FIX YOUR LOWER BACK!

By popular demand, here’s my complete mobility routine for the lower back.

Nearly 2 years ago I severely herniated a disc at L5-S1. I narrowly avoided emergency surgery. Even before that I had struggled with chronic lower back pain for 10+ years.

I’ve spared no expense in my search for a cure. I tried everything short of invasive treatments (stem cells and surgery).

What I learned along the way is that much of what the medical establishment tells you about the cause and the cure for back injuries is WRONG.

The root cause of your chronic back pain is almost certainly *lack of mobility and strength* in the posterior chain (hamstrings, hips, glutes, back, abs) — especially the intricate scaffold of muscles up and down the spine.

That's why outcomes for back surgeries are so abysmal—it doesn't address the real problem.

So it stands to reason that the cure is to MOVE, building strength and range of motion.

For the first time I feel like I’m steadily gaining ground and have a real shot at coming back even better than before my injury. I’m already doing things (like Jefferson Curls) that I never thought would be possible.

Here’s my current program, which I consider a “best of” collection of mobility exercises for the back.

I do the full program about 3 times a week and a subset of the exercises (the first 5) another couple times.

🧵
Before we dive in, a few important things:

1) Always warm up before doing these exercises. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

The rule of thumb is: Don’t do any mobility exercises until you’ve begun to sweat. Simply walking briskly for 30 min is a great way to warm up.

My favorite vacations are “contrast vacations”, where you do something hard and get dirty then spoil yourself with luxury.

I've been all over but one of the best contrast vacays in the world is in our own backyard.

Let's gooo...

🧵
Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim (plus Vegas!)

DAY 1
The hardest part of the journey is getting to the remote North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Fly to one of these airports and catch a shuttle or arrange private transportation:

St. George, UT (3 hour drive)
Flagstaff, AZ (4 hour drive)
Las Vegas (4.5 hour drive)

Have dinner and stay overnight at the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.

You will never see a better sunset!

IMPORTANT LOGISTICAL NOTE:
Only bring the clothes and backpack you’ll carry on the hike. We're headed to Vegas afterward so MAIL the rest of your luggage to the hotel in Vegas ahead of time (they will hold it for a fee).

Financial freedom.

It's the thing we all strive for.

How much do YOU need to be free?

Give me & Biggie 5 minutes and we’ll help you figure it out.

(It’s closer than you may think.)

🧵 Say say it's a million bucks. Others think it's $5 million… or 10 or 20.

How much is enough?

Harvard Business School asked 2,000 millionaires how much money they’d need to be satisfied.

Across the wealth spectrum the answer was the same…

Twice what I have.

Come with me on the legendary Orient Express…

🧵 (w/lots of pics) Years ago I made a deal with my two daughters:

In their teens I'd take each of them on a dad-daughter trip anywhere in the world. They choose the destination and plan the itinerary and I pay for it.

My 17 year old chose to ride the Orient Express. Here’s how it went…

💊In my 30 year quest for optimal health, I’ve tried literally hundreds of supplements.

Almost none of them work.

Here are 6 that do.

🧵 💊Astaxanthin

It’s the king of antioxidants, with a wide range of beneficial effects on energy, inflammation, cognition, and exercise performance. Most people notice that their eyesight improves within 45 minutes of taking it. It also functions as an “internal sunscreen”, preventing sunburn.

I take 12mg every 2-3 days, especially on big climbing days. Astaxanthin softgels contain an oil base so check the ingredients to make sure it’s olive oil or coconut oil and not a seed oil.

If you have lower back problems (or want to avoid them) do these 3 core exercises every day.

It only takes 8 minutes. If you can’t do these times, work up to it.

1) Plank

3 sets of 90 sec split between 3 positions: Side, front, other side.

15 sec rest between sets.

🧵 1) Bird dogs

3 sets:

Set 1: 10 sec on each side
Set 2: 15 sec on each side
Set 3: 20 sec on each side

15 sec rest between sets

(My form is bad in this vid but you get the idea)

I bought a full page ad in today’s Wall Street Journal to announce the death of consulting.

Why?

Here’s an inside look at a secret project I’ve been working on for the past year with an extraordinary company (with lots of pics!)

🧵 I rarely write about my work. Most of my followers think of me as a semi-retired entrepreneur (or, even better, as a rock climber) but I've spent the biggest chunk of my career as a CMO.

In fact, I have a nerdy distinction in the marketing world...

Do these 10 simple things and you’ll have a great life: 1. Optimize for experience…

Not money, status, or possessions.

(And the best experiences cost very little.)

A new year is upon us.

There's lots of talk about what people are going to DO in 2024.

But the truth is most people WON'T DO these 5 basic things.

Will YOU?

🧵 1. Most people WON’T show up on time, every time

It's my #1 piece of advice:

👉If you struggle with punctuality, fix that first.

It’s foundational to everything and most people *massively underestimate* the negative impact that being chronically late has on their life.

Turning 40 was nothing.

But 50 hits different.

You start to reflect on life. What really matters? How does it all add up?

