Welcome to the 300th issue of Books & Biceps!

We’ve got MAJOR BREAKING NEWS today so let’s get to it!

I sent the first issue of this email in February of 2018 to 17 people and it was called “Finkel’s Fast Five” back then. Great alliteration. Crappy name. Wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing. But I kept sending. And learning. And figuring out what our band of book lovers and biceps curlers wanted…

It took a few months to cross 100 readers and a year to hit 500 and another to cross 1,000… and that’s when things crystallized:

This newsletter wasn’t about 5 things I was doing or even about me. It was about us. What we like to read. How we challenge ourselves physically. What motivates us, the sophisticated meatheads of the world who have a pile of weights in our garage and a stack of books on our nightstand.

That’s when I removed my name from the title and changed it to Books & Biceps.

After that, we took off, crossing 4k, 5k, 6k and beyond to where we are today, at nearly 14,000 readers! I’ve shared hundreds of workouts, 250+ book recommendations and 50 exclusive author Q&As, every Friday. For free. I’ve published four books during the same time period and they’ve been endorsed by everyone from John Cena and Mark Cuban to Kevin Durant and Spike Lee.

We even got profiled in New Yorker Magazine (they called me “a gym rat’s Reese Witherspoon” and “a book whisperer to burly bros”). 

And throughout all of this, our community has grown. Every week when B&B goes out I get responses like these real emails from readers:

And there are hundreds more like this… Each one is humbling and gratifying and has inspired this next evolution of Books & Biceps.

Which brings me to our announcement:

As our community has grown, tons of requests have come in asking for something more… something bigger… something bolder each week. Many in our crew want action and accountability and camaraderie and challenges we can do together…

And the more these requests and emails came in the more my inspiration grew, which is why in honor of our 300th issue, I am beyond pumped to announce:

The Books & Biceps…

Here Are 9 Premium Flex Member Benefits:

💪 Membership in the Books & Biceps Brigade, our NEW Monthly Reading Crew:

1. We start a new book the first week of every month together

2. I share weekly thoughts/ideas and supplementary reading/rabbit holes

3. You are invited to a LIVE Video Book Hang with occasional Special Authors and Guests the last Friday of every month

💪 Access to the NEW Books & Biceps Premium Flex Teams Group

• YOUR EXCLUSIVE HOME TO:

• Recommend books/articles

• Meet other B&B readers

• Share workouts

• Chat with me

• Talk smack

• Plan offline hangouts and more…

💪 Access to the NEW Books & Biceps Premium Flex Tuesday Newsletter

💪 Access to my Full Meathead Media Digital Library for FREE ($100 value):

• Jocks In Chief

• The Dadvantage

• Dominique Wilkins Biography

• Meathead Movie Workouts Vol. 1

• The Night the Legend of the Driveway was Born & more…

💪 Access to the Full Freelance Fortune Writing Course FREE ($250 value)

• (90-minute video + 3 ebooks)

💪 Free 1st chapters of: Macho Man, 1996, Hoops Heist & ALL FUTURE BOOKS…

💪 Premium Flex-Only Columns

💪 10% off Everything in the Flex Factory Store

💪 6+ NEW Yearly Fitness Challenges with Workouts, Milestones & Goals to Keep You Jacked, Motivated & Improving

Yeah, you get ALL THAT when you become a BOOKS & BICEPS PREMIUM FLEX MEMBER today at the presale rate of $10/month or $99/year.

The yearly fee knocks the cost down to JUST $8.25/month!

And you ALSO still get the Friday issue that you know and love.

→ NOTE: The Friday issue IS and ALWAYS will be FREE!

Here’s how membership breaks down. You get:

1. The Books & Biceps Premium Flex Membership with access to the NEW Teams Chat, Challenges and more…

2. The NEW Books & Biceps Premium Flex Tuesday Newsletter

3. The Books & Biceps OG Friday Newsletter

When you average it out you’re getting the Premium Flex Membership and TWO Books & Biceps issues per week for about $1/issue.

I’m not an economics professor, but I’m confident in saying that this is the greatest possible use of a dollar in the history of currency.

But you only have 2 weeks to jump on this offer.

The 1st issue for Premium Flex Members comes out June 4th.

You do not want to miss it. We’ve got an awesome book we’re going to devour and a great fitness challenge to tackle. Plus, you’ll get in on the ground floor of the B&B Teams Group.

