May 7, 2022
https://bengreenfieldlife.com/forgotten
7 May 2022
Justin “The Big Pygmy” Wren is a mixed martial artist, humanitarian, and founder of the non-profit Fight for the Forgotten. A native Texan and a high-school wrestling powerhouse, Justin won 10 state championships and was a five-time All American and two-time National Champion before becoming one of the youngest professional MMA athletes at the age of 19. Shortly after, he became the youngest heavyweight cast on the most-watched season of The Ultimate Fighter TV show at 21 years old.
After battling depression, suicide, and drug addiction, Justin experienced a life-changing journey living with the Mbuti Pygmy people of the Congo Basin Rainforest. When he returned he founded Fight for the Forgotten, which today has expanded their impact to serve the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda, and stateside initiatives including bullying prevention and character development programs for public schools and martial arts academies.
Justin has inspired millions through his appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience, Mike Tyson's HotBoxin', the Ed Mylett Show, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC, CBS, and TEDx Talks, along with his book Fight for the Forgotten. Today he is the host of his own inspirational podcast, Overcome with Justin Wren. A 15-year veteran of professional MMA, Justin is on a six-fight winning streak and is currently training at Onnit Gym ATX in preparation for a comeback in Bellator MMA in 2022.
In my conversation with Justin, we dive into everything from fitness to parenting to animal psychology, and even our soul-crushing cardio workout at Onnit Gym in Austin, TX prior to our podcast, during which he walked around with a trashcan in case he felt the need to vomit (we'll blame it on the spicy sausage he had for breakfast).
By the way, here is the workout that almost made The Big Pygmy puke, in case you're curious, which was at least 4 rounds of all-out cardio with a functional exercise in between each set:
- 2-minute sprint on the Airdyne bike to 20 Spider-Man push-ups – 4 times, no rest.
- 2-minute sprint on the rower to sled push and pull – 4 times, no rest.
- 2-minute sprint on concept 2 ski ergs to 20 kettlebell swings – no rest. (use code GREENFIELD to save 15%)
- Bonus: the last 2-minute set of each cardio was nasal breathing only.
Justin was also joined here by his life partner and producer of Overcome, Amy Edwards, host of The Amy Edwards Show. Enjoy!
In my conversation with Justin Wren, you'll discover:
-Ben's workout and diet while on the go…08:32
- Sweat Sodium analysis – salt should be good full spectrum minerals like Colima salt, not isolated NaCl like in table salt
- Colima sea salt
- Olive oil
- HIIT podcasts and articles:
- The Complete Guide To Interval Training
- A Biohacking Clinic Straight From The Deck Of Star Trek, The Minimum Effective Dose Of Exercise, How Ben Greenfield Fasts, Increasing Mitochondrial Density & Much More!, with Dr. Darshan Shah
- Episode #208: How High Intensity Interval Training Can Fix All Your Problems And Turn You Into An Unstoppable, Superhuman Rockstar
- The Two Best Ways To Build Endurance As Fast As Possible (Without Destroying Your Body) – Part 1
- The Two Best Ways To Build Endurance As Fast As Possible (Without Destroying Your Body) – Part 2
- The 19 Best Full-Body Workouts Ben Greenfield Uses For His Year-Round Exercise Routine.
-Boundless origin stories…11:01
- Boundless by Ben Greenfield
- The book Boundless is about anti-aging and longevity, staving cognitive decline with age, regenerative therapies, etc.
- Sort of a manual on life/health optimization
- Whole human blueprint
- Boundless Cookbook by Ben Greenfield
- Podcasts on stem cells and PRP:
- The Most Advanced Anti-Aging & Longevity Hack That Exists: The Full Body Stem Cell Makeover With Dr. Harry Adelson & Dr. Amy Killen.
- The Single, Most Comprehensive Stem Cell Procedure Known To Humankind: How A “Full Body Stem Cell & Exosome Makeover” Works.
- Lightning Speed Healing Hack or Overpriced Fad? What You Need To Know About Stem Cells.
- Shooting Up Stem Cells With Ben Greenfield – The “Down The Rabbit Hole” Video.
