Last week, the Mens Health Films video team descended upon my home in Spokane, Washington to film me on my home turf doing what I do.
So for your education and entertainment, below is the madness that ensued, along with helpful timestamps, descriptions and links below the video.
1:40: You see me screaming, grunting and groaning using a special force plate and isometric training bar setup(this is the same single set to failure style of training I mentioned on this Joe Rogan episode). Using this approach, you can get hella strong with a single 12-15 minute workout performed twice a week. For example:
A Workout is all pushes: -Bench Press-Tricep Press-Shoulder Press-Leg Press-Calf Press
B workout is all pulls:-Bicep Curl-Ab Crunch-Lat Pull Down-Deadlift-Shoulder Shrug
Have fun. This style of isometric training, which I perform on a machine called aPeakFitPro, is hard as hell but blasts strength, growth hormone and peak force production capacity through the roof, with extremely low risk of injury.If you want one of these bad boys for your own home gym, health club, etc. you can click here and use code greenfield to save $100.
2:39: Before one of my isometric sets, you see me taking a big whiff of smelling salts.Long story short is that one big sniff of these ammonia based salts makes you want to fight someone, kill something, punch your fist through the wall, never drink a cup of coffee again, or lift very heavy things.Along with the peppermint trick I mention here, its one of the more potent ways to jack up your sympathetic fight and flight nervous system for pennies on the dollar. The stuff I use isNose Tork Smelling Saltsand it is basically like smelling salts on steroids.
3:51: I begin to inject stem cells extracted from my own fat and grown atU.S. Stem Cell Clinic (that link gives you a $500 discount on the same procedure I did). As of current laws, the adipose procedures using in enzyme digestion of your own fat to concentrate stem cells are not illegal and do not require you to go out of the country (contrary to popular belief). Mesenchymal cells (MSCs) can be obtained from bone marrow or fat and those cells are similar from either source. The main difference is that the number of MSCs from fat is about 500x higher. Adipose also has a much higher population of CD34 protein and as a result is much more angiogenic (blood vessel growth inducing) compared to bone marrow. At the U.S. Stem Cell Clinic, they use an enzyme to break down the fat. The enzyme is collagenase and breaks collagen bonds in extracellular matrix outside all the cells. Basically the glue that holds the fat together gets broken down so you can spin fat in centrifuge. This allows the fat cells to go to the top because they are light in weight and stem cells and other cells go to bottom because they are heavy. Then voila! You inject (in this case, I self-injected but a physician friend, nurse practitioner, etc. could probably do it for you).
6:10: You see me doing my morning yoga, ELDOA, core foundation training, etc. inside my infrared sauna.If you have no clue about the difference between wet saunas, steam rooms, dry sauna, infrared sauna, niacin detox, how long to spend in the sauna, etc., etc., then Id highly recommend you read my article Three Ways To Biohack A Sauna For More Heat, A Better Detox & Enhanced Fitness. FranklyIm addicted to my sauna, as I delve into here on the science of saunas, I feel amazing when I wander out of daily, blood-building, nitric-oxide boosting sauna session. Then, once I follow up the sauna with a cold shower or a dip into the cold pool back behind my house in the forest, I feel freaking unstoppable the rest of the day. You can use code BEN to save $450 on the same massive walk-inClearlight Infrared SaunaI own.
6:45: I hold up my first work of fiction: a book called The Forest. The official version wont be released until this summer, but you can read a beta-version for free here.Upon stepping into a dark shed in the middle of the forest, twin brothers River and Terran are transported to a remote prison island in another world crawling with strong magic, hidden snares, and rogue creatures. Using their powers to control the elements of water and earth, they fight their way from the island, only to discover an entire world sieged by evil shramana and vile serpents. Can two human boys save this otherworld? Can the seafarers, elves, warrior princesses, healers and magisters they meet along the way help them in the battle? Will the chaotic struggles they encounter follow them back into their own world? Youll find out in this riveting adventure that includes harsh wilderness, epic battles, tangled romances, elemental sciences and hardcore survival. Like Lord Of The Rings or Chronicles Of Narnia, I wrote this fantasy fiction for all ages, and it is the first in a five-book series I plan to write over the next several years.
