How to become superhuman:
What does it mean to become superhuman?
First of all, everyone is human, and everyone has the ability to become superhuman, irregardless of race, gender, sex, nationality etc.
Super simply means above.
Therefore, becoming superhero or a superhuman is simply a philosophical concept.
To me, I have some ideas:
The first idea is that one must strive to gain superhuman strength. For example, my Atlas lift of 890 pounds, which is nine plates, 10, and a five pounder and 2.5 pounder taped on top. Considering that I maxed out the barbell, I just ordered a Texas power squat bar, with longer sleeves, black zinc with chrome sleeves, which should allow me more leeway to add more weight, “safely.” My new current strength goals:
- Atlas lift 1,200 pounds
- Rack pull, 950 pounds
- Floor bench press, 750 pounds
Why superhuman strength?
First of all, you can easily achieve this without taking steroids or any weird stuff. If you are an avid gym goer, I easily suspect you could at least atlas lift over four plates, five plates, six plates, seven plates, eight plates. A simple innovation I’ve made in the realm of weightlifting is this:
Reduce the range of motion, increase the weight.
It is funny because this is actually far “safer“, than doing the “full range of motion.”
What do I feel like the day after doing an atlas lift of 890 pounds?
The funny thing is with traditional squat, everyone is always so concerned about their knees, and maybe their back. However after doing the atlas lift of 890 pounds, my current personal record, and being insanely sore the day after, I don’t really feel anything on my knees nor my back. I feel it all in my traps, my neck, and my upper back.
How to do the atlas lift
To do the atlas lift, the general gist— imagine like you’re doing a standard squat, just get under the bar, and just try to lift the weight up with your shoulders and your legs, and just get it off the rack even half a centimeter, hold it for a few seconds and just put it down. And this is the reason why it is so safe:
If you’re not strong enough to lift it, it just won’t budge.
Truth be told when it comes to the gym and weightlifting injuries, typically speaking it is not from one rep max attempts, but rather, churning out multiple repetitions of some exercise. For example, a lot of people get injured when “training to failure“. Also, I think 99.99% of injuries at the gym involve some sort of bench press, shoulder press, military press, or overhead pressing motion thing. It seems that human shoulders are actually quite fragile, but what is insanely strong and robust? Human legs.
Also a good reason not to do CrossFit. I think the whole methodology behind CrossFit is insanely bizarre, as it yields numerous shoulder injuries, from a lot of athletes trying to churn out multiple shoulder presses and clean and jerks and shoulder cleans at a certain fast tempo, and also trying to train their “endurance“. Also, I have never met a CrossFit athlete in real life with a demigod physique, the only ones I have seen with impressive physiques are the ones who perform at the CrossFit games, who are all certainly on steroids, both the men and women.
No more bench
Therefore, stop doing bench presses or shoulder press exercises. Instead, only do leg exercises.
Also, the upside of doing leg exercises is that your leg muscles are at least 100 times bigger and stronger than your arms and upper body. The real demigods have demigod legs, and torsos, relatively small chests and shoulders. What is more impressive is to have an insanely muscular thighs, legs, and back. Biceps, shoulders, and chest is overrated. For example just study the Farnese Hercules proportions by Richard Dalton.
Biceps are for losers
In fact, I believe that you can simply get rid of all bicep exercises, and just replace it with heavy one rep max rack pulls instead— 780 pounds and beyond. This will also build you an insanely superhuman back.
I believe that with superhuman strength, you will naturally boost all of your productive hormones, whether it be your testosterone, adrenaline, or any other hormones we have yet discovered.
Superhuman productivity?
Also, I think all of us Silicon Valley tech nerds strive to become super humanly productive. However, nobody has ever given this a critical thought.
My simple thought is that productivity means producing much. To become less distracted, more focused, email and phone minimalism.
For example, a practice I have kept up for a long time is this: everyday, uninstall at least one app from your phone, iPad, or laptop.
For example, a list of things you could uninstall from your phone with zero negative consequence:
- Uninstall Gmail or your email app from your phone. If you really need to send emails, just do it from your laptop or desktop.
- Uninstall Netflix, or any streaming service things from your phone. Better yet, unsubscribe from any streaming service subscription, whether it be Netflix, Amazon prime video, Apple TV+, Hulu, Disney+ etc. If there’s a brand new show or series that you really want to watch, like the Mandalorian, just subscribe for it only, and then once you’re done watching the series, Unsubscribe from the service, and also delete the app from your device or phone.
- Uninstall all social media things from your phone, uninstall YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc. If you want to access these things just do it from your laptop.
Superhuman sleep
A foolish optimization that a lot of people do is that they think in order to become more productive or superhuman, it is to sleep less. However conversely I believe the opposite; to become superhuman you strive to sleep more. For example, if you want to become more superhuman, I suggest trying to sleep at least 10 to 12 hours a night. Even Seneca when he sleeps well, he will sometimes sleep for 13 to 14 hours straight.
