You haven’t experienced anything near what you are capable of.
And if you learn how to unlock that power, you can do what most people consider impossible.
A deep work routine (backed by psychology, performance science, and philosophy) is the first step, and that will take you a long way. But if you want to take it to the next level, we live in an incredible time where you can leverage nootropics and peptides with high safety profiles (that actually work, unlike in the past, where fat burners would make you feel a little warm and tingly) to gain that competitive edge.
What I’m about to share is what allows me to stop feeling resistance toward doing what most people call difficult.
I can nearly control how many great ideas I have and how long I work.
What many of you don’t know, because I rarely talk about it here (but plan to more), is that I love fitness and biochemistry. Over the past 15 years, it’s been my guilty pleasure to study the science and protocols of any form of technology that is on the cutting edge, be it AI for productivity, crypto for finance, or peptides for health. Peptides are the Bitcoin of the health sector, and they are here to stay.
I love to experiment with my body because it teaches me how the body works through experience rather than theory. Yes, there is some risk, as there is risk with all things required to do great things (like grinding 12 hours a day staring at a screen, investing in stocks or crypto, eating McDonalds every night with a beer thus raising blood pressure to the point of an early death similar to a bodybuilder on steroids due to LVH, or even just driving in a car), but we’ll discuss that soon.
If you’re a founder in the sport of business, a gym goer in the sport of bodybuilding, or even someone who simply wants to tap into deeper states of focus to gain a slight edge that compounds into a massive edge, this is for you.
The Psychology & Philosophy Of Deep Work
A quote from Sam Altman to start:
I do not care about the latest deep work hack.
I do not care about putting on a hat while you work to narrow your vision.
I do not care about changing your phone color to black and white so you can restore your dopamine levels.
I care about what works.
And if you need bandaid hacks to sit down and do work, you’re missing the 3 things that determine 99% of your ability to sit down and knock out as much work as you need to.
To get into the deepest work you’ve ever been in, first, you must understand what compels a person to work even if they don’t feel like it. Then, you need to optimize how your brain digests and manages information. Last, you need to structure your day in a way that simulates a hunt, allowing you to leverage your hunter-gatherer-wired brain.
1) The greatest focus hack is to know what you’re working on, why you’re working on it, when it needs to be done, and how exactly to get it done.
Clarity, importance, and urgency.
Those are the critical ingredients that prevent distractions from penetrating your frame of reference.
To gain clarity, you need to choose a task that is challenging enough to be novel.
If that task overwhelms you, you need to break the task down into sub-goals that you do have clarity on. Then, you execute and acquire the skill that allows you to continue moving to the main task.
For you to find something important, you need to fully understand (1) where your life will end up without achieving the goal and (2) what your potential could be if you achieved the goal.
Urgency is what gets you to sit down and work right now rather than later, but we’ll discuss that in a few paragraphs from now.
Most people fall into a rut because they seek extrinsic motivators.
But when you’re obsessed with an important goal, you are fueled by intrinsic motivators.
Each of which stacks onto and strengthens the others in a way that sustains some degree of flow (optimal experience, or one of the most enjoyable states of mind):
Curiosity – The desire to explore the unknown, learn how to change, and fill knowledge gaps. Results in good dopamine from novelty and norepinephrine, which heightens attention, preparing you to learn.
Passion – An intense enthusiasm is built for the path that allows you to change your life. Results in more good dopamine and norepinephrine.
Purpose – The feeling that your actions contribute to something larger than yourself. Achieving goals results in more dopamine, which reinforces behavior. Serotonin stems from significance and belonging. Oxytocin stems from connection.
Autonomy – The desire to direct your own life and work. To control your choices, actions, and environment. This results in more dopamine and a reduction in cortisol (the stress from feeling put in a box), allowing for creative decision making.
Mastery – The process of learning and growing is its own reward. Results in sustainable good dopamine that keeps you in the game.
You start with curiosity and experimentation until you find one thing that pulls you deeper.
You become passionate once enough effort is invested.
You attach that passion to something greater than yourself – a purpose.
You break off the default path and acquire the skill to be autonomous and do that full time.
You shift from shallow reasoning to a philosophical sense of mastery, allowing you to stay in the game.
