You are reading Books & Biceps #288!

Welcome to every single new sophisticated meathead joining us this issue. We’ve now passed 8,700+ readers! Like my son said when I told him: “That’s a lot of meatheads.”

If an awesome B&B reader shared this with you, add your e-mail with the subscribe button below:

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.

BREAKING NEWS: We’re 6 weeks away from the insanity… from the MADNESS… of the April 2nd release of my Macho Man biography. And I cut a brand new promo sharing our free swag. Sound UP. Dig it and enjoy:

And don’t forget to pre-order Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage (out April 2nd). If you do, e-mail me a screen shot & I’ll send you a hologram sticker of the cover AND a signed book plate.

Oohhhh yeahhh! 

BOOKS

Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson

We took a day trip to the Kennedy Space Center over the holiday weekend and there are few things more awe-inspiring (in the not overused sense) than looking at a space shuttle that flew 33 missions outside of Earth, logging over 7,300+ hours of flight time.

I’m talking about the shuttle Atlantis:

But before the shuttle program, NASA embarked on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, all of which included astronauts putting their lives on the line to do things no humans had ever done (or maybe just one or two Russians).

When you see how small the Mercury capsules were and you sit inside a model of the Apollo command center, you realize how insane/brilliant/courageous these men were. Every single time they sat in their seat on the launchpad, they were in danger of dying a fiery death or, possibly worse, surviving a launch, having a catastrophic system failure and being marooned in space.

Think about that. When I sat in the capsule, I couldn’t get my mind off of it… Of course, my thoughts were just projections from my imagination.

If you want to read about the real deal… the real hopes and dreams and fears of the astronauts, their families and the scientists in charge of getting them to space and back, there is no better book than Rocket Men by Robert Kurson.

I’ve recommended all of Robert’s books, and I talked about my number one most recommended book of all time, his masterpiece, Shadow Divers, in this New Yorker Profile on our Books & Biceps crew (if you’re a new subscriber, you should definitely read it.)

Rocket Men is just as good. I promise. While Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 have been the subject of movies and TV shows and stole the headlines, the Apollo 8 mission was considered to be the most dangerous, the most daring and the one mission that had it failed, every other NASA goal after it may have been in jeopardy.

This book is 100% true but it reads like a Michael Crichton adventure. It’s about the first 3 humans to ever leave earth’s orbit and to reach the moon. They were the first humans ever to see the dark side of the moon. And for a time, they weren’t sure if they were ever going to make it back. Buy it here.

BICEPS

This week’s biceps is keeping with our above space theme and it’s totally unique because it includes equipment that nobody on earth has. And I mean that literally.

I’m sure you don’t think about astronauts too much, but when a meathead mind does, we think about one thing: do you lift in space?

The answer is a surprising “YES”. In fact, lifting weights every day is a necessity to battle the sarcopenia and muscle mass loss that happens quickly in an environment with zero gravity.

How do they do it?

They use a machine called an ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device) machine that looks like an old school Universal Nautilus, except instead of Olympic bars and plates it has resistance pistons:

In an interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield, he said:

"I used the resistance exercise device on the ISS for an hour every day the entire time I was there," he said. "It looks like a universal gym. It has big pistons that have a vacuum on them. The beauty of it is that it is a consistent resistance the whole way through. You can do squats, bench press, overhead lifts, calf raises, curls and sit-ups."

So there you have it. That’s how astro-meatheads lift in space.

The Flex Factory Classic Exercise: Landmines with Chains

Landmines are my favorite shoulder exercise by far:

I use them as the first set in a 3-part shoulder circuit I do often:

1) Landmines each arm: 12 reps (add 10 pounds each set)

2) Cable shoulder flyes: reps - 15-20 reps at a weight that takes you near failure

3) Behind-the-back upright rows (I use plates sometimes, too) 12 reps (add 10 pounds each set)

Repeat 3 times and feel your shoulders grow.

BONUS: Get your very own Flex Factory T-shirt or tank here.

QUICK FLEXES

Last fall I interviewed one of my favorite sportswriters, Russ Bengtson, about his awesome hoops book: A History of Basketball in 15 Sneakers. If you love basketball, you’ll love our conversation:

Last week, Russ wrote an excellent piece for Slam Magazine on Allen Iverson’s impact on basketball, culture, Slam and more - and the best part is that it’s a feature written from first-hand experience dealing with the hype and hysteria of the Sixers icon: You can read it here.

BOOM: My Wife’s 1st 5k:

I’ve been competing in these 5Ks lately and finally convinced my wife to join me. She works out a ton and runs 2 or 3 miles around the neighborhood a few times a week. But she’d never competed in a race until this week.

I talked her into waking up at 6AM to run a local race and…she did awesome! She took 4th in her age group and ran her fastest time BY FAR. Nothing beats competing to push you past your comfort zone.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR BOOKS & BICEPS SHIRT, BRO?:

Show the world you’re part of the sophisticated meathead crew with this Books & Biceps Faded Gray Tee (our #1 seller) for 20% off this week using the promo code: BICEPS

Fact: wearing shirts sucks - but if you have to wear one, you should wear one with the word ‘biceps’ on it.

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

How to Honor 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) How would you like to get 1 key idea every week to improve your life? Sounds good, right? The Sunday Coffee newsletter covers everything from how to do a dopamine reset to the secrets of Zone 2 training and even how to fight inflammation with food. If you like to read about longevity and wellness tips, subscribe here.

2) I know squats, not stocks. I know the QB option, not trading options. I could make more bad analogies, but I won’t. What I will do is share the link to the Bullseye Trades email written every week by world-famous 20-year trading veteran Jeff Bishop. If you’re into getting daily hot stock ideas and learning options trading strategies, this email is for you. Subscribe here.

3) Want to make money freelance writing? 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.

4) 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 and Mallory! Thanks for reading the whole thing! No skimming!