#18: John Little: Inside the Mind of Mike Mentzer, Body By Science and his Workout with Hercules

John Little's resume is prolific. Alongside Dr Doug McGuff, he is the co-author of Body By Science and author of Max Contraction Training (to name a couple) and is considered to be one of the world's foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. John is the only person authorised to review the entirety of Lee's personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations and to edit books on his behalf. Some of his notable works include The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee and The Art of Expressing the Human Body.

Body By Science was a very pivotal book in my health and fitness journey and it was a real honour to have John on the show. He was a very humble guest and gave me a unique perspective on multiple aspects of high intensity training and health and fitness in general.

A recurring theme in this interview is the health and fitness industry and its relentless drive to leverage mass media to manufacture the desire for people to be muscular, ripped, and attractive. It does this because it wants to continue to profit, and after all, as John said in this interview, it's hard to turn a dollar on being well hydrated and having good genetics.

"Why is our existence defined by how big someone's arm is?" - John Little

In the pursuit of bigger muscles, it's easy to forget the bigger picture, and that is the vast number of benefits stimulated by effective exercise. In this interview, John and I discuss this philosophical problem and the biological laws that govern it, Bruce Lee's influence, training protocols, and the wisdom shared by body building legend, Mike Mentzer.

For the show notes, books, and resources, click here.