2% With Michael Easter

Resilience is normal (podcast)

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael covers the new science of resilience. Psychologists used to think people weren’t inherently resilient, then new research began to suggest a ...

Muscle and Women's Health (podcast)

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the deepest dive into how muscle impacts women’s health.Michael will cover the shocking state of women and muscle. You’ll learn ho...

The Time Audit (podcast)

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael covers the infamous time audit. It’s one of the most effective ways to discover the time you need to exercise (or do anything else you feel ...

My Badass Mom (podcast)

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For Mother’s Day this Sunday, I’m sharing a story I wrote about my mom.We can all learn a lot from her: About hard work and persistence. But also ...

6 Sleep Myths (Podcast)

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world of sleep is tainted with misinformation, and it’s driving up sleep anxiety. Michael dove deeply into the research on sleep and discovered ...

4 ways to find belonging (podcast)

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Michael covers belonging and how to find it. Belonging is linked to greater happiness and better health outcomes—yet belonging is dwindling t...

Gear Not Stuff: Outdoor Gear

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comPost Summary* We’re covering the gear I’m using on my 850-mile hike.* ...

Beyond Limits: Lessons from Mountaineering with Melissa Arnot Reid (Podcast)

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 2016, Melissa Arnot Reid became the first American woman to summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.She has a wonderful new book ou...

Call the F**king Vatican (Podcast)

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWe live in a world where its easier than ever to get information (think Go...

17 Reasons to Explore More Now

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re speaking with Alex Hutchinson about his new book The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Ma...

How I trained for an 800+ mile hike (podcast)

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael is currently on an 850-ish-mile hike through the desert.He’ll be...

Announcing: A big hike (podcast)

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ll be in the wilderness on a hike for the next 45-ish days.Two Percent will run as always—posts and podcasts will go out every Monday, Wednesday...

The Expedition: Step counts, endurance secrets, dirty supplements, the ideal human diet, and more (podcast)

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition is a monthly journey into thoughts, opinions, ideas, observ...

17 Years of Wisdom About the Good Life (Podcast)

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael is speaking with Brett McKay, founder of the Art of Manliness and Dying Breed.Brett has spent the last 17 years in the trenches writing and re...

Gear Not Stuff: Home Health Tech

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday is the second Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Gear ...

SUPERMEDIUM Calculator (Podcast)

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael explains the optimal body size for different fitness activities.Us...

The Two Percent Pack System (Podcast)

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael’s work as a journalist takes him all around the world—from the streets of Baghdad and jungles of Bolivia to mountaintop monasteries in Bhu...

CouplaBeers Is So Right (Podcast)

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comDid you see Saturday Night Live’s viral CouplaBeers skit? Watch it in th...

F3: Empowering Men Through Fitness and Community (Podcast)

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

F3 is an organization of men who gather to exercise together early each morning.It started with a group of guys at a middle school football field in 2...

Explore the Edges: Ethan Suplee (podcast)

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael just launched a new live show on Substack live called Explore the ...

My Favorite Exercises Volume III

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comBecome a Member at TWOPCT.com for full access.Michael’s first job was ac...

Lance Armstrong's Cycling Safety Tips (podcast)

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode, Lance Armstrong explains how to stay safe while cycling.Lance’s advice is pulled from a recent conversation Michael and Lance ...

The Expedition: The truth about VO2, a hard pullup variation, shoe tips, the Dead, and more

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com*Member episode* Become a Member at TWOPCT.com.The Expedition is a monthly...

3 Motivational Phrases That Suck (podcast)

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael covers three highly popular motivational phrases that can do more ...

Do Something (podcast)

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Read this post and get all of our life-enhancing info at TWOPCT.comToday, Michael covers a framework for making better decisions—especially in chall...

Gear Not Stuff: Protein Sources (podcast)

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday is the second Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Gear ...

The Comfort Crisis: Physical Activity

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday’s episode covers the death of movement. We’ll look at human phys...

Protein Myths Part II (podcast)

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Protein Myths Part I, published Wednesday, Michael examined at how much protein is enough for goals like general health, fat loss, or building musc...

Burn the Ships: February 2025 Edition (podcast)

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the first Friday of the month. Which means it’s time to Burn the ...

Protein Myths: Part One

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comProtein is having a moment. The protein market is set to double to nearly ...

The 5 Types of Wealth (podcast)

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today on Two Percent, Michael speaks with Sahil Bloom, the author of The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.The 5 Typ...

The four wellness pillars and other lessons from the Two Percent New Year Challenge (podcast)

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Two Percent New Year Challenge just wrapped up. Michael explains a few...

