🚨 Welcome to this week’s issue of Generation Xcellent. I’m Stephen Perrine, New York Times bestselling author and former top editor at Men’s Health and Maxim. And like you, I’m doing all I can to survive the moshpit of midlife. Thanks for joining me on the journey! If you like what you see, send me an email—and share this newsletter with another guy who could use our help. (And as always, we’re 100% Organic Intelligence—written by guys like us, for guys like us.)

📩 Thanks for joining the conversation!

- FITNESS -

Gain Muscle, Lose Pounds—at 45+!

Broader shoulders and an leaner waist are both within reach—if you rethink the way you exercise.

By Stephen Perrine

HIIT Targets Belly Fat. Another study put to sets of sedentary people on either a HIIT or steady-state workout plan. Only the HIIT subjects lost belly fat.

HIIT Boosts Testosterone. A study of master-class male athletes found that regular exercise plus HIIT sprints on a bike increased not just their strength, but also their testosterone levels.

HIIT Sharpens Your Mind. When researchers studied MRIs of people during exercise, they found that low-intensity periods seem to trigger parts of the brain used in cognition and attention, while high-intensity periods activate neurological networks involved in emotional processing.

It’s easy to integrate HIIT and strength training, and one benefit of more intense workouts is that they’re also shorter: You should be able to get in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less.

Since intensity is the key, start with the beginner level, even if you’ve been lifting for a while. Each workout should target one set of muscles, so consider 5 workouts per week: chest, legs, shoulders, abs, back. So chest day might be bench press, dips, flies, and incline pushups, while leg day might be squats, deadlift, hamstring curls, leg press. Whichever combination of exercises feels most comfortable to you.

• Beginner: 4 sets each of 4 exercises. Lift for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds.

• Intermediate: 4 sets each of 5 exercises. Lift for 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds.

• Advanced: 6 sets each of 6 exercises. Lift for 1 minute, rest for 15 seconds. 

Don’t concentrate on lifting the most weight you can, or on squeezing in the most reps you can. Keep your weights low to start, keep a steady rhythm, and make form your focus.

—Adapted from The Full-Body Fat Fix: The Science-Based 7-Day Plan to Cool Inflammation, Heal Your Gut, and Build a Healthier, Leaner You! by Stephen Perrine (St. Martin’s Press).

- HEALTH -

Do THIS Today, Sleep Better Tonight

New science-backed sleep tricks so you can finally get some damn rest!

By Jeff Stevenson

>Mid-life men can be divided into two groups:

1. Guys who can fall asleep while sitting up with a meatball sub in one hand.

2. Guys who lie in bed staring at the ceiling like it owes them money.

If you're in Group Two, welcome. You're not alone. You're just really, really tired. Sure, anxiety plays a role—the unpaid taxes, the unread Slack messages, the fact that your knee makes a noise now—but it’s not the only culprit. Chronic pain, endless screen time, and that fluorescent light at work that flickers like a haunted Waffle House sign all mess with your circadian groove.

You've heard about meditation and soft music, but if you're still doing bedtime like a hostage negotiation, try these science-backed moves.

Related:  A Dad’s Guide to Beating Stress

1. Mix up your workout. If your fitness routine is just grunting until something snaps, you might be sabotaging your sleep. A study of over 1,300 people found that gentle, alternative workouts (think yoga and walking) improved sleep more than powerlifting or sprinting. The top three MVPs of sleep-friendly movement:

• Yoga: Nearly two extra hours of sleep and a 15% boost in efficacy.

• Tai chi: Added about an hour of sleep per night and helped people doze off faster.

• Walking/jogging: Reduced insomnia severity by nearly 10 points.

So maybe ease off the gym heroics, Cobra Kai. Gentle movement wins this round. (And if you’re excited about the HIIT training routine above, let’s focus on getting your sleep back in order before we take on the next challenge.)

2. Don’t fear the nap. If Europe can shut down entire cities at 2 p.m. for siesta, you can take 20 minutes for a midday snooze. Studies show a short nap won’t wreck your sleep, unless you nap like a housecat. According to sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus, author of The Power of When, 20 minutes is the magic number. It’s enough to sharpen your brain without sending you into the kind of REM dungeon that leaves you groggy and confused about what year it is.

3. Doff the nightcap. Sure, booze helps you fall asleep faster, but so would a tranquilizer dart, and nobody’s recommending that either. Alcohol messes with REM, breaks up sleep cycles, and turns your precious shuteye into a hazy fever dream. Cannabis and opioids aren’t much better. A 2021 study found they all disrupt quality sleep. Fun at parties, sure. Terrible at bedtime.

