More Effective Than Coffee?

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Monday motivation

• Better than coffee

• What equipment is most effective?

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation

Let me tell you about my last two weeks.

Two weeks ago, I was in Thal meeting 150 members of the Pump app and watching them lift where I started my lifting career.

From there, I went straight to Vienna, where I hosted my annual environmental summit, gave a speech, did a fireside chat with my friend, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, and sat down for media interviews to talk about terminating pollution.

The day after my summit, Netflix flew media into Vienna from all over Europe, and I sat down with my co-star and a true action icon, Carrie-Anne Moss, to do interviews all day about FUBAR season 2.

Thursday, I flew home. Monday, I headed to Netflix for two days of a FUBAR junket. Here’s how a junket works: for eight hours, you do interviews about the show. Back to back — with a break for lunch. Sometimes there are longer interviews and you get to hang with the journalist for 30 minutes.

Tuesday was a lot of short interviews, and you’re literally talking to someone new every 8 minutes. For 8 hours.

Wednesday, I went on Jimmy Kimmel and then went straight to the FUBAR premiere, where, again, you walk down the line and do the interviews with every outlet. I loved seeing my kids and all of my co-stars, along with a lot of members of the Pump Club.

Thursday and Friday, I trained with Sam Sulek and Ronnie Coleman, so we had three generations of bodybuilders working together.

On Saturday, I trained with Guy, who plays Chips in FUBAR season 2. We biked down to Muscle Beach to take a photo with the giant action figure Netflix built for FUBAR to break the Guinness World Record for the biggest action figure.

Sunday, I left for New York, where I will kick off this week with another two days of FUBAR press.

I was telling someone about this, and they said, “Arnold, you’re 77 years old, isn’t this too much?”

The answer is no, and because many of you write to me and tell me you’re struggling with all of the responsibilities crushing you, I want you to know why.

First, I have clear visions. I see the Pump Club inspiring millions of people to be fit and happy, so showing up for them in Austria was a no-brainer. I see a world without pollution, so I loved every minute of my environmental work. And I see FUBAR season 2 as a great success, so of course I’ll work my ass off to promote it.

But most importantly, I didn’t look at all of these responsibilities at once. I took one thing at a time. I focused on what was in front of me.

When I write it all down now, yes, it seems huge. But in the moment, I was always focused on one thing. That made it smaller in my mind and kept me from ever feeling overwhelmed.

I didn’t try to eat the whole apple in one bite. I did what was in front of me, and then I moved into the next thing.

This allowed me to give 100% to whatever I was doing, but it also kept me from feeling frantic or stressed out.

I know many of you have a lot on your plates, and it can become overwhelming very quickly — if you look at the whole plate.

But I promise you, that if you learn to do one thing at a time, you will feel everything slow down. It will take that burden of stress away.

The next thing will wait for you. If you try to do everything at once, you won’t be as effective, and you’ll end up filled with stress.

Just take one small bite of that apple at a time. Give it 100% until it is done, and then move on. Repeat that with the next thing.

This is my challenge to all of you this week. When you feel overwhelmed, focus on what’s in front of you and block out everything else.

One thing at a time! You can do it.

Together With Momentous 
Better Than Coffee?

It’s one thing to power through a tired morning with coffee. It’s another way to keep your brain sharp when your tank is empty.

Recent research suggests that creatine might be your brain's secret weapon for staying focused, especially when you're running on zero sleep.

In a fascinating study, participants were sleep-deprived for 21 hours across two nights and asked to complete cognitive tasks. As expected, those who took a placebo saw their mental performance crash. 

But the group that received a single high dose of creatine? They maintained focus, processed information faster, and experienced less fatigue. It was almost as if the creatine prevented sleep deprivation from making your brain function at dial-up speed.

What makes this study stand out is how quickly creatine worked. Most research shows brain benefits after several weeks of consistent use.

This study revealed significant improvements after just one large dose. The researchers believe creatine helps replenish the brain’s energy reserves, making it more resilient against the typical cognitive decline caused by sleep deprivation.

