The problem with being like everyone else is that everyone else sucks.
My advice is not to do it…
How do you start your day each morning?
Do you angrily smash the alarm clock and roll out of bed exhausted, dreading another day doing what you hate?
Or do you spring up fresh and well rested because you went to sleep before 11pm like you know you should, and get excited to tackle another day doing what you love?
After hitting the bathroom do you stagger into the kitchen and get a pot of coffee brewing as fast as humanly possible?
Is that what it takes for you to wake up in the morning and actually feel alive?
If you eat, sleep and train properly the last thing you should ever need is caffeine to wake up.
What about your workout regimen?
Do you do focus on big compound lifts, advanced bodyweight exercises, strongman training and avoid machines and isolation movements like the plague?
Do you keep a detailed log book and track your progress week after week, year after year?
Do you stick with a program for longer than a week? It takes at least four to even have a clue what’s going and what’s working.
When it comes time for cardio do you hop on the elliptical or stair climber or do you go find a hill and sprint up it until your heart beat is visible through your hooded sweatshirt?
There’s always an easy way out. You can always live a life of mediocrity and unhappiness and do what everyone else does. Or you can choose to not be like everyone else. You can choose the road less traveled.
How do you do that?
Here are 39 ways that would be a good start.
1) Eat only organic produce and organic, grass fed meat. Avoid any factory farmed meat like the plague and try your best to avoid conventionally grown produce when possible.
2) Eliminate sugar from your diet completely. Fruit doesn’t count.
3) Cut out all processed foods.
4) Dairy, soy, wheat, sugar, white flour and legumes are inflammatory for the majority of people. Get rid of them.
5) Don’t piss away all your money on bogus, bullshit supplements.
6) Drink a gallon of water per day.
7) Cut out all other beverages. Except for green tea, a limited amount of coffee and some vodka now and then.
8) Practice intermittent fasting on a daily or weekly basis or at least go longer between meals.
9) Get to bed by 10:30 or 11pm every night.
10) Have a routine that helps you wind down each night. Lower the lights, read, etc.
11) Get off of the computer at least two hours before bed. The screen over stimulates your pineal gland and messes with your ability to sleep.
12) Buy the most expensive mattress and sheets you can afford. It’s where you spend a third of your life.
13) Use big compound barbell lifts, gymnastics and strongman exercises to create a well rounded, functional, strong, muscular physique.
14) Focus on a handful of exercises from each category and stick with them until you are really good at them and can no longer make progress. This will probably be years.
15) Train heavy (but in a safe manner). I can never say this often enough.
16) Stick with programs for more than a few weeks. Months or years might be more appropriate in some cases. This also bears repeating. Too many people are program jumpers and get nowhere.
17) Put all of your efforts into a few things that actually make a difference, instead of trying a million options that all do next to nothing.
18) Find a way to get focused. Somehow, some way. Most people have zero focus and thus zero control of their lives. Don’t be another multitasking, confused, out of control, getting nowhere fast member of society. We have more than enough of those.
19) Don’t replace real strength training with some clown like “metabolic conditioning” workout because you think it will help you lose fat faster. It won’t. You lift weights to get bigger, stronger and more explosive. Remember that.
20) Keep a training journal. Record everything. Always try to improve, slowly, over time. Not necessarily workout to workout but over months and years.
21) Train outside more often. Fresh air and natural Vitamin D production are very underrated.
22) Do hill sprints.
23) Pick up and carry or drag heavy shit.
24) Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight per day without sunscreen.
25) Floss daily.
26) Eliminate excess clutter and bullshit from your life. Minimalism…
27) Have sex three times per week, minimum. Preferably with hot chicks.
28) Never allow yourself to get too fat.
29) Never allow your conditioning to slip too much. Always stay in shape.
30) Meditate.
31) Play a sport or perform some type of fun physical activity once in a while, even if just on weekends with friends. Hike, surf, play volleyball, tennis, flag football, swim, whatever…
32) Read a book. In fact, read lots of books. Aim for at least two per month.
33) Never hang out or associate with negative people. Cut them out of your life permanently.
34) Reduce stress in your life.
35) Check email far less often than you do right now.
36) Watch less TV than you do right now.
37) Never hate or be jealous of anyone. It takes too much energy; energy that could be used to better your life.
39) Read this site daily.
Please hit the LIKE button if you enjoyed this post.
29. Dec, 2010
at 8:42 pm #
Does having sex with hot chicks count as “metabolic conditioning”? :D
Great list bro!
07. Dec, 2011
at 3:41 pm #
Yes. Thanks man
29. Dec, 2010
at 10:47 pm #
Jason, you can also name this article 39 ways to be like Jason Ferruggia. Ha ha your the man!
30. Dec, 2010
at 10:14 am #
#22 – I live in New Orleans where there are no hills. What would you recommend doing to replicate hill training in a place where there are no hills? Should I run up stairs at a stadium?
07. Dec, 2011
at 3:41 pm #
That works.
14. May, 2012
at 9:08 am #
Nolan – You can use the levees out by The Fly, or the stairs in Tad Gormley stadium in MidCity. Or train at a place like Cypress Fitness. We do sled runs indoors which are a good alternative.
16. May, 2012
at 6:49 am #
I live in NOLA as well and i do hill training on the levees they are great and steep.
