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Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body Defy Aging

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What if the ability to look, feel, and perform at peak capacity wasn’t the stuff of lore but instead was within easy reach? 

In a perfect world, you would be able to have it all: complete optimization of mind, body, and spirit. 

In Boundless, the New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Training and health and fitness leader Ben Greenfield offers a first-of-its-kind blueprint for total human optimization.

To catapult you down the path of maximizing cognition, mental clarity, and IQ, you will discover: How to rewire your skull’s supercomputer (& 9 ways to fix your neurotransmitters) The 12 best ways to heal a leaky brain 8 proven methods to banish stress and kiss high cortisol goodbye 10 foods that break your brain, and how to eat yourself smart How to safely utilize nootropics and smart drugs, along with 8 of the best brain-boosting supplement stacks and psychedelics The top nutrient for brain health that you probably aren’t getting enough of 6 ways to upgrade your brain using biohacking gear, games, and tools How to exercise the cells of your nervous system using technology and modern science Easy ways to train your brain for power, speed, and longevity The ultimate guide to optimizing your sleep, maximizing mental recovery, and stopping jet lag
To ensure that you look good naked and live a long time, you will learn: 6 ways to get quick, powerful muscles (& why bigger muscles aren’t better) How to burn fat fast without destroying your body The fitness secrets of 6 of the fittest old people on the planet The best training program for maximizing muscle gain and fat loss at the same time One simple tactic for staying lean year-round with minimal effort A step-by-step system for figuring out exactly which foods to eat 14 ways to build an unstoppable immune system Little-known tactics, tips, and tricks for recovering from workouts with lightning speed The best tools for biohacking your body at home and on the road How to eat, train, and live for optimal symmetry and beauty (& how to raise kids with superhuman bodies and brains)
And to help you live a fulfilling and happy life, you will learn: 12 techniques to heal your body using your own internal pharmacy What the single most powerful emotion is and how to tap into it every day 4 of the best ways to heal your body and spirit using sounds and vibrations 6 ways to enhance your life and longevity with love, friendships, and lasting relationships How to biohack the bedroom for better sex and longer orgasms, and the top libido-enhancing herbs, supplements, and strategies The perfect morning, afternoon, and evening routines for enhancing sleep, productivity, and overall happiness 28 ways to combine ancestral wisdom and modern science to enhance longevity, including the best foods, herbs, supplements, injections, medical treatments, biohacks, fasting strategies, and much more The 4 hidden variables that can make or break your mind, body, and spirit The exercise that will change your life forever (& how to reverse-engineer your perfect day)
Boundless guides you every step of the way to becoming an expert in what makes your brain tick, your body work, and your spirit happy.

You can flip open the book to any chapter and discover research-proven, trench-tested techniques to build muscle, burn fat, live longer, have mind-blowing sex, raise robust children, and much, much more!

 

640 pages, Hardcover

First published January 21, 2020

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About the author

Ben Greenfield

52 books240 followers
Ben Greenfield spent most of his childhood years with his nose in a book. President of the chess club, violin player, and a complete nerd in school, he especially loved writing fantasy fiction.

After graduating high school at fifteen and university at the age of twenty, Ben’s life took a turn as he delved into another passion: fitness. He was soon named as America’s top personal trainer, one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in health and fitness, and also penned the New York Times bestseller Beyond Training, along with 13 other books.

After years of success in the health and fitness industry, Ben has returned to his love of fantasy. The Forest, the first in his new fantasy series, takes its inspiration from Ben’s own twin sons, combined with his deep knowledge of survival, wilderness, adventure, intrigue, health, suspense and a true hero’s journey.

Ben resides in Spokane, Washington with his wife, Jessa, and twin boys, River and Terran, where he can be found caring for his goats, chickens and organic vegetable garden, playing the ukulele and penning his next fantasy tale.

