Back to All Posts

Intermediate Workout Series 2

by Jocko Fuel ·
  April 08, 2026  

Series 1 built you up with sets and reps. Series 2 changes the question. Instead of "how many sets can you complete?" it asks "how fast can you finish this work?" The for-time format is introduced across Pull, Push, and Lift days — you have a fixed volume of work and your job is to get through it as quickly as possible, breaking as needed. The weights go up too. Deadlifts move to body weight. Back squats move to 100% body weight. Front squats enter the picture. Cleans progress from the hang position to a full clean. You should be comfortable with every movement from Series 1 before starting this.

Previous series: Intermediate Workout Series 1. New to the program? Start with Start Here: The Jocko Workout Program.

What's "For Time"?

This is the defining concept of Series 2. In a for-time workout, you're given a total amount of work — say, 50 dead-hang pull-ups followed by 100 kipping pull-ups — and your goal is to complete it as fast as you can. You break the work into whatever sets you need to. There's no prescribed rest period. You rest when you have to, and you go again as soon as you can. Track your total time. That number becomes the thing you're trying to beat next time. The for-time format trains work capacity, pacing, and mental toughness in a way that set-based work doesn't — because there's nowhere to hide. The clock is running.

Quick Reference

Pull

Push

Lift

Squat

Primary

50 dead-hang + 100 kipping pull-ups, for time

50 dips + 100 push-ups, for time

50 HSPUs + 50 body-weight deadlifts, for time

6 max sets back squats (100% BW)

Secondary

6 sets cleans

40 snatches (PVC/light)

5 sets barbell press

6 max sets front squats (50% BW)

Tertiary

6 sets reverse curls/curls

—

40 clean and jerks (PVC/light)

50 overhead squats (PVC/light)

Gut

2 min sit-ups + 2 min leg-raises

100 V-ups

4 sets knees to elbows, max reps

3-min plank

MetCon

Max burpee pull-ups in 5 min

Max burpees in 3 min

6 x 100m shuttle runs

2-mile run

 

Pull Day

The Workout

  • Primary Work: 50 dead-hang pull-ups + 100 kipping pull-ups, for time

  • Secondary Work: 6 sets of cleans

  • Tertiary Work: 6 sets of straight-bar reverse curls and curls

  • Gut: 2 minutes of sit-ups, 2 minutes of leg-raises

  • MetCon: Max burpee pull-ups in 5 minutes

Directions

Complete 50 dead-hang pull-ups followed by 100 kipping pull-ups as quickly as possible. Break up sets as needed to complete.

Do 6 sets of cleans, with a weight that allows you to do 3–6 repetitions per set while maintaining good form.

Once complete, do a set of reverse-grip curls to exhaustion (with a weight that allows you to complete 6–10 repetitions), then switch to a normal grip and complete another maximum set. Rest approximately 1 minute, then repeat for a total of 6 sets.

Gut: Complete 2 minutes of sit-ups and 2 minutes of leg-raises.

MetCon: Do the maximum number of burpee pull-ups you can in 5 minutes.

What's Different from Series 1

Series 1 Pull day was 8 sets of max pull-ups/chin-ups with prescribed rest. Series 2 gives you 150 total pull-ups and tells you to finish them as fast as you can. That's a fundamentally different challenge — you're racing yourself. The cleans also progress from hang cleans (starting at the hip) to full cleans (starting from the floor). And the MetCon introduces burpee pull-ups: do a burpee, jump up to the bar, and do a pull-up. That's one rep.

Scaling Summary

Your Level

What to Do

Strong dead-hang pull-ups

50 dead-hang for time, then 100 kipping for time — minimize rest

Weaker dead-hang

Break the 50 into sets of 5–10, rest briefly, keep moving

New to full cleans

Start with the weight you used for hang cleans, focus on the pull from the floor

New to burpee pull-ups

Do the burpee, jump to the bar, do the pull-up — start slow and find a rhythm

Fuel This Workout

One hundred fifty pull-ups for time, 6 sets of cleans, 6 sets of curls, and a 5-minute burpee pull-up test. This is the highest-volume pulling session in the program so far.

Push Day

The Workout

  • Primary Work: 50 dips + 100 push-ups, for time

  • Secondary Work: 40 snatches (PVC pipe or extremely light weight)

  • Gut: 100 V-ups

  • MetCon: Max burpees in 3 minutes

Directions

Do 50 dips followed by 100 strict push-ups in as short a time as possible.

Use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to perform the snatch. Do 40 repetitions with perfect form.

Gut: Do 100 V-ups. Break the set if you have to.

MetCon: Do the burpees. Fast.

What's Different from Series 1

Series 1 was 8 sets of max dips/push-ups with rest intervals. Series 2 is 50 dips then 100 push-ups, all for time. The total pushing volume is prescribed — your only variable is how fast you get it done. The snatch also progresses from a hang snatch (starting at the hip) to a full snatch (starting from the floor), though the book emphasizes keeping the weight extremely light and prioritizing perfect form.

Scaling Summary

Your Level

What to Do

Can do 10+ dips

Break the 50 into sets, rest briefly, keep moving — then straight into push-ups

Struggle with dips

Do as many dips as possible, then complete remaining push volume with push-ups only

New to full snatches

Stay with PVC pipe, focus on the overhead lockout from floor to finish

Fuel This Workout

Fifty dips and 100 push-ups for time is 150 total pushing reps before you even touch the snatches, V-ups, and burpees. Your chest, shoulders, and triceps will need recovery.