My favorite exercises part II (podcast)

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comBecome a Member at TWOPCT.com for full access.Michael’s first job was ac...

How algorithms make people, places, and ideas boring (podcast)

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Become a subscriber for free at TWOPCT.com. Michael speaks with Kyle Chayka, who is one of his favorite thinkers on technology and how it’s changing...

Motivate yourself to do anything + Fix shift work harms: AMA (podcast)

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWe pulled the wise and powerful Dr. Trevor Kashey out of his learning lair...

How to lose more fat (podcast)

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael reveals surprising findings of a new study that looked at how to l...

The quest for perfect sleep (podcast)

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After two months of truly terrible sleep, Two Percent writer Emily Pennington went on a scientific journey and spoke to experts to uncover data-proven...

The Expedition: A core strength test, alcohol and cancer, recommendations, and more (podcast)

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com*Member episode* Become a Member at TWOPCT.com.The Expedition is a monthly...

Your Rucking Advice (Podcast)

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com*Member episode* Become a Member of Two Percent here for full access to th...

Ozempic: A surprising side effect

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New GLP-1 drugs are booming in popularity—12.5 percent of Americans have tried them. The figure is expected to grow by roughly 350 percent by 2035.T...

Gear Not Stuff: Best Home Gym Strength Equipment

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com*Member Episode* Become a Member at TWOPCT.comHome gym equipment makes it ...

7 ways to leverage the power of silence (podcast)

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com*Member episode* Become a Member at TWOPCT.com.On Monday, Michael covered ...

The benefits of silence (podcast)

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have increased the world’s loudness four fold. Yet we evolved in relatively silent environments and are better adapted to silence.Living in e...

Burn the Ships: January 2025

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the first Friday of the month. Which means it’s time to Burn the ...

The Case for Doing Hard Sh*t (podcast)

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join our tribe at TWOPCT.com.Modern humans have engineered the world for comfort and ease. Most people rarely step outside of their comfort zones thes...

11 top articles of 2024 + Thanks (podcast)

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To send out 2024, Michael is highlighting the 11 bests stories he published on Two Percent (TWOPCT.com).These stories made us think differently, gave ...

The Two Percent New Year Challenge

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Want to actually make some big improvements in your health, fitness, nutrition, and mindset this year? Of course you do. We’re launching the Two Per...

The Power of Traditions

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

**Become a Member of Two Percent at TWOPCT.com**Today’s episode is about the power of traditions. Michael tells a story about a ridiculous family ho...

The Expedition: A scientific prescription to run faster, epic soup recipe, downsides of optimization, seed oils and cancer, etc.

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael disc...

The 15 best comments on Two Percent and my responses

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThis is a free preview of a paid episode. Members get full access. To hear...

The Cult of the Healthy Lifestyle (Podcast)

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about the limits of diet and exercise with Dr. Adam Cifu.Adam is one of our nation’s top thinkers about medicine and how to pr...

The Two Percent Holiday Gift Guide (Podcast)

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday’s episode is the second annual Two Percent Gear Not Stuff holiday ...

Make recess great again (podcast)

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comChildhood obesity has more than doubled since the 1990s and 20 percent of ...

Food myths: organic food, diet soda, red meat, eggs, and more

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today Michael is speaking with Tamar Haspel one of his favorite, no-BS thinkers about food, nutrition, and health.Tamar is the author of To Boldly Gro...

Workout: Burn the Ships December '24 (podcast)

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the first Friday of the month. This means it’s time for Burn the ...

My favorite exercises

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael’s first job was acting as Fitness Editor for Men’s Health magazine.In that role, he spoke to the world’s top athletes to its greatest he...

Why minimalism doesn't work

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Friday was the biggest Black Friday of all time, and Americans bought more stuff than ever. We spend $1.2 trillion each year on stuff we don’t need....

7 proven strategies to combat holiday weight gain (and still enjoy yourself)

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe holidays are the make-or-break season for long-term health. The averag...

The healthiest Thanksgiving food

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The humble potato is the original superfood. Eat potatoes on Thanksgiving and many more days after and you’ll be healthier.Michael will explain why ...

Misogi for beginners AMA

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comA Misogi is an epic challenge with a 50/50 shot at failure. We do it each ...

Rucking meetings work miracles

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday Michael is covering the power of rucking meetings.Taking meetings wh...

The downsides of blood tests and full-body MRIs

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New companies allow us to go around doctors and get blood work that checks for 100+ biomarkers or a full-body MRI to scan for cancer when we don’t h...

The Expedition: 30-second longevity test, a sleep trick, Mike Tyson, 4 qualities of resilience, etc.

