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Today’s Health Upgrade
Arnold’s Corner: Monday motivation
The nutrition strategy that fights headaches (and improves sleep)
Protecting your brain is a game (and you want to play it)
Free smoothies
Workout of the week
Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation: A Third Of Your Power
I have talked about focus more than almost anything else in my life besides vision.
Anyone who has been around me for any length of time — whether in the gym, in business meetings, on movie sets, or in this newsletter — you’ve heard me say it.
The focus principle.
One thing at a time.
Make the thing you are doing the only thing you are doing.
I say it because it’s true. And I say it because I always need the reminder myself.
There is a study on lifters that found something worth your focus. When people checked their phones between sets, their total output dropped by almost 30 percent.
Same weight. Same rest. Same body. They just weren’t all the way there. And the bar knew.
I have written about this before, and I am not going to beat the dead horse of phones in the gym today. You know my feelings. You know what to do about it. Use them to log your workout, play your music, but don’t use them for social media or texting or calling.
What I want you to think about this morning is bigger.
Where else in your life are you willingly giving up 30% of your power?
Sit with that. Because if scrolling between sets takes 30% off your squat, what do you think half-listening does to your marriage?
What do you think one eye on Slack and one eye on your kid does to your six-year-old?
What do you think toggling between inboxes and the actual work you are trying to do does to the quality of what you produce?
You are making everything in your life about 30% harder. Voluntarily. And then you are complaining about how hard your life is.
Your workout is 30% less effective. Your dinner is 30% less connected. Your work takes 30% longer and comes out worse. Your walk is 30% less of a walk. The conversation with your wife is 30% less of a conversation.
Everything you are doing, you’re giving a third less.
And here is the part that really gets me. I hear people rage at big tech. They’re stealing our attention. They’re rewiring our brains. They’re ruining our kids.
And in the same breath, sometimes in the same hour, those same people hand over a third of their power to the little machine in their pocket. Hundreds of times a day. Without a fight.
You cannot be angry at the pickpocket when you hand them your wallet.
So this week we are going to do something different. This week, we take a third of your power back.
Here is the challenge: Pick three windows in your week where you are going to be all the way there. Not four. Not ten. Three. Maybe it’s your workout. Maybe it’s dinner with your family. Maybe it’s the first 90 minutes of your work day. Maybe it’s the drive to school with your kid.
Whatever you pick, the rule is simple. Phone out of reach. Not flipped over. Not on silent. Out of reach. And for that block of time, the thing you are doing is the only thing you are doing. It’s time to try something different.
Do this for a week and pay attention. You will lift more. You will hear things at dinner you haven’t heard in years. You will finish work earlier. Your kid will tell you something they’ve been waiting to tell you.
That’s what a third of your power looks like.
One thing at a time.
Make the thing you are doing the only thing you are doing.
Now get after it.
Together With Momentous
The Diet Change That May Relieve Headaches and Improve Sleep
Migraines don't just steal hours from your day. For people who experience them frequently, the ripple effects — fractured sleep, heightened stress, a body that never quite resets — can become their own chronic problem. Research now suggests that changing what you eat might address more than the headache itself.
A clinical trial found that adults with frequent migraines who increased their omega-3 intake significantly improved their sleep quality, perceived stress, and overall health, even when headache frequency wasn't fully resolved.
Researchers randomly assigned participants with chronic migraines to one of three groups: a high omega-3/low omega-6 diet, a high omega-3/average omega-6 diet, or an unchanged control diet. Both fish oil conditions produced statistically significant reductions in daily stress ratings and improvements in sleep and perceived health.
Omega-3 fatty acids increase production of anti-inflammatory compounds (resolvins and protectins), which appear to reduce pain signaling in the nervous system. That shift may reduce some of the neurological activity that migraine sufferers live with daily.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a finding like this. A prior study found that combining alpha-linolenic acid and L-carnitine may help alleviate headaches, reduce migraine attacks, support mental health, and improve overall quality of life.
In that study, after 12 weeks, migraine frequency dropped by nearly three attacks per month, severity and duration also decreased significantly, and depression and anxiety scores dropped dramatically.