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5 stars
499 (54%)
4 stars
248 (26%)
3 stars
110 (11%)
2 stars
41 (4%)
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23 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
1 review2 followers
March 11, 2020
I got this on audible and listened to bits and pieces of various chapters before I quickly realized that Ben Greenfield is a self promoter at best and a snake oil salesman at worst. First, the promises he makes are so over the top and outsized, so eye-popping and earth shattering as to make P.T. Barnum seem like Eeyore by comparison. Second, he's not interested--since he sells supplements himself--in making readers aware of the very legitimate criticisms laid at the feet of the supplements industry, namely that (1) lax or no regulation means we can't possibly know what's in the bottle and (2) that reductio ad absurdum thinking has misled some overly confident humans into the foolish notion that we can consistently isolate a single molecule that is the actual cause of the health benefits of eating, say, an orange or some kale. Serious nutrition scientists know better: you have to eat a symphony of whole natural plant foods to get significant health benefits by mouth.

Save your money and read Michael Greger, Joel Fuhrman, T. Colin Campbell, and Neal Barnard instead.
1 review
January 24, 2020
I am a huge fan of Ben Greenfield's work and find myself searching through his articles and podcasts to find answers to wellness questions that pop up and as I proactively try to live a healthier life. This book simplifies that process and is a key resource for all things mind, body, and spirit. I zoned in on sections in the table of contents that interest me at the moment and look forward to making it through all 600+ pages eventually. I love how each chapter includes a "one thing you can do this week" tip. Extremely practical and applicable.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
308 reviews44 followers
December 11, 2021
Phew. Where do I even start.
This is one massive encyclopedia.. but a better name would have been 'The book of brands'. It takes forever to finish because let's be honest here, with so much information it's almost impossible to write it all down in an amusing way yet be taken seriously. This is a serious book stuffed with information. If you are a health junkie this could have been your go to... but...

TOO LONG
- Do you want to read a book which is way too long? If you like Ben personally, I'm sure you'll enjoy the book. But if you don't know him and are not interested in his personal anecdotes, adventures, how his body reacted in someone else fitness room or could not care less about the room where he is writing his stuff, well be prepared to skim through a lot of pages. Sometimes it reads like a biography, other times like an encyclopedia. I wish he split it in 2 books so people knew what they were buying.

RESEARCH vs OPINION
- Pseudo science. If you know how research works, you know the results will often mirror the hopes of the person doing the research. Whatever you believe, if you google it, you will find 'research' about it. This book feels the same... the writer will claim something and coincidentally all research support his opinion. You will read about research xyz, but won't be able to find anything about it online. Important to know, he eats meat and loves the keto diet. So keto is the only diet you will read about. No wait, there are a few pages with advice for plant based foodies: Eat your eggs. And a speech on why you should drop your plant based diet. I mean of course he had to leave out the dozens of positive research results about the high carb diet, plant based diet and others because that would totally bash his meat/keto opinion... so yeah, leave the stuff out and just pretend we can't google that stuff. (Books: The china study & The 80/10/10 diet if you are interested)

AFFILIATES, MARKETING, $$$
- It's so obvious, some brands payed him or he got the stuff for free. I mean why would you need that one specific sleep tracker when all health watches offer this? Why would you need that one specific slow juicer, when any slow juicer is doing the job? Some brands will return in several chapters, just in case you didn't catch their name the first time. And sure some brands are probably totally worth it to explore but how can you tell which ones are interesting to explore and which ones are bull? Well we can't because we have no clue how much money was included in their deals. The only way to know is explore and test, but if thousands of readers will do so, the company basically got their return of money. Marketing in books... you pay for a book to read advertisements which you could have seen for free on TV. Let that sink in for a moment.

DID I LEARN ANYTHING?
1 thing. I started to take L-carnitine. I already knew the basics about healthy living and some things were niche specific and not for me. I did notice mistakes. Like pure oregano oil... do NOT use it if it's 100% pure, not on your skin, not in your mouth. Food advice: Lactose intolerant means your body won't accept any milk products, not even the fermented ones he claims you can. Just don't. There are more false claims in the book, which made me realise it's impossible he has tried everything. So basically you take the same risk like anything you find on the internet.

