Monday Motivation

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Today’s Health Upgrade

Monday Motivation
Muscle Mic Drop
Workout of the Week

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Monday Motivation

Before we started this daily newsletter, I told Daniel and Adam that if we were going to be effective, we had to be real.

Yes, this is a health and fitness email, and I could just preach to you from a podium as the former bodybuilding champion and fitness crusader for five decades. I can give fantastic advice about training and motivation while only talking about my successes. But that would be fake -- if we really want you to buy in, I have to talk about my struggles and the lessons I learn from them. Because many times, it’s our failures and stumbles and challenges that teach us the most.

No matter how successful, wealthy, or accomplished we are, all of us will have struggles in life. And part of health and fitness is finding a way to keep moving forward when things get challenging.

Today, I’m going to be honest with you. I just finished recording my audiobook for Be Useful. I finished writing the book a few months ago, but this recording was something totally new for me. The publisher told me that since the last time I wrote a book, audiobooks have grown and grown, and people would expect me to read the whole book for them. In the past, I read a little bit, and a professional handled the rest. That wouldn’t be enough this time.

I could tell you it was a fantastic new experience for me reading my own book.
But that would be a lie.

Here’s my secret: I’m a terrible reader. They didn’t talk about learning disabilities in Austria in the 1950s, so most of the time, when I was asked to read out loud in class, it was just a disaster, and I got smacked with a ruler.

But now I know that I’m dyslexic.

I have found ways to make sure it doesn’t hold me back. It’s why when I prepare for a movie, I read the script over and over in the months before until every line is memorized, and when I give a speech, I do at least 20 practice reps so I can get my brain around the words. Reps save me every time.

But this was a whole book, over 200 pages. And they told me that most people record their books in 3 days in a studio. When I heard that, I just filled with dread. Reading for that long every day without time to practice was my nightmare. I could already see the teacher holding the ruler over my head.

I gave myself a second to complain and ask what I got myself into, and then I told myself it was time to deal with it. So I called Daniel and told him I had an idea. I wanted to get the recording equipment at my house, start earlier, and plan to do morning and evening sessions every day until I finished. That would give me time every morning to practice the next 20-30 pages, record, and then practice again until my evening session.

It worked, but only because I also had a fantastic team. Eric turned one of my rooms into my own recording studio, and Nithya, Danny, and Kris were there every morning and evening when I recorded on Zoom. I am not exaggerating when I say I couldn’t have done it without them. When my mouth got ahead of my mind, they corrected me. When I went too fast, they slowed me down. When I stumbled, they were patient.

Now I can be honest: I can’t wait for you to hear the finished product. But I also want you to know that it wasn’t easy. I dreaded it. But I put my own advice into practice, and so can you.

I started early and just did it instead of putting it off (we all put things off when we worry about them, right?). I did constant reps to prepare. I broke it into small pieces instead of trying to bite off more than I could chew. And I had a fantastic support network.

I’ve shared these lessons with you in this space many times, but it is important for me that you know that I also live by them.

When I tell you no one is self-made, and we all need help; or to celebrate your small wins because they build up into big victories; or that if you do the reps, you’ll feel more confident, those aren’t abstract ideas for me. They’re the rules that make my life work, every day.

So if there’s a challenge you’ve been dreading, be like Arnold. Get your complaining out of the way and tell yourself the only way to get through the struggle is to get moving. Prepare. Break it up. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

When you hear my audiobook in the fall, remember that it isn’t just a recording -- it’s me putting all the advice I’m sharing into practice.

Muscle Mic Drop

You've been misled if you think lifting weights is just about vanity.

From reducing joint pain, preventing cardiovascular disease, and even fighting depression, lifting weights is the closest thing we have to a magic pill.

Recently, respected nutrition expert Alan Aragon shared a graphic listing all the benefits of building muscle.

The list is undeniable. Building muscle is body insurance. This isn’t about becoming a bodybuilder or lifting weights for hours daily. This is about doing one of the best things for your body, health, and longevity. Adding muscle is for everyone, and — as we’ve shared in the past — research suggests it’s never too late to get started. You can even add new muscle in your 90s! And all it takes is two to three workouts per week.

If you need a place to start building muscle, try the workout of the week.

Workout of the Week

In the name of building muscle, we're bringing back myo-reps. We shared this technique months ago, but the three of us have recently been adding them into our workouts, so we wanted to give you a new workout to try for some of the best pumps of your life.

Here’s how it works:

Start with an “activation” set of 10-20 reps. We're showing a bodyweight version today. But if you are using weights, choose a weight that allows you t take this set almost to failure (but leave a rep or two in the tank…you’ll need them). Perform the reps and then put the weight down
Take 3-5 deep breaths
Grab the same weight, do 3-5 controlled reps, and put the weight down. This is your first my0-rep set.
Then, take another 3 to 5 breaths and perform 3-5 reps. This is another set.
Do a total of 5 sets, including the first high-rep set.

Here’s how it might look (remember, just 3 to 5 big breaths separate each set). Normally, the weight would feel light. But in this case, because rest is limited and your muscle is activated, you’ll be able to create fatigue and overload with a lighter weight while maximizing your intensity):
Set 1: 15 reps
Set 2: 4 reps
Set 3: 4 reps
Set 4: 4 reps
Set 5: 3 reps