Because this research focused on people who suffer from frequent migraines, the findings don't automatically transfer to the general population. But it’s very plausible that it could be a preventative measure, and — if nothing else — could also help with sleep quality.
If you want to make changes to your diet, you should eat more fatty fish (like salmon), sardines, walnuts, flaxseed oil, flaxseed, and chia seeds. This works alongside existing treatment, not in place of it. But for a population that has often exhausted every obvious option, even modest, consistent improvements in sleep and stress are worth the effort.
If you choose to take omega-3s, don’t just select any brand. Omega-3 oils are fragile. They oxidize easily, degrade over time and at high temperatures, and require careful sourcing and manufacturing. Favor brands that invest in third-party testing (like NSF, Informed Sport, or USP) and publish or are willing to share certificates of analysis.
The testing is very expensive, which is why most brands don’t invest in it. But it is your best line of defense for quality and purity.
That’s why we only recommend Momentous Omega-3. They guarantee accurate labels, no banned substances or contaminants, and no dangerous amounts of toxins or metals. Without those guarantees, you’re taking a risk buying fish oil (and any supplement).
As an APC reader, you get 35% off any Momentous subscription (or 14% off individual purchases). Use the code “PumpClub” at checkout for your exclusive discount.
Start Your Week Right
Your Brain Is Begging You For A Challenge
Your brain needs a workout just as much as your body does. And while exercise for your body is a boost to your brain, that’s not the only thing you can do to keep your mind young.
Regularly engaging in challenging mental activities — especially as you age — can significantly improve memory performance and reduce age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers studied how activities such as reading, learning new skills, and solving complex problems affect memory during midlife. To do this, they analyzed data from a long-term, large-scale study tracking nearly 2,000 adults.
Those with higher levels of cognitive engagement between the ages of 40 and 70 had significantly better memory later on.
And it’s worth noting that the benefits remained after adjusting for other lifestyle factors that are linked to better memory, such as physical activity, education level, and health status.
The researchers believe the memory boost is tied to what’s known as cognitive reserve, which is your brain’s ability to compensate for aging or damage by forming new neural pathways. By keeping your brain challenged, you build a stronger foundation that protects against age-related memory loss.
The study didn’t point to any single magic activity. Instead, it emphasized variety and consistency, as well as doing mentally challenging activities you enjoy. That could mean reading books, playing strategy games, learning an instrument, doing puzzles, or even tackling a new language or hobby.
Community
A Reminder: Smoothies On Us This Week
If you’re in the Los Angeles area this week, drop by Venice. We’re hosting the first-ever Pump Club pop-up.
As a newsletter subscriber, you get free smoothies this week thanks to our friends at Momentous.
From April 20-22, we’ll be right across the street from Gold’s Gym. Show up any time between 7 am and 2 pm, and your protein and Fiber+ needs are covered — and we have a lot more surprises planned.
The whole Pump Club team will be coaching, helping out, and answering your questions. We hope to see many of you there. You can find more details here.
Fitness
Workout Of The Week
You loved last week’s workout so much that, by popular demand, we’re giving you a new variation.
Like last week, this workout consists of just 2 exercises. You’ll do all sets of the first exercise and then move to the second exercise. Each exercise is an 8-minute set that will help you build a stronger, leaner body.
The first exercise will build your lower body, and the second exercise will build your upper body. Two moves, entire body challenged.
How To Do It
Warmup
Perform 1 set of each of the following movements. Do one movement after another, resting as little as possible.
Superman “W”: 8 reps
Inchworm: 8 reps
Hip raise: 2 sets x 12 reps
Lateral Lunge: 2 sets x 6 reps/leg
The Workout
For each exercise, perform 2-3 work-up sets. The goal is to build up to a weight that you can lift for about 10-12 reps. Then, set a timer for 8 minutes. You’ll be doing 8 reps every minute on the minute.
