Jocko Podcast 420: Pushing It Until Things That Are Totally Crazy Become Possible. With Alex Honnold

[@MotoJitsu]

I went to Yosemite last year and climbed one pitch on the bottom of El Cap...looking up and imagining Alex climbing it with no rope is just...no words to explain. I think this is the number 1 most amazing physical feat of any one human ever.

[@tomaseriksson5430]

makes me sweat just thinking about it

[@arunmoses2197]

@@tomaseriksson5430 Same bro it's insane

[@NemohHoes]

Maybe not physical but for sure mental. Yeah, crazy

[@thehospicemurse5924]

I scrambled up that first step on the nose and got so ridiculously overwhelmed just looking up. I always thought maybe I'd want to climb it until then. It's outrageous.

[@linkinlinkinlinkin654]

@@NemohHoes bro there is a v7 boulder problem at 2000 feet. Physically not even 15% can do a v7 in a gym with 6 months of training. Its like running a marathon, and having to do a sprint in between, where a single mistake and someone shoots you in the head

[@Hypershiftmediajake]

I’m a truck driver and I greatly appreciate these podcasts, well worth listening to while on the road

[@tydupont8084]

I appreciate you bro

[@WaveformWizard]

Wow, gentlemen. 420 episodes. It would’ve taken me way longer to find you both if I hadn’t let KZbin run one day while I left to go grab some terrible food that was digging me into a 8 year long hole that I’ve been spending the better part of a year clawing out of. Almost 100 pounds down after 313 days of getting up when the night becomes morning and getting after it. Thanks for sharing your accumulated knowledge and philosophies of yourselves and the guests you have on. I hope this podcast never stops.

[@Johnhealey-]

Great to hear you have garnished some inspiration to go GET some !!! Keep up the great work mate As I say to my kids daily Effort equals results I tell my kids about schooling I don’t give a single fuck about their grades . What I DO care about is the effort grade which is 1-5 5 being the most effort For the fist time in 7 years of primary school for grades k-6 my eldest boy the year before high school achieved grade 5 for effort in all subjects which was an absolute dream for him AND I. His marks result was a C average but the effort for the year was exceptional On the other hand my youngest in year 4 received mainly 2s for effort and D for all subjects showing clearly effort DOES in fact matter So my eldest bounced into high school with some confidence and belief in himself for the first time in his life and my youngest learning a valuable lesson For you , don’t look at the results , they WILL come . Look at effort and only you will know the truth in how much you have been putting in Sorry for the long ramble but it took a while to make my pint with an example Just try your best I say. Give it everything you can I tell my boys. If there is no effort expect me to be pissed Its preparation for life I wish iou the best of luck , or is it luck ? Nope. Its effort and results that are earned . No luck I wish you the best if effort Fucking GET SOME, FIND some. Keep us posted. Take care J

[@rustyolgun]

The two men solely responsible for my personal growth as a human. I cannot thank you enough. Echo too

[@AbdullaHernandez]

It seems to me that his process is: 1) Being haunted by a relentless inner drive. 2) Needing to get it perfect. 3) Humility and never thinking you're good enough, or have arrived. 4) Extreme attention to detail. 5) Logical, consistent, fully focused, grinding practice and iterations, again and again. And again. 6) Full immersion. 7) Finding motivation to keep pushing forward. 8) Literally putting yourself on death ground (after you are ready and trained). 9) A deep level of integrity. 10) An obligation to do what you can do better than others / a competitive drive.

[@ap8riot931]

Alex knows what he's done. He applies logic and reasoning before emotion to his climbs. He frankly operates on a different plane yet walks among us, it is truly something to marvel and wonder at.

[@icescrew1]

Akex raised the bar insanely high. I Started climbing rock & Ice 30 years ago. It was the only activity I'd ever found that shut off the noise and completely centered my spirit. Did a bit of soloing, several grades below my roped climbing level. Even so, it's an entirely different animal. It definitely has an addictive quality. I've been lucky enough to have experienced a wide variety of somewhat edgey activities. I think climbing has given me the best and most useful life lessons. I'm forever grateful to my best friend, teacher, and climbing partner for opening that door. He's passed now. But always close.

[@Manojshankaraj]

Alex free soloing the El Capitan is the greatest human athletic feat of all time! What this man has accomplished is literally unbelievable and mind-boggling!!