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael disc...

Timing is everything: Circadian science deep dive part II

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comLast episode, Michael explored circadian rhythms and how they influence he...

Circadian rhythms deep dive part I

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Circadian rhythms—the 24-hour cycles humans evolved to live and function under—are a hot topic in health and wellness right now.But the field of c...

Gear Not Stuff: Cold weather exercise gear

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comPeople tend to be less active in winter because of cold temperatures—and...

3 mindset lessons from the Don't Die event

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comTwo Percent recently held the Don’t Die event in the desert outside of L...

Hooked on election coverage

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most people will tune into U.S. election coverage this week—often compulsively and to the detriment of their time and sanity.Election coverage has b...

Burn the Ships: November '24 Edition

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the first Friday of the month. This means it’s time for Burn the ...

Be strong enough: Upper body exercises

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comLast week, Michael covered why more strength isn’t always better and why...

A quick favor + 5 rucking tips

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael needs your help, questions, and ideas for a big new project on rucking/walking with weight.He wants to to hear:* Questions you have about ruck...

AMA: alcohol + how to get fit in one year

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday Michael is answering the following questions from Two Percent reader...

Be strong enough

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWe often think it’s best to be as strong as possible. But chasing streng...

The health benefits of gathering

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The places where people gather and connect are changing—and that’s impacting our health and society.There’s a good case for going down to the ba...

The Expedition: A killer core exercise, Ozempic hot take, Las Vegas blowing sh*t up, and more ...

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael disc...

Why steps are as important as exercise

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comSteps are critical for your health—step more, die later.But until now, s...

My Wife: The Insane Walker

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael’s wife, Leah, got a treadmill desk earlier this year. Now she steps far more than Michael. And probably you. And, the studies suggest, even ...

Gear Not Stuff: Avoid Microplastics

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday is the second Friday of the month—which means it’s time for Gear...

Walk, Duh

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWalking might be the best act to for recovery between workouts, building a...

The 3 Best Recovery Practices

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The recovery phase after your workout is when you build back better and improve your health and fitness. But the rise of the “recovery” industry h...

Burn The Ships: October '24 Edition

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the first Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Burn the...

10 Ways to Avoid Microplastics (And Not Go Crazy)

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comOn Monday, Michael covered microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are...

Microplastics and Your Health

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re covering six topics you need to know about microplastics and your health.Earlier this year, the New England Journal of Medicine dropped a bomb...

AMA: Plant vs. Animal Protein, Caffeine and Exercise, More VO2 Tests

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIt’s the fourth Friday of the month—so it’s time for our AMA, where ...

Don't Die: Test Your VO₂ Max

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comVO₂ max, a measurement of your fitness, is linked to athletic performanc...

Don't Die: Bulletproof Your Ankles

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today Michael is covering how to bulletproof your ankles.Ankle sprains are one of the most common, debilitating, and uniquely human injuries.They can ...

The Expedition: DEXA scans, hotel room exercises, marijuana, etc.

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition covers the most worthwhile and impactful ideas Michael disc...

How Much Muscle Do We Really Need?

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comStrength is linked to living longer and better. But gym culture has taken ...

The BMI Deep Dive

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

BMI—a measurement that estimates body fat based on your height and weight—has recently come under fire by major media outlets.And many influencers...

Gear Not Stuff: Trail Shoes

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday is the second Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Gear ...

The Truth About Ultrarunning Tribes

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Tarahumara tribe became famous in books, articles, and videos for bein...

Trail running vs. road and treadmill running

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the weather cools, Michael and his dog head into the Mojave desert. We run a network of fantastically named trails: Jenny From the Block, Bob Gnarl...

Burn The Ships: September Edition

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday we’re covering our epic monthly Burn the Ships workouts.Fall is wh...

5 exercises for bricksh*thouse strength

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday we’re covering why modern jobs have made us the weakest wave of hu...

Put labor back into Labor Day

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about Labor Day and why modern jobs are hurting our health in new and insidious ways.Labor Day celebrates the American Labor Mov...

The best d*mn leg exercise on Earth

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday we’re covering an exercise that will turn your legs into pistons, ...

The 14 best comments on Two Percent

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWe’re starting a new quarterly episode where we round up the top communi...

3 steps to build good habits

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael covers a powerful three-step process to build good habits and break bad ones. You’ll learn how to use the process to reach any goal.Michael ...

AMA: minimum amount of exercise, knee pain, don't die, rucking

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comIn today’s AMA, we’ll be tackling four questions* I’m rucking with y...

Rucking calorie burn

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.com“How many calories did my ruck burn?” is a question that fills Michael...