Let me tell you what feels good… and also what doesn’t.

🧵 😊Career accomplishment feels good (BUT...)

Through hard work and luck, I’ve had what most people would consider a successful career:

✅Founded & sold businesses
✅C-level in public companies
✅Rang the bell at NYSE
✅Deals with business icons

I'm proud of those things BUT…

If you’re feeling stuck.

If you want more out of life but aren’t sure what to do.

These two threads are the advice you’ve been looking for.

🧵👇 1) How To Get Un-stuck

EVERYONE—from CEOs & celebs who "have it all" to normal Joes like you & I—gets stuck at some point in their life.

But not all of us get UN-stuck.

👇

https://twitter.com/camp4/status/1635974133665398786

🤫The secret is out.

This week I hosted 17 friends in Boulder for a different type of gathering.

It was the first step toward a larger vision—perfectly aligned with my personal mission.

Here’s how it went down (with lots of pics)🧵 Now more than ever people want more than just a great career—they want a great LIFE, full of:

—Adventure
—Deep connection
—Learning & growth

To build a great life you have to be INTENTIONAL. With that in mind, an idea was hatched…

🧵 True Success

We usually associate career success with *accomplishment*, measured as wealth, status, accolades, or expertise.

Accomplishment is a good thing...

BUT

There’s a 2nd equally important dimension to success that is often overlooked. It's... CONTROL

of...

WHAT you work on

WHO you work with

WHERE you work

WHEN you work

Like accomplishment, control doesn't happen overnight. It compounds over years of deliberate effort.

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

It's a popular saying but it's WRONG.

Comparison is human nature — it's unavoidable and within limits can be healthy.

What steals joy is comparing THE WRONG THINGS.

Legendary climber Alex Lowe (RIP) had a great take on comparison...🧵 Lowe, perhaps the best all-around climber of his generation, was once asked:

"Who's the best climber in the world?"

Sensing a trap, he responded:

"The one having the most fun."

You see what Alex did there?

He changed the game. You see...

💥How to Kick Ass at Everything—PART II

This is the long overdue sequel to my mega-thread on health & fitness (link to Part I at the bottom of this 🧵).

Back to our story... After a bout with chronic illness in my 20's I was able to to regain my health & become super-fit (see Part I for details on that)

BUT

When I reached my mid-40’s I began to feel less vibrant, with a collection of mild but annoying symptoms:

📬From the mailbag:

“I’m tormented by my failure.”

We all face failure at some point in life.

Over my 30 year career I’ve had spectacular failures… and there will be more.

🧵3 things I’ve learned about failure:

(#3 is the key to everything) 1. Failure (or success) is a choice.

🙄Don’t roll your eyes until you hear me out…

In any long term endeavor—career, marriage, etc.—some degree of failure is inevitable.

Nobody bats 1.000.

You can't avoid strikeouts but you CAN choose how you react to them.

“Drop Your Weapons"

This 🧵 is very personal—it's been written for weeks.

I'm posting with the hope it helps one person.

My father spent a big chunk of his adult life in prison. He did some inexplicable things that I’ve only recently begun to talk about.

Years ago... I ran across a quote from Oprah:

“Turn your wounds into weapons.”

It became my mantra. I was determined to defy my upbringing, no matter the cost.

I weaponized my resentment and took every hill I attacked. I was unstoppable... and incredibly misguided.

Because it turns out…

It's the most powerful force in our lives.

It turns the impossible into the inevitable.

And we have complete control over it.

I'm talking about serendipity.

Here’s something that most people don’t get:

(I promise you'll be glad you read this 🧵) When you do little, often uncomfortable, things consistently to increase your surface area for serendipity it compounds EXPONENTIALLY, not linearly.

Individually these little things seem inconsequential but over time…

🍻“I’d like to buy the world a beer”

My hot take on the Bud Light ad fiasco.

I’m a 3-time CMO (and maybe the only one to rebrand 3 public companies).

And I have a better idea than Bud's marking VP👇

Hear me out:

(short 🧵) If Bud Light's brand goal is to modernize & become more inclusive, I applaud that.

It's time.

But their execution was incredibly misguided—it amounted to nothing more than a cheap PR stunt and worse…

a huge missed opportunity.

The older I get the more I realize:

👉Whatever you believe, you're right.

When someone says, “I can’t get ahead in this economy”—they’re right.

But when another person says, “There’s never been more opportunity to get ahead”—they’re also right.

Because… It's self-fulfilling:

BELIEFS
dictate
BEHAVIOR
which determines
OUTCOME

Here's the thing:

💍Finding The One

Over the years I've received a bunch of DMs like this one.

I’ve always been hesitant to write about marriage because anyone who says they have it figured out is a charlatan.

I often say there are only 3 types of marriages...🧵 1) Those that end in divorce
2) Those that come close to ending in divorce
3) Those in denial

(🚩When someone gushes about their spouse on social media it’s a strong signal that they’re in the 3rd category)

Marriage is easy during the good times so it stands to reason that…