6:48: You see me breathing a special form of humidified air from a strange-looking blue, bubbling device called an Eng3 NanoVi. The video hereexplains how NanoVi generates a bio-identical signal mimics the good reactive oxygen species your body naturally produces and this assists a multi-step process of reinstalling protein functions that are essential to cellular activity. Basically, it repairs DNA as you simply sit there breathing the water in through a nasal cannula or through your mouth. It is based on the concept that breathing in good reactive oxygen species (ROSs) causing a steep upregulation of cellular repair. Its especially good to repair the damage from free radicals in athletes who exercise frequently.
6:58: I take one of my flagship supplements: essential amino acids.I am at the point now to where I take two doses of 10-20 grams of these essential amino acidsper daytostimulate faster muscle growth, recover more rapidly from exercise, become more resistant to fatigue during a grueling workout, or just benefit from additional amino acids in their most absorbable form to support calorie restriction, fasting and ketosis. Essential amino acids are just that: essential. Your body cant produce them on its own and yet they are crucial for supporting and maintaining the muscular, skeletal, enzymatic, nervous and hormonal systems of the body. Your body generally gets amino acids from the protein you consume as food. But your bodys amino acid utilization from common protein sources is often less than 50% of their content, with the rest being excess calories and waste. About 48% of egg protein is utilized by your body, less than 32% for meat, poultry and fish, less than 18% of whey and soy protein, and only 1% of branched chain amino acids are utilized by the body. The amino acid utilization of essential amino acids is a whopping 99%, meaning your body is actually absorbing and utilizing the essential amino acids it needs. Dont take me wrong: of course, Im all about eating high-quality, nutrient-dense, tasty foods like steak, eggs, and nuts, but when youre in a situation that requires you get your protein fast and you get it absorbed even faster,Kion Aminos is my go-to solution (and heres a list of the other supplements that I use).
7:00: I mentionNAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).As I discuss in this comprehensive podcast interview on NAD,Scientific American publishedthe article Beyond Resveratrol: The Anti-Aging NAD Fad, an article that proposes that recent research suggests it may be possible to reverse mitochondrial decay (e.g. achieve a pretty potent anti-aging effect) with dietary supplements that increase cellular levels of a molecule called NAD, and also that the mitochondria in muscles of elderly mice were restored to a youthful state after just a week of NAD injections. The NAD injection clinic in San Diego (I interview them here) can set you up with patches, IVs, intranasal spray and a host of other ways to mainline the stuff into your system, or, as I discuss here, you can make precursors to NAD for pennies on the dollar with Pau D Arco bark tea.
7:02: I take a shot of lignite extract one of the few supplements my entire family takes regularly. In the podcast Why You Cant Get Away From The Toxin Glyphosate (& What You Can Do About It). I explain how this relatively new compound extracted from soil (termed lignite) protects the lining of the gut from the ravages of glyphosate, a nasty molecule which you find just about everywhere these days, even if you eat organic. You can find it on Amazon here, or at theRestore website you can use code BEN15 to save 15%.