How can you sleep more? It is mostly via negativa:
- Quit alcohol, it impairs your sleep
- Quit weed, marijuana, or smoking weed, THC, cannabis, weed vapor, weed gummy’s, etc. While this does help you fall asleep, it impairs the quality of your sleep
- Don’t use melatonin to fall asleep
- Charge your phone or your iPad or your device in a separate room
- If you need to fall asleep at night, read a paperback book, don’t use Kindle or iPad, because it still engages your brain
- Don’t take warm showers before you sleep, only take cold ones. Your body actually requires a small dip in temperature in order to fall asleep
- For dinner, have 100% carnivore dinner, striving to eat foods as high in cholesterol as possible, beef liver, beef heart, beef intestine, beef ribs, beef neckbones etc. This will help you fall asleep better.
- During the day, go to the gym at least once, maybe even twice. Attempt a one rep max lift of something, and I can guarantee you will sleep well at night.
Why become superhuman?
I think everyone in life wants to be happy. But once you’re happy, then what?
For myself, my only life goal is to become stronger, more powerful, both metaphorically and literally.
Always striving to go beyond
It seems that no matter how much we have, we always want more. And I think this is a good thing. Why? I believe one of the greatest virtues of being human is always striving for more. Without this, there is no reason to live, no optimism in life.
I think the world-weary line of thinking is this:
Life is all about suffering and pain, and the way we should strive to live is to reduce pain and suffering as much as we can.
I personally believe this to be a very anemic and weak line of thinking.
Instead —
Life is great, and being born is the greatest blessing that any human could have ever wished for.
Then the question is, how can we strive to live life to the max?
Superhuman thinking
Peter Thiel one said, it is better to risk boldness than triviality.
I believe that one of the greatest virtues of America, being American is that it is the land of infinite possibility, imagination, and possibility.
For example, nothing is promised or guaranteed in America, it seems that the only promises that we got in modern-day life is the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Also, what is promised in America? Justice, the law, protection of private property etc. But beyond this, nothing. In fact, I believe life in America to be cold, cruel, hard, and mercurial. There is zero to little assistance for the poor, homeless, or even people struggling. Social services are a farce.
However irregardless of this, I suppose the good thing is that everyone has the freedom to get a job. I think In-N-Out Burger pays $20 an hour!! Even apparently nowadays, starting salary at McDonald’s is $16 an hour!
Think insanely epically
What makes Elon Musk so great? He is just a mere human, yet, I think it is his insanely epic vision which is the most admirable. For example, wanting to put humans on Mars, and also, starting spaceX, cofounding a Tesla, and transforming Tesla into what it is today. Honestly anybody who criticizes or critiques Elon Musk is a small human being.
I say in life, considering you only got one, better to aim insanely insanely high and fail, then to set your sights too low and obtain them.
Elevate your thinking
Fresh new EK EXPERIENCES:
- Become superhuman in DOWNTOWN LA, June 17, Saturday, 2023
- Embark on the journey of a lifetime in SAIGON VIETNAM, July 15-16th, 2023 (Saturday Sunday) this summer
- October 14th: Philly workshop DETAILS TBA
How to think beyond
- Read the Iliad and think to yourself … what is NOT said or mentioned?
- Read Zero to One by Peter Thiel
- Read Invent and Wander by Jeff Bezos // my book notes.
EK PHOTO SUPPLY
PRODUCTS TO BECOME SUPERHUMAN:
- HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV: BECOME IMMORTAL
- HENRI SHOULDER STRAP: GET THE GOODS!
- HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO: FOR THE PROS
DISCOVER ALL HAPTIC PHOTO SUPPLY >
Stuff I’ve been buying
- Texas squat bar— black zinc with chrome sleeves. Chris the manager at my gym said I could just buy it, bring it into the gym, and leave it there, and use it at the gym! I plan on just using it at the gym, letting other people use it, and when I ultimately move to LA, just bringing it with me. I also read a funny review on the Texas power bars website of a user, who said that while some people leave their kids fancy watches, I will leave Seneca behind this Texas power bar, and I cannot wait until he could at atlas lift over 1500 pounds!
- I’ve discovered that buying floss is not a sustainable option. Ultimately you always run out of floss, which is insanely annoying. I ordered a portable water pic on Amazon, and it is the best thing ever. I like it more than my iPhone! I’m amazed at the battery holds the charge for so long, and also it delivers a lot of power. It is really good for me, because after I got braces, my teeth are insanely tight, and there are always meat chunks and other things which are stuck in between, which makes flossing and cleaning my mouth a pain in the ass. This water pick is totally worth it.
Future thoughts
- I’m really interested in the new Vinfast electric cars, not because it is the best car, Tesla is, but I am just so impressed that within such a short period of time, Vietnam was able to produce her own electric car, and sell it successfully in the states! From a entrepreneurial perspective, this is insanely inspiring.
- I really like the design of the new electric polestar cars, yet when you’re inside it, the interior actually feels very cheap. Don’t be fooled by all of this fake Swedish marketing, Volvo was bought out by a Chinese company, and polestar is also effectively a Chinese company (Geely). While I have nothing personally against China and mainland China, the issue with China and Chinese corporations is that ultimately they always cut corners, because they are more profit driven rather than soul driven, like let’s say a Steve Jobs.
Photo thoughts
What is the future of photography? I’m not really sure, but I’m going to make it.
Start off with arsbeta.com
Forward the turbo!
If this even gave you one interesting idea, feel free to forward to a friend!
Fortune favors the insanely brave!
Books to read
Conquer on!
ERIC