[@jalexb503]

Jimmy Chin described it as a world class athlete competing for a gold medal, but if you don’t achieve the gold medal you’re dead. Seriously an awesome feat.

[@ulosen]

Is it though?

[@notfun8053]

@@ulosen Yes it is.

[@adamgray7721]

Alex- “Why does the Navy want an English major blowing things up!” 😂 classic!

[@chefjonsf]

He is indeed unintentionally funny, which adds to his appeal. 😂

[@angelbob77]

Maybe the Navy was trying to suggest something about the duality of man. The Jungian thing. Giving real life Captain America an English major😂

[@234i9]

The absolute peak of human athletic achievement was performed by Alex Honnold.

[@matrixistrue]

Mental

[@jwollheim]

Jocko if you see this, you nailed this interview. I’ve been a climber for twenty years and I HATE listening to people who don’t climb interview climbers, especially honnold. You managed to make this a fabulous interview despite being a relative laymen!

[@234i9]

Agree, he did it well enough for sure.

[@angelbob77]

I think apart of it is because a lot of interviewers I've seen can't get over the hump of understanding why Alex would free solo and risk his life to climb. Whereas Jocko as a Navy Seal completely understands that and has probably been in so many of those same life or death situations where a single wrong decision could mean your family will never see you again. Jumping out planes, running into gun fights, seeing other Seals die in combat, etc. That mutual understanding of knowing your job and what you do and love is dangerous but you still go back and do it helps them relate on a deeper level than any casual interviewer whose biggest risk they took that day was wearing a burgundy suit instead of a blue one or some shit.

[@angelbob77]

Gotta give Jocko credit tho. He does a great job relating to his guests and in asking good questions.

[@arcticgoddess]

And also taking the time to actually read the guest's book, or watched his film, and ask great questions. It shows the utmost in respect to do this, and I have seen his guests open up past their usual canned schpiel as a result. It's appreciated.

[@howardhavardramberg333]

420! I’m smoking up for this one folks. Let’s gooo!

[@Beastro777]

cheater lol, its only january 14th

[@nikecrsh254]

@@Beastro777 😂😂

[@WeightedCali]

This is like a dream come true. I love Jocko podcast and i love Alex Honnold. Been following both for years now. I'm studying and i'll have this as company in the background. Thank you.

[@MD-jf1ml]

I’ve never seen Jocko so animated before. Pretty cool

[@danielowen5889]

This individual is an amazing human with an unbreakable will.

[@Beastro777]

If he wasnt a climber, he'd be a mathmatician, i'm sure of it.

[@acidtrungpa4760]

Alex is a true GOAT and the master of his craft.

[@Beastro777]

Agreed.

[@jt.8144]

The Sky is Blue and has no clouds. Well said Cap'Tin Head Obvious.

[@rfcdgaf]

free soloing el cap is absolutely out of this world,

[@Beastro777]

what got your panties in a bunch?@@jt.8144

[@badcornflakes6374]

Mountain goat get it? Hahaha

[@albertoduqe]

BY FAR the best Honnold's interview I've ssen. Amazing as always

[@Thizlamic]

Did Jocko say 420....GOOD.

[@Beastro777]

could you imagine the new Jocko on weed

[@daveharringbone8512]

Every intelligent naval officer knows we must accept marijuana to bolster our forces.

[@JiuJitsAZ]

He has great comedic timing. Very funny guy.

[@tekneek911]

Been following Alex for atleast a decade. He's a savage ❤

[@tomasr64]

I was very passionate about rock climbing for about 30 years, did a lot of things and my driving force with climbing was to carry less and less weight to do the objective. Leave the gear and the partner behind and basically run. Its a powerful feeling of going fast and not being fearful, the exact opposite, the feeling of moving past a crux like it was nothing, of having that inner reward that you did do your best is such a good feeling. Takes many years of doing the climbing thing to get to that point. I do like how Honnold did document the monk life and dedication to achieve his record. Its not casual at all. Even to experienced climbers, that feat of climbing Freerider is insane. No one is lining up to repeat it. Its so "out there". Free soloing hard routes has became mute after that in the climbing world. He pinned the bar with that one. No one needs to push it any further, the point has been made, anything more difficult is death.

[@shawneetree1440]

And yet, so little is said about Alain Robert, whom even Alex admires.

