Welcome to 4 Minute Fridays, my weekly newsletter, where I reveal cutting-edge tips to help you get lean, boost energy, and live longer.

What's In Store For Today:

• One supplement I take daily for my skin and joints
• The organ that predicts your brain's future
• A beginner's guide to peptides

Today's issue is brought to you by ​​AG1​​.

Last week I went on a trip to NYC, and one of the most important supplements that I brought with me was AG1.

I take ​​AG1 ​​every day to help cover my nutritional bases when life gets busy. I’ve noticed better energy, smoother digestion, and better focus.

It’s one simple habit that gives me an edge and helps me perform at my best, especially when my diet isn’t perfect.

The science backs it up too: AG1 Next Gen has 4 gold-standard clinical trials showing it helps fill new nutrient gaps, supports gut health, and improves key nutrient levels over 3 months.

If your diet isn’t perfect like mine, I highly recommend it.

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Hey friend,

The other day, I went to get a haircut, and as I was sitting in my barber's chair, an old man walked through the door.

While my barber was cutting my hair, he told me that the man was 98 years old.

I did what I normally do when I meet centenarians:

I walked up to him and asked, "What is your secret?"

His answer to me was a bit shocking. With a big gap-toothed smile, he replied, "Scotch."

This reminds me of another time when I met a centenarian on the North Shore of Hawaii. She was so happy, and when I met her, she was drinking margaritas and eating tacos.

Now, I'm NOT telling you this so you can start imbibing and increasing your alcohol intake.

But there is something to be said about not stressing about the things that you enjoy, allowing them into your life in moderation, and getting away from the hyper-obsession about health.

The centenarians I met were not into optimization. I don't even think they knew what VO2 max was, but something I did notice about them was that they were happy, smiling, and low-stress.

Something to noodle on during our quest for immortality.

Here's what caught my attention this week.

Here Is Your 4 Minute Friday:

1. One Supplement I Take Daily For My Skin And Joints

There's one supplement that improves skin elasticity, reduces joint pain, and adds a little lean mass.

It's not creatine, it's not protein powder, it's collagen.

Researchers pooled 16 meta-analyses covering 113 randomized trials and nearly 8,000 people.

Skin elasticity and hydration both improved with high-certainty evidence. Across 25 trials, joint pain and stiffness dropped. They also found slightly added fat-free mass and a modest bump in strength.

Collagen production is believed to fall around 1% per year starting in early adulthood, and women lose roughly 30% of their skin's collagen in the first five years of menopause.

The collagen you swallow never reaches your face intact. It gets broken into fragments that appear to signal your fibroblasts, the cells that build connective tissue, to ramp production back up.

Same idea in your joints: more matrix building, less inflammatory cartilage breakdown.

Which is why it works slowly, and only while you keep taking it. You're not applying collagen. You're asking your body to make more of its own.

2. The Organ That Predicts Your Brain's Future

Researchers tracked 489,972 adults for a median of 13.6 years, measuring muscle and body fat in every one.

Low muscle plus high body fat came with a 34% higher dementia risk. Low muscle on its own, 30% higher.

The interesting part they found was that carrying extra fat while keeping your strength wasn't linked to higher risk at all. It leaned the other way slightly.

Muscle was doing the protective work.

In a subgroup measured twice, grip strength was the tell. When it fell, dementia risk climbed. Changes in fat and muscle size predicted almost nothing.

If you're already lifting, keep going. If not, find a ​coach​, find a community, start where you are.

It's better to be the oldest person in the weight room than the youngest person in the nursing home.

❤️ My Favourite Thing This Week 

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of an emerging medical technology called peptides.

When they first crossed my desk, I thought it was a big bunch of hype. I've been around the fitness industry 20+ years, and things like this usually sizzle for a season and then fizzle out. This one is different.

Quite frankly, we've been taking peptides for ailments for decades. Insulin is a peptide. GLP-1s are peptides. What actually changed is that GLP-1s got millions of people comfortable injecting themselves, and everything else walked through that open door.

I found one of the best resources for dipping your toe into peptide education. It's Dr. Andrew Huberman interviewing a friend of mine, Dr. Abud Bakri.

Abud is a practicing internal medicine physician, not a peptide salesman. He's straight about what we actually know versus what the internet claims, including the fact that nearly all the BPC-157 data comes from animals, out of a single lab in Croatia. He covers sourcing, safety, the gray market, and where people are getting burned.

If you've ever wanted to learn more about peptides, this is the video to do it.

Client Of The Week - John Niles, CEO Of Law Firm

John came into the program wanting to lose weight, but he walked away with much more.

In just a few months, he’s down 38.5 lbs, lost 4 inches off his waist, and built a level of nutrition discipline, especially on weekends, that completely changed how he operates.

But the biggest shift wasn’t just physical. John said the program gave him the energy, focus, and clarity to deliver some of the best appellate arguments of his career during one of his most demanding weeks.

Here’s how we did it:

• Focused on structured eating, with a flexible but disciplined approach
• Built momentum through simple, effective workouts
• Tightened up nutrition on the weekends without sacrificing lifestyle

When your health improves, everything else levels up, too. Outstanding work, John!

​Are you an entrepreneur who wants to drop the fat, gain muscle, and boost energy? Click this link to apply for our coaching program.​ 

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

When it comes to the things you want to do or the places you want to go, the best philosophy I have come up with is: buy the ticket, take the ride.

Thinking about things that can get in the way, especially if it's something you desire and something you've been wanting to do for a very long time, take the plunge.

Buy the ticket, schedule it for yourself, and it turns into a forcing function to follow through on your dreams

As promised, get healthier in under 4 minutes.

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

References

1. Ravindran R, Pizzol D, López-Gil JF, Rahmati M, Boyer L, Fond G, Butler L, Stellato A, Gawronska J, Barnett Y, Keyes H, Soysal P, Eren R, Onal B, Yon DK, Smith L. Collagen Supplementation for Skin and Musculoskeletal Health: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses on Elasticity, Hydration, and Structural Outcomes. Aesthet Surg J Open Forum. 2026 Jan 30;8:ojag018. doi: 10.1093/asjof/ojag018. PMID: 41809116; PMCID: PMC12968778.
2. Guan Z, Stephan B, Donini L ...Sarcopenic obesity and dementia risk: Primary associations and landmark analyses of muscle strength and body composition trajectories. Clinical Nutrition, 2026; 63

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.