I just created my first ’successful’ muse and I don’t think you should follow in my footsteps. Or at least not quite yet.
Note #1: If you don’t understand some terms being thrown around here (like ‘muse’) see the glossary at the end of this post. Note #2: David Walsh of MuseLife.com might physically attack me for writing this!
I put ’successful’ in quotes because my muse is still in development. I’m just below my desired income level and I’m also not fully automated yet - meaning I still deal with customer service issues, web design, and other things that I shouldn’t be involving myself with.
Why You Should Hold Off
OK, now why some of you (yes you - the aspiring lifestyle design person) shouldn’t be trying to create a muse…
I know from the survey over on Corbett Barr’s blog, Free Pursuits, that a lot of people who read my blog are interested in lifestyle design and have a blog of their own.
And something I’ve noticed is that many of these lifestyle designers and bloggers are extremely interested in creating a muse so that they can travel. Travel seems to be the thing to do as a lifestyle designer.
Here’s what I think you should do instead: save money, travel some first, then develop your muse.
I say get out and explore, have some crazy adventures, maybe even get a job overseas. And, while you’re doing this, keep learning new skills that you can funnel into a muse.
A lot of people complain that they’re not an expert on something so they don’t know where to get started with their muse. What if you went out and became the expert you wanted to be? 3-4 months of solid effort is probably enough to set you up with some authority on a subject.
So instead of having your muse fund your travels, have your travels or experiences fuel your muse.
This is exactly what I unintentionally did with the 007 Lifestyle. I really didn’t start focusing on creating a muse until 5-6 months into traveling and accomplishing goals I set for myself. I was then able to funnel what I’d learned into a muse.
Other Real Life Examples:
David Walsh’s Source Control. This muse was created by David after he went traveling through Europe & Asia, doing consulting work at the same time. He figured out how to outsource like a champ out of necessity.
Corbett’s Morning Spanish was created after his trip to Mexico and he saw a need in the Spanish language learning niche.
Take Away Point
If you’re struggling to come up with a muse idea, focus less on creating it now, and more on developing the skills to create one later.
Simplified Glossary
1. A muse is a fancy term that Tim Ferriss of the 4 hour Work week coined to represent a business that provides semi-passive income after the initial set up.
2. Lifestyle design is creating the life you want based around your muse(s).
Photo Credit: Sun Crane by Hamed Saber - get it? A crane represents building a muse. So clever.
I’m currently ‘gaming’ potential prospects into purchasing my ebook using the Mystery Method.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Mystery Method it’s a systematic process for picking up girls, developed by the famous pickup artist, Erik Von Markovik (aka Mystery). He broke the seduction process down into a step-by-step system that any guy can use to score with women
I believe that the system works well beyond just picking up chicks. It’s also a good model for meeting people and social situations in general.
So, I’ve taken his system and applied it to customers signing up for my free newsletter. I’ve found it translates pretty well.
The Mystery Method
The Mystery Method is broken down into three stages: Attract, Comfort, & Seduce. Each stage has 3 components. When you’re interacting socially, you move through each stage and component linearly until the close (sex) or in my case, the sale.
The Seven Hour Rule
Mystery found that on average it will take seven combined hours from the time you meet a woman to the time she’ll be ready for sex. This can be spread over several dates or the course of one night.
I like to think this means on average it will take 7 emails before the sale and I’ve read before that that is usually a good statistic. A lot of people will have 7 day e-mail courses that prospects sign up for.
I’ve taken each component and stage and applied it to my email follow-ups. The sales sequence looks like this:
A1 - OPEN (Prospect visits website & email 1)
In A1, the man approaches a woman or group of woman, and begins a conversation and reaches the Social Hook point. The social hook point is the moment when a girl or group decides that they enjoy talking to you and the conversation continues beyond the opening.
I’ve deemed the opening to be the prospect reaching my sales page either through PPC (a direct approach) or through a recommendation of another website (indirect). They read through the sales copy and then enter in their email address (social hook point) for a free report and access to my newsletter if they’re not ready to buy right then.