[@ericendreszl9855]

Kudos to this group for having Alex Hannold on. Slowly become my favorite podcast ‘of all time’ outside of casting the best advice, in English (hint, hint), in the world!

[@gijoey5912]

With his grip strength, Alex is probably one of the only people who can out-handshake Jocko.

[@BrianS-ny9yd]

I met him and shook his hand, expecting it to feel like sandpaper wrapped around a brick. Nope, regular hand.

[@badcornflakes6374]

​@@BrianS-ny9yd it's probably like a guitar players hands, the calluses are around the finger tips.

[@Cillet]

This might be my favorite podcast with Alex Honold to date!

[@doughboybellmore2347]

alright, 420 spark up.

[@tdwl4373]

Two legends of their craft. Again. Incredible.

[@idkvwad]

What an amazing podcast. I've been admiring climbing and subsequently alex from the web and while I have little interest in climbing, I can't help but feel absolutely captivated by his ability to tell a story and pull you into his perspective; as great as he is at climbing, his ability to speak is comparably impressive.

[@christianfrome5437]

Been listening to the podcast for years, and have also been a huge fan of Alex honnold. Went to a climbing gym today and tried out bouldering for the first time. To my surprise I opened youtube and found this podcast!

[@Jonez5]

You’ll fall in love with it. I started almost 2 years ago and it’s been amazing

[@234i9]

Keep going bro, it's 👍

[@johnnystanley4469]

Amazing to here and see very powerful discussion.

[@Beastro777]

I've watched Alex free climb, in those movies, and ts unblievable. Anyone that hasnt seen it, it will blow your mind...Crazy skills

[@lesteve3]

Jocko is the perfect person to do this interview! He has enough climbing experience to relate to Alex, but still has the perspective of a non-climber.

[@cjapao8058]

EPISODE 420 !!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

[@MichaelGalt]

Alex is like, the polar opposite of Jocko. Jocko is like, "Wake up at 0400! Make no excuses! Own the day!". Alex is like, "Wake up at noonish. Put on some slippers. Go see what looks fun or interesting to do and give it a shot. Unless you really suck at it... give it another shot if you fail."

[@Johnny_Cash_Flow]

Not trying to comment snipe you, your point is pretty funny because Alex is such an autist and chill guy that he may come across as very undisciplined, but the dude trains all day. He finished free soloing El Cap, in roughly 4 hours, something completely inconceivable and world record breaking, before most people are awake, then returned to his van and conducted his daily exercise routine on his hang board like it was a typical Tuesday. Dude is a disciplined monster, though he certainly is low-key about it.

[@MichaelGalt]

@Johnny_Cash_Flow Not saying Alex isn't disciplined, just that his overall approach is diametrically different. He isn't even remotely organized or strict in his approach to anything. I mean, for real, the dude forgot his chalk when he was filming one of his hardest free-solos ever... do you think Jocko would forget his chalk? Jocko probably has a checklist he goes over after waking up, a different one before he leaves the house, and a different one before he goes to sleep. Like, Alex's whole discussion of "downstream" parenting. He has likely very similar goals for his children as Jocko, but a completely different way of going about it. Alex is more, very persistent, very dedicated, 0 fear, endless optimism and creativity. Jocko is relentlessly disciplined.

[@Johnny_Cash_Flow]

@@MichaelGalt LOL fair, yeah, definitely different approaches to the same problem.

[@234i9]

​@MichaelGalt then again, for important stuff Alex is insanely organized and prepared. He memorizes every single hand and foot move for an entire 3000 feet climb and executes them perfectly. He trains in a super organized and meticulous manner.

[@jayeldubyew4930]

Jocko reacts to Alex exactly how I do, can't stop chuckling at his unintentional comedy

[@Po3try27]

Man there are so many good lessons to be heard in this podcast with both Jocko and Alex. Great meeting guys well done

[@PhilipTheHairMan]

Thoroughly enjoyed the podcast as per usual thank you 🙏🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧🪖

[@BlueWaterSTAX]

Thanks for all the awesome content. 420 💨✌️😉

[@adammm46473]

Imagine Alex Honold buying life insurance for his family in case he passes. "You did WHAAAAaaaaaAAAAAaaaaaat?" -insurance agent

[@crystalbuck6525]

Love these podcast episodes and the other content, Jocko and Echo! Keep up the fantastic work. Also, well done to you and Pete and the team at Jocko Fuel and Origin! Love the products!

