The Tim Ferriss Show

Charles Poliquin is back for another round of the podcast. Charles (@strengthsensei) is one of the best known strength coaches in the world. He has trained elite athletes from nearly 20 different sports, including Olympic gold medalists, NFL All-Pro’s, NHL All-Stars and Stanley Cup champions, and IFBB bodybuilding champions. His clients include long-jump gold medalist Dwight Phillips, NHL MVP Chris Pronger, and MLB batting champion Edgar Martinez, and the first women's wrestling US Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis, among many others. And as we creep up towards episode #200, his first appearance on the podcast is still one of the top-15 most listened to episodes, and he's constantly requested by listeners for a round 2. In this episode, we allowed you to play host, and we selected your most popular questions on Facebook and Twitter. This time, Charles goes deep on several topics, including: His favorite mass building program of all-time Recommendations for older lifters His latest thoughts on hormones and

By request, we have another drunk dialing episode (the most recent one can be found here, and the original can be found here). This one is a little different as it's a Ladies Night edition. Some of you may have noticed that ladies were absent from the last drunk dialing fiasco. Why? It's just math. Looking at the results of a recent poll of 11,463 respondents, my audience is 84.04% male, 15.83% female, and .13% other. The people who sign up first get called first. The last time, three out of the 20, which is exactly 15%, were female. Unfortunately, those women (and several guys) did not pick up. This time around, I decided to try the "ladies night" format. In this episode, we discuss: Language learning Exercising with (or around) injuries Viral marketing Handstands and handstand training How I decide my experiments (and what gets shared afterward) Teaching disabilities vs. learning disabilities The craft of writing: common mistakes, goals, etc. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be f

Dave Camarillo (@DaveCamarillo) was my long-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach (see him kicking my ass repeatedly here). Put simply, he is a machine. On the Mat once said: "It's funny that everybody in Judo is scared of David's ne waza and everybody in Jiu-Jitsu is scared of his stand up. (We) guess people, in general, are just scared of him." Dave is a very technical coach and an elite-level Jiu-Jitsu competitor. He dominated the lightweight and open weight classes at the 1998 Rickson Gracie American Jiu-Jitsu Association tournament; the legendary Rickson Gracie himself bestowed the honor of Most Technical American Jiu-Jitsu Fighter upon him. He has worked not only with people on the ground game, but many recognizable MMA (mixed martial arts) figures as a coach and as a corner man. We'll delve into: Tactical training Military training Hockey fights Defending yourself armed only with a flashlight How Dave's mom is the best sniping shot in the entire family And much, much more. Enjoy! Show notes and lin

David "DHH" Heinemeier Hansson (@dhh) is the creator of Ruby on Rails, founder and CTO at Basecamp (formerly 37signals), and the best-selling co-author of Rework and Remote: Office Not Required. Oh, and he went from not having a driver's license at 25 to winning, at 34, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. It is often called the "Grand Prix of endurance and efficiency." David is one of the most outspoken technologists out there. He is not one to hide his opinions or mince words. In this episode, we cover a lot, including... The power of being outspoken Running a profitable business without venture capital Stoic philosophy Flow space Parallels across disciplines DHH's rules for creating excellence And much, much more... Please enjoy my conversation with DHH! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I reached out to these Finnish entrepreneurs after a very talented

Erik Vance (@erikvance) is an award-winning science writer based in California and Mexico City. After working as a scientist on research projects dealing with dolphin intelligence and coastal ecology, he became an educator and then an environmental consultant. In 2005, he attended UC Santa Cruz's famed Science Communication Program and discovered a passion for journalism. Since then, he has built his career around science-based profiles of inspiring or controversial figures. His work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, The Utne Reader, Scientific American, and National Geographic. He is also a contributing editor at Discover Magazine. His latest book is Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal. This riveting narrative explores the world of placebos, hypnosis, false memories, and neurology to reveal the groundbreaking science of our suggestible minds. Could the secrets to personal health lie within our own brains? Erik's firsthand

This episode was a blast. It was a tropical exploration of biology, life extension, and all good things. This included a lot of Carmenere wine and good old-fashioned ball busting. I was joined by: Peter Attia, MD (@peterattiamd), who rejoins the show (catch his last appearance here). He is a former ultra-endurance athlete (e.g., swimming 25-mile races), compulsive self-experimenter, and one of the most fascinating human beings I know. He is one of my go-to doctors for anything performance- or longevity-related. Peter earned his MD from Stanford University and holds a BSc in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He did his residency in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and conducted research at the National Cancer Institute under Dr. Steven Rosenberg, where Peter focused on the role of regulatory T cells in cancer regression and other immune-based therapies for cancer. David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D. (@DMSabatini) of MIT's Whitehead Institute f