In A2, the man demonstrates higher value (DHV) shows disinterest in the target (the girl he wants within the group), and consequently, she gives him indicators of interest (IOI).
DHV - Anything you can do that conveys higher survival and replication value is a demonstration of higher value. If you have social proof or she discovers that you have a lot of money without your telling her that’s a DHV.
Telling stories that are fun, interesting, and emotionally relevant demonstrate social skill which is a DHV. To achieve this I’ve included a short and relevant story about a failed pickup attempt.
For social proof (the idea that other people will evaluate others based on how surrounding people behave towards them), I give a customer testimonial in the second email and write, “I’ve gotten some great responses on the body language report. I’m glad you guys are liking it.” I want to get the customer thinking, “If other people have bought it and enjoyed it, I might too.”
IOI - When a girl becomes attracted to someone she will begin to give indicators of interest. Several examples are giggling, touching you, tossing her hair, and prolonged eye contact.
You wont be able to see your customer giggling in front of his/her computer, but the point is to get them to like you. You can achieve this in several ways: by relating to them, revealing a secret about yourself, or giving them a free gift.
Negging - A neg is a subtle put down that makes her qualify herself to you. The purpose is to throw down shields and take a hot girl’s social value down to your level. You can achieve this by picking lint off her sweater or if she says something rude you say, “You don’t get out much do you?”
The best strategy I’ve found is subtly putting down the customer. Telling them that you’ve had a similar problem as them but escaped. Tell them there are things they can do to change their situation.
In my ‘free’ report I call them out for hunching over their computer while reading the report - even though I can’t see them I’m just assuming. Don’t insult them, just open them up to the idea that you can help them in some way.
In A3, the man baits the woman to become more invested in the interaction, and then he rewards her efforts with IOI’s.
I like to bait the customer into becoming more invested by doing several things:
Control the frame - The frame is the underlying meaning and the context of the unspoken assumption in everything you say.
I like to write, “When you buy the 007 lifestyle…” as if I know they’re already going to do it. I’m just telling them more about it so they can feel safe about the transaction.
Role reversal - when you’re in a pickup situation and making physical contact you say, “You know you’re really good at this. It’s been 5 minutes and you’ve already got my hand on your waist.” You’re turning it around on her and making her seem like the aggressor.
The same is true of the prospect. Make them believe that they are the one seeking you out even if you were the one who put up the ad. I achieve this by writing, “You probably came to my website because you had a problem. Let’s be honest, no one is entirely happy with their lives, especially in today’s work-aholic society. The 007 Lifestyle is designed with you in mind. It’s written for people specifically like you. I wrote it to help you solve your problems.”
Screening - Screening is the process of getting her hoping she’s good enough to qualify for you. You ask her questions like, “Do you think you’re smart? Do you have a lot of friends?
I say similar stuff like, “Are you the type of person that follows through on your promises? Or are you the type to back out and make excuses?”
Kino escalation - Kino is simply physical touching. Mystery says the guy should start with small touching, and then ramp it up, so when you go for the kiss it’s not as big of a shock.
Because this technique spans the whole system I slowly ramp up my language related to buying from an off-handed “When you purchase” to finally “Click here to buy now” and “Give it to me now!”
Compliments - Mystery says to compliment in a way that directs her behavior where you want her to, and to play a role that’s useful to you.
This means writing something like this to the customer: “I can tell you take action unlike most other guys. You’re actively trying to improve your life.”
C1 - Comfort and Conversation (email 6)
In C1, the conversation gets deeper and the couple begins to feel a sense of comfort, rapport, and connection. You want to make the girl feel safe and keep it real. She needs to feel that she is getting to know the real you - and that takes some time.
Rapport & Commonality
This email is a high quality newsletter with great information taken from the main package. I want them to feel safe and know that they’re going to get great information when they go to buy.
C2 - Connection & C3 - Intimacy (email 6)
In C2, both parties feel a vibe that ‘it is on’. Kissing occurs. In C3, the couple moves to a seduction location, heavy making-out ensues and then the couple moves into the bedroom.