[@kimurasquirrel]

I like how jockos hypes him up, and alex just pushes it back down, lol

[@internet_internet]

53:47 I had to step away from this podcast for a while, and came back at this exact part. Caught me off guard, made me laugh. Someone please make a viral clip of Jocko’s voice saying these words.

[@GalactusOG]

*Happy 420 everyone!*

[@BrianS-ny9yd]

Alex DOES have a physiological advantage. When they did an fMRI on him, they found his brain doesn't react to stress, threats, etc normally. The doctor said: “That kid's amygdala isn't firing.” It's part of how he can remain so calm free soloing.

[@BrianS-ny9yd]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnW1ap-DebV0aZIfeature=shared

[@234i9]

That was a bit overblown if you actually listen to the thing and not just retelling of the story. He gets scared but he also trained his whole life building up to this

[@zagreb2012]

He trained it.. neuroplasticy.. also every peak pro sportsman has adventage.. streight.. vo2max.. etc.. most of them have genetic adventage or mutation

[@EdgarMejia-c1e]

Yeah but he got that way through his discipline, he was not born that way.

[@Devb0mb]

Yeah you can absolutely train your emotions. A lot of disciplines I feel like on the professional level do that. Rock climbing, especially free soloing I feel like, tend to have that on overtime because instead of just "losing," you die

[@AngeloMartinez-jz5nt]

Absolutely insane combination of people this episode literally the episode I never knew I wanted

[@45122]

Awesome interview. Always on point with Jocko and Echo Charles. It's great to see how calm and still Alex is. Any mountain shop provides a lot of interesting vibes, yet I don't see it with Alex.

[@thelifeofraymond]

You can’t do family activities if you don’t know how to rappel, legend

[@stevenmeyer9674]

The best movies usually tell their story in a hour and a half. The same goes for podcasts.

[@AnimeIntroStyles4]

Even in the room with Jocko, who is an intimidating guy, Alex is very quick to correct him on anything he perceives as incorrect. It’s surprising how blunt Alex is. I wonder if that’s related to his brain just not perceiving fear the way other people do.

[@1toRespectReggae]

Awesome podcast. One of the best ones out there. Thanks guys

[@kylehamburg244]

Great episode and guest!! GET SOME!!

[@TheNavalAviator]

The height isn't what impresses me, I'm sure he almost never thinks about that because doesn't matter if you fall 50m or 500m - falling means certain death. What impresses me that in order not to fall when free soloing, it requires nothing short of perfection in his movement and grip. His first mistake has a good chance of being his last.

[@MD-jf1ml]

Try 1 move on a 5.13a(the grade Freerider is) & you’ll see how incredibly insane 3,000 feet is lol

[@HzrdHaze]

420!!! 🎉 Very cool that it’s with Alex Honnold

[@camron1501]

Thank you.

[@ThompsonDB]

I wonder if they have ever considered releasing the 'raw' (or should I say minimally edited) footage of Alex's full ascent of Freerider. It seems like the sort of thing at least rock climbers would be interested in watching. I mean the documentary movie is good, but I would personally find the full thing even more compelling.

[@DanicaPatrick]

Great Interview!

[@JohnPatrickWeiss]

Red Honnold’s book, and then saw the movie. Mind blowing. Amazing. Great discussion.

[@deborahfisher423]

This is awesome!

[@gilvalladolid88]

After watching this, I would love to see Jocko have Jack Johnson on!

[@Montanaj419]

Thank you!

[@MichaelJames707]

Love you guys, bless.

[@joryiansmith]

Fear must be challenged. Not with naivety or ignorance. But with clear knowledge. With clear understanding of the danger and consequences. Only true courage can be gained from the truth. The real truth. The full truth. Then you can grow. Then you can change the world.

[@5alasmashy]

🐑🔪🎙️💥 Listening to that powerful introductory excerpt, just imagine Jocko narrating sheep butchery. It'd be epic- turning a simple task into a thrilling drama…

[@AntonAdelson]

1:28:50 It's the same with parkour! 14 years of parkour and almost no injuries even though we stare death in the face almost daily!

[@JohnMarston1876]

Alex!!! No wayyyy

[@DieHarder4ever]

Commander Willink is like a mentor to me. His 4:30 wake up call inspired me to get after it. I’m up at 3 am and going after it in the gym, at work and at home doing what I can to get fitter, wiser and more diligent everyday. Thanks for your talk and work Commander. I’ll always be in your audience and customer base.

