“Tools of Titans” is a summary of Tim Ferris’s amazingly popular podcast. The caliber of people presented there is spectacular and the depth of knowledge amazing. I let myself split my book summary similarly to how TF has split it:
Basically, this sums up why I focus on Fitness. Health and Strength are my only 2 objectives here.
Dominic D’agostino: If you’re over 40 and don’t smoke, there’s about a 70 to 80% chance you’ll die from one of four diseases:
- heart disease,
- cerebrovascular disease,
- cancer, or
- neurodegenerative disease.
Suplements worth taking
Suplement
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Benefits
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Dosing
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Who
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Lithium | 1 to 5 mg | Peter Attia NYT Article |
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BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, valine 2:1:1)
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Activating mTOR |
Dom D’agostino
|
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Magnesium theorate
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Better sleep
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2mg before sleef
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TF
Charles Polliquin
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Magnesium citrate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium glycinate
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Everything
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Natural calm / NOW
600 to 800 mg/day
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Dom Deaggostino
Peter Attia
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Acarbose
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25mg
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||
Metformin
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Aniti-Aging
Insulin regulation
Anti-cancer
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1g daily for 12 weeks
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Dom Deagostino
Patrick Arnold
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Fun tidbits of interest to me
- For stretch marks: Charles Poliquin recommends Gotu cola bioabsorbable cream or Gaia Herbs Gotu Kola Leaf liquid extract per day,
- Anything more than 5 reps is bodybuilding. – Pavel Tsatrouline
- “Calm Is Contagious” – Pavel Tsatsouline
- Kelly Starrett drops a small pinch of salt in his water when he can.
- Triple H for Jetlag: the second we checked in, I’d ask them: ‘Is the gym open? Can I go train?’ Even if it was to get on a bike and ride for 15 minutes to reset things. I learned early that it seemed any time I did that, I didn’t get jet lag.” TF: This absolutely seems to work, even if done at 1 a.m. and for 3 to 5 minutes. I don’t know the physiological mechanism, but I use it.
- For Better sleep
- Have trouble getting to sleep? Try 10 minutes of Tetris. Recent research has demonstrated that Tetris—or Candy Crush Saga or Bejeweled—can help overwrite negative visualization, which has applications for addiction ( Jane McGonigal )
- Acro Basing for better sleep
- Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime Tea
- California poppy extract
- Sleep Master sleep mask
- Kelly Starret recommends smashing gut for downregulation before sleep – he uses rumble roller
- “Two 20-minute sauna sessions at 80°C (176°F) separated by a 30-minute cooling period elevated growth hormone levels two-fold over baseline.
- “Fasting before chemotherapy is definitely something that should be implemented in our oncology wards,”
- “Flotation therapy,” in simple terms, is floating in a roughly 98.6°F hot tub with a lid over it. It’s completely dark, there is no sound, and there are 800 to 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt in the water to make you float on the surface, feeling weightless. It can be thought of as a sensory-deprivation tank. Dan suggests you start with 2 to 3 floats inside of 1 month.
- Rhonda Patrick recommends storing Stem Cells from wisdom / baby teeth. For $125 / year ( StemSave / National Dental Pulp Lab ) you can bank your stem cells for when you really need id.
- Dom D’agostino – in case of rapid onset cancer:
- Ketogenic diet
- Before Chemo – important
- Intermittent fasting
- Ketone supplementation
- Metformin
- start low until GI distress, dial back – 1500-3000 mg for most folk
- Dichloretic Acid
- Ketogenic diet
- Cold is a great purifying force (Wim Hof, Tony Robbins, Laird Hamilton)
- Last 30-60 seconds of shower (Naval Ravikant, Josh Waitzkin, TF)
- Ice baths
- Pavel Tsatsouline: “When in doubt, train your grip and core” – Grip is a power generator (“irraadiation”) – that’s why strong handshake is so important?
- Kelly Starrett: “Zero Drop” shoes for good posture
Wim Hof Method
Wim Hof (“the Iceman” ) is a guy who climbed Everest in shorts. He claims (and a lot of research supports it) that proper conscious Oxygenating can activate Immune system and allow for cold exposure.
- Max inhale
- Let go (short “hah”)
- After 20-30, tingling
- Continue up to 40
Test
- Pushups up to failure
- Rest 30 mins
- The above
- Another set
- Increase
Ketogenic Diet
Many TF guests are toting benefits of Ketogenic Diet. Ketogenic diet means that organism is using Ketones instead of glucose.
Why Consider Ketosis or Supplemental Ketones?
- Fat loss and body recomposition
- Potent anti-cancer effects
- Better use of oxygen: Dom can hold his breath for two times his normal duration when in deep ketosis (2 minutes → 4 minutes). I (TF) observed the same. Essentially, you can derive more energy per oxygen molecule with ketone metabolism. This oxygen utilization advantage is why some elite cyclists are experimenting with keto. This also helps performance at high altitudes, if you’re going from sea level to mountains, for instance.
