Former Navy SEAL DJ Shipley, who served for 17 years, has shared his training philosophy focused on long-term resilience rather than aesthetics. Speaking on the Huberman Lab podcast, Shipley outlined six key exercises that form the foundation of his strength routine, designed to keep the body strong and functional from age 22 to 72.
Shipley favours the trap bar deadlift over conventional deadlifting, as it is gentler on the back and allows for a more upright posture, particularly beneficial for those with long torsos. He pairs this with strict dead-hang pull-ups, considering 10 reps a baseline and 20 or more as elite. After recovering from major shoulder surgery, he now performs sets of 20 to 25 pull-ups.
For lower body strength, Shipley incorporates heavy lunges with 35kg in each hand, alongside Bulgarian split squats, belt squats, and high-rep single-leg work. Farmer's carries are another staple, with a guideline of carrying half your bodyweight in each hand for maximum distance, building grip, breathing, and full-body endurance.
Plyometric exercises such as box jumps and broad jumps are included to maintain fast-twitch muscle fibres and explosive power. Shipley emphasises that power is as important as strength for agility and athleticism. Additionally, he performs short sprints of 40-50 metres at the start of workouts, and 200-300-metre repeats two to three times weekly to build conditioning without compromising strength training.
