Masculinity

On Life-Changing Decisions, Ultradian Rhythms, and Advanced Fat-Loss

The 3rd edition of the Manximize-1–2–3 newsletter

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Manximize-1–2–3 shares fortnightly No B.S. advice on fitness, productivity, and masculinity. You also get free access to my best articles, book picks, and more.

I first sent this to my 5600+ subscribers a week ago. To get these editions fresh in your inbox, subscribe here!

At A Glance

Why I Disappeared for Over a Month: A life-changing decision, an exciting project, and a new “career” path(?)
Proven Productivity: Leverage the power of Ultradian Rhythms.
Fit Formulas: A nifty solution for “hard gainers” and a fat-loss technique you’ve likely never heard of.
Manly Matters: On hard decisions, true friends, and blasting out of ruts.
Article of The Week: One Easy Technique Helped Me Meditate Deeply (When Nothing Else Worked)
Bonus #1: One of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read — Mastery by Robert Greene.
Bonus #2: The best YouTube videos I’ve watched recently.

Where the F*ck Have I Been in The Last Month?

45+ days since I sent out the last edition of Manximize-1–2–3. Only 5 Medium articles and zero tweets in the last month.

Well, it’s been a wild few weeks. Here’s a super-brief overview:

I quit my full-time 9 to 5 software job (despite a good pay, culture, and work-life balance)
No solid “plan” yet, but I want to run after my curiosity more and money less.
Dealing with selling a family property (and buying a new one close to nature).
Working on my first physical product (Boy will you love this!)
Prioritizing quality over quantity in everything I create.
Feeling happier and way more fulfilled overall.

As I write this, it’s 10 PM in a quaint little town, and the fam’s fast asleep.

I’ll be driving back home the day after tomorrow — only to fly down to my girlfriend’s place the next day.

Haven’t seen her in 2+ months, so I’m PUMPED. Enough about myself. Let’s dive into the newsletter.

Proven Productivity

Ultradian rhythms are natural cycles in our body that occur every 90–120 minutes. They include periods of high productivity and energy, followed by rest and recovery.

“Forty-hour workweeks are a relic of the Industrial Age. Knowledge workers function like athletes — train, and sprint, then rest and reassess.”

— Naval Ravikant

To maximize your productivity, alternate 90–120 minute blocks of work with 10–20 minute leisure breaks.

Attack the day’s hardest tasks during your highest-energy blocks. This tends to be right after our morning routine for most of us.

Fit Formulas

2 legit no-B.S. fitness & health tips from my 6+ years of personal experience and research.

Formula #1

As a hard gainer, gaining muscle can be an uphill battle.

Thanks to my Muay Thai fight and a string of sicknesses, I lost a lot of weight. Regaining it proved impossible until I tried something.

A homemade “mass-gainer” shake. Blend the following to delicious smoothness:

2 scoops of powdered oats.
1 scoop of whey protein powder.
2 medium bananas or 1 mango.
2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
[Optional] Cocoa powder.
[Optional] Honey.
500 ml whole milk.

Gulp this every morning post-workout to add a cool ~800 calories and ~48g protein to your diet.

P.S. Swap out whey for vegan protein powder and whole milk for almond milk if you’re lactose intolerant.

Formula #2

In college, I stayed lean despite hogging junk food like a gaming weed junkie. The reason? Lots of walking.

More so, it was G-Flux — increasing both your calorie intake and expenditure leads to better body composition.

Put simply, eating 3000 calories and burning 1000 calories is better than eating 2500 calories and burning 500.

Eat more — and burn more.

As simple as that.

P.S. For a complete Guide+System to Lose Weight (and Keep It Off), check out The Ultimate Fat Loss Bundle

Manly Matters

3 of my best insights on becoming an authentic, high-value man in the modern world.

#1 — Take that Hard Decision

I’ve gone back and forth about quitting my job for over a year.

I finally did it.

And. It. Feels. Bloody. Amazing.

I’m not encouraging you to quit your job — I’m prodding you to face hard decisions head-on.

The longer you push them away, the more uncomfortable decisions become.

A hard decision can feel impossibly hard now — but the moment you take it, you’ll feel, “Was that all? Why didn’t I do this earlier?”

A good life is built upon hard decisions.

#2 — Build and Be a True Friend

A brother-like friend went through some deep sh*t with a girl.

F*cking up his family time, mental health, fitness, and productivity, he hit rock bottom.

At the cost of my own time and priorities, I cajoled him, counseled him, shot brutal truth barbs at him, and played some part in his recovery,

I’m not tooting my horn — this same friend and other brothers helped me when I needed it.

Friends become brothers by pulling each other out of rock bottom.

Read that again.

#3 — The Only Way To Blast Out Of A Rut…

Is taking any action.

Go for a walk. Write an article. Pen a poem. Bang out 50 pushups. Hug your mother. Journal. Ask out that pretty neighbor. Post a tweet. Write a LinkedIn post. Read a book. ACT.

Action breeds momentum — which breeds more action.

The longer you whine about the rut, the deeper you sink into the rut.

Act. Now.

Article of The Week

Meditation needn’t be a nightmarish struggle — here’s a simple technique to snap into deep meditation even as a beginner with anxiety.

Bonus #1: One of The Best Non-Fiction Books I’ve Ever Read

Mastery by Robert Greene is one of THE most crucial books you’ll ever read.

Unlike most self-help books, this isn’t a 1-page idea with 300 pages of supporting fluff. This is around 400 pages of solid value — distilled from the lives of 1000+ masters across various professions and life paths.

Best of all, Greene structured his observations and insights into a deeply insightful and actionable system for mastery.

Marrying the mystic with the practical, Greene’s masterpiece is self-referential in the mastery it talks about.

Bonus #2: 3 of The Best YouTube Videos I’ve Watched of Late

Self-help + philosophical contemplation + comedy — have a blast!

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