💪Books & Biceps - Issue 190

Books & Biceps is the only weekly e-mail that combines reading recommendations, author interviews, workouts and quotes.

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BOOKS

It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness by Seth Wickersham

When I was growing up in Boston the New England Patriots were laughably awful. We’d sit on crappy aluminum stadium seats at the old Foxboro stadium and root for teams that went 2-14 and 4-12 and had quarterbacks with names like Hugh Millen and Marc Wilson. There was simply no way of knowing at that time that the Patriots would soon sign Bill Parcells and draft a stud in Drew Bledsoe and that they’d quickly become respectable and even make it to the Super Bowl in 1996. Following Parcells’ departure and Bill Belichick’s hire and losing Bledsoe to a vicious hit during the 2001 season, nobody in their right mind would have predicted what was about to happen… That the once-hapless New England Patriots were about to reel off the most successful two decades in NFL history behind an all-time great coach and the all-time greatest quarterback. If you’re a Patriots hater, I understand if you’re rolling your eyes or puking in your mouth a little… But if not, or if you just love football and great sports books, one of the best writers around, Seth Wickersham, is about to publish the definitive history of the Brady/Belichick Patriots. Comprised of hundreds of interviews with every major player, coach and executive in New England going all the way back to 2001, this book aims to be the definitive, all-encompassing story of the Tom Brady Era in New England. Sound good? (or horrible, if you’re a hater?) Grab a copy here.

BICEPS

The bench press is a holy staple of the meathead lifting routine. Yeah, deadlift is the king of all exercises and squats are cool…but when it comes to old school football workouts and classic weight room shit talking, only one question matters: “How much do you bench?”

200? 250? 300? 400? 500?!?!?

No matter where you land on this Herculean hierarchy, one thing is for certain: you may not be using your strongest grip! That’s right, most people who bench line up their hand positions on the bar using the knurling and some eyeballing with their thumbs, but that’s not the way to find out what your strongest bench press grip is. This video will help you accurately determine your strongest bench press grip. Now get crushing!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” - Epictetus

QUICK FLEXES

• I caught a selfie with an absolutely amazing sunrise/rainbow while walking my dog the other day you gotta see this pic.

• I also opened my big mouth and said I’d build a picnic table from Costco, immediately regretted it, but then felt like a master of the universe once I broke out my power drill. Check out the before and after.

• We also got some good movie talk going on Twitter this week, professing our love for Tango & Cash here and trading quotes from Con Air here.

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And if you’re looking for a great book to read, I’ve written a bunch! Grab one here.