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Welcome! You are reading Books & Biceps #303!

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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. And if you’re ready to upgrade to a Premium Flex Membership, do it now.

Before we get into today’s issue, I have one question: Have you ever been on a reading retreat? No? Me neither….

But imagine unplugging from the world on Friday and heading to a cabin in the woods… or a beach bungalow… or even a lodge in the mountains… with nothing but a stack of books, peace and quiet and time to read for the weekend… How sick would that be?

Well, here’s your chance to win that exact scenario. Penguin Random House is running a contest where they give one person $1,000 in cash to buy the books you want and send you on the weekend reading retreat of your dreams. Solo. With friends. Whatever… The books in the ad aren’t exactly B&B-focused, but that’s just the stock image. You can use the cash to buy whatever books you want.

Sound dope? All you have to do is click on the ad below to win. And this could be you soon, chilling on your yellow sports car by the water, curled up on the hood with your favorite book:

A free weekend reading retreat available!

Enter to win $1,000 from Penguin Random House for the weekend reading retreat of your dreams, plus a stack of books and wellness goodies!

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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. US Residents, 18+. Ends June 30, 2024. See Official Rules at bit.ly/3SRNqEU 

BOOKS

👉 (This is the Premium Flex Big Read of the Month)

First Blood by David Morrell

I saw the movie First Blood and the sequels First Blood: Parts II & III a dozen times each before I learned they were based on a bestselling novel by David Morrell, which came out in 1972, a decade before Sylvester Stallone brought John Rambo to the big screen in 1982.

I admit that for years I wasn’t interested in the book because I loved the movies so much… But I stumbled across a post by the author last year where he talked about all the differences between his book and the films… and there were so many and they were so intriguing that I instantly bought the book.

What differences? I’ll share a few:

1) The novel takes places in rural Kentucky instead of the mountains and forest of Washington, which changes things action-wise.

2) Rambo is WAY more deadly and kills WAY MORE PEOPLE in the novel.

3) No spoilers, but the ending is completely different and far more powerful in the book.

And there are so many more… Hell, in the novel Rambo doesn’t even have a first name.

Makes you want to read the book, right? Me too.

The book also includes a great introduction by the author called “Rambo & Me” where Morrell shares the story of how he wrote the book and the path it took to film, which is insane.

From the time the book was published until it hit theaters, the movie was adapted into an astonishing 18 screenplays and at one point had the following actors lined up to play Rambo: Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, Nick Nolte, Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas.

Of all those dudes I think I’m most intrigued by a mid-1970s Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood version of Rambo.

What about you? Who’s your alternate universe Rambo?

Alas, we got Stallone, and he was awesome. You can buy the book here.

🚨This book is the Big Read of the Month for Premium Flex Members.

On Tuesday Premium Flex Members will get an exclusive issue of Books & Biceps with a breakdown of the sections we’ll read each week, my takeaways, favorite scenes, author tricks, supplementary articles… and you can chop it up about the book or anything else in the Teams chat.

This is HUGE. You no longer have to read solo and ask around your friends and family to see if anyone has read the new book you can’t put down (usually not).

Now you’ve got your B&B crew. We’re all reading the same thing each month at the same pace. Easy. Efficient. Accountable. Awesome. Join us:

BICEPS

I’ve long been fascinated by the life of long haul truck drivers. I can’t explain it, but everything from their bed/living set-ups in the cab to how much distance they travel to the truck stops and what they do when they’re not driving and stuck in random towns has always interested me…

And of course, yeah, I’ve always wondered how/if any of these guys workout to offset all that time sitting behind the wheel.

Then I discovered this dude, Johnny, who is 35, is built like a middleweight and trains like an NFL cornerback during fueling, stops and loading. 3.5M people have watched this video, so clearly I’m not the only person curious about a jacked truck driver’s lifestyle. This is a sample workout he did stuck at a Pilot rest stop on a 10-hour break:

johnnycfit4

View more on Instagram

And by the way, if this guy can stay in this kind of shape when he’s forced to sit driving all day, office workers have no excuse.

🚨REMINDER: All Books & Biceps Premium Flex members will be starting our 1st monthly challenge next week. The challenge will be revealed in the Tuesday e-mail.

This is a fun one. No frills. Fast. But you’ll be amazed at your improvement (and your bigger arms) over such a short period of time.

Want in? Join us and UPGRADE HERE

QUICK FLEXES

I watched Season 1 of The Terminal List but I haven’t read any of Jack Carr’s novels about James Reece…yet.

I know the books are juggernauts from a sales perspective, but I knew very little about Carr (a 10-year Navy SEAL), how his mom was a librarian, how the two things he always wanted to be as a kid were a SEAL and an author like Tom Clancy… And so much more.

I learned all of this, including some great tips about how he set himself apart as an author and broke out during his interview on the My First Million podcast, which you can listen to here.

For all my swimmers, I highly recommend this sprint workout and by that I mean this sprint workout will crush you… Lots of butterfly. Lots of short intervals… Took 45 minutes to do but another 15 after to catch my breath!

TREAT YOURSELF TO

A FATHER’S DAY GIFT!

Have you grabbed your Books & Biceps shirt yet? Check out this shirt and more at our OFFICIAL FLEX FACTORY SHOP!

You know that favorite tee you used to have? The one that's faded and comfy and that you could live in? This is that shirt! It shows that you're a fashion icon. A book lover. A gym rat. An absolute stud. Plus, we faded it and made it comfy for you... so you can actually live in it like people do in apocalypse movies. While flexing, of course.

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Want the official shirt? Want the official glass? Get’em both here!

Use the CODE “BICEPS” at Checkout to get 10% OFF FOR FATHER’S DAY:

Time 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) I’ve never been a “mindfulness” guy mainly because nearly all the content around it and the people writing about it are so boring and bland that it’s never held any appeal… But I recently started reading Doug’s Newsletter, which asks you to slow down, laugh and relax, while discussing everything from cereal boxes to hockey to memes.

Give it a shot, it’s a fun 5-minute read once a week:

2) Do you run a start-up? Have you ever wondered what tools and tactics the best founders use? This newsletter, Big Desk Energy, gives you deep insight into the ins, outs, dos, don’ts and definitely don’ts when it comes to starting a company - all with a little humor involved. Check it out.

3)  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:

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! - Jon

PS:

DON’T FORGET TO UPGRADE 👇:

BONUS: Have you read these greatest hits?

1) This feature has been read by more than 10 MILLION PEOPLE:

How ESPN’s SportsCenter United a Generation in the 90s

2) This breakdown of iconic author Lee Child’s success was read by over 4 MILLION:

Did you know Lee Child started his Jack Reacher literary empire with $6?

PPS: You still reading Gus and Mallory? Thanks for getting through the whole thing! No skimming!

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