I don’t normally make out with my customers and take them into the bedroom but I deem this the time when customers are getting extremely warm to the idea of buying.
In this email, I also want them to get comfortable in the The Sex Location (the buying location). I tell them to go look back over the sales page and read the benefits again. I then show them a picture of the shopping cart telling them that it will look like that when they go to purchase.
S1 - Foreplay & S2 - LMR & S3 - Sex (Email 7 and after)
S1 is the physical escalation towards sex. I just deem this the stage when buyers are SERIOUSLY thinking about the purchase. They’re getting excited about it but still having doubts.
S2 is termed last minute resistance (LMR). This is the point of no return before sex occurs. For many women this is the freak-out moment and they hesitate. Mystery says you overcome this by freezing her out and saying “You know you’re right. We shouldn’t do this.” You retreat a bit but then slowly work your way back into it.
I write, “Don’t buy until your ready. But remember, the product comes with a 60 day 100% money back guarantee.”
Finally, S3 is the purchase!
If they don’t buy after email 7 all is not lost. I still send follow-ups and continue to build the relationship. The seven hour rule is just an average. Some prospects will take longer to decide than others. Most will never purchase.
To check out the Mystery Method on Amazon, click here.
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If you’d like you can sign up for my newsletter and read through the information. I can’t guarantee it will be relevant to your situation but you might enjoy it.
Tomorrow officially kicks off the beginning of my bike tour of the west coast - the Pacific Coast Route. Here’s a basic break-down of what I’m starting the journey with. All these things are subject to change as I go.
I’ll explain my reasoning and the packing process when I get a chance. To be honest I’m living really uncomfortably right now. Disassembling and fitting my bike into a bike box for the airplane has been extremely difficult. It’s going to be a scramble to get everything in order before I leave for the airport at 2:30 PM tomorrow!
The only crime in life is doing nothing. If you’re sitting around and not taking action you’re moving society backwards. If there’s something you’re even remotely good at, you should let the world hear/see/experience it.
This has become so apparent to me in the last couple of months that I can hardly believe I didn’t see it before. When I’m timid, don’t act, and worry about what might happen, I end up with nothing. And something is better than nothing.
Here are some examples to illustrate the point from my life, and then a couple from others.
1. Meeting MuseLife Creator David Walsh
A couple of months ago I decided to start TalkMuse.com. It chronicles my adventures in setting up an online business. I created a lot of free content related to setting up websites and marketing but I was starting the doubt the purpose of it all when David contacted me.
We started talking and quickly realized we had a lot of similar goals (his site was called MuseLife after all). After I met him in Philly, I knew he’d be a great business contact, and more importantly, friend.
When I started designing the 007 Lifestyle David was my most trusted ally. He plugged all my information into his awesome M6 Creator (it’s still in development but get on the early sign-up list) and then worked with me to perfect the design, sales copy, and marketing angle. I can’t imagine what would have happened with my ebook package if I hadn’t of met him.
2. Guest Posting
I felt a little bit of trepidation when I first emailed Rob of JetSetLife.tv about guest posting. Why would this extremely successful guy want to use my writing on his site? That fear was destroyed almost instantly as Rob emailed me back excited about my ideas.
Since then I’ve done several other guest posts bringing a lot of new reader traffic, establishing relationships, and even selling a few of my products. I put myself out there, opened myself up for criticism, and good things happened.
3. Girls Are Robots EP Release
My good friend Dan is an incredibly gifted musician. He’s able to create and mix dark synth music that is still pop accessible (that’s my best music critic review).
But, as many talented musicians can attest, he’s a perfectionist. Something that sounds amazing to me sounds a little bit off to Dan. So, after several years of making his own music he’d never created a full length CD.
That is until July 16th when he and his band, Girls Are Robots, released their debut album to the world (for free). And you know what? It’s damn good and a lot of people are letting Dan know it. He’s getting emails from people all over the world who stumbled upon his music and were drawn to it. How cool is that?