Here’s the bottom line from me to you:

I love this newsletter. I love this community. I’ve been doing this as a part-time job for 5+ years. I do everything I can to find books that will resonate with you, authors you’ll be interested in, workouts you’ll dig and motivation to get you pumped, and share original columns and dude/dad stuff along the way.

Now you can be part of backing our next evolution: Books & Biceps Phase 2.

Are you in? Are you ready?

Get Access to Your Premium Flex Membership RIGHT NOW!

Still thinking? Think about this: 

When you join for a year, you’ll complete 6 fitness goals and have read and discussed 12 new books. You’ll have met a ton of dudes who lift and read like you and you’ll level up together. You’ll be in the upper 1% of sophisticated meatheads. 

INSTANT BONUS: Everyone who becomes a Premium Flex Member gets an exclusive Premium Flex Membership B&B sticker…

You know how pilots earn their wings? 

When you upgrade to a Premium Flex Membership you earn your biceps. 

Check out this beauty:

Whether you’ve been reading Books & Biceps for one issue or one hundred, it would mean the world to me if you became a Premium Flex Member. A lot of you have reached out over the years asking how you can support the community and this is how.

We’ve built this together. Now let’s grow together.

Join us, save 17% and PRE-ORDER YOUR Membership today!

REMEMBER: The 1st Issue of Premium Flex comes out June 4th, then the membership fee goes up.

BOOKS

All The Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of the Wire by Jonathan Abrams

I did some digging and this was the 1st BOOK I EVER RECOMMENDED in Books & Biceps. This is what I wrote back in February of 2018:

“There are two kinds of TV watchers in the world... Those who think The Wire is the greatest show of all time...and those poor unfortunate souls who haven't seen it yet.

If you're in the first group, one of my favorite writers, JP Abrams, has a new book out this week, All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire. It is a dream come true for Wire fans.

I loved Abrams' first book, Boys Among Men about LeBron, Kobe, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett's entry into the NBA so I'm psyched for this one. Just got it yesterday.”

Six years later and I still agree with this entire statement! If you liked The Wire you’ll love this.

BICEPS

If you follow me on X or Instagram then you know I completed a rare meathead feat this week. I slammed my slam ball too hard and broke it:

This turned out to be fitting, because the very first workout I recommended in Books & Biceps was with this very slam ball that I’d just bought back in 2018. I titled it:

Death By Slam Ball

This one starts off easy but quickly becomes exhausting:

1 Slam Ball Slam on 1 minute, 2 on the 2nd minute, 3 on the 3rd, 4th on the 4th, 5 Slam Ball Slams on the 5th, 6 Slams on the 6th minute, 7 Slams on the 7th minute, 8 Slams on the 8th minute, 9 slams on the 9th minute, 10 slams on the 10th and up and up until you can’t do it anymore….

I lasted about 22 minutes. Mainly because with every minute you get less breaks until you’re just slamming the slam ball until your legs shake. Good luck!

Thank you for taking a quick trip down meathead memory lane to the 1st book and 1st workout I recommended in this e-mail.

I can’t believe it’s been nearly six years and 300 issues.

Now, instead of letting up, we’re leveling up. JOIN US!

🚀 Become a PREMIUM FLEX MEMBER

Here’s a recap of what’s included:

1. Premium Flex-Only Columns

2. 10% off Everything in the Flex Factory Store

3. Access to the Books & Biceps Premium Flex Teams Group

4. Free 1st chapters of: Macho Man, 1996 & ALL future books

5. Membership in the Monthly Reading Books & Biceps Brigade 

6. Access to my Full Meathead Media Digital Library ($75 value)

7. Access to the Books & Biceps Premium Flex Tuesday Newsletter

8. Access to the Full Freelance Fortune Writing Course ($250 value)

9. 6+ Yearly Fitness Challenges with Workouts, Milestones & Goals to Keep You Jacked, Motivated & Improving

Become a BOOKS & BICEPS PREMIUM FLEX MEMBER before June 4th and SAVE 17% OFF A YEARLY MEMBERSHIP!

Thank you all for reading these past 300 issues and here’s to the next 300! Have a phenomenal weekend and I’ll see all you Premium Flex Members in the chat! - Jon

PPS: You still reading Gus and Mallory? Thanks for getting through the whole thing again! No skimming!