Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we make sense of the confusing world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and offering quick tips designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
Monday motivation
A surprising way to boost workout recovery
Do you need to delay morning coffee?
Workout of the week
Arnold’s Podcast
Want more stories from Arnold? Every day, Arnold’s Pump Club Podcast opens with a story, perspective, and wisdom from Arnold that you won’t find in the newsletter. And, you’ll hear a recap of the day’s items. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation
A lot of you reached out after my last email about the fires and said you want to do more for LA.
I love your spirit. Like I always say, together, we have the power to lift up the world.
Because you all wanted to show your support, I asked my team to design a shirt we could sell for the Arnold’s Pump Club team to show their support, and I asked them that every single cent of profit be donated to the LAFD Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles’ ReBUILD LA to support people who have lost everything with immediate needs and long term support.
I’m going to lead the way. I’m giving $1 million of my own money — split between those three organizations equally.
Because I’m also not a fan of rich people or businesses with tons of money that ask their followers and fans to donate for them. It is not my style.
This is not one of those things where I’m matching your donations or just counting your shirt profits as part of my donation.
Knowing how much all of you care about lifting up the world, I won’t be surprised if you match me.
But I’m giving a million no matter what.
Everything you give is the cherry on top.
These firefighters put their lives on the line for us.
Some of these people lost absolutely everything.
They need us now. Are you with me?
Nutrition
A Surprising Way to Boost Workout Recovery
If you have trouble recovering from your workouts, it might be time to change your post-workout meal.
New research found that fish oil isn’t just for heart health—it could also give your muscles a serious edge in the gym.
The participants performed three workouts per week, consisting of six sets of 10 repetitions, performed as intervals with just one minute of rest. The scientists specifically looked at the repeated-bout effect—a phenomenon where muscles adapt to exercise over time, leading to less damage and soreness from repeated workouts.
All the participants performed the same workouts, but one group took fish oil (780 mg of EPA and 600 mg of DHA), and the other group took a placebo.
Fish oil supplementation improved recovery, reduced soreness, and enhanced antioxidant support, leading to less breakdown.
While it’s just one study, the finding suggests that fish oil speeds up recovery and helps your muscles adapt to training more effectively, allowing you to train harder and more consistently.
If you don’t want to supplement, add fish to your diet or eat more walnuts, flax chia seeds, or algae. For supplements, our go-to fish oil is from Momentous. Their fish oil undergoes molecular distillation for maximum purity, and their third-party testing ensures no dangerous levels of lead or mercury.
Not only does Momentous check the box for the highest quality and safety, but the brand also works with the US Military to develop high-performance supplements that deliver results. As a Pump Club member, you get 20% off with the code PumpClub.
And remember the four foundations of recovery — sleep, protein, rest, and hydration. Those will provide your body with what it needs to bounce back, and supplements could help provide an added benefit.
Health
Do You Need To Delay Your Morning Coffee?
Delaying your morning coffee to improve your health sounds smart — but what if the science says otherwise?
As it turns out, scientists suggest there’s no need to delay your favorite morning ritual and that coffee first thing in the morning is perfectly healthy.
The belief that drinking coffee before waking is problematic was tied to a few theories. Some believe that it leads to harmful cortisol spikes. Others have expressed concerns that having coffee early would cause you to have a bigger crash in the afternoon.
However, a review of the studies found no evidence to support either belief. The study examined the theory that pushing back your coffee allows you to clear adenosine and have more energy in the afternoon but found that the mechanism was “scientifically inaccurate.”
Cortisol naturally fluctuates throughout the day, peaking in the morning as part of your circadian rhythm to help wake you up. Cortisol levels are highest in the first 30-45 minutes after waking, regardless of caffeine consumption. This is a natural biological response and not inherently harmful.
When comparing people who drink coffee early in the day and those who don’t, there were no significant differences in cortisol or health markers.
The bottom line: Your morning coffee isn’t the villain it’s made out to be. Science shows you can confidently enjoy your cup of joe without disrupting your health.
Fitness
Workout of the Week
Complexes are an efficient way to accomplish multiple goals at once — building muscle, burning fat, and improving your conditioning without needing much equipment. Like so many of the best workouts, the design doesn’t look like much, but the results are something no one can debate.
How to do it:
Perform one round of five reps. Try to rest as little as possible (or not at all) between exercises.
Once you perform all five exercises, that’s one round. Set the weight down and rest for 1 to 2 minutes.
Set a timer for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. If you’re a beginner, start with 10 minutes. If you’re more advanced, take on 30 minutes. See how many rounds you can perform in the time you have.
The Workout
Notes: You can also use a dumbbell, bands, kettlebell, or rucksack. To find the right weight, use your weakest exercise (for most, that’s the overhead) for all movements. That means some exercises might feel a little easy — but that will change once you start doing all the movements.
Give it a try, and let us know how it goes!
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
