series 3. Mark a start line and lines at 5, 10, 15, and 20 yards. Start on the starting line and run to the 5-yard line, touch it, run back. Repeat for the 10, 15, and 20-yard lines. Keep your time. Complete 4 sets with 2–3 minutes rest between.

Fuel This Workout

Five rounds of 1-minute pull-up sprints followed by shuttle runs. Your grip, your back, and your lungs are all going to feel this one.

• Before: Jocko Pre-Workout or Jocko GO Energy Drink 30 minutes before training

• After: Jocko Mölk Protein Powder within 30 minutes of finishing

• During MetCon: Jocko HYDRATE between shuttle run sets

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Push Day

The Workout

• Primary Work: 5 sets of push-up sprints — 1 minute on, 2 minutes rest

• Gut: Hold 1-minute plank

• MetCon: 2 minutes of burpees

Directions

Similar to the pull-up sprints, this workout is designed to build strength and endurance in your push-up muscles. Set a timer for 1 minute of work and 2 minutes of rest. During the 1 minute of work, do as many push-ups as you can. These will likely be broken sets, meaning you might have to rest even during your work set. Make the rest during the work set as short as possible — 5 to 7 seconds — before continuing to do push-ups until the minute is complete. Once the minute is over, rest for 2 minutes, then do another minute of push-ups. Repeat this until you have done 5 sets of push-ups.

If you have exhausted your push-up muscles and you can utilize push-ups from the knees to complete your set without breaking it, do that sometimes. But sometimes take a quick rest, and then complete the set utilizing strict push-ups with the feet on the ground.

Scaling Summary

Fuel This Workout

Same sprint format as Pull day, applied to push-ups. The plank gut work and the 2-minute burpee finisher round out a chest, shoulders, and triceps session that will push your endurance limits.

• Before: Jocko Pre-Workout or Jocko GO Energy Drink 30 minutes before training

• After: Jocko Mölk Protein Powder within 30 minutes of finishing

• During MetCon: Jocko HYDRATE after the burpee finisher

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Lift Day

The Workout

• Primary Work: 5 minutes of handstand holds (accumulated)

• Secondary Work: Arm haulers

• Tertiary Work: Arm circles — side, front, overhead

• Gut: 2 minutes of V-ups

• MetCon: Run 400 meters, 2 times — max effort

Directions

Hold the handstand position for a total of 5 minutes. Do not do this workout if you cannot hold a handstand position for at least 1 minute. If you cannot hold a handstand position for at least 1 minute, go back to the Lift workout in Series 1, 2, or 3 and build that base first.

For this workout, go into the handstand position using a wall for balance. Stay there as long as you can without reaching complete muscle failure — falling onto your head. Count the seconds to track how long you stayed up. Repeat sets until you have reached a total amount of 5 minutes in the handstand position.

Once complete, do 1 minute of arm haulers, then 1 minute of arm circles for each position: side, front, and overhead.

Scaling Summary

This is a firm gate. The book is clear: if you can't hold for at least 1 minute, you're not ready for this workout. That's not a suggestion — it's a safety requirement.

Fuel This Workout

Accumulating 5 full minutes inverted is serious shoulder work, and the 400-meter runs at max effort after are no joke. This is the most demanding Lift day in the Beginner program.

• Before: Jocko Pre-Workout or Jocko GO Energy Drink 30 minutes before training

• After: Jocko Mölk Protein Powder within 30 minutes of finishing

• During MetCon: Jocko HYDRATE between and after the 400-meter sprints

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Squat Day

The Workout

• Primary Work: 50 forward lunges and 50 squats

• Gut: 1 minute of crunches, 1 minute of reverse crunches

• MetCon: Max burpees in 2 minutes

Directions

Perform 50 forward lunges for each leg, alternating legs with each repetition. Do the lunges in a steady controlled manner. Your knee should brush the ground on each repetition. Time yourself for your records, but the goal is not speed — the goal is controlled lunges at a steady pace. If you reach muscle fatigue, take a 2–3 minute break and then continue. Repeat until you have done the 50 lunges. Once you have completed 50 lunges, do 50 body-weight squats.

Again, the goal is not speed, but controlled movement with the fullest range of motion you are capable of. If you need to stop and rest, that is fine. Rest for a minute or two, then continue.

Mobility Tip

If you lose your balance at the bottom of the squat, it may help to put a 2-inch block under your heels during the squat. Over time, you can move down to a 1.5-inch block, then a 1-inch block, then a .5-inch block, and eventually you will have improved your flexibility and mobility to where you no longer need a block. This is a practical fix — use it without shame and work toward not needing it.

Fuel This Workout

One hundred total reps of lower body work before you even touch the MetCon. The 2-minute burpee finisher tests whatever you have left. This is the highest-volume Squat day in the Beginner program.

• Before: Jocko Pre-Workout or Jocko GO Energy Drink 30 minutes before training

• After: Jocko Mölk Protein Powder within 30 minutes of finishing

• During MetCon: Jocko HYDRATE after the burpee finisher

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What's Next

You just finished the Beginner program. All four series. That's not nothing — that's the foundation. If the timed sprints are producing consistent numbers, the 5-minute handstand accumulation isn't a problem, and the 50/50 lunge-squat day isn't breaking you, it's time to move up.

Intermediate Workout Series 1 introduces weights — hang cleans, barbell presses, deadlifts — alongside higher-volume bodyweight work. The MetCon gets longer. The gut work gets harder. The expectations go up. You earned this. Now go get it.

For a complete guide on how to fuel the increased demands of Intermediate training, check out Fuel Your Training: The Complete Guide.

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This workout is from the Beginner Series Four appendix of Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink. Adapted for jockofuel.com with fuel pairing recommendations.