The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman
PRAISE FOR
The 4-Hour Workweek
“This is a whole new ball game. Highly recommended.” —Dr. Stewart D. Friedman, adviser to Jack Welch and former director of the Work/Life Integration Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
“It’s about time this book was written. It is a long-overdue manifesto for the mobile lifestyle, and Tim Ferriss is the ideal ambassador. This will be huge.” —Jack Canfield, cocreator of Chicken Soup for the Soul®, 100+ million copies sold
“Stunning and amazing. From mini-retirements to outsourcing your life, it’s all here. Whether you’re a wage slave or a Fortune 500 CEO, this book will change your life!” —Phil Town, New York Times bestselling author of Rule #1
“The 4-Hour Workweek is a new way of solving a very old problem: just how can we work to live and prevent our lives from being all about work? A world of infinite options awaits those who would read this book and be inspired by it!” —Michael E. Gerber, founder and chairman of E-Myth Worldwide and the world’s #1 small business guru
“Timothy has packed more lives into his 29 years than Steve Jobs has in his 51.” —Tom Foremski, journalist and publisher of SiliconValleyWatcher.com
“If you want to live life on your own terms, this is your blueprint.” —Mike Maples, cofounder of Motive Communications (IPO to $260M market cap) and founding executive of Tivoli (sold to IBM for $750M)
“Thanks to Tim Ferriss, I have more time in my life to travel, spend time with family, and write book blurbs. This is a dazzling and highly useful work.” —A. J. Jacobs, editor-at-large of Esquire magazine and author of The Know-It-All
“Tim is Indiana Jones for the digital age. I’ve already used his advice to go spearfishing on remote islands and ski the best hidden slopes of Argentina. Simply put, do what he says and you can live like a millionaire.” —Albert Pope, derivatives specialist at UBS World Headquarters
“Reading this book is like putting a few zeros on your income. Tim brings lifestyle to a new level—listen to him!” —Michael D. Kerlin, McKinsey & Company consultant to Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund and a J. William Fulbright Scholar
“Part scientist and part adventure hunter, Tim Ferriss has created a road map for an entirely new world. I devoured this book in one sitting —I have seen nothing like it.” —Charles L. Brock, chairman and CEO of Brock Capital Group; former CFO, COO, and general counsel of Scholastic, Inc.; and former president of the Harvard Law School Association
“Outsourcing is no longer just for Fortune 500 companies. Small and mid-sized firms, as well as busy professionals, can outsource their work to increase their productivity and free time for more important commitments. It’s time for the world to take advantage of this revolution.” —Vivek Kulkarni, CEO of Brickwork India and former IT secretary of Bangalore; credited as the “techno-bureaucrat” who helped make Bangalore an IT destination in India
“Tim is the master! I should know. I followed his rags to riches path and watched him transform himself from competitive fighter to entrepreneur. He tears apart conventional assumptions until he finds a better way.” —Dan Partland, Emmy Award–winning producer of American High and Welcome to the Dollhouse
“The 4-Hour Workweek is an absolute necessity for those adventurous souls who want to live life to its fullest. Buy it and read it before you sacrifice any more!” —John Lusk, group product manager at Microsoft World Headquarters
“If you want to live your dreams now, and not in 20 or 30 years, buy this book!” —Laura Roden, chairman of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs and a lecturer in Corporate Finance at San Jose State University
“With this kind of time management and focus on the important things in life, people should be able to get 15 times as much done in a normal workweek.” —Tim Draper, founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, financiers to innovators including Hotmail, Skype, and Overture.com
“Tim has done what most people only dream of doing. I can’t believe he is going to let his secrets out of the bag. This book is a must read!” —Stephen Key, top inventor and team designer of Teddy Ruxpin and Lazer Tag and a consultant to the television show American Inventor
ALSO BY TIMOTHY FERRISS
The 4-Hour Workweek
Copyright © 2010 by Tim Ferriss
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Archetype,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
Crown Archetype with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
All registered trademarks in this book are property of their respective owners.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ferriss, Timothy.
The 4-hour body / Timothy Ferriss. — 1st ed.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Health. 2. Physical fitness. 3. Weight loss. I. Title.
II. Title: Four-hour body.
RA775.F47 2010
613.7—dc22
2010018533
eISBN: 978-0-307-46365-4
All illustrations by Fred Haynes/Hadel Studio, unless otherwise noted in the Photo and Illustration Credits section
Jacket front-flap photos: (top) (c) Mark Reifkind; (bottom) (c) Photos taken by Inge Cook, provided courtesy of Ellington Darden, PhD
v3.1
For my parents, who taught a little
hellion that marching to a different
drummer was a good thing. I love you both
and owe you everything. Mom, sorry about
all the crazy experiments.