2) You need productivity and creativity time-blocks. They are two separate states of mind that complement each other.
Fill your brain in the afternoons with books, learning, and socialization
Empty your brain before bed with journaling, planning, and meditation
Use your brain in the morning with creation, output, and focus
Most people wear overwork as a badge of honor.
The truth is, if you focus on the small quantity of lever-moving tasks that actually move you closer to your goal, you can do 8 hours of work in 4 hours or less. Most aren’t honest with themselves about what work they can simply stop doing.
Most of the time, these “lever-moving tasks” demand creativity.
For myself, my entire business is built on 2 hours of writing every day. That is the highest leverage thing I can do, because in today’s world, media can be spread to millions of people and code can be used by millions of people with minimal increase in marginal cost. That is your superpower in today’s world.
That said, the quality of your lever-moving work depends on how much time you set aside for rest.
Your mind needs a constant flow of information so you can catch the ideas that will change your life.
If you are stuck in “doing mode” all day, your mind is clogged. You do not have new ideas to use during your focused work. You unclog your mind by adding creativity blocks to your day.
Go on a 30-minute walk in between your 2-hour work blocks. Listen to an audiobook or podcast.
Dedicate time to idea generation and journaling to get the residue out of your headspace.
The stress relief is an added benefit.
3) You procrastinate because your survival isn’t at stake.
As we discussed in the survival letter:
Animals survive and reproduce on the physical level. They attempt to reproduce the information in their genes. Humans do as well, but we live in such a world that physical threats are rare. We mostly survive on the psychological level and attempt to reproduce the information in our consciousness.
We attach to political ideologies, feel threatened, and lash out when the “other side” attacks our beliefs.
We adopt beliefs and worldviews as our identity, like being a “gamer,” and when someone says that’s bad, it’s like you were slapped in the face (psychologically) and you want to fight back.
When you attempt to change your life, like being more productive, you threaten the relevant identity that doesn’t want you to do that (like being a good student or employee).
If you learn to transcend and leverage your survival instincts, your productivity shoots through the roof.
You need to change your identity by changing the stubborn beliefs and normative prescriptions (what you’re “supposed” to do from your parents, teachers, and authorities). You change your identity by changing your environment.
To be more productive, force yourself into physical and digital locations that make you feel like you don’t yet belong.
Follow people with the goals you want to pursue, the beliefs that your future self could benefit from, and the knowledge that allows you to achieve clarity.
When you are a person who works toward their goals, discipline becomes seamless, and you feel threatened when you are not doing so, giving you an energy source to act toward something greater.
The Focus (& Fat Loss) Stack – Optimizing Your Mitochondria
These aren’t your typical nootropics that don’t do much after a week of using them.
(But if you enjoy this, let me know, because there are new supplements that may heal your brain, fix your dopamine signaling, and help with focus).
They’re also not harsh medications like adderall that make you feel like you’re on meth.
In fact, they’re not even meant to be focus supplements.
They are meant to improve mitochondrial function and health, thus having an impact on longevity, anti-aging, and especially fat loss. Improved productivity and focus is second-order, but still far more powerful than any nootropic you can find on the market (in my experience and opinion).
The reason mitochondrial health is all the rage today is that the modern environment seems to destroy it.
We don’t get much sunlight. We stare at blue light all day. We wake up red and puffy. We sit in cubicles under artificial lighting. We eat hyperpalatable foods. The Western population is having an obesity epidemic.
Yes, lifestyle changes are the first line of defense, but we’re not here to talk about that. Maybe another time. In the meantime, just do what Andrew Huberman and the ancestral diet crew tell you to do. I don’t mean to glance over this. It’s important. But it’s not the topic of this letter that continues to grow in length (like this post if you want me to go into non-dogmatic nutrition).
I’m a fan of technology.
Technology allows humans to do what used to be impossible.
And every time new technology comes into play, like AI or flying machines, people are skeptical and think the entire world is going to end if more people adopt this. Do not condemn curiosity. That is much more likely to put us in a 1984 scenario.
In reality, technology obviously has risk (and learning to mitigate risk through knowledge and skill is the path to greatness), but it is created to solve problems, and we have plenty of those in today’s world.
