Muscle for Life

If you want a detailed and practical overview of the science of optimizing your mental and physical performance, then you’re going to like this book. It explores three primary topics–how to use stress and recovery to stimulate progress and growth, how to prime and prepare yourself for optimal performance, and how to tap into the power of purpose–and is packed full of insights and practical takeaways. I’ve read quite a bit in this space already and so didn’t find much in Peak Performance that I hadn’t come across elsewhere, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. It’s a well-organized and well-presented review of the performance literature, and is written in a breezy, conversational style that makes for effortless reading. I particularly liked the procedure for finding and formulating a purpose, whether for an individual project or your entire life. It emphasizes transcending yourself and identifying core values and fundamental beliefs, which I believe is spot on, because while they may be worshipped in today’s cultur

The new documentary What the Health is causing quite the stir these days. According to some people, it’s the nail in the coffin for omnivorous eating, conclusively proving that animal products have disastrous effects on your health and the environment. Others scoff at such claims, dismissing the movie as vegan propaganda meant to shock and scare people into changing their ways. Every day I hear from at least a few people who are surprised, concerned, or skeptical about what’s presented in the film and want my take, and so this is an episode I’ve owed you for a little while now. Well, here’s the long story short: What the Health makes some very good points, and all-in-all, will probably help many people make healthier eating choices. Unfortunately, it’s also riddled with factual errors, misrepresentations and oversimplifications, and outright fabrications. I’m going to break it all down in this episode and directly address a number of questions that you probably have after watching the film, including… Does e

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you look into the reading habits of extremely successful people, you’ll notice that many of them spend a lot of time reading biographies and autobiographies. For example, top Nike designer and entrepreneur D’Wayne Edwards attributes much of his unlikely professional success to a biography of Jackie Robinson that inspired him to endure great hardship. Elon Musk has also spoken many times about his love of biographies of brilliant inventors and entrepreneurs, including Howard Hughes, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, and, fittingly, Benjamin Franklin. There are several reasons why this type of literature is so popular among overachievers. First, we humans love good stories, and if someone has a book dedicated to his or her life, chances are it’s because they have an unusual and compelling story to tell. Second, biographies are the ultimate in self-improvement literature because they provide you with wide-ranging, raw, and unfiltered information and insights as opposed to carefully chosen and pre-digested morsel

Spend enough time in the gym and you’ll inevitably notice that the biggest guys and gals are also often the strongest. Sure, some people are stronger than they look, but for the most part, strength and size seem to be directly correlated. The bigger someone is, the bigger his weights tend to be. This begs a question, then: Is muscle growth simply a byproduct of strength? If you just focus on getting stronger and stronger, will your muscles just get bigger and bigger? Advocates of strength training have been saying this for decades, but their detractors say that muscle growth isn’t that simple. They point to stringbeans that can push, pull, and squat tremendous amounts of weight, and to research that appears to demonstrate that heavy weightlifting–the bread and butter of all strength programs–simply isn’t necessary for getting big muscles. Instead, they counter, you can focus on other training variables, such as volume, time under tension, metabolic fatigue, and others, and achieve the same results. Who’s righ

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This is one of my all-time favorite success/self-development books and one that I regularly gift and recommend to others because I attribute much of my own success in business and other areas of my life to the lessons found in Mastery--lessons that I believe can transform anyone’s life for the better if they’re truly taken to heart.The premise of the book is simple: any one of us can become an elite performer in a skill or field if we simply embrace and embody established attitudes and behaviors that have produced past and current champions, and more importantly, that every one of us should strive toward greatness if we want to lead fulfilling lives.I think these messages are sorely needed because they’re in stark contrast to much of our mainstream culture, which is producing more and more people who are less and less interested in self-actualization than worshipping and pursuing meaningless materialism, entertainment, and distractions, and who are then dismayed when they realize that their lives feel hollow

In this episode, I want to address some common myths and misconceptions about body fat levels. Obviously being “shredded” is the thing these days--if you want to be cool on social media, you’d better have abs--but how lean can you get before you start compromising your health? And how lean can you stay over the long term before it becomes a problem? Well, you’re going to get that question fully answered in this podcast, and I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised because I have good news: it’s harder to hurt your health than you might think. You can do it, but you have to work very hard at it and probably throw some drugs into the mix as well. Fortunately, for most of us, our body composition goals are not only very achievable, but they’re very sustainable, too. I’m also going to touch on various other things, including what body fat percentage is and how it changes when you gain and lose fat and muscle, whether it affects menstruation (something that many women worry about when they set out to get le

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

In this book, Covey takes you by the hand and says… “Look, if you want to live a good life, you can’t be an irresponsible, self-absorbed, insolent, small-minded, unenlightened, judgmental, delusional little child.” “You might be able to bullshit your friends, family, and even yourself, but you can’t bullshit the universe.” “For whatever reason, there are some basic rules to this game of living and if you work with them, you can win. Flout them and you’ll lose.” He then lays out…in way too many words…his ideas about what makes people effective and ineffective in life, and I wholeheartedly agree with many of his assessments. There’s a reason why it’s on just about every “books you have to read list”–it’s full of powerful insights that, if internalized, can truly change your life. I have to warn you though: you’re probably not going to like reading it, mainly because Covey isn’t much of a writer. It’s twice as long as it should be and a lot of the prose is purple, but it’s well worth the slog. Want to get my bes

