The 4-Hour Body¶
Metadata¶
- Author: [[Timothy Ferriss]]
Highlights¶
ENGINEERING THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP — location: 4984 ^ref-38373
Taking too long to get to sleep (“onset” insomnia, my major problem) • Waking too often throughout the night (“middle” insomnia) • Waking too early and being unable to get back to sleep (“terminal” insomnia) — location: 5002 ^ref-20549
Good sleep (8–10) was most dependent on the ratio of REM-to-total sleep, not total REM duration. — location: 5050 ^ref-52146
I could increase REM percentage by extending total sleep time past nine hours, or by waking for five minutes approximately four and a half hours after sleep onset. — location: 5053 ^ref-3956
Taking 200 milligrams of huperzine-A 30 minutes before bed can increase total REM by 20 –30%. — location: 5056 ^ref-61009
Ever wonder how you can sleep 8–10 hours and feel tired? The likely culprit: low blood sugar. — location: 5066 ^ref-10232
If you can’t control the ambient temperature, testing socks of different thicknesses is the easiest variable to change for tweaking heat loss. — location: 5079 ^ref-5308
EAT A LARGE FAT- AND PROTEIN-DOMINATED MEAL WITHIN THREE HOURS OF BEDTIME. — location: 5081 ^ref-38134
The basic premise of polyphasic sleep is that the most beneficial phase of sleep is the REM phase. Normal sleepers experience REM for a mere 1–2 hours per night. To reap the benefits of polyphasic sleep, we’ll need to engineer things so that REM is a much higher percentage of total sleep. — location: 5197 ^ref-2353
Rule #1: It’s not what you put in your mouth that matters, it’s what makes it to your bloodstream. If it passes through, it doesn’t count. — location: 814 ^ref-7391
Rule #2: The hormonal responses to carbohydrates (CHO), protein, and fat are different. — location: 821 ^ref-33574
Fast-twitch muscle fibers have the greatest potential for growth, whereas slow-twitch fibers have the least potential. — location: 3418 ^ref-12939
The exercises should be performed for one set each and no more. The objective is to fail, to reach the point where you can no longer move the weight, at seven or more repetitions at a 5/5 cadence (five seconds up and five seconds down). The leg press is to be performed for 10 or more repetitions at the same cadence. The only exceptions to the cadence rule are the abdominal exercises and kettlebell swing, which are described in earlier chapters. — location: 3668 ^ref-28991
Med school mnemonic for “supinated”: imagine eating “soup” out of a cupped hand. — location: 3947 ^ref-35056
Everyone you meet (every male, at least) will have a strong opinion about how you should train and eat. For the next two to four weeks, cultivate selective ignorance and refuse to have bike-shed discussions with others. Friends, foes, colleagues, and well-intentioned folks of all stripes will offer distracting and counterproductive additions and alternatives. — location: 3641 ^ref-28204
the goal of strength training is to reduce injury potential first, and to increase performance second. — location: 3661 ^ref-27170
WORKOUT B: THE MACHINE OPTION 1. Slight incline/decline bench press × 7 (5/5 count) 2. Leg press × 10 (5/5 count) (Optional: Kettlebell or T-bar swings from “Building the Perfect Posterior” × 50) 3. Stationary bike × 3 minutes at 85+ rpm (to minimize — location: 3695 ^ref-11156
WORKOUT A: FREE WEIGHT OPTION Free weights can be used if you prefer them, or if you travel often and need standardized equipment that is the same around the world: 1. Yates row with EZ bar (ideal) or barbell × 7 (5/5 count) (see pictures in the sidebar later this chapter) 2. Shoulder-width barbell overhead press × 7 repetitions (5/5 cadence) (Optional: Abdominal exercises from “Six-Minute Abs”) — location: 3708 ^ref-35782
WORKOUT B: FREE WEIGHT OPTION 1. Slight incline bench press with shoulder-width grip × 7 (5/5 count) (If no Power Rack18 is available, use dumbbells, but you’ll often run into problems with adding weight in small increments.) 2. Squat × 10 (5/5 count) (Optional: Kettlebell or T-bar swings from “Building the Perfect Posterior” × 50) 3. Stationary bike × 3 minutes (to minimize subsequent leg soreness) — location: 3716 ^ref-39691
Remember that the last repetition, the point of failure, is the rep that matters. The rest of the repetitions are just a warm-up for that moment. — location: 3733 ^ref-4088