You take on an incredible amount of risk simply by living. Most people love the idea of a new iPhone and unconsciously accept the great psychological and physiological risks of doing so. They’ll drive in cars and risk their life. They’ll play sports and get hit in the head one too many times. They’ll live a sedentary lifestyle, casually drink alcohol, and decrease their lifespan... but when it comes to technology like pharmacology, they start to freak out.
I get it.
Pills and injections are a weird area (even though injections are often the most bioavailable way to take a supplement, also avoiding passing through the liver… I’m talking to you girlies who go and get an IV to cure your hangover).
That said, here’s how we’re going to structure this.
First, we’ll talk about 2 capsules you can take orally that improve fat-loss, improve mitochondrial function, and thus increase focus.
Then, we’ll talk about 2 injections for those who are a bit more adventurous.
None of these are necessary, of course. I know many of you are reading this because you’re just curious.
Note: This stack has synergistic effects. You may feel some, you may not feel others, but when stacked together, they increase their overall effectiveness without taking too much from any one of them. This helps keep doses in a safe and sustainable range.
By the way, I created a “Superhuman Protocols” google doc with added science and education for those who want to explore this more.
1) Methylene Blue – The Blue Dye That Divided The Internet
If you keep up with anything health-related on the internet, you’ve probably heard about Methylene Blue.
It’s that blue dye that stains your tongue blue and has been used as a fish tank cleaner.
Oh, and it turns your urine a blue/green color.
The reason it divided the internet was due to the risks and side effects like:
Serotonin syndrome: when combined with drugs like SSRIs or supplements that affect serotonin (like 5-HTP), serotonin levels can increase dramatically, leading to you feeling absolutely horrible. Do not take it in combination with these.
Nitric oxide inhibition: At higher doses, MB can lead to narrowing of blood vessels, an increase in blood pressure, and a diminished pump during workouts.
High-dose toxicity: Can have pro-oxidant effects rather than the antioxidant effects found at lower doses. It damages mitochondria.
G6PD Deficiency: If you have this genetic deficiency, do not take MB.
As you can see, and as with most things, the dose makes the poison.
The general recommended dose that seems to be safe, tolerable, and sustainable is from 3mg a day to 15mg a day.
Personally, I take 10mg a day in capsule form. Sometimes 20mg if I’m feeling spicy.
Most people don’t notice much of a benefit at this low of a dose when it comes to focus. That’s why when it is stacked with other mitochondrial aids the effects are shown to be more pronounced.
Onto the science and benefits:
The core benefits stem from mitochondrial health.
Methylene blue enhances the electron transport chain. It increases ATP (energy) production, similar to how creatine does. It reduces oxidative stress, which is a huge concern in today’s environment relating to food, blue light, etc. It also stimulates the creation of new, healthy mitochondria.
All of this leads to benefits for cognition, focus, neuroprotection, anti-aging, longevity, and more.
It acts as a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI), which prevents the breakdown of key neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain. This can lead to improved mood, focus, and productivity.
Studies, primarily in animal models or at high doses in humans, show it can enhance memory formation, working memory, and visual-motor coordination.
Brain: It shows potential in alleviating symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by improving mitochondrial function in the brain, reducing beta-amyloid plaque, and preventing the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins.
Skin: Shown to improve skin hydration and thickness and promotes the synthesis of elastin and collagen, leading to a more youthful appearance.
Bones: Shown to protect against skeletal aging by improving mitochondrial function and antioxidant status within bones.
Shown to enhance the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells (better performance and endurance).
Shown to reduce chronic fatigue, systemic inflammation, and body aches.
All of that is great, but when it is stacked with other supplements, the benefits start to compound (and the added fat loss effects don’t hurt).
2) SLU-PP-332 – Exercise In A Bottle, Finally?
Yes, that’s a weird and scary name.
Most supplements are when they haven’t been yet branded and dominated by Big Pharma.
But, this is one of the few new supplements that actually aids in fat burning.
About a decade ago, the entire “fat burner” era of the internet was a giant scam. Now that technology has advanced, we’re actually getting somewhere.
I used this compound in my recent mini cut (I’ve started talking about my fitness and life on a second YouTube channel for those interested), and the energy it gave me was incredible.