Look, it's obvious he put a lot of work in this book and I'm sure, for the right audience, this book will be very helpful. I respect the fact he really tried. If you are an obsessed bodybuilding type who's ready to take his cold showers, daily protein shakes, 10 pills a day, have money to spend on crazy expensive gadgets, love microdosing for mental health and have hours to spend each day to prep and workout - this book is for you. Truly!

But if you are looking to live healthy, longer and read this book because he's a 39 year old who looks very good for his age, I'm sorry I have to crush your dream but... I'm 32 years old, look like 22 and live my life without all those things. There are no secret anti-aging techniques in this book. Eat your greens, move, drink water, use natural cosmetics, drink green tea instead (or besides) your coffee. There, that's it, I just told you the secret for free without advertising any brands or let you read a 600 something 50$ encyclopedia. You're welcome.
Profile Image for Keegan.
152 reviews
November 15, 2020
The word that kept popping up in my mind as I read this was PRIVILEGE. Holy crap does this guy have no clue (or no care) as to what the average human encounters in his/her life or living situation. His "advice" definitely caters to a certain group of people who have access to the resources he espouses in this book.

Sure, let's just all go out and pay for a DUTCH test. Only $399-$499. Let's all live without noise or light pollution. Oh wait....live in a city? You're screwed. Need to buy bluetooth blockers? Probably thousands of dollars. The reality is that most humans don't have the luxury of living the way Greenfield suggests. Capitalism at it's finest.

I took issue with many of the things in Greenfield book which was surprising since I've enjoyed several of his podcasts. Much of what he's suggesting is just not pragmatic in today's day and age. Some of his theses are just downright not true. Symmetry? If you make yourself symmetrical, you'll have a better life? Jesus. Does he realize the human body is inherently asymmetric? I mean, we only have one heart which isn't in the center. What a load of crap.

Save yourself the time and effort... Avoid this book. The heft involved in sorting through it is enough to drive someone mad.
1 review4 followers
February 18, 2020
This book is the new Bible of health and longevity. Basically nothing it doesn't cover. I listen to almost all of Ben's podcasts and was worried that this was basically going to be a written transcript of everything I have already heard on the show. It is not. Very new info, very cutting edge and it utilizes an awesome format to make it all super digestible.
Profile Image for Kelli Emge.
22 reviews3 followers
March 7, 2021
This book is a monster to get through. This is a fitness handbook, full of tips and advice, and many health product recommendations, all ranging from completely regular (maximizing sleep, training, nutrition, longevity research) to completely bonkers/untenable (hello, Panama stem-cell injections, nootropics, and a vibrating mat for lymph flow because exercise is not enough!) I enjoyed it. Not everything is backed by research, but most of it is. If you want to hear health advice from healthy people, Greenfield is a man on a research mission. He’s a better person to ask than some fat, depressed expert who doesn’t follow their own advice but only references perfect studies; we all know that guy . But Greenfield’s story is funny and adventurous, and full of curious learning. I will likely be referring back to this later on. It’s a good one.
4 reviews
June 10, 2021
Information jammed book but I had to put it down after a few chapters in of the author making false claims. He said never to use antidepressants because they were equal or worse than placebos but meta analyses have shown that simply isn’t true for all antidepressants. In another chapter he claims canola oil is horrible because it’s processed but again not entirely true. The processing does decrease the available omega fatty acids but canola oil is considered to be healthy because of it high amount of unsaturated fats and lower amounts of saturated and trans. A lot of the alternative medicines he mentions are either well studied and proven to be sub optimal for treatment or they’re not well studied, meaning we don’t know if they could cause harm. Take any advice the author provides with a large grain of salt and if you are worried about any medical condition you may have, it is best to seek advice from a licensed medical physician.
Profile Image for Robert Patterson.
126 reviews7 followers
June 17, 2020
Sort of reads like The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss 2.0. Like the 4 hour body Ben's book has the same problem, covers too much in the health field with limited effectiveness .

