Books & Biceps is the only weekly e-mail that combines reading recommendations, exclusive workouts, fascinating stories & more…

Welcome to our hundreds of new readers! If someone forwarded this to you, join thousands of us getting smarter and stronger every week and subscribe below!

THANK YOU to everyone who wrote in requesting a Books & Biceps sticker last week. All 50 stickers were spoken for in no time. I sent them all out Tuesday, so you should be getting them soon. Once you get yours and slap it on your laptop, squat rack, desk or wherever, post a pic on Twitter, tag me (@Jon_Finkel) and I’ll share it ASAP.

BOOKS

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

I’ve bought Shoe Dog twice and I’ve let people borrow it more times than I can count and somehow it never returns because the person who I let borrow it asks if someone else can borrow it and then… poof… it’s gone.

I’m fine with it.

Shoe Dog might be the best entrepreneur memoir ever written. The more people who read it the better. And full disclosure, the book is incredible because of the real journey that Phil Knight went on and his legit stories, BUT, he wasn’t an insanely talented writer. Nope. He needed help.

Which is why the book was ghostwritten by J.R. Moehringer, who is an insanely talented, Pulitzer Prize winning author. Moehringer also ghostwrote Andre Agassi’s amazing memoir, Open. So, you’re in good hands.

From Oregon to Japan to Prefontaine to Jordan…if you don’t know the story behind Nike’s founding, you need to read this. Pure motivation.

This is my favorite motivational moment in the book:

THE SCENE: Nike's early years. They're leveraged to the hilt and there was a real possibility the entire company would end the next day. No more paychecks. No more shoes. Nothing. Knight’s main supplier, Onitsuka, had cut them off...

THE STAKES: Nike could not fill any shoe orders that they had already borrowed money for and spent. "It seemed like the end of times. Everyone in the room had already been worrying about how they were going to make the rent, pay the light bills.” - Phil Knight

Then…

THE SPEECH "We’ve come, folks, to a crossroads. Yesterday, our main supplier cut us off," Knight said. He let that sink in. He watched everyone’s jaw drop. He cleared his throat. “So… In other words… What I’m trying to say is… We’ve got them right where we want them....

Everyone around the table lifted their eyes. They sat up straighter.

Knight spoke:

“This is – the moment. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Our moment. No more selling someone else’s brand. No more working for someone else…

"If we’re going to succeed, or fail, we should do so on our own terms, with our own ideas – our own brand. Let’s look at this as our liberation. As our Independence Day… Yes, it’s going to be rough. I won’t lie to you. We’re definitely going to war, people. But... We know the terrain. We know our way around. And that’s one reason I feel in my heart that this is a war we can win. And if we win it, when we win it, I see great things for us on the other side of victory. We are still alive, people. We are still. Alive.”

Bad ass, right?!

BICEPS

Feeling too tired to hit the gym? Up late watching Netflix? Had too much to drink? Don’t have the energy to lift? Can’t seem to get motivated?

Next time you have any of these feelings, I want you to think of one of the most inspiring dudes I’ve come across.

His name is Matthew Bradford. He was in the Marines. Sixteen years ago he stepped on an IED and lost both of his legs and his sight. His rehab and recovery were brutal. But he’s overcome it all. He lifts and trains 5 days a week:

He competes as a handcycler. His motto is: No Legs. No Vision. No Problem.

Absolutely inspiring. Think about Matt next time you’re “not feeling it” when you should exercise. Then get off your ass and do it.

Follow him here.

QUICK FLEXES:

I hit a new PR on my quest to do 100 pull-ups as fast as possible.

Almost broke 15 minutes Wednesday AM in the Flex Factory:

And it’s always nice to spot my book, 1996: A Biography, holding down the hot corner at a bookstore:

If you haven’t read it, 1996 was endorsed by both Steve Rushin and Jeff Pearlman.

Pearlman wrote:

"From Griffey and Prime Time to Jordan and Jeter, 1996 serves as a Vegas-style buffet of sports legend. Years come, years go. But Jon Finkel's masterpiece proves that, on rare occasion, some 365-day spans are worth bronzing in gold."

You can buy it here.

Thanks for reading and subscribing!

PS: DON’T FORGET TO SEND A PIC WITH YOUR NEW BOOKS & BICEPS STICKER

If you enjoyed this, please share it using this button below.

And we’re always looking for new book suggestions, share them with all of us here:

Have a great weekend! - Jon