Fitness

The 4-Hour Body: Eating the Elephant and Learning to Swim in 10 Days

“Just remember: somewhere in China, a little girl is warming up with your max.” That’s what Olympic weightlifting coach Jim Conroy tells his athletes. Welcome to chapters 33 and 34. One is about adding 100 pounds to your bench press. The other is about a guy who was scared of water learning to swim a mile in the ocean. Both come down to the same idea: eat the elephant one bite at a time.

The 4-Hour Body: Eating the Elephant and Learning to Swim in 10 Days

“Just remember: somewhere in China, a little girl is warming up with your max.” That’s what Olympic weightlifting coach Jim Conroy tells his athletes. Welcome to chapters 33 and 34. One is about adding 100 pounds to your bench press. The other is about a guy who was scared of water learning to swim a mile in the ocean. Both come down to the same idea: eat the elephant one bite at a time.

The 4-Hour Body: Becoming an Effortless Superhuman

This chapter starts with a former Soviet Special Forces instructor punching Tim Ferriss in the butt. Not a metaphor. Pavel Tsatsouline was literally checking muscle tension at a kettlebell certification event. Welcome to chapter 32.

The 4-Hour Body: Ultraendurance Running

Kelly Starrett, founder of San Francisco CrossFit, casually mentioned to Tim that he just ran a 28.4-mile ultramarathon with 18,500 feet of elevation change. And that he was back to heavy lifting the next week.

The 4-Hour Body: Ultraendurance Running

Kelly Starrett, founder of San Francisco CrossFit, casually mentioned to Tim that he just ran a 28.4-mile ultramarathon with 18,500 feet of elevation change. And that he was back to heavy lifting the next week.

The 4-Hour Body: Hacking the NFL Combine

There’s a gym in the back of an industrial park in New Jersey, right next to a Chevy dealership. Guys in there rub horse liniment on their elbows between sets. McTarnahan’s Absorbent Blue Lotion - the stuff they use on racehorses. The fumes clear your sinuses from ten feet away.

The 4-Hour Body: Hacking the NFL Combine

There’s a gym in the back of an industrial park in New Jersey, right next to a Chevy dealership. Guys in there rub horse liniment on their elbows between sets. McTarnahan’s Absorbent Blue Lotion - the stuff they use on racehorses. The fumes clear your sinuses from ten feet away.

The 4-Hour Body: Pre-Hab and Injury Prevention

These two chapters cover very different topics. One is about saving money on medical tests by flying to Nicaragua. The other might be the most important chapter in the whole book - how to not get injured in the first place. Let’s go.

The 4-Hour Body: Pre-Hab and Injury Prevention

These two chapters cover very different topics. One is about saving money on medical tests by flying to Nicaragua. The other might be the most important chapter in the whole book - how to not get injured in the first place. Let’s go.

The 4-Hour Body: Reversing Permanent Injuries

A spine surgeon who works with NHL and NFL teams told Tim Ferriss his degenerating cervical discs were something he’d “just need to live with.” Then he smiled, which made it worse.

The 4-Hour Body: Occam's Protocol - The Simplest Muscle Building Plan

Chapters 17 and 18 are about building muscle with the absolute minimum amount of gym time. Two exercises per workout. One set each. Less than 30 minutes a week in the gym. Ferriss calls it Occam’s Protocol, after Occam’s Razor - the idea that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

The 4-Hour Body: The Glucose Switch and the Last Mile of Fat Loss

Tim Ferriss is standing in an airport security line with a medical sensor implanted in his abdomen. His hands are sweating. He almost wore a 50-pound weighted vest through TSA, but a friend talked him out of it by pointing out it looked like a suicide bomber jacket. So the vest stayed home. But the implant made it through just fine.

The 4-Hour Body: The Glucose Switch and the Last Mile of Fat Loss

Tim Ferriss is standing in an airport security line with a medical sensor implanted in his abdomen. His hands are sweating. He almost wore a 50-pound weighted vest through TSA, but a friend talked him out of it by pointing out it looked like a suicide bomber jacket. So the vest stayed home. But the implant made it through just fine.

The 4-Hour Body: The Slow-Carb Diet - 5 Simple Rules That Work

This is the chapter where the book gets real. Chapter 7, “The Slow-Carb Diet I,” is the part most people bought The 4-Hour Body for. Five rules. No calorie counting. One day a week you eat like a maniac. Thousands of followers lost 20+ pounds.

The 4-Hour Body: How to Use This Book and the Minimum Effective Dose

Tim Ferriss opens The 4-Hour Body with a scene that tells you everything about this man. He is backstage at a Nine Inch Nails concert, doing air squats in a bathroom stall. His friend catches his head bobbing above the divider. Forty squats, in silence, in a public restroom.