Still I do find the book useful as a coffee table book to drive interest into more research on individual chapters and push for more research.

Use the book as a quick guide to start your own investigations into other topics. Contains some useful summaries and guides but a better use of time to listen to Ben's excellent podcast that explores these topics in a deeper form. The book ultimately serves a starting point to invite curious readers to do more research, more testing, more investigation.

Profile Image for BobbieLynn Anderson.
30 reviews9 followers
August 25, 2020
I cannot recall ever taking six months to read a book before, but I suspect that is not uncommon with this one. The book is huge - and quite heavy, actually. I suppose just carrying it around would provide some benefits. However, I recommend actually reading it. ;-)
Profile Image for Michael.
201 reviews7 followers
April 19, 2020
Good, but not perfect.

This is essentially a biohacking bible. Inevitably perhaps, a third is truly useful information, a third seems like it's based on questionable science and a third is just totally off the map.

Worth it for the good third, but something to dip in and out off rather than read through.
8 reviews
March 13, 2020
Ben is such a snake oil seller it is hard not to laugh at some of the cringe stuff he sells and tells.
60 reviews4 followers
March 30, 2020
Insane amount of information, extremely comprehensive overview of everything health, brain, productivity, focus and longevity. Lots of practical actionable ideas. Awesome read!
Profile Image for Tim Verbergt.
51 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2021
I quit reading after the third chapter but skimmed through some other parts of the book.

Someone else here gave a great review when they said that this books is a third of good advice, a third of questionable advice and a third of solid BS.

You will find some nuggets in here but it's not worth all the pages of utter nonsense or hit and miss science to get to the good parts.

He also contradicts himself. For example he advises two types of breathing techniques that aim to achieve the exact opposite of each other.

Lastly, when he does touch upon a good topic from an interesting angle it's just not thorough enough. It's not even enough information to start anything with a decent background. I guess that's maybe what this book is aiming to be. But for me, that's what an article is for... In a book, I want to have everything I need.
Profile Image for Jeff Donnelly.
11 reviews11 followers
January 20, 2020
I just received my pre-order. I was hesitant to do so, after the 4hr. Body became my over priced monitor stand. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this textbook. No, I won’t read it as a book. It is a reference for the path that requires sound mind, body, and spirit.

I’m reviewing it early because the effort alone deserves more than the 1-star of the sole reviewer preceding this review.
167 reviews2 followers
February 7, 2020
Comprehensive information to take care of the human body. Great, must-have book for anyone seriously involved in athletic pursuits. Ben tests everything he recommends or refers to (almost to an unhealthy degree) so it’s not theoretical advice you are being given.
Profile Image for MacArthur Peterson.
34 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2021
Without a doubt, the most comprehensive book on biohacking out there. After spending about 4 years on the subject, I could have saved hundreds and hundreds of hours of research just by picking up this book. 5 stars.
12 reviews
February 26, 2020
Definitely a lot of useful information but lots of it is inaccessible, in implementation, to the majority of people.
Profile Image for Marius Noreika.
22 reviews4 followers
January 17, 2021
Tokia labai keista biohackinimo knyga. Autorius tiek visko prirašė, kad jeigu jūs naudotumėtės visais jo patarimais, tai nuo ryto iki vakaro visas 16 valandų vis kažką su savim darytumėte 😀 Man trūko šiek tiek glaustumo ir svarbiausių dalykų išgryninimo. Visgi iš šitos knygos pasiėmiau keliasdešimt įdomių idėjų, daugiau nei iš bet kurios kitos knygos asmeninio tobulėjimo tema, todėl turiu duoti 5 žvaigždutes 😀
Profile Image for Fran.
52 reviews
March 12, 2024
It's a bulky 700 pages circa that tackles  everything regarding mental and physical wellbeing.