[@caterpillakilla]

i love alex. low key alex

[@coachtim6188]

Wow. Basically the same thing happened to both of them in college. Took Honnold 5 seconds to describe his dropout. Took Jocko 5 minutes. 😂

[@freezechill]

Great interview!

[@porter88030]

Jocko podcast needs to have Vern Unsworth and his team!

[@joerossa1112]

When Jocko reads this it sounds like a battle story not a climbing story. 😂

[@arthurcitron9774]

Spot on!👍🏻🇺🇸👍🏻👊🏻

[@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261]

Yes, when Jocko was a boy, he was just a caveman who wanted to throw rocks and bang on things with sicks. Then as a teenager, he discovered hardcore punk rock music. His favorite band sounded like they were banging on things with rocks and sticks. The band's name? The Cro Mags.. Now you know ...the rest of the story.

[@RedHornSSS]

Damn it we won't ever see the 1.5 hours of conversation !

[@pazful]

Great convo just flows

[@ColtPinky]

I can't say i expected to see alex honnold on a podcast

[@christiankennedy9417]

Now get Tommy Caldwell on next.

[@Rapfan965]

I just subscribed to warriorkid podcast. The hell i might learn something from that too :)

[@BOBSMITHH]

I thought Eddie Bravo Eddie would've been the ep 420 guest...

[@MUCKFOOT399]

420 smoke the enemy

[@AlexaOleksa]

10:25 nope, even on my phone, it was very clear what is the scale 😅..i don't think i would be able to watch it in imax😅

[@ragen0000]

Honnold got the 420th episode..... Nice

[@michaelk90]

great pod

[@brendangear]

I’ve been looking at your products online. Have you ever considered making cowboy boots that are reasonably priced? Feel like it would be a cool idea.

[@ytfeelslikenorthkorea]

3:37 nah... it was "f... yeah"... dubbed over in post for the general audience to approve. For me, as an amateur climber, the karate kick didn't look that daring. There were other moments during that movie when I almost ripped out the arm rests of my chair in the cinema :) I don't climb big walls (I stick to bouldering), but I do a lot of progressively more ridiculous scrambling in the Scottish mountains. And every time I know I'm over my head, I ask myself: "what would Alex do?" And do the opposite :) I also developed the "no-go" mentality. The hard way. When my scramble turned into "my life depends on that hand jam and half an inch of contact on the tip of my boot" scenario. This year I grew up emotionally to the point when I can say "Today is not the day, I'm going home" without feeling like a total failure.

[@ScoopTheMighty]

dope episode

[@Going_dark-hz4qs]

From what I know, I see you are a man of war too, Jocko. I fought in Iraq, 2010

[@HourRomanticist]

Jocko read that like a Jack Carr novel 😮

[@davelane4055]

Damn right always push the limits 1:03

[@wizedomseekeer6494]

Crushed the loaf

[@acidtrungpa4760]

2:33:34 Damn, Jocko hands looks like a girl size comparing to these Alex "rock hooks"

[@Beastro777]

you like those big hands huh

[@daveharringbone8512]

All I wanna do is climb mountains and dig holes. I used to do this when I was a child

[@wateringthefate3890]

Go caving I've been in rooms that hold 7 story building within😂 get the best adrenaline rush from climbing crawling duck walks to alligator crawling 😊

[@HealthZo]

awesome 🎉🎉🎉

[@SPIKESPIEGEL1969]

Wish they had spoken more about his genes and physicality. He is tall and look at his mitts. Like michael phelps with his frog feet

[@bgoldsm]

420, cool....- Beavis

[@LeK-n9b]

yeap. good title

[@bradwood556]

Go look at any professional climber. They all have monster hands

[@erik4177]

I'm 2 hours and 19 minutes in (watching) and just noticed out of nowhere that the podcast is black and white. Lol

[@veugeler72]

420!!

[@veugeler72]

engagement:engagement .

[@veugeler72]

thats the longest intro ive heard this dude dooo ooo . .

[@natec599]

Climbed with a buddy in h.s. He was a good bit heavier and less athletic (I was running 5-15mi a day and he probably couldn’t run around the block) he had a car and could go to the gym way more often than me. He surpassed my natural abilities so fast with pure technique it was ridiculous! Technique is everything in climbing!