Participants took about 0.35 grams per kilogram of body weight—roughly 15 to 20 grams for an average adult. That’s higher than what most people take for muscle performance (typically 3 to 5 grams), and more than what prior research suggests for daily cognitive support (around 10 grams). While the dose was safe and caused no reported digestive issues in this study, such a high amount might not be ideal for everyone.

If you want to try it yourself, the safest and most research-backed form is creatine monohydrate. 

Momentous creatine is our go-to because it’s third-party tested for purity, quality, and label accuracy—and all members of the Pump Club community get up to 35% off subscription (and 14% off a single purchase) with the code “PumpClub.” 

For everyday use, start with 3 to 10 grams per day. But if you find yourself short on sleep and need to stay sharp, research suggests you may benefit from a one-time higher dose. Be sure to monitor how your body reacts.

Fitness
Pick Your Weapon: Bodyweight, Bands, or Barbells? 

We’ve been told for years that resistance training helps older adults maintain muscle and independence. But here’s the real breakthrough: what you train with doesn’t matter nearly as much as that you train.

All forms of resistance training improve strength — what matters most is effort, not equipment.

In a meta-analysis of 102 randomized trials of adults over the age of 70, researchers compared the effects of five resistance training modalities—free weights, machines, bodyweight, elastic bands, and mixed methods on muscle strength. Each training style was measured against a control group of people who weren’t exercising. 

Machine-based training had the highest and most consistent gains, but wasn’t dramatically different. Every type of training offered moderate-to-large strength improvements, including bodyweight exercises, which still delivered meaningful results.

The type of resistance doesn’t matter nearly as much as training with sufficient intensity, volume, duration, and progression. As we say repeatedly, the best approach is the one you’ll stick with. So choose a training style that feels right for you. Machines, dumbbells, resistance bands, or your bodyweight can build strength. 

Fitness
Workout Of The Week

As you can see in the item above, the tool you choose doesn’t matter nearly as much as the effort you bring. 

This workout brings that concept to life. You can use any equipment you like—or none at all. Just bring intensity, move with control, and focus on progression. That’s how strength is built, at any age.

How It Works

• Perform each superset as a pair. For example, Do 1A, rest 60 seconds, then do 1B. Rest another 60 seconds, and then perform 1A again.

• After you do all sets, then rest 120 seconds before moving to the next superset.

• Complete three total rounds per superset

• Reps: Choose a load that challenges you for 8–12 reps

Superset 1: Lower Body Strength

1A. Squat Variation (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Tempo Air Squats (3-sec down)

• Bands: Banded Squats

• Dumbbells: Goblet Squats

• Barbell: Back Squats

1B. Hip Hinge Variation (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Glute Bridge or Single-Leg Hip Thrust

• Bands: Banded Romanian Deadlifts

• Dumbbells: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

• Barbell: Barbell Deadlifts

Superset 2: Upper Body Push + Pull

2A. Push Variation (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Pushups (elevated or deficit for difficulty)

• Bands: Banded Chest Press

• Dumbbells: Dumbbell Floor Press or Overhead Press

• Barbell: Bench Press or Strict Overhand Press

2B. Pull Variation (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Inverted Rows or pullups

• Bands: Banded Rows

• Dumbbells: Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows

• Barbell: Bent-over Barbell Rows

Superset 3: Core + Carry

3A. Core Movement (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Dead Bugs

• Bands: Banded Pallof Press

• Dumbbells: Weighted Hollow Body Hold

• Barbell: Barbell Rollouts

3B. Loaded Carry/Isometric Hold (3 sets)

• Bodyweight: Plank

• Bands: Side Plank with Band Row

• Dumbbells: Farmer’s Carry

• Barbell: Front Rack Carry

Each workout, aim to increase reps, load, or difficulty (longer tempos, deeper range of motion, or shorter rest). You should finish each superset knowing you couldn’t do more than 1 to 2 extra reps with good form.

Give it a try, and start your week strong!

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell