PDF Summary:The 4-Hour Body, by Timothy Ferriss

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1. Be entertained. The reading experience should be fun.

(Shortform note:

• We’ve rearranged some of the book’s content for coherence and clarity.
• We recommend consulting your doctor before starting any of the book’s programs or self-experimenting.)

The Value of Self-Experimentation

Some scientists endorse self-experimentation. It has several advantages compared to conventional scientific research because it’s:

• Fast-paced. When you have an idea about how to improve some element of your life, you can quickly make a change and observe the results. A single scientific study, on the other hand, takes a long time to get started because it requires extensive funding, which is time-consuming to secure. Additionally, it takes it years after a study is completed for the research to be replicated and officially endorsed.
  • For example, the Food and Drug Administration is 10 years behind published research and 20 years behind evidence.
• Unbiased. Self-experimentation can focus on simple solutions, such as diet or sleep, which have been around since the Stone Age. Conventional research tends to focus on more complicated solutions, such as drugs,...

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*   The people who ate 90% fat lost 0.9 pounds a day.
*   The people who ate 90% protein lost 0.6 pounds a day.
*   The people who ate 90% carbohydrates lost 0.24 pounds a day.

• Exercise isn’t the only (or best) way to burn calories. It’s only the most commonly cited because it's easy to measure and scientists, under pressure to constantly publish, choose easier studies, and then to justify them, inflate their importance. Drugs and changes in body temperature also burn calories.

Understanding Insulin and Blood Sugar

Insulin is a hormone that absorbs sugar from the bloodstream and, among other things, transforms this sugar into energy or stores it as fat. Your body naturally releases insulin whenever your blood sugar rises—generally, whenever you eat or drink. The less insulin you release, the less fat your body stores.

Glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) are measures of how much a food increases blood sugar. (GL corrects for portion size and is calculated by multiplying GI by the number of carbohydrates.) These measurements have two downsides: 1) they don’t take into account different body chemistries and genetics, and 2) they’re all isolated...

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*   [15%](https://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25485&d=1044230984)—some muscle separation in the shoulders and arms.
*   [12%](https://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=53438&d=1059942187)—more muscle separation, especially in the chest, back, and abs.
*   [10%](https://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=70781&d=1068554724)—deeper muscle separation in most areas of the body.
*   [7-9%](https://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=69255&d=1067793911)—deep muscle separation, arms veins are visible, abs are always visible, and the face is angular.
*   [5-7%](https://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72474&d=1069531013)—you look like a bodybuilder: Veins are visible in more of the body and there are grooves in muscles when flexed.

• Calipers. These measure the thickness of a fold of skin (and the fat underneath.) Calipers can only measure fat under the skin, not fat around organs, and they also pick up water under the skin. When using calipers, use the same calculating algorithm each time you measure and the same trainer. The author recommends the 3-point or 7-point...

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• Protein: eggs (especially whites), beef, fish, pork, chicken thigh or breast
• Legumes: lentils, soybeans, pinto beans, red beans, black beans
• Vegetables: any vegetables you like. The author recommends sticking to green beans, peas, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kimchi, and sauerkraut because including more takes too much work between shopping and prep time.

Rule #3: Eat two to three times what you used to. You’re probably used to small portion sizes if you’ve been eating things like pasta, which isn’t very physically large but contains a lot of calories. Slow-carb foods don’t have as many calories by volume, so you need to eat a larger quantity. However, don’t overeat nuts or chickpeas—you’ll gain fat.

Rule #4: Eat at prescribed times:

• Eat breakfast within an hour, ideally within half an hour, of waking up. Never skip breakfast—if you have little appetite in the mornings, eat only a small amount of high-protein breakfast, such as 2-3 eggs.
• Eat four meals a day, four hours apart.

Rule #5: Drink beverages according to the following rules:

• Drink lots of water. Your liver, which is largely responsible for fat loss, needs a lot of water...

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1. Make sure your meat comes from local sources (within 50 miles of where you live). Likewise, ensure it’s grass-fed and/or pasture-raised.
2. Eat less meat by only eating meat on certain days of the week (such as cheat day) or only after 6 pm.
3. Stop eating meat except for fish. Continue to eat dairy and eggs.
4. Move to eating only plant-based foods.

Troubleshooting

There are several common questions and problems associated with moving to a PPBD:

Problem #1: You don’t know where to get your protein. Eat whole foods that contain a lot of protein, such as nuts, or plant-based protein powder, such as rice or pea protein. Avoid soy, because while it’s a source of protein, it can cause thyroid problems, and it contains estrogen, which in large amounts can cause sterility. Also, avoid dairy—in large quantities, it can cause health problems because store-bought products often contain antibiotics and hormones, which are bad for you.

Problem #2: You’re not getting enough nutrients. If you’re eating a PPBD, you won’t get the same nutrients as if you were eating animal products. In particular, make sure you get the USRDA recommended doses of vitamins D, B-12, and K, and...

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• Bend your ankles as little as possible, aiming to keep your shins perpendicular to the ground. Don’t let your shoulders go in front of your knees.
• Pick up the kettlebell (sitting instead of squatting, just like you did when you put it down) and straighten your legs to come to standing.
• Sit to put it down and straighten your legs to pick it up, increasing the speed. Eventually, pick it up as soon as it makes contact with the ground. It needs to touch the ground in the same spot, in the middle of your feet, every time.

Step #3: Progress the touch-and-go deadlift.

• As you do the touch-and-go version, put the kettlebell down behind your feet, so the front of the bell is just behind your heels.
• On the pickups, pop your hips forward, imagining squeezing a dime between your butt cheeks. This movement will make the kettlebell swing up a little.
• Always touch the kettlebell to the ground in the same place, behind your heels, every time.

Step #4: Do the full swing.

• Put the kettlebell between your feet as you did in step one.
• Pick up the kettlebell and sit back, but swing the kettlebell through your legs rather than touching it to the...

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You should take the supplements six days a week and take a full week off every 60 days.

ECA

Before discovering PAGG, the author took a combination of supplements known as the ECA stack (ephedrine hydrochloride, caffeine, and aspirin). While many studies agree that the cocktail is effective, and the author saw results, it produces some serious side effects including adrenal fatigue and withdrawal pains. He doesn’t recommend the ECA stack.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

There are two types of gut bacteria related to fat absorption: Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Obese people have a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. As they lose weight, the ratio includes more Bacteroidetes. Scientists don’t know exactly how Firmicutes and obesity are related yet.

You can influence your gut bacteria populations by taking probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are bacteria, and prebiotics are substances that promote the growth of bacteria.

Additionally, to keep your gut healthy:

• Avoid Splenda. A Duke University study discovered that Splenda reduced the number of healthy gut bacteria.
• Eat more fermented foods, such as kimchi and sauerkraut....

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• To get the number of tablespoons of nut butter, divide your weight in pounds in half.
  • If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat 2 tablespoons.
• To get the number of cups of nuts, divide your weight in pounds by 400.
  • If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat half a cup.
• To get the ounces of protein, for each additional 10 pounds of lean body mass you have, add an ounce.
  • If you’re 200 pounds, eat 8 ounces.
• To get the amount of oil, divide your weight in pounds by 400.
  • If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat half a tablespoon.
• To get the number of eggs, divide your weight in pounds by 40.
  • If you’re 200 pounds, you should eat five.

(Shortform note: The author doesn’t give the calculations for all portion adjustments. We’ve come up with the numbers based on his two examples.)

Drugs

Some bodybuilders use drugs, such as steroids, to get their body fat as low as 4%. The author doesn’t think steroids are as dangerous as the media hypes them up to be—they work for certain medical conditions—but he doesn’t recommend anyone experiment with drugs without medical supervision.

Gaining Significant Muscle: Occam’s Protocol

To gain...

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Orgasms in Isolation

The author covers two ways to practice orgasm without sex: self-exploration, and a partner-based technique developed by OneTaste, a sex research business.

Self-Exploration

Self-exploration is the first way to practice orgasm and involves a combination of self-reflection, soul-searching, and practicing masturbating. Here are some specific recommendations:

Recommendation #1: Reflect on your experiences by asking yourself the following questions:

• Has there ever been a moment when you felt you were close to orgasm?
• Have you become less interested in sex lately?
• Do you want to have an orgasm?

Recommendation #2: Watch “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Orgasm.”

Recommendation #3: Learn what arouses you. Read erotica by women and explore fantasies.

Recommendation #4: Practice masturbating. Porn star Nina Hartley recommends practicing for five minutes a time, right before going to sleep or after waking up. If you feel shame or guilt, read When the Earth Moves, and/or keep in mind that these feelings will fade with practice.

• For...

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1. 3,000-5,000 IU of Vitamin D3. Vitamin D helps build muscle, which makes you stronger and improves your performance. Once your blood contains 50-55ng/mL (after approximately four weeks) maintain it at that level. Increasing it further may be dangerous—more than 150ng/mL is toxic.

2. Two capsules of fermented cod liver oil. Cod liver oil contains, among other things, vitamin A, which increases testosterone production.

3. Vitamin K(2) via butter fat (cook your eggs in it) and/or lacto-fermented foods such as kimchi or sauerkraut. Vitamin K(2) helps prevent vitamin D toxicity and strengthens the effects of vitamins A and D.

4. Three Brazil nuts (only if you’re deficient in selenium). Selenium increases the quantity and quality of sperm (up to a point—if you get more than 400 mg a day, it actually harms sperm, and, according to the author’s experiences, causes acne). You might be deficient in selenium if:

• You eat meat (which is normally rich in selenium) that comes from animals who grazed on selenium-poor soil.
• You’ve spent time in the metabolic state of ketosis, which is when your body gets most of its energy from burning fat. The Slow-Carb Diet puts...

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• A high ratio of deep-wave sleep (sleep during which your muscles grow and heal) to total sleep increases physical performance the next day. The author increased deep-wave sleep with California poppy extract (15 or more drops). The author’s deep-wave sleep decreased if he drank more than two glasses of wine within four hours of falling asleep.
• If you sleep 8-10 hours and still feel tired, it’s probably because your blood sugar is low. The author felt better in the mornings if he ate celery sticks with two tablespoons of almond butter before bed. Sometimes he also had 120-240 calories of flaxseed oil.
• If you wake up when your brain activity is high, you feel less groggy. Some sleep-measuring devices have “smart alarms,” which will go off when they detect high brain activity within a certain pre-set time, and the author found these helpful.

Activities to Induce the Qualities of Good Sleep

The author found that the following activities helped him fall asleep and wake up feeling good:

• Sleeping at the ideal temperature. For the author, this was under a single bedsheet at 67-70 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to changing the temperature of...

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Exercise #1: Chop and Lift

The chop and lift consists of two exercises. First, we’ll explain how to do the movements. Then, we’ll explain how to test for imbalances.

Performing the Exercises

The chop and lift helps correct imbalances between the left and right sides of the body and between the upper and lower body. Additionally, the exercise helps increase core stability. To perform the chop:

1. Find a machine with a high cable and attach a bar or tricep extension (rope) to the cable. Choose a weight that you think you can lift for a maximum of 12 reps.
2. Place a yoga mat with the skinny end against the machine.
3. Kneel on the yoga mat with one knee up, like you’re proposing. Your bottom knee should be about two-thirds of the way from the machine. Mark this spot with a permanent marker or tape so you can assume the same position every workout. Arrange both feet in line with the bottom knee.
4. Take hold of the bar or rope. Put the hand that’s farthest from the machine three hand-spans away from the end of the bar or rope. The other hand should be placed right next to the cable.
5. Take a large breath and engage the muscles in your torso and hips. Straighten...

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1. Stretch out your arms, palm up, with your thumbs touching the ground. Your arms should be 45 degrees away from your body.
2. Relax. Your lower back should be flat on the floor.
3. Stay in this position for five minutes.

Exercise #2: Static extension.

1. Get into a crawling position. Your wrists, elbows, and shoulders should be in a line, as should your knees and hips.
2. Move your hands six inches in front of you.
3. Put your elbows where your hands were.
4. Make a thumbs-up shape with your hands and pull your thumbs away from each other.
5. Pull your hips towards your feet until your lower back arches.
6. Lower your head.
7. Stay in this position for 60 seconds.