- Justin used Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) to heal a knee injury before hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro
- PRP treatment for torn bicep; fought three weeks later
- Life Force by Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and Robert Hariri
- Podcast with Tony Robbins and Peter Diamandis:
-Ben's journey as a human guinea pig and investigative journalist…17:05
- Homeschooled in Idaho
- Keen on tennis as a player, coach
- This led to an interest in human physiology
-How Ben defines “biohacking”…21:40
- Using some form of technology or external tool to get the body to perform more efficiently
- Original biohackers were called “grinders”, called their body wetware
- Photobiomodulation with Vielight
- Red light therapy with JOOVV
- Earthing/ Grounding mat
- Grounding podcast with Clint Ober:
- Flexpulse, Pulse, and Biobalance PEMF devices
- Podcasts on PEMF:
- Evolutionary mismatches with all the technology around us
- Ben's travel stack:
- HVMN Ketone IQ to satiate the appetite
- Magnesium capsules to offset the calcium influx
- NAD for DNA damage (use code GREENFIELD10 to save 10%)
- Melatonin on the first day (use code GREENFIELD10 to save 10%)
-Non-negotiable elements of high-quality sleep…33:19
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- Podcasts and articles on sleep and circadian rhythm:
- The Man Behind The Advanced Sleep Hacking Tactics Used By The World’s Most Elite Athletes, with Nick Littelhales.
- The Best Time Of Day To Exercise, Have Sex, Take Supplements, Read A Book, Take A Nap & More!, with Dr. Michael Breus
- A Hidden Sleep Killer That Flies Under The Radar (And What You Can Do About It).
- The “Re-Timer” Effect: How To Re-Time Your Circadian Rhythms If You Wake Up Too Early Or Stay Up Too Late.
- Bedroom should be a safe space
- Chili Sleep
- Essentia mattress
- Intellibed
- Warm feet keeps the body cool
- Re-Timer
- Circadian rhythm begins in the morning; Bright light exposure in the morning
- JOOVV red lights
- Sunlight Makes You Skinny & Blue Light Makes You Fat: 11 Ways To Biohack Light To Optimize Your Body & Brain.
- Blue light in the morning
- Iris software on computers
- Red incandescent bulbs in the bedroom and areas in the house where you want to relax
- Blue light blocking glasses in the evening
- Gravity blanket for high cortisol
- Brain.fm app
- NuCalm
-Justin shares stories of saving villages in the African jungle…42:12
- Cannibalism is still prevalent
- Drilled 13 wells
- Water well witching was also used at Ben's house in Spokane
- Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) machine for groundwater exploration
- Billions of wasted dollars in broken wells (over 230,000 broken wells in Africa)
- Fight For The Forgotten – land, water initiatives
- Building a school can save an entire village
- Raising funds via donors
- Fight Club – monthly giving club
-Preparing mentally and physically for living in Africa…1:11:10
- If you can't boil, cook, and peel it, don't eat it
- Keto Bricks
- Oil of Oregano for parasites (use code BEN to save 10%)
- Use of Oil of oregano in biblical times
- The Cure Is In the Cupboard by Dr. Cass Ingram
- Where There Are No Doctors by David Werner
- Almonds (high in arginine) may trigger shingles, herpes, cold sores; Lysine was recommended
- Dirt Breath Spray
-Motivation for Ben's new parenting book…1:19:56
- Family podcast:
- Go Greenfields podcast
- Presence for family is #1 priority in life
- Scheduled parenting time with children
- Consequential philosophy of parenting
- Legado Family (use code BEN40 to save 40%)
- Podcast with Rich Christiansen:
- Tribes by Seth Godin
- What Would Billionaires Do? by Garrett Gunderson
- Podcast with Garret Gunderson:
-Secrets to a great relationship with your spouse and children…1:33:05
- Scheduled 2-3 days retreat minimum twice a year
- Meditate 10 minutes at beginning and end of day
- Pray together before going to bed
- Does not focus on the achievement obsessed culture
- Teaching life skills via game nights
-Justin does the animal psychology quiz with Ben…1:40:51
-And much more!
- Podcast with Jamie Wheal:
-Upcoming Events:
- RUNGA – The Gathering (May 12-14, 2022). Register for the event now by clicking here
- The American (D)ream on May 10, with Garrett Gunderson.
- Health Optimization Summit! Use code BEN for 20% off (May 22-29, 2022).
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldlife.com/calendar
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources mentioned:
– Justin Wren:
– Podcasts And Articles:
- The Complete Guide To Interval Training
- A Biohacking Clinic Straight From The Deck Of Star Trek, The Minimum Effective Dose Of Exercise, How Ben Greenfield Fasts, Increasing Mitochondrial Density & Much More!, with Dr. Darshan Shah
- Episode #208: How High Intensity Interval Training Can Fix All Your Problems And Turn You Into An Unstoppable, Superhuman Rockstar
- The Two Best Ways To Build Endurance As Fast As Possible (Without Destroying Your Body) – Part 1
- The Two Best Ways To Build Endurance As Fast As Possible (Without Destroying Your Body) – Part 2
- The 19 Best Full-Body Workouts Ben Greenfield Uses For His Year-Round Exercise Routine.
