#022 - Weightlifting & Cardio Is A Waste of Time, Build Muscle 3x Faster Without Weights (Part 1 of 2) - Dr John Jaquish
People get a Harley…and they can’t wait to f*%k it up!
Almost three years ago, I met Dr John Jaquish, the inventor of Osteostrong and the X3 Bar, at Dave Asprey’s HeadStrong book launch in San Francisco. At the time he was up to exciting experiments and biohacking that other people weren’t talking about. Shortly after, Dr Jaquish came out with a product named the X3 Bar. It was a simple enough looking system with a platform, some resistance bands, and a bar to attach the resistance bands. I saw people using the system, including Dr Jaquish, and thought, “Big deal, why is it so expensive for some bands and a platform?”
However, two things happened to me that changed my mind about the X3 Bar. (1) I had my first child, and quickly realized I had absolutely no time to travel to a gym, let alone even 30 minutes to workout. Interestingly enough, X3 Bar claimed you could get a workout in 10 minutes. (2) I read the Cornell Study, which outlined how athletes undertaking variable resistance training became three times stronger than those doing just traditional free weights. I bought the system and since that day I haven’t turned back.
With the X3 Bar, I am never sore, I have maintained my muscle mass since the days when I was lifting free weights, and best of all, I am injury free. As you can imagine, most people can’t conceive that lifting with the X3 Bar could get you these results in 10-15 minutes of working out. Naturally, I get a lot of questions about the X3 Bar, and the science behind it. I thought it would great to have none other than Dr Jaquish on himself to explain the irrefutable science, and why we have been lied to about lifting weights for so long. Dr Jaquish is known for what some might call flippantly saying “weightlifting and cardio is a waste of time,” but he backs up his beliefs with science.
Since I last saw Dr Jaquish three years ago, he has put on 60 lbs of muscle! Again, people can’t rationalize how he’s been able to accomplish this feat without steroids or some sort of muscle enhancer. Dr Jaquish has, however, been criticized for using testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and many attribute his gains purely to that. However, on this episode, Dr Jaquish addresses those criticisms and explains why TRT has had nothing to do with his growth. Instead, Dr Jaquish has altered and refined his diet since he first started with X3 three years ago, which is something we get into heavily this episode. He’s also launched a new product called Fortagen, which is a high quality essential amino acid blend that he credits for helping pack on that muscle mass.
We spoke for three hours and covered so much that I had to break the episode into two parts. In part one, we talk a lot about the science of X3, his new book, why whey protein is bullshit, how to increase muscle through fasting, and much much more. Enjoy!
Timeline
2:00 - How Dr Jaquish came up for the idea of Osteostrong
4:26 - The origination of the X3 Bar
15:00 - The evolution of Dr Jaquish’s diet
16:28 - Why whey protein is bullshit
18:58 - Why fasting actually increases muscle
23:40 - Why going to extreme’s with exercise or diet can hamper your results
29:00 - Dr Jaquish’s new book & Forrest Griffin
32:20 - Professional athletes and the X3 Bar
39:08 - Difference between X3 & other “functional exercises”
43:45 - Why tearing your muscles for growth is absolutely false
46:30 - Why fatiguing all ranges of motion is important
50:45 - Why is it so expensive?
55:24 - How Dr Jaquish stays healthy during COVID-19
59:30 - The biomarkers Dr Jaquish tracks
1:05:55 - Fortagen and the importance of essential amino acids
1:09:45 - How to hack fasting
1:16:09 - Is too much protein and meat bad for us?
1:27:00 - Dr Jaquish’s opinion with SARMS
Other Resources & Links
X3 Bar (Get the X3 Bar System and use the Promo code ‘JOEL’ for $50 off)
Osteostrong (The business Dr Jaquish created to address bone density and osteoporosis)
Peter Thiel - Zero to One (A book that had a lot of impact on Dr Jaquish’s life)
Osteogenetic Loading: A New Modality To Facilitate Bone Density Development - Dr John Jaquish