7:10: I snort intranasalintranasal oxytocin spray.Oxytocin has been on a joy ride for 20 years, ever since animal studies first linked this hormone to bonding between mother and newborn, as well as between mating adults (you release boatloads of the stuff when you orgasm, and smaller amounts when you hug, engage in physical affection, etc.). Dubbed the cuddle or love hormone, more recently it has earned attention for its role in promoting trust (hence it is often marketed as liquid trust). Research does link it to increased trust, social bonding and even a predisposition to donate to charity, but also to allay social anxiety disorder, address autism, and decrease inflammation. It puts you in a pretty good, trusting mood, so just dont snort it before you go negotiate to get a deal on a car or buy a house. 😉
7:18: You see me bathing in the glorious red light and infrared rays produced a massive infrared LEDlight panel in my office. How does red light therapy work? Once absorbed into your body, red light energy gets converted into cellular energy, which kicks of a series of metabolic events such as the formation of new capillaries, elevated production of collagen, and the release of ATP. Red light therapy has been approved by the FDA and its effectiveness has been studied throughout the world. The wavelength of your red light device matters greatly, so you must, must, must pay attention to wavelength and delivered energy (the bulk of evidence suggests that 660-680 nm is the most effective).To get a big ol red light for yourself, you can click here and use code BEN save $25 on the same one I use (called a JOOVV (and yes, to increase testosterone as I discuss here I really do get naked and bathe my balls in red light for about 5-20 minutes a day)
7:22: Ive got a Vielightnasal probe stuck up my nose. If youre not familiar with the term photomedicine, then you will be soon, because one of the most cutting-edge features of the future of medicine and performance-enhancing biohacking involves the use of light and lightwaves (also known as photobiomodulation) for everything from nitric oxide release for physical and mental performance, to amplifying blood flow to the brain, to enhancing cognitive, muscular and mental performance, to building new red blood cells and optimizing oxygenation and far, far more. Intranasal light therapy and cranial light therapy, which I covered in the podcast How To Use Low Level Light Therapy and Intranasal Light Therapy For Athletic Performance, Cognitive Enhancement & More is based on light stimulation of blood capillaries in the nasal cavity and head. It has been used for the past several years in the medical industry as a very non-invasive method to introduce therapeutic light energy into the human body, and theres actually a surprising amount of research on this form of non-ionizing radiation on biological systems, including effects on cognitive performance, fighting free radicals, combatting Alzheimers symptoms and more. If you want one of these sexy looking space helmets or nasal probes for yourself, you can click here and use code GREENFIELD to save 10%.
7:24: I mentionrosemary essential oil for a cognition boost. Rosemary (along with peppermint and cinnamon) oil is not only fantastic to diffuse in your office or gym for a mental pick-me-up, but is also great for memory and for training your brain to go into performance mode when it detects the unique scent. I currently use this diffuser, and because essential oil tends to be oxidized, impure, or watered down with cheap fillers or additional oils, Im also pretty careful about which brand I use. You can click here to peruse the oils I like.
7:34: My giant, cereal-box-esqueOura Ringappears. Because it contains a tiny, built-in computer, this ring, unlike other self-quantification devices like a Fitbit or Jawbone, can be placed into airplane mode so that any bluetooth or other irradiating signals are completely disabled. The ring measures everything Id ever want to know about my body, including temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), steps, sleep cycles, sleep percentages, readiness to train, and a whole lot more. And yes, you can wear it while doing pull-ups, kettlebell swings, presses, etc. with no issues. You can use code GREENFIELDOURA to save $75 here on their newest models.
7:35: I am donning my ultra-stylishRe-Timer Glasses, which I use to deliver copious amounts of blue-green light to my eyes in the morning, which jumpstarts my circadian rhythm. Heres why: the information your body gets about existence or absence of light is received via light-sensitive receptor proteins in the eyes retina. These proteins are called opsins. Opsins convert the photonicenergy of light into electrical potential in neurons, and project signals from light to the brains biological clock, as well as to other brain areas. This then increases neurotransmitter signalling and influences hormone production. Theselight-sensitive receptors are not only found in the retina, but also in many locations in yourbrain and body, such as the cerebrum, the hypothalamus, inside your ears and on every inch of your skin (which is why, by the way, its very important when you sleep in darkness at night to not just limit light exposure to your eyes, but also to your skin). Exercise, food, air, etc. all affect your bodys clock, but nothing beats light. When your eye senses light, it sends a signal to your brain to be awake.As it becomes dark in the evening, your body produces melatonin, telling your body it is time to sleep.The combination of biological processes in response to light and darkness are crucial factors for your body to remain synchronized and sleep at the right time. Morning bright light therapy can adjust your body clock to an earlier schedule through repeated exposure to bright light appropriately timed in the morning and evening bright light therapy (should you decide to wear glasses like this at night) canre-time your body clock to a later time by exposing you tobright light visual stimulation in the evening. Again, this all worksbecause light exposure is your bodysprimary cue to regulate yourbody clock. Anyways, you can read more about this concept at The Re-Timer Effect: How To Re-Time Your Circadian Rhythms If You Wake Up Too Early Or Stay Up Too Late. and you can get the glasses here and use codeBGF30 to save $30.
