Today on the podcast:
Dr. Jaquish, PhD is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the book Weight Lifting Is A Waste Of Time, So Is Cardio, And There’s A Better Way To Have The Body You Want!
He has spent years researching and developing improved approaches to health and is the inventor of the most effective bone density building medical technology which is now partnered with Tony Robbins and OsteoStrong for rapid clinic deployment.
He is the inventor of X3, a technology that is proven to develop muscle much faster than conventional weight lifting, all with the lowest risk of joint injury. Dr. Jaquish’s methods are used in training the world’s most elite athletes and associations such as the entire Miami Heat organization, various NFL and NBA players, as well as Olympians.
He has also amassed over 1 million followers on his Instagram page.
Episode Outline
- 03:35 Dr. Jaquish’s backstory, how he invented X3, and finding “smart” customers
- 12:00 Why science can ironically be a barrier to open-mindedness and the biggest cardio myth
- 14:51 How Dr. Jaquish got in shape
- 18:27 One thing that Dr. Jaquish wishes he had known about weight training early on
- 22:09 Defining variable resistance and developing and naming X3
- 25:53 Why cardio, more often than not, does not lead to fat loss
- 28:45 Why muscle damage is not required for growth, a.k.a. muscle soreness does not equal muscle growth
- 29:39 Will you still experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness with X3?
- 31:56 Muscle confusion theory and why it has been completely misunderstood
- 34:10 Why calorie restriction is not the best way to lose body fat
- 43:04 How someone can make the transition to eating just one meal a day
- 44:30 Dr. Jaquish’s approach to choosing the diet that’s best for you
- 49:32 What Dr. Jaquish is most excited about
Key Points
- Variable resistance is “resistance that changes in accordance with your force output capacity.” This is where your load changes depending on the part of the movement you are currently on. For example, when bench pressing, the lightest weight should be at the bottom of the movement and the heaviest should be at the top. Dr. Jaquish cites a Cornell study which shows that randomly sampled athletes who use variable resistance had three times the strength gains that people lifting standard weights did. This is where the name “X3” came from.
- Arnold was wrong: “Shocking” the muscle does not lead to growth. That is, muscle damage does not equal growth. Microtears are fixed through protein synthesis, but the muscle does not get stronger as a result. Instead, you want to fully exhaust the muscle without damaging it. This will give you maximum growth. This is done by offloading the weaker range where the damage happens—this is exactly what X3 is all about.
- Calorie restriction can help you lose body fat; but this alone is not the most powerful method. Try eating not just fewer calories, but fewer meals a day—maybe even just one meal. Your body will reach toward stored energy when it is out of food to digest, meaning every time you eat, you put that process on hold. So, wouldn’t having fewer meals give you a longer period of time where your body is reaching for that fat tissue?
Powerful Quotes by Dr. Jaquish
- There’s no getting away from heavy. There are just better strategies to go heavy.
- The only way to communicate with your central nervous system is to create an environment where a change can happen, and that change is going to give you what you want.
- Your nutrition program is not your religion. Get over it.
- Just go to one meal a day. Rip the bandaid off. You’re not a hero if you do 16/8. That’s just a joke. That’s like you fell asleep on your flight and you miss breakfast. That’s every day for me. That’s me not even trying.
Guest Info

Dr. John Jaquish
Dr. John Jaquish
Dr Jaquish PHD is the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of the book Weight Lifting Is A Waste Of Time, So Is Cardio, And There’s A Better Way To Have The Body You Want!