31. Dec, 2010
at 6:31 am #
how the hell i will go to sleep that early and no pc 2h before that <-pussy
02. Jan, 2011
at 3:22 pm #
great list. i’m on day 2 of no dairy, so can’t chime in on whether or not it will be beneficial for me, but i decided to give it up because it’s just another lazy addiction to a product that ideally we shouldn’t be consuming.
02. Jan, 2011
at 7:01 pm #
Love everything on this list except number 1. Says who? I’d rather spend $600 on 1000 count sheets than $7.99/lb on lettuce that a bird still took a dump on.
15. May, 2012
at 5:16 pm #
Organic food hasn’t had toxic herbicides and pesticides sprayed on it which is absorbed by the plants and ingested by you.
Also, organic is not genetically modified, independent studies show that some GMO food (depends on the food) is nutrient deficient and can even stop you or your next generation from reproducing.
The more ppl that buy organic, the bigger the market will grow and eventually will be cheaper than non-organic food
10. Jan, 2011
at 5:51 pm #
call your Mom & Dad at least once a week. tell them thanks for the start they gave you.
17. Feb, 2011
at 5:15 pm #
Man all this shit is true….i hear a lot of my high school football coach in you, great philosophy.
25. Apr, 2011
at 1:29 pm #
Potato juice? You’re having a laugh aren’t you? I thought that shit was toxic- separated with deisel oil, nice!
02. Dec, 2011
at 6:59 pm #
I know this is an old post, but how do you manage to get #27 and #9 down.
I’m a college student and can’t seem to get my share of fun, and how much will my testosterone be boosted once i get that down?
07. Dec, 2011
at 3:42 pm #
Haha. Don’t worry about it then.
01. Mar, 2012
at 12:03 pm #
Been following you for several months now Jay. I have to say I’m disappointed it took me so long to come across this article.
I posted it to my personal Facebook page a minute ago and already have several comments. Everybody enjoys a list of tangible actions they can take to improve their quality of life, which is exactly what you have provided.
Thanks for the timely read – even if it is more than a year old :)
10. Apr, 2012
at 5:38 am #
Very impressed with MGS system, but some of this information contradicts. The system says eat every 2-3 hours but this information says about fasting. Can i fast one day a week and still get the gains i want? Excellent program so far though.
14. May, 2012
at 8:14 am #
Stew: Hate to say it, but MGS is full of stuff Jason does not advocate anymore. eat small meals, eat low-fat dairy, tofu recipes in the meal plans… An update would be useful.
14. May, 2012
at 6:34 pm #
Agreed. I thought the same after I read MGS.
04. May, 2012
at 6:56 am #
you say to check my email less often..? but then how will i read yours :P?
14. May, 2012
at 5:55 am #
Thanks. Really well written.
14. May, 2012
at 9:07 am #
Ferruggia for President! 8)
14. May, 2012
at 11:30 am #
awesome post. just number 26 the link to minimalism program is incorrect.
15. May, 2012
at 2:32 am #
Nice list… thanks.
15. May, 2012
at 5:51 am #
Sex three times a week? Yeah, we can all tell who just got married and doesn’t have kids!
15. May, 2012
at 6:43 am #
I think it is great that you re-post this now and again. It is easy to fall off the wagon and a poke in the arm helps. I just need to be more minimalistic about my vodka.
15. May, 2012
at 6:49 am #
Amen Jason-The USMC will ingrain early morning conditioning pretty quickly. I loved every moment in the Crucible because it tests you both mentally/ physically- I love heavy lifting and my MMA coaching/ Conditoning-if there is any morning I wake up and I’m not ready strike, lift, grapple, etc..it’s time to dig the grave! Great post- keep it coming!
15. May, 2012
at 6:53 am #
Include your best bud in this equation … Jesus Christ… Happy life-building!
15. May, 2012
at 8:14 am #
I Loved reading this list!! I’ll have to check out this page more often! And as for #27 Hot chicks like to have sex 3X a week with hot Guys… Remeber that guys. lol =)
15. May, 2012
at 8:57 am #
Excellent article. Last year started getting fit, finally started eating better also, huge difference. I actually get meaner when I don’t work out. I started giving my husband crap about being a wimp and now we both do SEALFIT at our local Crossfit gym. You are awesome.
15. May, 2012
at 9:28 am #
Fruit counts
15. May, 2012
at 9:29 am #
this manifesto intrigued me. when I read “listen to Public Enemy” I was convinced. It’s evident that every step on this list will improve your health and spirit. Thanks Jason….
15. May, 2012
at 9:43 am #
So I need to become a lesbian?
15. May, 2012
at 11:07 am #
Great post! I’m printing it now and hanging it up. I do allot of it but should do all of it.
15. May, 2012
at 1:58 pm #
Jason…I notice you say ‘preferably with hot chick’S…not a hot chick….are you suggesting multiple sex partners…at the same time?…If so you have risen further in my opinion
15. May, 2012
at 3:29 pm #
I always thought diary (greek yogurt, eggs, and milk) was a solid source of protein. I’m surprised it was recommended to cut them out
15. May, 2012
at 6:11 pm #
Have sex three times per week, minimum. With only your wife.
15. May, 2012
at 9:18 pm #
Following this will only upset your stomach gastric juices
16. May, 2012
at 1:31 am #
Hahaha… This list is how I live my life. Or at least try. Thanks for the inspiration.
16. May, 2012
at 3:32 am #
Great now I must follow these rules
16. May, 2012
at 10:43 am #
If you can stay awake until 11pm, you’re doing it wrong
16. May, 2012
at 2:49 pm #
I’m ALL about #38. Chuck D, baby!