Dan finally said ‘F-it’ and put it out there - you can get it for free on their site GirlsAreRobots.com.
It seems like everywhere I go, Sean is there. He’s been listed on several big sites as a ‘blogger to watch.’
Sean is creating, putting himself out there, and now he’s garnering attention (and blog posts by me!).
Conclusion
Although all of my ideas are not fully developed, through the process of creation I’m shaping Live Uncomfortably and my other sites right before your eyes. And along the way, although things might not be perfect, there are still moments that might inspire others. And if I inspire others, they might create, and their creations will inspire me. And up and up we go.
I now have 2 ebooks (LU Guide To Muscle & the 007 Lifestyle which I created through TalkMuse.com) on the market, so it’s time for me to take off on another adventure. This time it’s going to be biking nearly 1,900 miles down the Pacific Coast of the USA from Canada to Mexico.
What I’ll Be Doing
The journey will begin in Vancouver, British Colombia and end in San Diego, California on the border of Mexico. I’ve already booked a flight to Seattle and have a ride to the Canadian border from there.
I’ll be making the trip with Clay (ThisGuyLovesToParty.com). We’ll be using panniers to carry some ultra-light gear and camping exclusively.
(The ride be similar to the above picture)
Why I’m Doing This
The reasons for this trip are many. When I was in Colombia I met a 20-something German guy who had been jetting back and forth through the country on a crappy little mountain bike. He would travel from one city to the next on bike, staying in cheap hotels along the way.
He said, “I’m young, why wouldn’t I use my legs?” I was inspired and thought there’s not a better time to do this in my life.
Also, according to the Location Independent & Digital Nomad Survey, location independent people spend a median of 30-39 hours earning a living per week. I didn’t get into all of this to work full-time. I got into it so I could take trips like this.
I want to prove it to myself and to other aspiring location independents that this trip is possible even while running a business. I’m already working with some VA’s to ensure all goes smoothly.
Blogging & Preparations
At this point I don’t plan on bringing a computer but hopefully I’ll be able to blog from internet cafes along the way. I’ll be keeping a full journal and making videos so at very least I’ll post them here when I return.
I can pretty much assure you that Clay will be blogging a lot as we go too.
And for those interested, I’ll be posting a complete gear list and price breakdown before I leave.
When Do We Leave?
The excitement starts July 27th and ends when I finish the Pacific Coast Route…
Hey everyone, my guide for creating a great body with some unconventional methods and hard work is now available. The link above is for anyone ready to pick it up, and for those who want more information, just keep reading.
What it’s about: Sculpting a great body and building muscle with short periods of hard work.
Who should buy this: Anyone hoping to shape up and gain a lot of muscle quickly. Anyone who believes in hard work and is willing to get a little uncomfortable and think outside the box.
Anyone who doesn’t want to spend the whole year training - I’ve taken huge breaks from working out and ate a terrible diet (filled with lots of beer) but have been able to remain in shape because of the principles I outline in this ebook. This is perfect for travelers who need to take extended time off from the gym.
Who should not buy this: Advanced bodybuilders or fitness enthusiasts who already have a body they’re happy with, and anyone who isn’t willing to work hard for several consecutive weeks.
“I LOVE the guide. I saw massive improvements in just 4 weeks!” - Chris D.
“A very no-nonsense and thorough read; nice work all around.” - Ed P.
What You’ll Get
Here’s what you’ll find inside of the The Live Uncomfortably Guide To Muscle - How I Gained 10 lbs. Of New Muscle In Only 8 Weeks.
50 pages of detailed instruction - the exact workout, diet, and rest and recovery methods I used to do this and how you can easily tailor them to suit your own needs.
Unconventional thoughts on building muscle quickly backed up with results.
Printable 8 week workout plan.
Free updates forever!
My Story & How This Guide Was Born
I’ve got very average genetics, and in fact, I’ve got a very average story to tell.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I had been exercising consistently for about 4 years and only had 15 extra pounds of muscle to show for it.
That’s pretty sad, now that I look back on it. That’s a little less than 4 pounds of muscle a year I put on my frame.
