Boom! This is Books & Biceps #391!

Thanks to everyone who has shared this newsletter with a buddy or fellow sophisticated meathead. In fact, if an awesome B&B reader shared this with you, add your e-mail with the subscribe button below:

Welcome to This Month’s Title Sponsor: Momentous!

Fitness headlines always shout: “Studies show Creatine is amazing for muscle! And strength! And recovery!” And yep, those studies are true and important to every sophisticated meathead reading. BUT, there are new headlines that say stuff like: “Creatine Boosts Cognitive Performance!” That means if you read a ton (us), and if you’d like to remember more of what you read (of course!), or maybe you just feel a mental fog come on in the afternoon (always), Creatine may offer a solution. It’s been a GIANT help for me, especially since I upped my dose to 10g/day instead of 5g (do your own research and consult your doctor for your own dosage). That’s why I’m so pumped to have Momentous sponsoring today’s newsletter (more at the bottom):

And forget basic offers 15% or 25% off. That’s not enough for the prestigious B&B crew. Instead, use this link below and you get up to 35% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER USING THE CODE ‘BICEPS’ at checkout on Creatine chews, powder, collagen peptides, Omega 3s and more!

1812: The War that Forged a Nation by Walter R. Borneman

I got into a conversation with a friend last week about events in America that happened before any kind of video (pre-TV and Internet and smartphone) and which would be the wildest to watch unfold online and on social media if it happened now, in 2026. So we’re talking major American events that took place pre-1940s or so. Especially pre-1900.

And imagine this scenario: A foreign country’s Navy arrives in the Chesapeake Bay. Huge ships. An armada filling up the sea. They quickly blow past America’s defenses in Maryland, then an Army rushes off the boats and marches to Washington, D.C., destroying everything in their path. They set fire to the U.S. Capitol Building and the Navy Yard, burning the town down as they go.

They get inside of two miles of the White House, charging up Pennsylvania Avenue and the First Lady is still there, while the President is in retreat in another part of town! The First Lady sees the smoke, grabs some belongings, including valuable art and historical treasures, and flees the White House moments before the foreign army storms in! The general and soldiers arrive to an empty White House, eat the dinner that was being set for 40 presidential guests in a ballroom, and then set fire to the entire place before they leave.

Imagine all of that happening now!? With endless iPhone footage of the First Lady running out on foot, clutching documents, as all of DC burned in the distance? Then imagine footage of the foreign country’s officers sitting down to eat in the White House? Then drone footage of the White House burning? Insane, right?

Well, that’s exactly what happened during the War of 1812 against the British. President James Madison (with future President James Monroe) fled D.C. shortly before Dolley Madison had to make her fast exit. Can you fathom watching this unfold on social media now? It would blow up the Internet. And all of this is to say that while the War of 1812 is often overlooked and overshadowed by the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and others, it deserves to be studied and is considered by historians as the war that solidified America as a nation. I read this book a long time ago and recently repurchased it to re-read. If U.S. History interests you, you’ll enjoy it. It’s a military, strategic and civilian breakdown of the causes, the conflict and battles of the war.

Also, how most Americans at the time assumed that by the end of the war, almost all of eastern Canada (what we now consider Canada) would be part of the United States and we’d add to our territory. Obviously, it didn’t work out that way.

I ventured out of the Flex Factory this week to use our local community gym. Sometimes I feel like I need to switch things up, so I’ll walk in with no plan, no “body part” to work on and just lift by feel.

My goal was to use as many of the machines/pieces of equipment that I don’t have at home for a full upper body workout. I stuck to my new trend of doing higher reps later in the week while going heavy earlier in the week, so this is what I came up with. I’m not including the weights because every machine is different and I don’t think they’re close to accurate depending on your height, seat adjustment, range of motion, etc… I just found a weight that I could do between 15-20 times, where the 20th rep was super hard.

I did 2 sets of 15-20 for each:

Chest press, Chest Flyes, Shoulder Press, Lat Pulldown, Machine Rows, Reverse Flyes, Triceps press down (two grips), Preacher Curls, Hammer Curls.

I made a point of moving quickly between each machine. Less than one minute rest. Took about 40 minutes. Good stuff!

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 us at Midlife Male.

I write a column every Tuesday called The Manologue. This week, my topic was in response to the Oscar nominations. Of the ten movies nominated, I saw two. But I did see a lot of movies this year that I liked and I wanted to share them in a sort of alternate Oscars list. Here it is:

IF YOU MISSED IT, MY PUBLISHER RELEASED THE OFFICIAL BACK COVER SUMMARY OF MY THRILLER BEAR BRAWL, COMING NOVEMBER 10TH! BUT YOU CAN (AND SHOULD) PRE-ORDER IT RIGHT NOW!!!!