7:56: You may notice myBioMatin the background. This is a medical device that uses a computer control panel with an advanced IC chip manufactured by Texas Instruments, a polarized plug for power source protection, EMF interception tourmaline rocks for a negative ion boost, and amethyst crystals covering the entire surface area (yeah, yeah, I know I just took a deep dive into woo-woo land). The mat also produces deep-penetrating, far infrared rays along with negative ions. In other words, laying on this thing for 10-60 minutes a day, whether for a nap, a massage, a reading session, or meditation, can drastically reduce joint pain, improve sleep, decrease inflammation in tissue, soothe back pain, increase blood circulation and cause a host of other effects. Its like an expensive, adult version of a soothing blankie.
8:56: Im hanging like a crazy monkey from my yoga trapeze, which I use to decompress my spine a few times a day when I happen to pass by it (and yes, my gracious and lovely wife allows me to hang my trapeze directly next to the dining room table, which has made for some entertaining dinner party moments). Two weeks ago, I challenged myself to perform a full hour-long workout on the trapeze without dropping from it, and felt about two inches taller after hanging from it, squatting on it, doing rows, dips, pull-ups and just about anything else youd do from gymnastics rings on it, and also including some very, very deep hip flexor and psoas stretches. The trapeze I use is made byYoga Body. It hasnt failed me yet, meaning Ive not yet busted my head open on the dining room floor, so Ill vouch for its safety and toughness.
9:14: I glance at my Timex watch. I havent really mentioned this to many folks but, along with continuing to race for the Spartan pro teamI will be racing in professional obstacle course racing and triathlon for the world famous Team Timex this year.In the year 2000, Team Sports, Inc., an established professional cycling team management firm, sat down with the marketing team at Timex to create a first-of-its-kind, world class, triathlon team, with the mission of supporting athletes who strive to push the limits of the mind and body, and the Timex Multisport Team was born. Over 17 years have gone by and the passion and strength of the Timex Team is greater than ever. I used to race for this team back in my Ironman triathlon days, and now Im back, baby. Follow the Ben Greenfield Fitness calendar to see which races Ill be at (which will include the Wildflower triathlon and Malibu triathlon).
9:22: You see me with a blue mask on my face while working out on theLiveO2 adaptive contrast unit (save $300 with code BEN), which allows me to rapidly switch between breathing oxygen enriched air and hypoxic, oxygen void air that simulates over 10,000 feet of elevation. In one 15 minute workout, I can pump anywhere between 200-400% more dissolved oxygen into your blood plasma and the net effect of this workout lasts for several days. Its the equivalent of spending nearly an entire day in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, a strategy many folks in the anti-aging community are now doing to heal the body faster and to increase mitochondrial density. A sample 15 minute workout on this would be, for example, a five minute warmup at hypoxia, ten 30 seconds efforts of 15 seconds of hypoxic sprints followed by 15 seconds of hyperoxic sprints with 30 seconds of recovery, and a final 2 minute hyperoxic sprint. Similar the isometric training I told you about earlier, this allows me to get in and get out of my workout quickly, getting the equivalent of several hours of endurance training in one fell swoop that does, admittedly, take me into a brief journey to a pretty intense pain cave.
So thats it! Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for me about this daily routine or the crazy stuff I get up to in the video that I may not have addressed above? Leave your comments below and I will reply!
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