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WRITING
Owen Wilson is Doing Great, Thanks by Ryan DâAgostino
I was going to recommend a new book Iâm reading but itâs taken a slow turn and Iâm not sure I can give it the Books & Biceps seal of approval just yet. Over the years Iâve developed a somewhat bulletproof system of picking new books from a variety of trusted sources, fellow writers Iâve enjoyed and reviewers I respect.
But occasionally, one slips through the cracks (or more likely) I just donât connect with the story or writing for some reason. No harm, no foul. But I started writing B&B to share books that I liked with you, not to dump on fellow authors (unless your name is Thomas Hardy and you passed away almost 100 years ago and I feel comfortable saying that he was mostly unreadable because I had to take an entire course on his writing in college and maaaaaan was he brutal).
Notwithstanding my longstanding Hardy hate, I thought Iâd share a magazine cover story that I found fun and carefree and overall really well done.
The feature was written by Ryan DâAgostino for Esquire and his subject was Owen Wilson. Or should I say, his subject was an internal monologue of what itâs like to try to write a cover story on Owen Wilson. The story, like Wilson, was quirky and although it uses the standard cover story devices (eating with a celebrity, going on a small adventure with a celebrity) it feels totally natural given that itâs Wilson and makes for a breezy, well done read. Check it out here.
BICEPS
Rather than take you to a specific workout this week, I want to share some research that a longtime ago colleague of mine from Menâs Fitness shared regarding muscle growth and strength. His name is Sean Hyson and he used to be the Editor in Chief for Onnit as well as a number of other high level fitness brands. He knows his stuff, is what Iâm saying, and if you want to learn about what the most recent studies show about the optimal rep ranges and effort needed to grow big, this breakdown he gave is terrific. You can read it here.
O.K. I also made up this circuit on Sunday morning and it was great. In honor of Owen Wilson weâll call it:
The Wedding Crasher
4 x 1 minute Jump Rope
4 x 10 Slam Balls
4 x 10 Kettle Bell Swings
4 motorboatinâ son of a bitches*
FOUR ROUNDS
*this isnât a real thing but if youâre reading this you get it
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
âCharisma is the perfect blend of warmth and confidence.â
- Vanessa Van Edwards
QUICK FLEXES
I found my photo diary from my research trip to Thomasville, Georgia from when I wrote Charlie Wardâs biography and I shared some cool pics here.
Iâve written in stuffy airports, crappy motels, gyms, locker rooms, football fields, basketball courts, boxing rings and even on a mat at Brock Lesnarâs training compound in Minnesota, but I think this 92 degree pool deck in FL at my daughterâs swim practice wins for hottest I mean check out my set-up.
And we had a good time going back and forth on Twitter with Tommy Boy quotes after this post. Enjoy.
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