HERE YOU GO:

Fight Club meets The Revenant in Bear Brawl, a heartfelt revenge-and-redemption story perfect for fans of Jaws and Rambo.

Brick Bridger, 6'6", 265 pounds, is a two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion, BJJ black belt and winner of eight fights in the UFC before retiring from a knee injury to run his own wrestling academy in his home state of Arkansas. One summer night, he's running fifteen minutes late to his mom's BBQ at their family cabin and disaster strikes. A rogue 450-pound black bear goes on a rampage, breaks into the cabin, kills his mom and puts his brother in a wheelchair. Brick is devastated. Torn apart with guilt. He believes in his heart if he had been there on time he could've stopped the bear.

From that moment forward, Brick vows to get revenge on the beast. No guns. No knives. No weapons. By enlisting the help of a top zoologist, his old wrestling coach and his training partner and brother, Brick goes on a quest to get inside the mind of a bear while training to track and take down the fearsome animal. This is what happens when a mountain of a man with a black belt fights a black bear in a fist-to-paw brawl for it all.

Bear Brawl takes readers on a blockbuster adventure with heart-pounding scenes, humor, heart, bear history, William Faulkner (you'll see), and family. Dropping into the action from the first sentence, the pages fly by, covering tracking, training, fighting, philosophy, pain, grief, love and a cast of unforgettable characters you'll root for like you're watching your favorite action movie.

Here’s a SNEAK PEAK at a few blurbs for Brawl:

"Bear Brawl is Jack Reacher meets The Edge--a white-knuckled thriller that pits one man against nature's apex predator. Jon Finkel delivers a page-turner like no other."

-- "Stayton Bonner, USA Today bestselling author of Bare Knuckle and The Million-Dollar Car Detective"

"Jon Finkel's gifts as a rollicking storyteller are on full display in his thriller Bear Brawl, along with his deep expertise in what happens when we're pushed to our physical and mental limits. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll buy an extra can of bear spray next time you head into the woods."

-- "Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure and The Explorer's Gene "

And we’ve got DOZENS more on the way!

Let’s get Bear Brawl to #1 in the next 24 hours. I know we can do it…

PS: WHEN YOU ORDER, SAVE YOUR SCREEN SHOT!

I’ve got a ton of giveaways coming up as we get closer: Book plates, bookmarks, stickers, signed stuff and more!

Also, this week marked the anniversary of the Challenger tragedy and I want to share a story on one of the most remarkable men you’ll ever hear about, Dr. Ronald McNair:

Momentous Creatine Chews are about the size of a Mentos and have a refreshing, citrus taste. It’s super easy to pop two, four or five in your mouth and they dissolve fast (I chew mine then chug some ice water). These are way better than gummies which, research has shown, may contain no actual creatine! Crazy!

These Chews deliver 1 gram of Creapure® creatine, the clinically studied, German-sourced gold standard that fits perfectly into your Sophisticated Meathead routine, whether in your own Flex Factory, your car or at your desk. Even better, studies have shown notable improvements in short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning abilities. Check out these three stats:

Here’s my typical Creatine regimen: I take a scoop of 5g of the Momentous powder every day in my protein shake after I lift (mixed with protein), and then later in the afternoon, I pop 5 of these in my mouth to reach 8 to 10 grams before or after my swim practice. Easy.

It’s up to you whether you want to take creatine. You can read a ton more info about it here. What I can tell you is that brands often reach out to me to partner up and I usually say ‘no’, but in this case, I already take Momentous Creatine, so this was a no brainer. Also, I asked them to up the standard 15% or 25% off to get us up to a full 35%.

This offer is an easy win-win, because a great way to support the newsletter is to support the sponsors that support us. Please check out Momentous chews, powders and more below. And if you take Creatine, try this one:

→ DO YOU READ BOOKS & BICEPS MOST WEEKS?

→ DO YOU WORK FOR A BRAND OR COMPANY OR SELL A PRODUCT?

Want to get in front of 27,000 awesome readers who focus on being smart, wellness, fitness, nutrition, entertainment, sports and more?

You could be our next title sponsor!

January and the 1st week of February are booked! Previous sponsors include Nike, Random House, Huel, HubSpot, SFH Nutrition, La Touraine Watches and more…

→ Download the media kit.

→ Or book while inventory lasts.