Welcome to the hundreds of brilliant meatheads who joined our Books & Biceps crew this week. If someone shared this with you, you can join nearly 3,000 of us getting smarter and stronger every week here:

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BOOKS

Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone by George Black

First, this is NOT a book about the show Yellowstone. Has nothing to do with it, in fact. And yet, Empire of Shadows is bloodier, deals with vast fortunes being won and lost, has a far higher bodycount, has bigger egos featuring real mountain men and hits you with a triple dose of adventure, exploration and tragedy.

This is the definitive, true history of the entire Yellowstone region, from pre-United States up to the modern day and it’s exceptional.

From towering mountaineers and figures like John Boseman and Jim Bridger to the Sioux and Blackfeet Indians, this book covers the clash of civilizations and the war over the land from Lewis and Clark on up.

It delves into the geological wonders of the region, how it was settled, why the cities are where they are and how it opened up a new gateway to the west after people passed through St. Louis.

I bought this book because we’re about to take a bucket list, 10-day trip with the kids exploring this whole region, and I LOVE to be the dorky dad who already read up on the area and drops annoying (yet cool) facts about the region as we drive around Yellowstone lake, hit the Grand Tetons and explore the geysers around Old Faithful.

I’ll share pictures here, but in the meantime, if you want to learn about the region that the show is based on, buy this book.

BICEPS

This week’s biceps features a brief biography of a fitness pioneer who has somehow been lost to history. His name is Aaron Molineaux Hewitt, and even though most of you have never heard his name before, he invented some of the gym equipment you use today, developed full-body circuit training and opened one of the first gyms in the United States.

He trained elite boxers (also was an elite boxer), was Harvard’s first black instructor and was even Frederick Douglass’s father-in-law.

Here is the fascinating fitness life of Aaron Molineaux Hewitt:

Quick Flexes

A few years ago I spent several hours every week sitting with “Mean” Joe Greene in his living room, writing his autobiography with him. Here are some lessons I learned:

Before we enjoy this 2023 summer movie season, let’s take a moment to appreciate the perfect game Nic Cage threw at the Box Office in one month in 1997:

🔥FACT: IT ONLY TAKES 3 SECONDS TO SHARE BOOKS & BICEPS - SO DO IT, DO IT NOW!!!

All it takes is ONE share and you get the free e-book, How to Read a Book Every 10 Days Like Bruce Lee.

Here’s all the cool stuff you can win and how many referrals you need for each:

Thank you all for reading.

Have a great weekend! - Jon

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