In short, SLU-PP-332 is an exercise mimetic. It reproduces many of the cellular and metabolic benefits of aerobic exercise without requiring actual physical activity. We’ve finally reached a point where we have “exercise in a bottle.” Of course, that doesn’t even come close to making up for how the average American lives. For healthy people, it becomes a superpower.
Let’s start with the risks again:
Increased Body Temperature and Sweating: The most noticeable side effect is a rise in body temperature and profuse sweating, particularly during exercise.
Lack of Human Studies: There are no long-term human studies or clinical trials on SLU-PP-332. The current knowledge is based on animal models and anecdotal evidence from the fitness community.
Liver Enzymes: It may cause a slight increase in liver enzymes, which is a common effect of many oral supplements (i.e. NSAIDS because oral supplements pass through the liver). This can be combatted with other supplements such as NAC, Tudca, or milk thistle.
So, we don’t have an exhaustive list yet.
Like I said in the intro, I’m kind of a lab rat. I like being on the cutting edge and experimenting with new technology beyond supplements and peptides (AI, as an example). I do bloodwork every 1-3 months, keep my blood pressure in check, and check all the boxes required for longevity. I know what’s happening in my body and whether what I’m doing is unhealthy, but there could be things that I don’t know are happening.
Here’s the science:
SLU-PP-332 is an agonist for the estrogen receptor-related orphan receptors (ERRs) alpha, beta, and gamma. These receptors are abundant in tissues with high energy demands, such as skeletal muscle, the heart, brain, liver, and adipose tissue.
It works in a few ways, with a few potential benefits:
Mitochondrial Enhancement: Shown to improve mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis, which is the process of creating new mitochondria. This leads to increased energy production.
Metabolic Boost: Shown to enhance fatty acid oxidation and glucose uptake in the body.
Exercise Mimetic: It’s described as a direct exercise mimetic because it activates genes associated with aerobic exercise, even when you are in a sedentary state.
No Hormonal Effects: It does not bind to estrogen receptors and is not expected to have any estrogenic hormonal effects.
Enhanced Physical Performance: Users may experience increased endurance, stamina, and exercise capacity from the very first dose.
Improved Body Composition: Shown to prevent fat gain, even on a high-fat diet, and can reduce existing adipose tissue fat mass.
Metabolic Health: Shown to improve insulin sensitivity by increasing glucose uptake in skeletal muscles. Also shown to improve total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, fasting glucose, and insulin levels.
Organ Health and Longevity: It may have longevity benefits, as indicated by an increase in grip strength, a marker for longevity. It shows promise in improving heart health by enhancing ejection fraction and reducing cardiac fibrosis.
The typical dosing protocol is 200-600 micrograms per day.
It has a short half-life of about 1-2 hours, so splitting the dose up is recommended.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed the upper range of that dose. I take 250mcg in the morning, pre-workout, and afternoon. My energy has been otherworldly.
I only take these on training days, so 5 times a week to give myself a break here and there.
Recommendation: If you are new to this, consider only trying methylene blue and SLU-PP-332. They both come in capsule form, and in my opinion, have a high safety profile when used for research responsibly.
MOTS-c – Even Thomas Delauer Is Talking About It For Logevity
Now we’re getting into injection territory.
Scary stuff, even though you use a tiny insulin syringe and put it in your belly fat.
I don’t like talking about things without educating as much as I can, so as mentioned, I created the Superhuman Protocols doc just for this.
I’ve tried quite a few peptides in my days, and this is the first where I noticed an immediate wave of energy. Even when losing fat and being in a deficit (where energy is supposed to be lower), I was working longer while being up and about more than I usually am while eating a normal amount.
MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12s rRNA type C - lol) is a polypeptide consisting of 16 amino acids. It is naturally produced in the mitochondria and is released into the body in response to metabolic or oxidative stress, such as vigorous exercise. Its primary role is to act as a signaling molecule, prompting cells to produce the necessary nutrients for mitochondria to utilize in cellular energy metabolism. It is primarily involved in regulating glucose and fatty acid metabolism.