Exercise #3: Static shoulder bridge.

1. Lie face up and bend your knees.
2. Put a pillow between your knees and squeeze it.
3. Lift your hips and back off the ground, still squeezing the pillow.
4. Stay in this position for 60 seconds.

Exercise #4: Active shoulder bridge.

1. Follow the first two bullets of the static shoulder bridge.
2. Lift your hips and back up and down for 15 reps.
3. Do three sets in total.

Exercise #5: Supine groin progressive. (Shortform note: There are two versions...

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• Sit on the ground and wrap a towel or resistance band around your calves. Ask a training partner to pull on the towel at a 45-degree angle, or wrap the band around something high like a door handle to get the same 45-degree angle.
• Pull your belly button towards your tailbone.
• Sit up without letting your legs move. If you can’t do this, which is normal, sit up however you need to and do only the lowering part of the sit-up without letting your legs move.

All of the above principles are based around the idea that you should lift heavy weights but not do anything too hard. While strength training is important for athletes for a variety of reasons, developing strength is never the priority: skill development is. Therefore, your strength training should never interfere with the practice of your sport, for example, by making you too sore to practice.

• For example, Wimbledon star Maria Sharapova’s strength training only included small sets of pull-ups, one-legged squats, push-ups, and Janda sit-ups.

The Benefits of Shorter Training Sessions

You might find it counterintuitive that training just a few exercises for short periods is effective, but...

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1. Grip the bar hard and bend your arms to lower the weight towards your breastbone. During the bottom half, pull your elbows closer to your sides.
2. Push the bar straight back up. You can open your elbows a little in the top half if you need to.

Step #2: Follow a Three-Phase Program

There are two rules for the bench pressing program:

1. Don’t ever miss a workout session.
2. You’ll have to add muscular body weight as you carry out the plan. You need more muscle to be stronger.

Phase I: Weeks 1-12

There are two components to phase I:

Component #1: Gain Muscle Mass Every Week

If you weigh fewer than 200 pounds, you need to gain one pound of muscle mass a week; if you’re heavier, gain two pounds. Eat 200 or more grams of protein every day and as many calories as you need to gain the weight.

Component #2: Work Out Once a Week

In weeks 1-4, every workout, you’ll do:

• 1 set of 8 reps using the power grip. Start with a weight that’s 70% of your 1RM (one repetition max) and increase by 5% each week. (Don’t remeasure your 1RM each week—use the same number as your starting 1RM.)
• 2 sets of 10 reps using the wide grip. Start with a weight that’s...

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5. Turned-off hip flexors. The hip flexors restrict leg extension. To shut them off, stretch each hip flexor, starting with the non-dominant side (left side if you’re right-handed), for 30 seconds, 30 seconds to two minutes before you attempt your jump. (Note: Static stretching—holding a stretch for more than 10 seconds—before training can increase the risk of injury because it lengthens muscles and tissues, which decreases strength. The hip flexors are the only muscles DeFranco recommends stretching statically because the goal is to weaken them to increase jump height.)

Swimming

To learn to swim, the author didn’t work with a coach. Instead, he learned Terry Laughlin’s Total Immersion swimming technique from a book and DVD. Before learning the method, he could only swim two lengths of a pool before becoming exhausted. After practicing Total Immersion for only two months, he swam a mile in the open ocean.

You too can learn the Total Immersion method for swimming freestyle. Here are eight tips from the author:

1. Use your shoulders to propel yourself. Instead of thinking about kicking your legs hard or pulling hard with your arms, think about rolling your...

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• Alternate day caloric restriction. Every second day, cut your calories by 50-80%.

Strategy #3: Protein cycling. Protein cycling is a more specific form of caloric restriction. One day a week, only eat food that’s made up of no more than 5% protein.

Strategy #4: Getting rid of excess iron. Iron is a building block of free radicals—molecules that contribute to aging—and studies have shown that high concentrations of iron are related to heart attacks. To get rid of excess iron, which is stored in blood, simply donate blood. To get rid of toxins stored in fat at the same time, donate plasma and drink caffeinated coffee an hour before the donation. (Donated blood always contains toxins and iron, so you’re not doing the person who receives your blood any harm.)