The intent, in my opinion, is very similar to Tim Ferris' "the one Hour body".

Despite the goal & the enormous quantity of information thrown at the reader, I didn’t enjoy the book. 

For starters, many suggestions are not feasible for people with a standard paygrade. The author utilises machines and tests with a quite steep cost. 

Secondly, many pages are dedicated to what is now widely known (e.g. the author provides different training programs that are very easy to find in the internet).

Finally, in many pages the level of scientific details, is excessive to a point that the reader may loose the big picture, the real intent of such details.

Of course, as any other book, the reader can find nice tips which are, nonetheless, widely known.

If it was to read my very first book dedicated to wellbeing, I wouldn't choose this one.
Profile Image for Farhana Faruq.
670 reviews7 followers
August 11, 2021
This is a FORTY-ONE hour audio book!! Listening to this I can only picture Ben Greenfield as a mad scientist of everything health. This is a very comprehensive guide to pretty much bio-hack your health to an optimal level. Will most people follow it - no. There's just SO much that it felt like going down a rabbit hole. That said, it's still got tons of great information. You may not use all or even half but there are small things you can apply to your life right now.

The book is very, very well organized. Each chapter covers a different topic. At the end of the chapter it summarizes what you can do right away. And for those that didn't get this book from the library you can log on to the Boundless book website and get all the notes, recommendations, etc (organized by each chapter).

The narrator did a really good job too, despite have so many difficult words to pronounce.

My favourite part of the whole book was probably that Greenfield brought everything back to a Higher Power and a real purpose in life. You can spend your entire life trying to have the perfect health and looks - but it shouldn't be the sole purpose. So even though he's tried a shyt load of things that no "normal" human would even think of doing, he's not focused only on that.

Ideally, buy the hard book so you can reference things or skip chapters you aren't ready to tackle yet.
1,762 reviews54 followers
July 23, 2020
Seems well pretty well researched, but it contains the usual amount of Ben's woo woo (e.g. grounding). It is a monster book covering many topics which is a strength and a weakness.
Most of the topics covered I am not interested in and the ones I am interested in, like sleep, are covered in a scattershot fashion. For sleep and longevity I heard many of the suggestions already and the ones I didn't he didn't go into enough depth to convince me. In the two aforementioned chapters probably 50 recommendations were put forward so I sympathize with the author's problem; how can he go into depth on each suggestion? I suggest this book to those looking for a broad introduction to health and fitness. If you already listen to podcast's like Ben's and read a few health sites/blogs you probably will be diving in a sea of stuff you already know looking for the nuggets scattered within.
Granted, I heard this as an audiobook I might've been aided by excellent organization but most books fail in that regard.
February 11, 2020
To all fellow humans who want to be healthy...

This is maybe the best starting point in your journey of better health. Of course one book can't cover everything but I'll be damned if Ben didn't try to. Its big, thick and the font isn't large aimed at filling the pages. Images are nice to better wrap your head around new ideas. Just as he says in interviews, this is a book he wanted to have back in the day when he started down this health rode, I feel the same way.

I have been reading and researching health for over 2 years myself. I read the first few chapters and skimmed through a few others. So far I am finding 60%-70% to be information that is not new to me but at the same time I can say that it is information backed up by research and other people's experience.

If the bible is a book for your soul then Boundless is a book for your body!