- The Most Advanced Anti-Aging & Longevity Hack That Exists: The Full Body Stem Cell Makeover With Dr. Harry Adelson & Dr. Amy Killen.
- The Single, Most Comprehensive Stem Cell Procedure Known To Humankind: How A “Full Body Stem Cell & Exosome Makeover” Works.
- Lightning Speed Healing Hack or Overpriced Fad? What You Need To Know About Stem Cells.
- Shooting Up Stem Cells With Ben Greenfield – The “Down The Rabbit Hole” Video.
- Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis & Ben Greenfield Reveal New Anti-Aging Biohacks & Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine You’ve Never Heard Of Before.
- My New #1 Hack For Zapping Inflammation, Increasing Deep Sleep & Recovering Faster – Earthing (The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?)
- The Myth About “Grounding”, Acupuncture Without Needles, 400% Increase In Stem Cell Production & Much More.
- The Man Behind The Advanced Sleep Hacking Tactics Used By The World’s Most Elite Athletes, with Nick Littelhales.
- The Best Time Of Day To Exercise, Have Sex, Take Supplements, Read A Book, Take A Nap & More!, with Dr. Michael Breus
- A Hidden Sleep Killer That Flies Under The Radar (And What You Can Do About It).
- The “Re-Timer” Effect: How To Re-Time Your Circadian Rhythms If You Wake Up Too Early Or Stay Up Too Late.
- The Official Greenfield Family Q&A Podcast: Parenting, Cooking, Traditions, Legacy-Building, Family Game Nights & More!
- How To Build Your Legacy, Bond Your Family With Traditions, Rituals & Routines, Rites Of Passage & Much More With Rich Christiansen of Legado Family Founder.
- The Wealth Manager Who Became A Comedian, The 4 Scarcity Mindsets, The Insurance You Must Have & More: Disrupting Sacred Cows With Garrett Gunderson.
- Sunlight Makes You Skinny & Blue Light Makes You Fat: 11 Ways To Biohack Light To Optimize Your Body & Brain.
– Books:
- Boundless by Ben Greenfield
- Boundless Cookbook by Ben Greenfield
- Life Force by Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis and Robert Hariri
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- The Cure Is In the Cupboard by Dr. Cass Ingram
- Where There Are No Doctors by David Werner
- Tribes by Seth Godin
- What Would Billionaires Do? by Garrett Gunderson
– Other Resources:
- Colima Sea Salt
- Olive Oil
- HVMN Ketone IQ
- Magnesium
- NAD (use code GREENFIELD10 to save 10%)
- Melatonin (use code GREENFIELD10 to save 10%)
- Keto Bricks
- Oil of Oregano (use code BEN to save 10%)
- Dirt Breath Spray
- Airdyne
- Rowing Machine
- Kettlebell Kings
- Vielight
- JOOVV
- Grounding Mat
- Flexpulse
- Pulse
- Biobalance
- Chili Sleep
- Essentia Mattress
- Intellibed
- Re-Timer
- Iris
- Red Incandescent Bulbs
- Ra Optics Blue Light Blocking Glasses
- Gravity Blanket
- Brain.fm
- NuCalm
- Sweat Electrolytes Test
- Water Well Witching
- Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES)
- Oil Of Oregano In Biblical Times
- Legado Family (use code BEN40 to save 40%)
Episode sponsors:
–Organifi Apple Green Juice: The new green juice crisp apple is made with organic, wholesome, hand-picked apples. And tastes like a fresh juicy slice in every sip. If mint just isn’t for you, this refreshing new recipe certainly is. Making it the first of its kind the whole family will love. Go to organifi.com/Ben for 20% off your order. (02:20)
–Vuori: Activewear and athletic clothing for ultimate performance. Vuori is built to move and sweat in, yet designed with a West Coast aesthetic that transitions effortlessly into everyday life. Receive 25% off your first order when you use discount code BEN2020. (03:31)
–Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. (45:17)
–Ketone IQ by HVMN: One Bottle of Ketone-IQ contains 10 servings designed to be taken daily in the morning to elevate your ketone levels. (46:48)
–Nootopia by Bioptimizers: experience your best mood and mental performance with personalized Nootropics. Enter code BEN10 for a 10% discount. (48:23)
–Ben Greenfield Coaching: Personally vetted and trained by Ben Greenfield, these coaches will personalize your diet and lifestyle, and get you looking and feeling your best. (50:13)