4. Melatonin gummies are not snacks. The drugstore melatonin aisle looks like a dare. But more isn’t better. Experts say 1.5 mg is plenty. More can lead to irritability, confusion, and ironically, insomnia. Other proven options: valerian root, chamomile tea, or yelling “Serenity now!” into a bath towel.

5. Channel your inner Prince. Lavender, baby. A 2020 review found it helps you fall asleep faster and improves quality and duration. Just sprinkle a little on your sheets. Or light a candle. Or go full Purple Rain and make your bedroom smell like Prince’s tour bus.

6. Snack like a sleep Jedi. About an hour before bed, try a magnesium-rich combo like a little cereal, half a banana, and milk. Skip the pizza rolls. And maybe don’t watch Forensic Files while eating it. That’s just asking for dreams involving chloroform.

7. And don’t stress about not sleeping. Insomnia is linked to health issues like depression and diabetes, but there’s no known case of someone dying from sleeplessness. Randy Gardner stayed awake for 11 straight days in 1965 as part of a sleep experiment. He didn’t die. He didn’t even go feral. He just got tired and kind of weird, but he lived.

—Jeff Stevenson has written for Men’s Health, Maxim, and other classic men’s magazines.

- GEN X CULTURE -

13 Essential Lessons from One Very Bizarre Life

He may have been the Prince of Darkness, but Ozzy Osbourne left us with some pretty bright ideas.

By Bob Larkin

>Every self-respecting Gen Xer remembers the first time he heard an Ozzy Osbourne album. The man sounded legitimately scary, but also weirdly goofy, like Dracula with a head injury.

Our parents were horrified. They thought Ozzy’s music would summon demons, inspire teen suicides, or at the very least make us flunk Algebra. Joke’s on them: Ozzy finished his run as a cuddly reality star, as scary as a plastic pumpkin filled with Twix. And damned if he didn’t leave behind a few pearls of wisdom.

1. When people think you’re weird, get weirder. Ozzy grew up an outcast, but he used rejection to fuel his ascent. He didn’t tone it down, he turned it up to 11 and added reverb. 

2. Make sure you freak out the right folks. Ozzy didn’t scare us, but he scared the bejesus out of parents, teachers, and televangelists. And if they were afraid, he was probably onto something. 

3. Be heavy, but also, be light. “I always felt shitty and intimidated by everyone,” Ozzy told Esquire in 2005. “So my whole thing was to act crazy and make people laugh.” Gore and goofiness aren’t mutually exclusive. Just ask Beetlejuice. 

4. Energy and commitment win the day. Ozzy didn’t sing “well,” he sang hard. He slurred, shrieked, and sometimes forgot the lyrics, but you never forgot the voice. People won’t remember your salary or your job title, but they’ll remember your vibe. 

5. Marry a woman who can handle your shit. “I was a raving drug addict and alcoholic and about as much good as an ashtray on a motorbike.” If he hadn’t found Sharon, Ozzy’s crazy train would almost certainly have gone off the rails decades ago. Find someone who loves you and knows where your passport is. 

6. Be open-minded about protein sources. Biting the head off a bat is a true commitment to high-protein snacking. Don’t be afraid to go paleo. Or ptero-paleo. 

7. Make “yes” your standard answer. Snort ants? Sure, why not. Reality show? Sounds fun. Collaborate with Post Malone? Who the hell is that? Spontaneity leads to great stories, and occasional rabies shots. 

8. Black clothes hide a multitude of sins. Coffee stain? Hangover face? Existential crisis? Just put on more black. A monotone outfit makes a man look slimmer. Also, an enormous crucifix really pulls the eye away from one’s expanding belly.

9. To succeed, embrace failing. Kicked out of Sabbath, Ozzy reinvented himself as a solo god. On death’s door from drugs, Ozzy reinvented himself as a sober(ish) family man. It’s never too late to reboot. 

10. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Nobody knew what the hell Ozzy was saying offstage (and sometimes onstage), but he said it with conviction, and that’s what sold us.

11. Accept that past mistakes served a purpose. “Sure, I have got f**king regrets. But if I didn’t have my life the way it’s been…I’d be f**king with the Big Guy in the Sky.” 

12. You don’t own your kids’ mistakes. Or your dad’s. “I tried to do with my son what my dad couldn’t do with me and teach him some things. He still ended up doing drugs.” Later, Jack and Ozzy attended 12-step meetings as a team. 

13. Make a timely exit. The man spent his career singing about what happens after death, so it makes sense he planned a perfect getaway—a giant farewell concert, followed by a quick exit. (And be honest: There’s a part of you that’s not convinced he’s really dead, isn’t there?) 

—Bob Larkin has written for Men’s Health, Esquire, The New York Post, and other outlets.

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