- Maintain or increase strength: In a study with 12 subjects, Dom demonstrated that even advanced weight lifters could maintain or increase strength, performance, and hypertrophy after 2 weeks of keto-adaptation, consuming 75 to 80% of calories from fat (supplemented with MCT and coconut oils) and restricting carbohydrates to 22 to 25 g per day. Ketones have an anti-catabolic protein-sparing and anti-inflammatory effect.
So, how to get in Ketosis?
Basically, you need to do 2-3 day fast to get to Ketosis, and then: Once You’re in Keto, How Can You Keep It Going Without Fasting? The short answer is: Eat a boatload of fat (~1.5 to 2.5 g per kilogram of body weight),
Mild to moderate ketosis for health and longevity, which is between 1 to 3 mmol.” TF: These levels help protect DNA from damage, among other benefits.I now aim for a 3-day fast once per month and a 5- to 7-day fast once per quarter.First, I allowed trace amounts of BCAAs and 300 to 500 calories of pure fat per day on my “fast.”On Friday (and Saturday if needed), drink some caffeine and prepare to WALK. Be out the door no later than 30 minutes after waking. I grab a cold liter of water or Smartwater out of my fridge, add a dash of pure, unsweetened lemon juice to attenuate boredom, add a few pinches of salt to prevent misery/headaches/cramping, and head out. I sip this as I walk and make phone calls. Podcasts also work. Once you finish your water, fill it up or buy another. Add a little salt, keep walking, and keep drinking. It’s brisk walking—NOT intense exercise—and constant hydration that are key. I have friends who’ve tried running or high-intensity weight training instead, and it does not work for reasons I won’t bore you with. I told them, “Try brisk walking and tons of water for 3 to 4 hours. I bet you’ll be at 0.7 mmol the next morning.” One of them texted me the next morning: “Holy shit. 0.7 mmol.” Each day of fasting, feel free to consume exogenous ketones or fat (e.g., coconut oil in tea or coffee) as you like, up to 4 tablespoons. I will often reward myself at the end of each fasting afternoon with an iced coffee with a bit of coconut cream in it. Truth be told, I will sometimes allow myself a SeaSnax packet of nori sheets. Oooh, the decadence. Break your fast on Sunday night. Enjoy it. For a 14-day or longer fast, you need to think about refeeding carefully. But for a 3-day fast, I don’t think what you eat matters much. I’ve done steak, I’ve done salads, I’ve done greasy burritos. Evolutionarily, it makes no sense that a starving hominid would need to find shredded cabbage or some such nonsense to save himself from death. Eat what you find to eat.
Slow Carb diet
Slow Carb diet is a low-carbohydrate diet designed for Fat Loss in 4 Hour Body
- Avoid starch
- The few same meals
- Dont drink callories
- Dont eat fruit
- Measure progerss in body fat percentage
- Go nuts on faturday
Excersises
- Shoulder extension
- Tower behing back, raise
- Thoracic bridge
- Feet elevated, so that bulk of weitght is in upper body
- Kossack squats
- One arm Turkish Getup
- Squat with torso up right -KS
- Lunge
- Goblet Squat
- Jefferson Curl (J-Curl)
- Tuck chin to chest
- Slowly, one vertibrae at a time
- Box when you are flexible enough
- Ag Walks with Rear Support
- Aim for 5 min total movement
- TF recommends using furniture sliders for this
- Pike Pulses
- 1 to 4 inches raise legs
- Do ~40 repetitions of the following breathing exercise: Max inhale (raise chest) and “let go” exhale (drop chest sharply). The let-go exhale can be thought of as a short “hah.” If you’re doing this correctly, after 20 to 30 reps you might feel loose, mild lightheadedness, and a little bit of tingling. The tingling is often felt in the hands first.
- Thoracic Bridge: Elevate your feet enough to feel the bulk of the stretch in the upper back and shoulders, not the lower back. The feet might be 3+ feet off the ground. Ensure you can concentrate on straightening your arms (and legs
- One arm swing
- Deadlift from effortless superhuman
- Deadlift to your knees, drop
- 2+3 sets, followed by plyometrics
- 5 min rest
Acroyoga
Totally by coincidence this practice found its way to my life at a similar moment to TFs encounter with this practice.
We were at a meetup in Mexico and while staying at a glamping retreat, we had free acroyoga crash course. It was amazing!
AcroYoga is mix of Acrobathics, Yoga, Thai Massage and physical therapy. It’s a splendid experience!
This one is called Folded Leaf
This is for helping spine / legs extend (“Gravity Boots”)

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