And I worked out and ate smart, too. I was in the gym three or four times a week, about 46 weeks out of the year. I did everything that I had read to do, but didn’t have too much to show for it.
My goals weren’t insane. I didn’t want to be a professional bodybuilder. I’d really much rather have had a “fitness model” type of body. But my progress was moving way too slow to reach any realistic goal.
So I Started Reading…
I already read a lot. If you name a popular fitness article on the web, chances are I’ve read it, and I could recite all the facts of the article back to you.
And I wasn’t suffering from “information overload.” I applied every concept I read about, and I gave most of them enough time to see if they worked.
Nothing really seemed to change how I looked, though.
But shortly before I took a trip to Panama, I came across a few concepts from the 1960s that opened my eyes and changed the way I think about working out.
Back then, guys worked their butts off and ate a lot of food. There wasn’t too much else to their success. There wasn’t all kinds of pseudo-science and wacky claims like that we find today.
So I read, and read, and read… and then reflected back on the few successes I had had with building muscle.
Everything started making sense. I was finally starting to understand what average guys like me actually needed to do to build muscle.
I wrote up a new plan of action — completely different from any kind of exercise or diet routine I had done in the past — and set off on my trip.
The Results Speak For Themselves
Eight weeks and ten pounds of new muscle later, I realized I was on to something.
My experiment was a huge success.
I had almost matched my efforts of the last 4 years… but in only eight weeks.
What if I followed this plan only two times a year, and only did light, “maintaining” workouts inbetween? 20 pounds of muscle a year for four months of work sounds good to me.
So What Exactly Did I Do?
It’s actually so simple, it’s stupid that I didn’t figure this out years before.
Here it is in a nutshell:
You need to work yourself into the ground in the gym in the shortest amount of time possible.
You need to eat like a pig during this short time period. (Do it too much, and for too long, and you’ll only get fatter.)
You don’t need supplements. In fact, most supplements will only hurt your progress.
Most of your food should have been alive at one point — sorry, vegetarians.
You need to be mentally prepared for a grueling eight weeks. (This is actually one of the most important points.)
That’s really all there is to it. You can apply almost any plan with these requirements and see huge results.
Let’s break down what exactly I mean by each of these points…
“You need to work yourself into the ground in the gym in the shortest amount of time possible.”
Simply put, your workouts shouldn’t last more than 30 minutes, and with good reason: you shouldn’t be able to lift any more weight after 30 minutes.
You’ve got to push yourself to the extremes in every single workout. You have to be struggling to even leave the gym because you’re so sore.
I bet you usually leave the gym a little sweaty, maybe panting a little bit, but not much more than that. That needs to change.
“You need to eat like a pig during this short time period. (Do it too much, and for too long, and you’ll only get fatter.)”
The only way you’ll ever grow is by eating lots of food. And I mean lots — you’ll need to be cramming seven or more high-calorie meals down your throat to get this one done.
But here’s a quick lesson for you that took me a long time to realize: if you “eat big” year round, your body will eventually adapt to your high calorie diet, and you won’t put on much more muscle after the initial “jump” in muscle.
In fact, you’ll only put on fat. And plenty of it.
My plan was designed to maximize muscle gain — and avoid putting on extra fat.
“You don’t need supplements. In fact, most supplements will only hurt your progress.”
In my eight weeks, I didn’t touch a single supplement. No protein powder, no creatine, no nothing.
And I had the best results of my life. How interesting.
Supplements are a crutch. Their marketing convinces you that you need them to grow muscle, so mentally, you feel like you’re not growing unless you’re buying $60 worth of protein powder every month.
But the truth is: supplements are no match for real food. All that protein in your whey powder is available from whole foods, and in fact, is far more anabolic in form from those whole foods.
Do you really think you’ll get more muscle-growing benefit from a shake with one scoop of protein powder, versus eating four whole eggs? Give me a break.
“Most of your food should have been alive at one point — sorry, vegetarians.”
This point might be a little controversial for a few, but it’s absolutely the case for the majority of people.