The risks when not used wisely:
Injection Site Reactions: This is the most common side effect. Subcutaneous injections, even at low doses (0.5-1 mg), can cause redness and irritation (I’ve experienced a little redness, it goes away after an hour or two). Doses of 2.5-5 mg can cause a severe, credit card-sized rash resembling cellulitis. Intramuscular injections are less likely to cause skin reactions but are not immune.
Anaphylactic Shock: This is a severe and dangerous risk, especially at higher doses. Doses over 5 mg increase the risk of an adverse reaction, and a 10 mg dose, especially if accidentally injected into a vein, can cause systemic anaphylactic shock, characterized by swelling of the face and tongue.
Overwhelming Energy/Insomnia: The “wave of energy” can be uncomfortably intense for some. Higher doses administered too close to bedtime may cause insomnia.
Cardiac Concerns: While it can improve cardiac function, MOTS-c was also shown to induce cardiac hypertrophy (heart enlargement) in rats when combined with exercise. This is a serious concern for anyone using anabolic steroids, which also carry this risk.
However, there are a few core benefits:
Energy Production: Shown to synthesize ATP, the body’s main energy currency.
Hormone Synthesis: Shown to play a role in the creation of pregnenolone, a precursor to many other hormones.
Metabolism: Shown to contribute various signaling molecules that influence your metabolism.
Energy and Focus: Users report a significant “wave of energy” post-injection. Bodybuilders often use it during cutting phases to sustain energy levels and cognitive function, helping to prevent brain fog associated with caloric restriction.
Exercise Mimetic: Studies on rats showed that MOTS-c administration provided comparable benefits to treadmill exercise in terms of improving cardiac function, body weight, and glucose levels.
Metabolic Health: It has been shown in animal models to improve insulin sensitivity, increase glucose uptake in mitochondria, and improve fatty acid metabolism. It may help prevent insulin resistance and obesity induced by a high-fat diet.
Longevity: One animal study indicated that MOTS-c could increase lifespan by 4.6% to 7% and reverse age-dependent physical decline.
In terms of dosing, please do not take 5-10mg at once.
I’ve done up to 5 because I’m an idiot and turned out fine, nothing happened (that time), but I don’t plan to do that again.
Most recommendations start at 0.25mg to assess tolerance, then increase to a sustainable dose of 0.5mg to 1mg a day.
In combination with the previously discussed compounds, 1mg 5-7 days a week is more than enough. That’s what I do.
Retatrutide – The Secret Weapon Of Fitness Models
Again, if you’re anywhere in the health space online, you’ve heard of this.
If anything, you’ve heard of semaglutide, but that’s for those behind the curve, and frankly it kinda sucks. I’ve tried it and did not like it.
Your favorite athletes are taking it. Your favorite celebrities are taking it. And personally, I think most people will be on a GLP-1 as they gain popularity. Not because everyone needs to lose weight, but because of how it helps us combat the modern environment. It’s only a matter of time until Brian Johnson starts harping on about it, considering he just created a peptide hair product line.
Of course, the purists and nature bros will heavily argue against that, but I’ll leave it to you to form your own opinion.
Retatrutide is a novel peptide medication currently in clinical trials. Unlike other medications in its class like Semaglutide or Tirzepatide that target one or two receptors, Retatrutide is a triple-agonist, meaning it activates three different hormone receptors to regulate metabolism and appetite:
GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) Receptor: Activation of this receptor enhances insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon production, slows down gastric emptying (which makes you feel fuller for longer), and reduces overall food intake.
GIP (Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) Receptor: This also stimulates insulin secretion. In a state where the body is burning fat (lipolysis), activating the GIP receptor helps with the removal of fatty acids from fat tissue, contributing to overall fat loss.
Glucagon Receptor: Activating this receptor in fat tissue causes lipolysis, the breakdown and release of stored fats into the bloodstream to be used for energy. In the liver, it helps regulate blood sugar levels.
In my own experience, a GLP-1 like semaglutide made me feel extremely nauseous. Since I still want to get food in to fuel training, that wasn’t helpful. Retatrutide does this to less of an extent, so I can use it to maintain insulin sensitivity to gain less fat during a muscle gain phase.