Support good science—
10% of all author royalties are donated
to cure-driven research,
including the excellent work of
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
GROUND ZERO—GETTING STARTED AND SWARAJ
Comparison of Methods for Estimating % Bodyfat
Male Examples—Bodyfat
Female Examples—Bodyfat
Ramit Sethi’s Betting Chart
Weight Glide Path
SUBTRACTING FAT
Comparison of Dietary Fats and Oils
Air Squats
Wall Presses
Chest Pulls
Ray Cornise’s Fat-Loss Spreadsheet
Continuous Glucose Monitor
Glucose Trend: Ferriss, Tim
Modal Day: Ferriss, Tim
Glucose Trend, September 25
Glucose Trend, September 26
Testosterone and Nandrolone
ADDING MUSCLE
The Kettlebell Swing
Touch-and-Go Deadlifts
Two-Legged Glute Activation Raises
Flying Dog
The Myotatic Crunch
Abdominal Muscles
Cat Vomit Exercise
Front Plank
Side Plank
Hip Flexor Stretch
Alpha-Actinin 3 (ACTN3)
Time Ferriss, Before-and-After Shots
Pull-down
Machine Shoulder Press
The Locked Position
Slight Incline/Decline Bench Press
Leg Press
Barbell Overhead Press
Squat
Sample Workouts Calendars
The “Yates” Bent Row
The Reverse Drag Curl
S
acroplasmic Hypertrophy and Myofibrillar Hyertrophy
IMPROVING SEX
Conventional Missionary and Improved-Angle Missionary
Improved-Pressure Missionary
Conventional Cowgirl and Improved-Pressure Cowgirl
The Clitoris
The 15-Minute Female Orgasm
The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Testosterone Axis (HPTA)
The Menstrual Cycle
PERFECTING SLEEP
FitBit Sleep Analysis
WakeMate Sleep Analysis
Zeo—Good Sleep Example
Zeo—Bad Sleep Example
Monophasic Sleep and Polyphasic Sleep
REVERSING INJURIES
Barefoot Walker’s Feet and Modern Man’s Feet
Static Back
Static Extension Position on Elbows
Shoulder Bridge with Pillow
Active Bridges with Pillow
Supine Groin Progressive in Tower
Alternative: Supine Groin on Chair
Air Bench
ART, Before and After
Thoraco-dorsal Fascia
The Chop and Lift
Full and Half-Kneeling
Ideal Placement on One Line
Tricep Rope Attachment
Single-Leg Flexibility Assessment
Down-Left Chop Ideal Placement
Turkish Get-Up
Start and Finish of Two-Arm Single-Leg Deadlift
RUNNING FASTER AND FASTER
Hip Flexors Stretch
Reverse Lunge Demonstration
Untrained and Trained Start Positions
Reverse Hyper(extension) on a Bench and Swiss Ball
Enzyme Activity Graph
Super Quad Stretch
Pelvic Symmetry and Glute Flexibility Stretches
Repositioning the Pelvis
Pre-Workout Glute Activation
Running by the Numbers Video Snapshots
Diagram of Energetic Systems
Taper Schedule
12-Weeks to 50k Schedules
GETTING STRONGER
How to Perform the Conventional Deadlift
Brench-Press Plyometrics
The Torture Twist
The Sumo Deadlift
The Sharapova Sit-Up: Janda
Bench Pressing 854 Pounds: Set up
Bench Pressing 854 Pounds: Technique
FROM SWIMMING TO SWINGING
Full Stroke
The Cushion
The Slot
Impact Position
Historical CSRs
Area of Impact (AOI)
Angle L
Practicing Your Angles
APPENDICES AND EXTRAS
Weight (Food) Conversions
Body Weight Conversions
Volume (Food) Conversions
Muscles of the Body (Partial)
Today’s Random Medical News
P-Value Grid
Number of Respondents by Weight Loss
Average Weight Lost by Number of Meals Per Day
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
START HERE Thinner, Bigger, Faster, Stronger? How to Use This Book
FUNDAMENTALS—FIRST AND FOREMOST The Minimum Effective Dose: From Microwaves to Fat-Loss
Rules That Change the Rules: Everything Popular Is Wrong
GROUND ZERO—GETTING STARTED AND SWARAJ The Harajuku Moment: The Decision to Become a Complete Human
Elusive Bodyfat: Where Are You Really?