Do you want to create a highly anabolic environment inside your body? Meat is the best food to eat to create that environment.
You can still grow with plant-based foods — but you’ll grow very slowly.
If you want muscle, and you want it fast, a nice slab of meat will get you there faster than a plate of rice. And under that reasoning, many slabs of meat will get you there faster than many plates of rice.
“You need to be mentally prepared for a grueling eight weeks. (This is actually one of the most important points.)”
I would say that 99.9% of lifters ignore this point, and suffer because of it.
You need to have a strong mind-muscle connection to succeed in your workouts.
You remember that I told you that you need to work yourself into the ground in the gym to see any kind of real results, right? Well, the only way you’ll have the mental strength to do that is by building a strong mind-muscle connection.
What do I mean by this? You need to be able to put the pain of the workout aside and focus on how your muscles are working.
You need to train yourself to say “yes” when your body is screaming “no.”
It’s the only way you can really work yourself hard in the gym. And it’s a tightly-guarded secret of many of the world’s top bodybuilders — people like Arnold Schwarzenegger swore by this.
The Mistakes I Made Before
That’s the stuff I did right. But what I did wrong for years beforehand while trying to build muscle is just as important.
I have a feeling that just about every person who’s not getting the results he wants is doing most of these…
Following “scientific studies” instead of real world results.
If you wanted to make a lot of money, who would you rather take advice from — a business coach struggling to make ends meet, or a wealthy, successful businessman?
Well, if you wanted to pile on lots of muscle, who would you listen to — an out-of-shape lab scientist, or a huge, ripped guy who has helped other people get there, too?
I spent too much time listening to the scientists and their “latest studies” and ignoring the advice of the guys who actually had the body I wanted.
Do you want to get big? Learn what other people did to actually do what you want, and then copy their plan of action. Stop reading articles about the latest unproven scientific findings.
Relying on supplements.
I’ve got to bring this one up again. I still enjoy using protein powder simply for the delicious taste, but that’s all it is for me — flavoring. I use maybe half a scoop a day.
Guys were getting amazing results before there was a huge market for supplements. Guys are still getting amazing results to this day without supplements.
All the money you waste on supplements is better spent on healthier, higher-quality foods. Real food will always help you put on more muscle than supplements — as long as you eat enough of it.
Mistaking volume for intensity.
I would work out for an hour or more in the gym. I did a ton of exercise — lots of sets and reps on each muscle group.
But this kind of volume isn’t what builds muscle. What will put muscle on your body is the intensity you have in the gym.
It’s far more effective to slaughter a muscle group with one set of 12 grueling reps — if performed correctly — than with five sets of 8 half-assed reps. Not to mention that it’s a better use of your time.
Not varying my diet.
I ate exactly like the experts told me I should to pile on muscle: a good variety of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; and lots of all three.
I ate this way for weeks, months on end, waiting for the muscle to pile onto my body.
And after a while of eating like this, I discovered I had mostly put on fat.
I dieted down, admired the little bit of muscle I added on, and then jumped right back into the same diet again.
And slowly, my results tapered off. I wasn’t putting on muscle anymore; I was putting on fat alone.
But I didn’t learn from this. I just figured I had to keep following this same cycle because it’s what all the experts recommended.
What I didn’t realize is that my body had completely adjusted to the diet I was feeding it. The only way I could have gotten new results was to mix it up for a while.
I have a feeling most guys who were like me have the same problem — they no longer get any results because their bodies have completely adjusted to the diet they’ve been feeding it for months or even years on end.
Everything Makes Sense Now
During my eight week experiment, I learned what it really takes to build muscle.
Yes, it’s fairly simple, like so many people online try to make you believe. But mess up some core ideas and you’ll struggle to get impressive results in a normal amount of time.
I’ve packaged all the most important concepts I’ve learned about building muscle into a 48-page manual titled The Live Uncomfortably Guide To Muscle - How I Gained 10 Lbs. Of New Muscle In Only 8 Weeks.