Lift Day

The Workout

  • Primary Work: 50 handstand push-ups + 50 body-weight deadlifts, for time

  • Secondary Work: 5 sets of barbell press (4–8 reps)

  • Tertiary Work: 40 clean and jerks (PVC pipe or extremely light weight)

  • Gut: 4 sets of knees to elbows, max reps

  • MetCon: 6 x 100-meter shuttle runs

Directions

Do 50 handstand push-ups followed by 50 deadlifts with your body weight. Keep form correct to avoid injury, especially with the deadlift.

Once initial work is done, do some barbell presses with a moderate weight that you can get 4–8 repetitions of. Do 5 sets of presses.

For the clean and jerk, use a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight to practice perfect form for 40 repetitions.

Gut: For the knees to elbows, hang from a pull-up bar and raise your knees to touch your elbows. Do as many as you can, then rest 2–3 minutes. Perform 4 sets.

MetCon: Complete 6 sets of 100-meter shuttle runs with 1 minute of rest between work.

What's a Clean and Jerk?

The clean and jerk is new in Series 2. It combines two movements: first, you clean the bar from the floor to your front shoulders (like a full clean). Then you dip your knees slightly and drive the bar overhead to a locked-out position (the jerk). It's a full-body power movement. At this stage, the book prescribes a PVC pipe or extremely light weight for 40 reps — you're learning the pattern, not loading it. Focus on the timing between the clean catch and the overhead drive.

What's Different from Series 1

Series 1 Lift day was 8 sets of max HSPUs paired with deadlifts at a moderate weight (6–8 rep range). Series 2 prescribes 50 HSPUs and 50 deadlifts at your full body weight, all for time. The deadlift load is a significant jump — treat it with respect and stop the set if form breaks down. The clean and jerk is added as tertiary work to build the overhead power pattern that carries through the rest of Intermediate.

Scaling Summary

Your Level

What to Do

Strong HSPUs

Break the 50 into sets, minimize rest, then move to deadlifts

Low HSPU numbers

Do as many as you can per set even if it's 2–3, rest briefly, keep accumulating to 50

New to body-weight deadlifts

Start conservative — if body weight is too heavy to maintain form, reduce the load and build up

New to clean and jerk

PVC pipe only, practice the timing between the catch and the overhead drive

Fuel This Workout

Fifty handstand push-ups and 50 body-weight deadlifts for time, followed by 5 sets of barbell press, 40 clean and jerks, hanging core work, and shuttle sprints. This is the most demanding Lift day in the Intermediate program so far.

Squat Day

The Workout

  • Primary Work: 6 max sets of back squats with 100% body weight

  • Secondary Work: 6 max sets of front squats with 50% body weight

  • Tertiary Work: 50 overhead squats (PVC pipe or extremely light weight)

  • Gut: 3-minute plank

  • MetCon: 2-mile run

Directions

Complete 6 sets of maximum repetitions of the back squat with your body weight on the bar. Rest 2–3 minutes between each set. Maintain correct form. If form weakens, stop, rest, and move on to the next set.

Complete 6 sets of maximum repetitions of the front squat with half your body weight. Again, form is paramount — if your form weakens, your set is complete.

Perform 50 overhead squats with a PVC pipe or an extremely light weight.

Gut: Hold the plank position for 3 minutes.

MetCon: Run 2 miles at a good pace to get metabolic conditioning, but also to loosen the legs after the higher-intensity work. Run hard, but not with an all-out effort.

What's a Front Squat?

The front squat is new in Series 2. Instead of the bar resting on your upper back, it sits on your front shoulders in a front rack position — the same position where you catch a clean. This shifts the emphasis to your quads and core, and demands more upright posture. Keep your elbows high, your chest up, and squat to full depth. If your form breaks, the set is over. The weight is lighter (50% body weight), but the positioning makes it challenging.

What's Different from Series 1

Series 1 was 50 back squats at half body weight, 50 overhead squats, and 50 jump squats. Series 2 doubles the back squat load to 100% body weight and changes the format to 6 max-rep sets — meaning you push each set to the point where form starts to break, then stop. Front squats replace jump squats as the secondary movement, adding another barbell exercise. The overhead squats remain as mobility and stability work. Total volume will likely be higher than Series 1 because you're doing max reps across 12 total working sets of squats before the overhead work.

Scaling Summary

Your Level

What to Do

Can back squat body weight

6 max sets, stop when form breaks, rest 2–3 min between

Body weight is too heavy

Reduce to a weight you can squat with correct form for multiple reps, build up over time

New to front squats

Start light, focus on keeping elbows high and chest up

Front rack position is uncomfortable

Work on wrist and shoulder mobility, use a cross-arm grip if needed

Fuel This Workout

Twelve total sets of loaded squats (6 back, 6 front) plus 50 overhead squats and a 2-mile run. This is the heaviest Squat day in the program so far. Your legs, your core, and your recovery capacity all get tested.

What's Next

When the for-time numbers are improving, the body-weight deadlifts move well, and the loaded squat days don't leave you wrecked — you're ready for Intermediate Workout Series 3. Series 3 introduces pull-up grip variations (L-sit, L-tuck, dead-hang, kipping, chin-ups in rapid rotation), push-up variations (dips, clap push-ups, deep push-ups, triceps push-ups), handstand push-ups paired with deadlifts, and front squat focus. The complexity keeps climbing.

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

Leave a Comment