You are reading Books & Biceps #284!

Welcome to the 154 new sophisticated meatheads joining us this week.

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If you’re a new subscriber or missed my yearly book round-up, “The 15 Most Memorable Books I Read in 2023”, you can read it here.

BOOKS

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant

Last month I shared a phenomenal non-fiction book about a man-eating great white shark off the New Jersey coast in the early 1900s. The book, Close to Shore, was the original inspiration for Jaws and you can read my full write-up here.

When I was researching the author and the story behind him writing that book, a ton of reviews and articles referenced another book about an apex predator that had somehow gotten a taste for human flesh. In this case, the book was about a near 700-pound, 10-foot long tiger in Russia’s Far East (the remotest, coldest woods of Siberia), who attacks humans for sport and the men assigned with stopping it.

Remember, this isn’t the plot of the next Jason Statham movie (although that would be sweet). No, this is a true story, meticulously researched and chronicled by author John Vaillant, who gives us a writing master class along the way. Just read how he describes the tiger at the heart of the story:

“… picture the grotesquely muscled head of a pit bull and then imagine how it might look if the pit bull weighed a quarter of a ton. Add to this fangs the length of a finger backed up by rows of slicing teeth capable of cutting through the heaviest bone. Consider then the claws: a hybrid of meat hook and stilettos that can attain four inches along the outer curve, a length comparable to the talons on a velociraptor. Now, imagine the vehicle for all this: nine feet or more from nose to tail, and three and a half feet tall at the shoulder… the tiger possesses the brute strength to drag a thousand pound carcass for a hundred yards before consuming it…”

Amazing, right? That’s how Vaillant describes everything. If you’re into superior writing, excellent research and the thrill of a man versus deadly animal hunt, this book is for you. Note: this isn’t a fast read. It’s dense and thorough and unwinds like a deliberate action movie. Check it out here.

BICEPS

There’s never a shortage of tips to bench, squat or deadlift more weight… But nearly all of those moves benefit from you having a strong back, which is why I wanted to share a back-training tip this week from my buddy Jeromy Bryk. Jeromy is a 4x world record holder in power lifting and an award-winning national bodybuilder. In short, he’s a hoss.

He’s one of my favorite follows on Twitter and make sure you check out his newsletter here.

I like Bryk’s content because he has a knack for posting about common lifting mistakes or “cheats” we all fall into when we lift over time… Especially if you’re like me and you’re lifting mostly in your garage without a trainer.

This week he posted a video on back rows and wrote the following:

If you’re looking to add thickness to your upper back, keep the line of pull high and drive back through your elbows on your rows.

Your hands should end up at the middle of your chest roughly.

VERY basic advice it may seem- but I still see this get messed up a lot, when things get heavy, people drop their elbows and take the tension off the upper back and dump it into the biceps and lats

As I read this, I thought, damn, I do this all the time on my back movements. Even if I’m doing dumbbell rows I’ve noticed I tend to drop my elbows down to my hips so that I can recruit my biceps into the movement. If I’m making this mistake, I figured some of you might be too so it was worth the reminder.

Now you can go and build that wide, billboard-sized back every meathead is after. You can watch video of his form here.

QUICK FLEXES

Dumb Money is a Top 10 movie on Netflix and finally getting the recognition it deserves. I interviewed Ben Mezrich (The Social Network, Bringing Down the House), who wrote the book the film is based on, about how he picks his projects, what he looks for in his main characters and how he does his research. He’s as good as it gets when it comes to writing books destined to become hit films:

INTRODUCING:

The Limited Edition Little Punch Powder Blue Tee

Whether it’s UNC, old school Chargers jerseys or vintage Royals uniforms, everyone loves a powder blue shirt, which is why we’re releasing the Limited Edition Little Punch Powder Blue Tee. It’s clean. It’s cool. You can rock it with jeans or workout shorts or wear it to a 70s-inspired wedding to show off your 24” pythons to the entire reception. It’s your world. It’s your call. BUT….

This shirt is only going to be on sale until Feb. 3rd, so grab it now!

Use promo code ‘BICEPS’ to get 20% off:

We're still 2+ months away from our release date & you've helped make my Macho Man biography the #2 new release in wrestling! That’s crazy and we’re just getting started. Thank you!

Love Macho Man duking it out with The Man, but there's only one Cream of the Crop! Stay tuned for some awesome giveaways coming up. If you pre-order the book, send it to me for a free, amazing hologram sticker of the cover.https:

Don’t forget about our Meathead Agreement

In the gym there is an unspoken agreement that if a fellow dude needs a spot you jump in and help, one meathead to another.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter every week, let’s spot each other.

Let’s consider my writing and sending each issue of Books & Biceps my spotting you the best books, interviews and meathead content around.

Your spot to me is that you share this issue with ONE person who you think would like it.

That’s the deal. I spot you. You spot me. Just like the gym. Thanks!

Here’s your personal sharing link to get free stuff for every share:

STRONG LINKS:

1) Is freelance writing one of your New Year’s resolutions? Have you always wanted to learn how to write for your favorite publications, blogs or magazines? My Freelance Fortune Course has you covered. Everything I’ve learned in 20 years of writing for the world’s biggest publications like: The New York Times, GQ, Men’s Health, Yahoo! Sports and more.

2) Readers always ask me what supplements I take or what pre-workouts and protein powder I use. I’ve been using the same brand since they launched about a decade ago: Jym Supplements. I’ve known the owner and founder for fifteen years and it’s the best tasting, highest quality stuff around. Try my favorite pre-workout (Blue Arctic Freeze) and protein powder (S’mores) here.

Thank you all for reading.

Have a great weekend! - Jon

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PPS: Hey Gus! Thanks for reading the whole thing, buddy! No skimming!