In this episode, we’re going to have some fun but also address a very real problem: assholes in the gym. You know what I’m talking about. The assholes that smell like shit, that sweat on everything that gawk at women, that superset half of the gym and leave their weights everywhere, and so on. You might be laughing, and yes, these people can be pretty amusing, but they also make for a significantly worse gym experience for us and everyone else, and, in some cases, even drive people away from gyms altogether. And so I wanted to have a few laughs at the expense of these assholes by breaking down the 9 most annoying things that they do, and also share some commonsense advice on how we can all make our gyms a bit more pleasant for all of our fellow gymgoers. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you like to read biographies to find ideas, models, systems, habits, etc. that extraordinary people have used to improve their lives and achieve great things, then you want to read this book. In case you’ve just arrived to Earth and spend most of your time in orbit, Elon Musk is one of the most fearless entrepreneurs around these parts. He was one of the founders of Paypal, and he used the money he made there to create SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and Solar City, which are space exploration, electric car, and solar energy companies, respectively. Elon’s genius, vision, work ethic, courage, and integrity has earned him billions of dollars and a cult of personality, and rightfully so, if you ask me. His story is a master lesson in the power of big think, hard work, and iron will, and we’re lucky to have people like him working for the betterment of humankind and not selling more knicknacks or creating new ways for us to waste time on our smartphones. Want to be notified when my next book recommendation goes live?Ho

In this episode, I’m going to briefly address a question I’m asked about a lot, and that’s what to do about loose skin after weight loss. Many people think that surgery is their only hope, and I’m happy to say that this isn’t the case. There are several things you can and should do before going under the knife, even if you think the damage is done and it’s too late. These things are equally important if you’re about to embark on a significant weight loss journey because they will help prevent you from having to deal with post-diet saggy skin syndrome. Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’re going to learn in this episode: How to determine whether you’re dealing with loose skin or body fat. What body fat percentage to cut down to really know if you have a legit problem with loose skin or not. 4 simple ways to improve the look and health of your skin. Two supplements that can help improve skin elasticity (not to mention your overall health and well-being!). And more... 3:17 - How can I tell if I hav

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This is one of the books that I have recommended most to people that want to be more successful in business and life. It’s short, has very little filler content (much appreciated), and delivers a powerful and practical message, which can be summarized in a question: What’s the ONE THING I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? In other words, how can we go beyond merely “being busy” in any area of our lives and develop a sense of the essential? Napoleon once said that a military commander should be slow in deliberation and swift in execution, and the authors of this book think we should apply that advice to all areas of life. That we should, before acting, pause long enough to decide what really matters, and then allow that to drive our days. One of the reasons I find this concept so compelling is I think that modern living is, in many ways, an embarrassment of riches. We have more freedom and options in every aspect of our lives than ever before, and that’s why I think a

Those of you that follow me on Instagram know that I was in San Jose last week visiting with the Mind Pump Media team to appear on their hugely popular podcast. We had a great time chatting about all kinds of things ranging from the trials and tribulations of being a supplement seller on Amazon, my “origin story” and initial reluctance to work in the fitness space, why many supplement companies “pixie dust” their products, what kind of music I like to listen to for working out, and much, much more. Here are some of the main things we discussed: Shenanigans of product reviews on Amazon (0:00) Company acquisition vs. customer experience (15:27) How hard is it to have integrity in supplement industry? (17:02) What drives me? (18:12) How do I get inspired to write? (20:22) Guys talk the power of the human brain How did I decide to get into fitness industry and why was I hesitant initially? (28:25) Did things go as planned with creating Legion Athletics? (52:57) How much sun exposure do you need? (1:02:55) How h

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.” (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you’d like to know how to get more done every day with less worry, confusion, and stress, then you need to read this book. Unlike other productivity books that focus mostly on changing specific behaviors, adopting certain attitudes, or cultivating various habits, Getting Things Done is all about getting organized. Ironically, I think the book itself was rather poorly organized (and too dry and long-winded), but it’s worth the slog. Its premise is simple: the more organized your mind, work, and life is, the easier it’ll be for you to do the things that you need to do to get the results that you want. It doesn’t just talk about these things, either — it provides you with a system that you can immediately implement to see how the principles work for you. Want to be notified when my latest book recommendations go live? Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox. Click here: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

In this episode, we’re going to have a meandering discussion about willpower and self-discipline, and specifically, some of the reasons why so many people have so much trouble doing the things they know they should and not doing the things they know they shouldn’t, and a handful of simple, science-based strategies to make it easier for you to do the things you want to do and, ultimately, become the person you want to be. Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’re going to learn in this episode: Why failures of willpower and self-control can feel so good in the moment, even when they’re blatantly against your best interests or at odds with your plans and intentions. How you can use the “precommitment strategy” to easily increase your stick-to-itiveness and reduce the likelihood of falling off the wagon. How to prevent “decision fatigue” from sapping your mental energy and willpower. Why creating a structured personal routine is one of the most powerful ways to enhance not only your willpower, but your ab