Boom! This is Books & Biceps #365!

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If you’re a new subscriber you’ll love this profile that the New Yorker ran on us.

Flex Your Brain with Shortform, our NEW TITLE SPONSOR!

I love reading books and occasionally re-reading books, but what I’m terrible at, and don’t like doing, is taking notes while reading a book. I know plenty of authors and readers who do it, but it’s not my thing. I find that it messes with my flow and interrupts my thoughts and, the worst part, it feels like homework. And we all hate homework.

However, I like to reference ideas and stories from books that I’ve read in my own writing and thus, my dilemma: how to take notes without, you know, taking notes.

The answer: Shortform.

Shortform is a nonfiction book summary service that was built for readers like me. Instead of rereading books again from start to finish or flipping through trying to find that perfect passage, Shortform distills each book’s core ideas with chapter breakdowns, analysis, commentary and even counterpoints from other sources.

This isn’t Cliff’s Notes like we grew up on. And it’s not some AI slop version of the book. And it doesn’t replace reading the actual book. They have a team of writers and editors who break down the main points to supplement your own reading. 

In fact, I use it to refresh my memory on books I’ve already bought and read - like my own note taking service haha.

Sound good? Want to try it?

Books & Biceps readers GET 3 MONTHS FREE when you sign up for an annual subscription! Support the sponsors that support Books & Biceps. Win-Win!

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

Late last week the legendary American and astronaut, Jim Lovell, passed away at 97-years-old. Most of you remember his name because Tom Hanks played him the awesome movie, Apollo 13. But what you probably don’t know is that Lovell’s most daring mission, and the one that had the least probability of success and survival, was actually Apollo 8, which was the first crewed spacecraft to attempt to orbit the moon, meaning they were the first humans to leave earth’s orbit - ever. While NASA had done as much math and calculations ahead of time as they could, the idea of human beings attaining lunar orbit in a manmade space craft was only a theory. Thousands of things could go wrong and if it failed, the entire idea of landing on the moon would have likely fallen with it.

This entire mission is chronicled in one of the best books ever written on mankind’s quest to travel amongst the stars, Rocket Men by the great Robert Kurson.

While the story is ultimately about NASA’s triumph, it is set against the backdrop of epic and almost cataclysmic failures. In a frantic, pressure filled race to meet President Kennedy’s milestone to put humans on the moon before 1970, mistakes were made and lives were lost.

The book chronicles extraordinary men trying to do an extraordinary thing and overcoming disaster after disaster along the way. Matched up against Russia’s successful Sputnik launch, the real-time mocking of the program in the news was brutal. The press even began to nickname the failed rocket launches one by one: Kaputnik… Flopnik… Dudnik…

And yet, through guts and perseverance, Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders spent 20 hours in lunar orbit, setting the stage for the United States to put astronauts on the moon before Russia. This is an educational, action-packed, amazing read.

You can also read Jim Lovell’s official obituary and NASA biography here. It’s remarkable.

For a few years in my late 20s, I sat across from Dr. Jim Stoppani in the Muscle & Fitness Magazine headquarters in Los Angeles every day. He had a cool office with random barbells and protein powders and biology and physiology diagrams on the wall… And I had a cubicle with a poster of Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk and a Nerf basketball hoop duct taped to one side.

Doc and I collaborated on dozens of articles over the years. I’d help with catchy hooks and goofy ideas and he’d be the brains behind the workouts... One time I proposed a diet plan called “Eat Like a Pig and Get Ripped” and Doc delivered. Ha. He’s got dozens of incredible workout plans but one of my all time favorites, especially during the summer, is his famous “6 Weeks to Sick Arms” routine.

The whole routine is behind a paywall now, but if you’re just looking for a great arm day this is my favorite one in the program. He incorporates drop sets on the last rep of each set:

Close Grip Bench 3 sets of 6-8 reps

Seated Triceps Press 3 sets of 6-8

Triceps Press Down 3 sets of 6-8

Barbell Curl Heavy 3 sets of 3-5

Barbell Curl Wide Grip 3 sets of 6-8

Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets of 6-8

Preacher Curl 3 sets of 6-8

If you’re a guy over 40 and you’ve been looking for a new digital magazine that’s written for midlife men, by midlife men, on the topics that actually matter to us: family, fitness, fashion, finance, food & fun, then join 25K of us at Midlife Male.

I write a column every Tuesday called The Manologue. This week, I tackled a topic near and dear to every dude’s heart: Why We’re Obsessed with Smoking Meats and the fellas at Traeger themselves wrote me to comment on these smoke rings! I’m a proud, proud meat making man right now. Read the full column here:

Me getting ready for a new Pats season at 47 is a lot different from how I prepared when I was about 8 hahaha:

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND MOBILITY IN 2025?

Hell yes, you do! You gotta try the Knees Over Toes program. I’ve been doing it for over 2 months and the results are legit. No BS. I’d never share this if it didn’t work wonders for me.

This is the EXACT workout I’m using to cure my longstanding low back pain, along with my longtime pathetic mobility and flexibility. So far, my tight hip pain has disappeared and my low back pain has gone from a constant five down to a two. This may sound dumb, but I can put my shoes and socks on without that familiar twinge and tightening. It’s incredible.

If you’d like to sign up, please USE THIS LINK FOR BOOKS & BICEPS READERS. B&B is an official Knees Over Toes affiliate and if you join it helps support this newsletter.

If you’d like to sign up, please USE THIS LINK FOR BOOKS & BICEPS READERS.

Readers always ask me what newsletter platform I used for Books & Biceps and the answer is Beehiiv. If you want to start your own newsletter, I can’t recommend them enough. Absolutely loaded with features. The best customer service on the planet. Super easy to learn and post

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PSS: THERE’S STILL TIME TO JOIN THIS SUMMER’S ‘READ MORE, LIFT MORE’ CHALLENGE!

Every summer we take on a ‘Read More, Lift More’ Challenge, where we pair one phenomenal book with 30 workouts inspired by the book along with quotes and commentary. This summer, we’re working off of Alfred Lansing’s brilliant New York Times Bestseller, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage. This book is one of the most popular B&B recs of all time and it follows an insane failed attempt to get to the South Pole in 1914, followed by a heroic, mind boggling rescue mission through a thousand miles of pack ice, on foot and makeshift boats. You will never forget this read.

Following the challenge is simple:

📚 You read 10 pages a day
💪 You do one Finkel-designed workout inspired by those pages
🧠 You get a daily quote from the book matching the section you just read, chosen by me, and a Meathead Motivation thought from me to keep your mindset locked in.

Start today and in 30 days you’ll be in better shape with a great book under your belt. You in? You ready? Let’s gooooooo!!!

P.S.: Order now and you get a FREE Printable Challenge Tracker