In it, I include every single lesson I learned during my eight week experiment. I guarantee there are concepts in there that you’ve never heard about before, or never tried in the gym, but that will make complete sense to you, like they did to me.
If You’re Ready To Get Down To Work And Drastically Change Your Body In Only 8 Weeks…
I believe passionately in working hard - ‘living uncomfortably’ - because it produces results. I’ve done this myself, and I’ll tell you how – including all my mistakes, so you don’t have to repeat them. Some of you are really excited about getting in shape or hungry to push yourself over the edge and get the body you’ve always wanted. You are who I created this product for.
Therefore, with those earlier disclaimers out of the way, let me give you the strongest guarantee I could possibly think of.
The Iron-Clad Guarantee
“If you read the guide and put in honest effort, I am not allowed to keep your money if it doesn’t work for you. You have to let me know if this happens, and I have to refund your money promptly. You have 90 days to succeed before I return your money.”
Specifically, I want to ensure that you can gain new muscle faster than you ever have before. I make this guarantee in part to reassure you, and in part so I can reassure me. I really don’t want anyone’s money who can not seriously benefit from this information for any reason.
The Conclusion
I’m afraid we’ve come to the end of the road. No hype and no hard feelings if this isn’t for you, but if you’re looking to create an incredible body with some hard work and unconventional methods, I’d love to help you with this guide.
When you click the button below you’ll be taken to a secure shopping cart where you can pay through Paypal or Google Shopping Cart.
On top of the ebook I’m releasing through my experiments over at TalkMuse.com (which is days away from launching too!), I’m also going to be putting out an ebook on this site.
The working title is The Live Uncomfortably Guide To Muscle: How I Gained 10 Pounds Of NEW Muscle In Only 8 Weeks.
This guide is pretty much just a hype-free, detailed explanation of the workout and diet I used to put on muscle quickly while I was in Panama. (I guess the title could really read, how I gained 10 pounds of NEW muscle in only 7 weeks because in the middle of the training program I was sick and bed ridden for a week.)
Why Do I Say ‘New Muscle’
There are a lot of books and guides out on the market that advertise putting on 20 or 30 or more pounds of muscle in only eight weeks.
What these marketers don’t tell you is that these gains — if at all true — are from something called “muscle memory.”
Muscle memory, simply put, is the term used for muscle that you once had, that your body doesn’t struggle to put back on after a long period of inactivity.
I’m sure you’ve heard about bodybuilders that didn’t work out for years, lost their muscle, and suddenly had a huge comeback in just a short period of time. They were able to put all this muscle back on because of muscle memory.
While I do credit some of my gains in Panama to muscle memory, I believe I built 10 pounds of muscle that I didn’t have before.
Short Description Of The Ebook
What it’s about: Sculpting a great body and building muscle with short periods of hard work.
Who should buy this: Anyone hoping to shape up, lose some fat, and gain a lot of muscle quickly, and anyone who believes in hard work and is willing to get a little uncomfortable and think outside the box. Anyone who doesn’t want to spend the whole year training (I’ve taken huge breaks from working out and ate a terrible diet filled with lots of beer, but have been able to remain in shape because of the principles I outline in this ebook).
Who should not buy this: Advanced bodybuilders or fitness enthusiasts who already have a body they’re happy with, and anyone who isn’t willing to work hard for several consecutive weeks.
When you can buy it: I’ll be launching the ebook in the next week or two so you can enjoy your 4th of July weekend without worrying about diets or workout programs.
Let me know if you have any questions before hand.
Thanks,
Derek
P.S. Here’s a JUICY, real, MySpace-sque photo of me. You’ll notice that I’m not trying to sell this product with pictures of fitness models. An average person can expect to see results similar to mine and if they don’t there will be a 100% money back guarantee.
Note: Black and white photos not included. You’ll need to practice the angry face and hand-open-pose on your own time.
And a more impressive picture of a friend who used the same program (I like to think he looks better b/c he doesn’t drink as much beer. That’s what I like to think):
I used the spaced learning method to learn the complicated intro to “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits in only 2 hours and 48 minutes. Watch the video below.
