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BOOKS

Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time and it took an incredible feature story in GQ by Joseph Bien-Kahn to remind me that Tyson is one of the most unique icons we have living right now. He’s equally compelling as the subject of a story and as the storyteller himself.

First, you should read Bien-Kahn’s profile here. It’s an old school, thoughtful, sprawling profile that we don’t see much of anymore in sports journalism. I miss it, frankly. We used to get these regularly in print, but with digital not so much. Either way, this piece is phenomenal, which leads me to the book…

If it was a movie it would rated R. Or possibly NC-17. Tyson goes into his life. ALL of his life. And although I’ve barely started it as of now, I can see that this might be one I read in a few parts, instead of all at once.

I do this with autobiographies sometimes. Doesn’t mean I like them any less than books I read straight through… It just means that sometimes I like to take breaks from the author’s first person voice. I mean, there’s only so many days in a row you want Tyson’s voice in your head haha.

But if you grew up in the 80s or 90s and remember how much of a megastar Tyson was… how every single fight was an event… how his knockouts were devastating… how you couldn’t take your eyes off him from the second he appeared out of the tunnel for a fight, then this book will deliver. Check it out here.

BICEPS

I meet some cool people writing this newsletter and when I find out they’re doing awesome meathead things I like to interview them for all of us.

In today’s issue we’ve got a Q&A with Ty Thomas, a trainer who has generated millions of views on YouTube with his workout videos and tutorials for MuscleWiki. My favorite is this super creative 16-minute home workout he put together with objects you can find around your house.

I’m sure you see trainers like Ty on YouTube and Instagram all the time… They’ll pop in your feed and you’ll watch a short exercise and then you’ll notice they have like 100k followers. Crazy. I’ve always been curious about how these work behind-the-scenes. Where do ideas come from, what’s the feedback like, etc… And Ty was cool enough to answer a few questions, so here we go:

Finkel: With millions of people watching your videos, what are some of the misconceptions beginners have when they start to workout via your training guides?

Thomas: I could talk all day about misconceptions that beginners have. But if I had to state one, I would say the idea that you need "motivation."

I would often have clients tell me they were struggling with feeling motivated to go to the gym. I would tell them, "I've been working out for about 10 years straight now. Do you think I have felt motivated to work out 6 times a week for 10 years?" They would think for a second and then answer, "probably not."

Of course I have had stretches where I’m feeling motivated and can’t wait to get to the gym. But other times, I just wanted to go home after a tough day of work. My advice is: don't focus on motivation, because it comes and goes. Focus on being disciplined. Motivation is fleeting. Discipline is rock solid.

What’s a theme you’ve noticed about your most popular videos on the site?

The one thing I've noticed is people love for things to be concise. We live in a very fast moving world. We're consuming more content than ever before. And being able to get a complex point across to people in a concise manner is difficult. This is where being able to use good analogies and finding easily relatable stories helps massively.

I value evidence. But most people's eyes glaze over if you start talking about statistical significance. Putting my ego to the side and trying to meet people where they are in regards to their fitness knowledge has made a big difference.

When people search for workout videos they often type in stuff like “What’s the best bench press workout?” or “What’s the perfect workout to get ripped?” But those are totally subjective questions. Ask ten trainers you’ll get ten answers. How do you answer them?

Too many people get bogged down in trying to find the perfect workout plan and diet. Unfortunately, there isn't one. I would tell them, go to the gym, and just keep going. That may sound like an oversimplification. But for beginners especially, the most important thing is getting in the gym and going consistently.

I’ve had plenty of clients tell me they don’t go to the gym because they’re intimated by all the big guys walking around.

So I ask, “do you think that guy was ripped the first day he stepped in the gym?” Of course not. The only difference between that guy and you, is he showed up and he kept showing up. The most important thing, is that you keep showing up.

You put a lot of thought in your Ultimate Ab Training Guide. What kind of planning goes into a video like that?

For the body part guide videos I do, I go through quite a bit of research. First I look at the anatomy of the muscle, the fiber typing, and any specific exercise-related research for that body part. I also use my experience training 100s of clients over the years to inform my advice.

The abs are the most sought after muscle for many people. So I took extra time with that one to make sure all the advice was sound.

Thanks for your time, Ty!

You can follow Ty on Instagram here and check out MuscleWiki here.

Quick Flexes

You want to talk about life goals? How about being able to deadlift 405 pounds after your 90th birthday? If you can do that, there’s a good chance you don’t have to worry about falling and breaking a hip… Check this guy out:

And while we’re talking about tough guys, you are going to love this column I wrote about the Underwater Demolition Teams that became the Navy SEALs. Absolutely the hardest, most impressive group of dudes you’ll find:

And RIP to Burt Young, most famously, Paulie in the Rocky series. Here’s a photo I bet 99% of you never knew existed. Paulie in fighting shape:

Did you know I wrote the only book that researched, reviewed and ranked every single United States President - Athletically?

Zero politics. Just sports.

It’s called Jocks In Chief and it was endorsed by The New York Post, CBS: This Morning and Muscle & Fitness.

"Presidents aren't just the commander in chief - they're also athlete in chief... The Oval Office has a long history of being occupied by athletes. These sweaty pursuits are detailed in Jocks in Chief." - The New York Post

Buy Jocks In Chief HERE.

And check out all my other books right here.

Strong Links

Have you ever tried listening to audio books? I’ve long resisted, but recently become a fan and have one or two going right now… I like them for fiction and have been listening to them in place of podcasts during drives…

A nice way to “read” a few more books a year.

If you love audiobooks or are thinking of joining Audible, use this link below and support Books & Biceps:

→ USE THIS LINK for an awesome Audible Premium Deal

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Thank you all for reading.

Have a great weekend! - Jon

PS: I’m gathering testimonials for this newsletter as we grow. If you have one minute, please reply with one or two sentences describing the best book, workout or thing you learned from the newsletter.

Thanks!