Read it, understand it, follow it and be healthy!
1 review
February 7, 2020
Firstly I have to say thank you to Ben for writing this incredible book . I started listening to your podcast about a year ago and it has changed my life . This book has so much knowledge and information in it that anyone who simply wants to live a longer healthier life really needs to get this book . Not just for full on fitness freaks like myself. But the Mums and dads and every day people that just want to change their lives that little bit to make it better . This book has it all . They say knowledge is key , well do yourself a favour and read boundless. I thought I was pretty good with most of my diet and training. Well just changing a few things that I’ve been doing and making a few different choices has already made a huge difference to my life . Thank you so much Ben and I look forward to meeting you soon.
Adrian C ..
75 reviews3 followers
August 11, 2020
I was gonna write really long review of this, but there's no point. So I'll just say he's paid to promote a lot of stuff in this book, it's basically promotion.
Book is huge and there is some really good stuff in it, but it's mostly promotion.

Also audiobook is bad, narrator doesn't pronounce words of supplements and such stuff correctly. He sometimes starts coughing and makes few seconds pauses or repeats same sentence again. They should've cut that out, no way that was intentional.

And fuck Joovv, he never calls red therapy devices for what they are, he always says "Joovv" which is most expensive and worst red light therapy device you can find.
Profile Image for Marcey Rader.
Author 3 books13 followers
December 8, 2020
Get your biceps ready...this book is a big one! Ben Greenfield offers the most comprehensive health book I have ever read. It took me several months, not just because of the length, but the inconvenience of this encyclopedia-sized (remember those?) book. Seriously, I would put it on the floor and read it while I stretched because it was too big for my LAP. It's heavy into science so if you want something more basic, this is not for you. I recommend this to anyone in the health and medical field. Loaded with biohacks and research with even more in the hidden bonus chapters. Greenfield is one of the few podcasts I listen to and have followed him for years.
Profile Image for Emma Beckerle.
110 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2021
Reads like a textbook so can be absorbed more in chunks by topic or straight through like I did. A ton of awesome info in here, a little preachy at times and Greenfield is definitely a hardo that can come off a little annoying sometimes BUT the value of the info is worth the minor flair ups of annoyance and feeling like there is no way anyone who doesn’t live as a full time biohacker could do all this. My takeaways were that if you enter into this book looking for a few additional tools and resources to better understand your body and not try to emulate ALL of the suggestions, it’s extremely valuable. I learned a ton.
380 reviews7 followers
September 24, 2020
I really enjoy Ben Greenfield, but this has to be the worst book ever written to consume via Audible while running. Greenfield vomits out such an abundance of information that it's impossible to retain even a fraction of what is said. This book is more of an encyclopedia than anything. What I want, Ben...Make this a fully digital and searchable book for those who made the purchase. For example - I want to know about: travel/pre-travel/nutrition/whole foods. Or Exercise/post-workout/sleep. Something like that. Can you make it happen, please?
Profile Image for Rachel McDonald.
204 reviews7 followers
November 5, 2020
I had the audio book which is a bad choice. The info in here is detailed and dense. Despite the amount of clips I saved, there is a lot I could find by flicking. I would also rate the audio 3 stars for the editing issues and long pauses.

Referenced and field tested, with nods to what is not yet known in biohacking, this is a broad book. It also meets you with one thing to add for beginners or full programs for fiends.

The downside is the slight sense of overwhelm. This might have been better as a series, but with all the interconnections, not sure that's possible.
Profile Image for Kevin Driskill.
806 reviews2 followers
October 4, 2021
Amazing in scope. This book is so packed with really good stuff that you will want your own copy for reference. There is much too much to absorb in one reading. The life hacking techniques contained will absolutely blow your mind.

Please don't let the impressive size of the book intimidate you. It is well laid out so that you can focus in on particular topics easily and find all you will want until you are ready to work on another part of your life. Relevant, timely, and entertaining. A must have for every library personal or public.
Profile Image for Adam McNamara.
218 reviews26 followers
July 12, 2020
“We began this book asking important questions about how to truly get the most out of life and live a life as fulfilling, adventurous, and joyful as possible.”

What followed was 33% incredibly useful information, 33% shaky science, and 33% ego and anecdote.

I wanted to love this biohacking bible, but buyer beware. Take the time-tested, peer reviewed wisdom and discard the rest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews

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