Thanks to the gin I had tonight, this is a special episode. It is a drunk-dialing Q&A with you guys -- like we did around this time last year to celebrate the 100th episode. In preparation, I solicited phone numbers from listeners who wanted to receive a call from me. In this episode, I cover topics such as: parenting advice from friends and guests how to get started in podcasting how to make a good sales pitch long-distance moves what I consider good advice and much, much more! Without further ado, please enjoy this alcohol-fueled Q&A! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Rhone Apparel. Dozens -- maybe even hundreds of you -- have asked me: "What shirts are you wearing in your recent YouTube videos?" They're a very specific set of shirts from Rhone. I'm packing for a trip for seven to ten days, and I would say half of what I'm going to pack is from Rhone. These are the most comfortable shirts (and Rhone stocks way mo

This is a special episode because it doesn't focus on the lessons of one particular person. Instead, I explore the tips, tricks, and framework I've used to learn just about any skill. This is the meta-skill of meta-learning, or learning how to learn. I'm going to share techniques that can help you -- even if you're sub-par or a rote beginner -- take the smartest first steps and use 80/20 analysis to accelerate your progress. This is adapted from The 4-Hour Chef, which is the cookbook that's not a cookbook -- it's a book on accelerated learning. Without further ado, please enjoy this episode on meta-learning. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and vi

Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is most associated with a tool that powers more than 25% of the entire Web: WordPress. He's also the CEO of Automattic, which is a multi-billion dollar, fully distributed startup. Matt loves tea, tequila, and Chicken McNuggets. His first time on the show went over so well that you've all been asking for a round two. So in this episode, he answers your most popular questions. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life. Vimeo Business allows you to upload u

This is another special in-betweenisode. It's a little shorter than the normal long-form episodes, and it features a Q&A with Shay Carl (@shaycarl). If you missed our first interview, Shay's story is incredible. He was a manual laborer for ages and uploaded his first YouTube video while on break from his job. Flash forward to today: His SHAYTARDS channel now has roughly 2.3 BILLION views. Celebs like Steven Spielberg have appeared alongside Shay and his family. He co-founded Maker Studios, which sold to Disney for nearly $1 billion. He has been married 13 years and has five kids. He has lost more than 100 pounds since his overweight peak. This time around, he answers listener questions in the way only he can, such as: How to grow a YouTube following from scratch. The future of ad revenue and sponsorship. How he balances capturing the moment vs. experiencing the moment. His greatest obstacles in life. Lessons learned as a father. And much, much more. I also wanted to announce my new book, Tools of Tit

Dr. Dominic "Dom" D'Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is one of my most popular guests, and I'm happy to have him rejoin the show for the third time. (You can listen to Dom's first appearance here, and his second appearance here). Dom is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) -- which is mentioned in the current issue of Outside Magazine (on which there's a clown who looks a lot like me). Much of Dom's work is related to metabolic therapies and nutritional strategies for peak performance and resilience in extreme environments. Dom's research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), and other private organizations and foundations. In this episode, Dom focuses on disease prevention, cancer, and more mastery of the ketogenic diet. Please enjoy this tutorial and master

"Don't count on motivation; count on discipline." - Jocko Willink Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) is one of the scariest human beings imaginable. He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you. Jocko spent 20 years in the US Navy and commanded SEAL Team 3's task unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated special operations unit in the Iraq War. Upon returning to the US, Jocko served as the officer in charge of training for all West Coast SEAL teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic -- and perhaps psychotic -- combat training in the world (his words, not mine). After retiring from the Navy, he co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership and management consulting company and authored the number one New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win. Jocko did his first interview ever with me (find it here), and

"You can't be grateful and angry simultaneously." - Tony Robbins The last time Tony Robbins (@tonyrobbins) was on the show, so many listeners found this one exercise helpful that they suggested I feature it on its own. This guided meditation is designed to help you overcome stress in a way that's backed with quantifiable neuroscience. If you've been worrying about unfinished business without resolution, this is a powerful tool to help you resolve the situation. This is very short and very powerful. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is brought to you by Exo Protein. These guys are making protein bars using cricket protein powder. Before you look disgusted, I bet they taste better than any protein bar you’ve ever had before! With recipes that were developed by a three-Michelin-star chef, the bars are paleo-friendly, with no gluten, no grains, no soy, no dairy, and they won’t spike your glycemic response. In fact, they’re less processed th