From Photos to Fear: Making Failure Impossible
SUBTRACTING FAT
BASICS The Slow-Carb Diet I: How to Lose 20 Pounds in 30 Days Without Exercise
The Slow-Carb Diet II: The Finer Points and Common Questions
Damage Control: Preventing Fat Gain When You Binge
The Four Horsemen of Fat-Loss: PAGG
ADVANCED Ice Age: Mastering Temperature to Manipulate Weight
The Glucose Switch: Beautiful Number 100
The Last Mile: Losing the Final 5–10 Pounds
ADDING MUSCLE Building the Perfect Posterior (or Losing 100+ Pounds)
Six-Minute Abs: Two Exercises That Actually Work
From Geek to Freak: How to Gain 34 Pounds in 28 Days
Occam’s Protocol I: A Minimalist Approach to Mass
Occam’s Protocol II: The Finer Points
IMPROVING SEX The 15-Minute Female Orgasm—Part Un
The 15-Minute Female Orgasm—Part Deux
Sex Machine I: Adventures in Tripling Testosterone
Happy Endings and Doubling Sperm Count
PERFECTING SLEEP Engineering the Perfect Night’s Sleep
Becoming Uberman: Sleeping Less with Polyphasic Sleep
REVERSING INJURIES Reversing “Permanent” Injuries
How to Pay for a Beach Vacation with One Hospital Visit
Pre-Hab: Injury-Proofing the Body
RUNNING FASTER AND FARTHER Hacking the NFL Combine I: Preliminaries—Jumping Higher
Hacking the NFL Combine II: Running Faster
Ultraendurance I: Going from 5K to 50K in 12 Weeks—Phase I
Ultraendurance II: Going from 5K to 50K in 12 Weeks—Phase II
GETTING STRONGER Effortless Superhuman: Breaking World Records with Barry Ross
Eating the Elephant: How to Add 100 Pounds to Your Bench Press
FROM SWIMMING TO SWINGING How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days
The Architecture of Babe Ruth
How to Hold Your Breath Longer Than Houdini
ON LONGER AND BETTER LIFE Living Forever: Vaccines, Bleeding, and Other Fun
CLOSING THOUGHTS Closing Thoughts: The Trojan Horse
APPENDICES AND EXTRAS Helpful Measurements and Conversions
Getting Tested—From Nutrients to Muscle Fibers
Muscles of the Body (Partial)
The Value of Self-Experimentation
Spotting Bad Science 101: How Not to Trick Yourself
Spotting Bad Science 102: So You Have a Pill …
The Slow-Carb Diet—194 People
Sex Machine II: Details and Dangers
The Meatless Machine I: Reasons to Try a Plant-Based Diet for Two Weeks
The Meatless Machine II: A 28-Day Experiment
BONUS MATERIAL Spot Reduction Revisited: Removing Stubborn Thigh Fat
Becoming Brad Pitt: Uses and Abuses of DNA
The China Study: A Well-Intentioned Critique
Heavy Metal: Your Personal Toxin Map
The Top 10 Reasons Why BMI Is Bogus
Hyperclocking and Related Mischief: How to Increase Strength 10% in One Workout
Creativity on Demand: The Promises and Dangers of Smart Drugs
An Alternative to Dieting: The Bodyfat Set Point and Tricking the Hypothalamus
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
INDEX
TIM’S DISCLAIMER
Please don’t be stupid and kill yourself. It would make us both quite unhappy. Consult a doctor before doing anything in this book.
PUBLISHER’S DISCLAIMER
The material in this book is for informational purposes only. As each individual situation is unique, you should use proper discretion, in consultation with a health care practitioner, before undertaking the diet, exercises, and techniques described in this book. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained in this book.
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
I am not the expert. I’m the guide and explorer.
If you find anything amazing in this book, it’s thanks to the brilliant minds who helped as resources, critics, contributors, proofreaders, and references. If you find anything ridiculous in this book, it’s because I didn’t heed their advice.
Though indebted to hundreds of people, I wish to thank a few of them up-front, here listed in alphabetical order (still more in the acknowledgments):
Alexandra Car
michael
Andrew Hyde
Ann Miura-ko PhD
Barry Ross
Ben Goldacre MD
Brian MacKenzie
Casey Viator
Chad Fowler
Charles Poliquin
Charlie Hoehn
Chris Masterjohn
Chris Sacca
Club H Fitness
Craig Buhler
Daniel Reda
Dave Palumbo
David Blaine
Dean Karnazes
Dorian Yates
Doug McGuff MD
Dr. John Berardi
Dr. Justin Mager
Dr. Lee Wolfer
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
Dr. Michael Eades
Dr. Ross Tucker
Dr. Seth Roberts
Dr. Stuart McGill
Dr. Tertius Kohn
Dr. Timothy Noakes
Dustin Curtis
Ellington Darden PhD
Eric Foster
Gary Taubes
Gray Cook
Jaime Cevallos
JB Benna
Jeffrey B. Madoff
Joe DeFranco
Joe Polish
John Romano
Kelly Starrett
Marie Forleo
Mark Bell
Mark Cheng
Marque Boseman
Marty Gallagher
Matt Brzycki
Matt Mullenweg
Michael Ellsberg
Michael Levin
Mike Mahler
Mike Maples
Nate Green
Neil Strauss
Nicole Daedone
Nina Hartley
Pavel Tsatsouline
Pete Egoscue
Phil Libin
Ramit Sethi
Ray Cronise
Scott Jurek
Sean Bonner
Tallulah Sulis
Terry Laughlin
The Dexcom Team