The Song
The “Money For Nothing” intro has one of the most epic guitar solos that I have ever heard. And despite the fact that I started playing guitar specifically because of this song, I had never bothered to learn it.
Several years ago I attempted it, but was never able to get far. The subtlety in guitarist Mark Knopfler’s playing (staccato plucking and unusual harmonics on the 4th fret!) made it just a bit too difficult for me to fight through.
Spaced learning is a simple system developed by memory researcher R. Douglas Fields, and is in use at Monkseaton High School in England. It’s a relatively little-known system, but has worked very well for me. It involves three eight-to-ten-minute sessions learning lots of information with ten minute breaks of unrelated material inbetween.
What Exactly Did I Do?
I studied the rhythm and the tabs 1 hour per day for 7 days. Each 1 hour session was broken into 8 minutes of playing and studying followed by 10 minutes of doing something completely unrelated (studying Spanish, writing, etc.) So each session had a total of 24 minutes of study and practice.
The Recording
I recorded the song on the 7th day using my FS100 video camera and then through GarageBand. I apologize for the tones. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time tweaking.
Conclusion
It had been awhile since I played electric guitar - about 8 months in Central and South America kept me away so my guitar fingers weren’t exactly ‘warm’. Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the speed in which I learned the song.
I definitely could have learned this song in fewer days. But I don’t believe I could have learned it putting in the same amount of hours. Spaced learning helped me utilize my practice time better. Pretty sweet.
Cali is like Disneyland for drunk people. There are bars everywhere and people in chivas drinking. I wasn’t exactly productive while I was in Cali…
What to do during the day?
There’s not much to do during the day besides a zoo and a mall to look at fake boobs. People will tell you about fake boobs in Cali and you’ll think, “Yeah, yeah.” Then you get here and you’ll see that it’s an understatement. Colombia is a plastic surgery hot spot and Cali is mecca.
Where to party?
The club area is known as Manga. You pretty much can’t go wrong on this side of town. I went to Lo Las (there’s a gay club with a similar name LuLu so be careful) and Mangos. Both were pretty solid. If you’re staying at a hostel make sure you negotiate with the cab driver before going and coming back from the Manga area. It’s 10,000 or nothing. Don’t let the cabbies screw you over.
There’s a cool bar called Bourbon St. that’s closer to where the hostels are. It’s a gringo hang out but there were a ton of gorgeous women here. A live band plays all the Western world ‘hits’ several times a week. It’s a lot of fun but a bit expensive for Colombia.
Note: If one of the bartender girls comes to a sing a song or two with the band, stick around. Her voice is incredible. Also tell her that I’m coming back to marry her.
Where to stay?
I stayed in two different hostels while I was there - Casa Blanca and Pelican Larry’s. I loved the people who worked at Pelican Larry’s but Casa Blanca was definitely cleaner and nicer.
Where to work?
Both the hostels I stayed in had fast WiFi. Even though I usually recommend against working in hostels, I didn’t get an overall feeling of comfortableness in Cali, so I left the laptop behind whenever I went out.
Hot Tips
1. Salsa is required. Seriously, if you’re staying here for awhile get salsa lessons. Everyone is dancing and if you know a few basic steps and turns you’ll have a much better time.
2. Make sure you befriend the guys that are with girls you want to talk to. I usually try to talk to them first and have them introduce me. Otherwise your life will be threatened - this happened to me twice in Colombia. In Cali, a guy, who had his own girlfriend, got pissed that I was talking to the girls with him. He shoved my friend and the security guards had to break it up.
You need to befriend somebody in a group in order to get access to the table. Most people are sitting until they get up to dance salsa. Conversation topics? Colombian guys love to talk about getting drunk and women.
Final Thoughts?
Cali, Colombia is great stop over city but make sure you do it on the weekend. I couldn’t imagine spending time there during the week. Get in, party, get out.
I just created my first ’successful’ muse and I don’t think you should follow in my footsteps. Or at least not quite yet.
My Story & How This Guide Was Born