Here are the risks:
Common Side Effects: The most common issues are mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bloating. These are typically dose-dependent and often subside as the body adapts to the medication over a few weeks. Fatigue, dizziness, and headache can also occur.
Cardiovascular Risks: An increase in resting heart rate (by 6-12 beats per minute) is a noted side effect. Rare instances of cardiac arrhythmias have also been observed in clinical trials.
Serious, Rare Risks: Though rare, the clinical trials have reported cases of acute kidney injury and pancreatitis. Other GLP-1 agonists have been associated with a risk of thyroid and pancreatic cancer, so caution is advised, although the evidence for Retatrutide specifically is not yet conclusive.
Rebound Effect: A significant risk with this class of drugs is that when you stop taking them, the appetite suppression vanishes, and the lost weight can be rapidly regained.
In terms of the rebound effect and reported muscle loss cases, this can usually be avoided by having the right eating habits in place. Most of these studies are done on overweight individuals. A high protein diet will avoid most muscle loss as it always does, and not using your time on retatrutide to create new eating habits is highly encouraged.
According to clinical trial data, there is a wide range of beneficial effects:
Weight and Fat Loss: It is shown to be highly effective for weight loss, with trials showing up to a 25-30% body weight reduction after 48 weeks on a 12 mg weekly dose. It also significantly reduces waist circumference and, notably, liver fat content.
Appetite Control: Shown to provide powerful appetite suppression and improves satiation (the feeling of fullness), which helps reduce overall caloric intake and control “food noise” or cravings.
Metabolic Health: Shown to improve multiple metabolic markers such as: Lowering fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and hemoglobin A1C levels, improving insulin sensitivity and reversing pre-diabetic states, improving lipid profiles by lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (”bad” cholesterol) while raising HDL (”good” cholesterol), improving both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Focus: Anecdotal reports show a decrease in “food noise” and the constant distraction of cravings. It’s also shown to potentially modulate dopamine pathways, which could help with addictive behaviors.
Now, dosing Retatrutide becomes very important.
If you measure wrong or jump to a high dose, you could feel sick for a few days and have no desire to eat.
In clinical trials, they investigated doses ranging from 0.5mg to 12mg administered subcutaneously once per week. Starting low and escalating over time.
The anecdotal sweet spot is starting at 1-2mg per week, split up into three doses (MWF as an example). From there, titrating the dose up every week or two is recommended to avoid side effects. Usually, from my research, 3-6mg is the sweet spot.
Final Thoughts
Just like with AI or crypto, I’m excited to see where the technology goes.
I’ve had a great experience with the stack we went over, and for those who decide to dive in, I’m excited for you too.
If you like this style of letter, give it a like, that way I know if I should write more.
– Dan
Definitely talk more about nutrition stuff thanks!
I'd be really supportive (or at least interested) if you did talk about modern peptides and nutrition more.
While I'm in the business space now, I did get a huge kick out of studying nutritional anthropology (what did humans eat in the past? the optimal human diet?)
which then got me into researching modern nutrition and its downfalls (there may be thousands of unknown nutrients modern nutritional study doesnt account for? the shitty way nutrition studies are often conducted? massive amounts of public doubt in govt safety institutions due to being compromised like the FDA was during aspartame approval? The way all the successful fad diets actually address different stages of mitochondrial damage and no one diet is the most effective? the whole ultra processed foods thing?)
Which lastly got me into sketchy reddit forums and other communities doing self-experimentation with peptides.
I'm no type that's brave enough to order mystery dust from chinese suppliers, but I've seen some amazing anecdotes from people with these peptides.
Thomas DeLauer admits to trying them out, MOTS-C looks groundbreaking, and retatrutide is actually INSANE.
we've seen it improve eGFR results in kidney disease patients. kidney disease is widely thought of to be chronic and always lead to eventual failure, with blood markers showing speed of progression, not improvement. so for reta to improve those markers is crazy. It has huge implications for the kidney transplant and dialysis industry.... and thats just one example!
There are actually a few self-experimentators on substack with paid newsletters showing anecdotal results with nutrition and peptides( exfatloss, etc) since people can't wait for modern science to catch up with these seemingly groundbreaking peptide compounds.
There seems to be a niche but growing audience for them so let us know definitely if you come out with any interesting thoughts on it