That means, you’ll do 8 reps of the first exercise, check the clock, and rest for the remainder of 60 seconds. Let’s say it takes 20 seconds to do 8 reps. You’ll rest another 40 seconds, and then do another set of 8 reps. Keep following this one set per minute approach until 8 minutes are up (so you’ll do 8 sets).
Then, rest for 3-5 minutes. After the break, repeat the same approach with the second exercise for another 8 minutes. And that’s it.
Two exercises, 16 minutes of work. One lower body movement, one upper body movement. One exhausting workout.
Exercise 1: Goblet Squat: 8 reps (every minute on the minute for 8 minutes)
Exercise 2: Dumbbell Clean And Press: 8 reps (every minute on the minute for 8 minutes)
Give it a try, and let us know what you think!
Editor’s Note: We’ll never stop giving you a free Workout of the Week. Because we believe everyone should have access to exercise.
But there’s a difference between a workout and a program.
A “Workout of the day” feels great — you sweat, you’re sore — but soreness isn’t the goal. Exhaustion doesn’t make you better. Your body adapts best when workouts build on each other with intention, not when every session stands alone.
This workout will challenge you today, but a program is what changes you over weeks, months, and years. If you need help, you can try our customized programs free for 7 days. We do the thinking, giving you access to the best coaches, and provide accountability, so you see the improvements.
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action:
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Focus Principle: Where You're Losing 30% of Your Power
Arnold Schwarzenegger points to research showing that lifters who check their phones between sets lose nearly 30% of their total output — same weight, same rest, same body, measurably worse performance. His argument runs deeper: if divided attention costs a third of your strength in the gym, it's costing the same in every conversation, workout, and work block where your phone is within reach. The practical fix is three protected windows per week where the phone goes out of reach (not flipped over, not on silent) and the thing you're doing becomes the only thing you're doing.
2. How Omega-3s Can Help Fight The Downsides of Migraines (And Improve The Way You Feel)
In a controlled trial, adults with chronic migraines who increased omega-3 intake showed significant improvements in sleep quality, perceived stress, and overall health — even when headache frequency didn't fully resolve. Omega-3s boost production of resolvins and protectins, anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce pain signaling in the nervous system and may quiet the neurological activity migraine sufferers live with daily. A separate 12-week study combining alpha-linolenic acid and L-carnitine showed migraine frequency dropped by nearly three attacks per month, with significant improvements in depression and anxiety scores alongside. If you want to adjust your diet, add more fatty fish, sardines, walnuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds alongside existing treatment, not in place of it.
3. Cognitive Engagement Between Ages 40-70 Predicts Memory Later In Life
In a long-term study tracking nearly 2,000 adults, those who engaged in challenging mental activities between ages 40 and 70 — reading, learning new skills, solving complex problems — had significantly better memory later in life, even after controlling for exercise, education, and health. Your brain builds new neural pathways (called cognitive reserve) that compensate for aging or damage, and that reserve is strengthened by sustained mental challenge across midlife. No single activity was best. What mattered was variety, consistency, and — critically — picking things you'll actually keep doing, whether that's strategy games, instruments, puzzles, or a new language.
The Positive Corner of The Internet
About Arnold’s Pump Club Editorial Standards
We do things a bit differently here, starting with transparency.
The Content: All APC emails are researched, written, and fact-checked by the APC editors (see bottom of the email), with written contributions from Arnold (noted with “Arnold’s Corner”). Links take you to original studies (not second-hand sources).
Does AI play a role? Not for the primary content, but it is used in two ways. The main items are original content written by the APC team. The summaries at the end are AI-generated based on the human-written content above. We also use an AI tool to review our interpretations of the research and ensure scientific accuracy. We don’t assume AI is right, but we use technology to hold ourselves accountable.
Yes, we have partners (all clearly noted). Why? Because it allows us to keep the APC emails free. We first test products, and then reach out to potential partners who offer ways to help you improve every day. The bar is set high, and to date, we have turned down millions in ad deals. (Example: we will not partner with any non-certified supplements or those without evidence in human trials). If we won’t buy the product, we won’t recommend it to you. And if there’s no evidence it works, then there’s no place for it here.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