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers and tease out their routines and habits you can use. But in this in-betweenisode, I'm going to present some short nuggets of practical, tactical philosophy about practicing what you preach. This is a letter from Stoic heavyweight Seneca the Younger -- who lived a mere 2,000 years or so ago -- to his friend Lucilius. It's from a collection of letters that comprise, effectively, my favorite book of all time. I've read it dozens of times, and I loved it so much that I turned it into The Tao of Seneca, a three-volume set of audiobooks. This is a letter you've not heard on the podcast before; it's worth the listen just for the definition of wisdom, alone. Then you have some incredible quotes from Epicurus, and it also discusses how you can have riches without riches having you. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is brought to you by Headspace, the world's most popular meditation app (wit

Shep Gordon (@SupermenschShep) has been named one of the "100 most influential people" by Rolling Stone magazine. He is the man behind some of the biggest names you've ever heard. If you like the storytelling and lessons of Cal Fussman, you're going to love this one. Shep has worked with, and befriended, some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Alice Cooper to Bette Davis, Raquel Welch to Groucho Marx, Blondie to Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester Stallone to Salvador Dali, Luther Vandross to Teddy Pendergrass. He is also credited with inventing the "celebrity chef" phenomenon, which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. He has worked with Nobu Matsuhisa, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergé (and many others, including his holiness, the Dalai Lama.) Anthony Bourdain, a huge fan of Shep's, released a memoir detailing Shep's life and adventures, titled They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass To The Amazing World

Cal (@calfussman) is a New York Times bestselling author and a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the "What I Learned" feature. The Austin Chronicle has described Cal's interviewing skills as "peerless." He has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons who've shaped the last 50 years of world history: Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Jack Welch, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Woody Allen, Barbara Walters, Pelé, Yao Ming, Serena Williams, John Wooden, Muhammad Ali, and countless others. When I asked listeners for questions to present to Cal during this return appearance, about 70 percent of you replied with some version of: "He is my favorite storyteller of all time. Please just let him talk for another four hours!" I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I neve

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Jason Nemer, co-founder of AcroYoga. Jason is an incredible character, who travels the world with next to nothing. He introduced me to my latest obsession -- AcroYoga. Along with Gymnastic Strength Training, I've been doing AcroYoga -- and I think about doing it all the time. AcroYoga is closer to partner acrobatics: Cirque du Soleil routine meets sensual-but-not-sexual contact. Even if you have no interest in doing AcroYoga yourself, there are many takeaways and recommendations in this episode that can benefit your life. And for those of you that are interested, we even do a couple of video demos, which can be found here. But don't feel like you need to step away from the purely audio experience of this podcast to follow along. Incidentally, the video was recorded at Creative Live, my favorite place to learn online. I've taken hundreds of courses there, but the one I'll recommend is Six Months to Six Figures by Peter Voogd. Enjoy the show! Show notes

This episode is not going to deconstruct a world-class performer, per usual. This is a short, but very actionable and practical episode about the inner workings of my business. I was asked recently how I choose my projects. I riffed on this topic, and shared many thoughts on delegating tasks, future projects, and my involvement -- and break from -- the start-up community. I realized that the real question at the root of many of my decisions is: "How can I waste money to improve my quality of life?" This seems like a bad thing, but it is not. It is trading pennies for dollars. So how can you waste money to improve the quality of your life? I delve into this topic and much more. I hope you'll get a lot out of it. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service led by technologists from places like Apple. It has expl

This is another jam-packed episode with Coach Chris Sommer, the former US national team gymnastics coach and founder of GymnasticBodies. As a world-renowned Olympic coach, Sommer is known for building his students into some of the strongest, most powerful athletes in the world. While this is a stand-alone episode, you can (and should!) check out his last appearance, which is one of the most popular podcast episodes. We cover a lot in this episode, including: What home equipment should someone invest in first (for $100 or less)? What are Coach Sommer's thoughts on weighted stretches? What does lower-body GST look like for a 40-year old former athlete? The best distinction between "mobility" and "flexibility." Exercise progressions for bar muscle-ups and most common mistakes in training for muscle-ups. Foam rolling or mobility tools: Do they have a place in GST? If so, favorite uses? How should taller people (say, over six feet tall) adjust GST? How should women adjust GST? And much, much more. Enjoy! Show

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers from business, military, entertainment, politics, or athletics, and then to tease out the routines and habits you can use. But in this in-betweenisode, Ryan Holiday, author of the book Ego Is the Enemy, shares a chapter called What's Important to You? This chapter alone is worth the price of the book, and it contains many fundamental truths that can be applied to business and life. (The book is also the newest addition to my book club, which can be found at audible.com/timsbooks.) If you like what Ryan has to say, check out the recent conversation we had, which dives deeper into what he's all about. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Headspace, the world's most popular meditation app (with more than 4,000,000 users). It's used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it. Try Headspace's free Take10 program&nb