2886: The 5 Steps to Becoming the Fittest You've Ever Been (For Life This Time)
Release Date: 06/24/2026
Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Upper Lower: Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes male and female programs, workout videos, exercise demos, coaching videos and live coaching with Cole. In this episode the guys break down the top 5 ways to do cardio ranked from worst to best — running, HIIT, steady state, walking, and playing. Sal shares his return to jiu jitsu after nearly 20 years away, his brother-in-law going easy on him, and why he expects to drop 10-15 pounds of muscle doing it. They also get into California pressuring utility companies to issue contracts to LGBT-certified businesses and the certification process,...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down their brand new MAPS Upper Lower program — a classic four day bodybuilder split designed for people who want to shape, sculpt and build their body with more volume than a full body routine but without the intensity of programs like MAPS Aesthetic. They cover why the upper lower split is one of their personal favorite ways to train, how the three phase structure prevents plateaus, why the final phase ends with a five by five strength focus, and why they built separate men's and women's versions with different priority lifts. MAPS Upper Lower: Code: LAUNCH...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down how to heal body dysmorphia — what it is, why it's especially common in the fitness industry, and five practical strategies to work your way out of it. They also get into Adam's appearance on Chalene Johnson's podcast and the conversations around gray market peptides and Retatrutide, a new study showing vitamin D and calcium supplements do nothing for bone strength without resistance training, the nuance around blood lipids and saturated fat, and how Scotland fans drank Boston out of beer during the World Cup. They also cover a fascinating discussion on...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys sit down with elite speed and performance coach Brian Kula of Kula Sports Performance, the man who has trained Christian McCaffrey since he was 13 years old, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and dozens of other professional and Olympic athletes. Brian breaks down his Bounce Fire system for building safe running mechanics from the ground up, why strong athletes like Sal who never sprint are actually at higher injury risk than deconditioned ones, how the nervous system is the real reason hamstrings pull, why cold plunges can shut down the nervous system for up to 24 hours...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down the seven best muscle building exercises you have probably never done — the bent press, circus press, Zottman curls, weighted windmills, heavy overhead carries, heavy trap bar farm walks, and tibialis raises. They also get into AI being used to expose congressional stock trading corruption (56% of congressional stock purchases are on companies directly impacted by bills they later voted on), the whey protein shortage and a new manufacturing technique that makes it taste even better, the history of sketchy old school supplements like Hot Stuff and what was...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down the six best lifts for athletic fitness — the movements that translate directly to real world performance, sport and everyday life. They cover lunges and sled work, the standing overhead press, trap bar deadlift, one arm rows with rotation and pull ups, hanging leg raises done correctly, and band and cable chops for rotational power. They also reminisce about their worst business failures — Sal's second studio location that cost him 75K to break the lease, Adam's mobile car detailing hustle, Justin's app build, and Doug's story of losing his entire Japan...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down how not to train your abs, covering the five biggest mistakes that keep people from ever seeing results from their core training. They cover why high reps are the wrong approach, how most people are using their hip flexors instead of their abs without realizing it, why short range of motion leaves gains on the table, why rest periods matter just as much for abs as any other muscle, and why avoiding obliques is one of the worst ideas in fitness. Sal shares how switching to resistance training for his abs within 60 days made them one of his best body parts....
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down the five steps to becoming the fittest you've ever been for life — not just for a season. They cover why fitness should improve your life rather than become your life, the importance of building strength for longevity, moving well and being able to play, and what realistic aesthetics look like for someone who actually has a life. Sal opens up about his own ongoing struggle with making fitness an idol, Adam talks about genuinely letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality, and Justin reflects on the identity shift from performance-based athlete to training...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
Get The No BS 6-Pack Formula: https://www.nobs6pack.com?htrafficsource=libsyn-organic&hcategory=MPSHOW&el=2885 This Episode discusses why visible six-pack abs are rare and emphasizes that abs are muscles that must be built while getting leaner through improved body composition, not just weight loss. It outlines a three-part approach: (1) track everything you eat and drink for seven days without changing habits to establish a true calorie baseline, then monitor waist or body-fat trends; (2) create a modest calorie deficit of about 500 calories, eat about 1 gram of protein per pound of...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
In this episode the guys break down five popular exercises that are almost always done wrong and sending people backward — jump boxes, hip abduction machines, circuits, renegade rows, and ultra high rep training. They also get into the science behind why ketone IQ works (mitochondrial efficiency, BDNF, and clean ATP production with no stimulants), Sal taking his wife to see the horror movie Obsession and deeply regretting it, the SpaceX IPO and the 4,000 new millionaires it will create overnight, 24 Hour Fitness removing basketball courts to add more weight room space, Jacob Collier and the...
info_outlineIn this episode the guys break down the five steps to becoming the fittest you've ever been for life — not just for a season. They cover why fitness should improve your life rather than become your life, the importance of building strength for longevity, moving well and being able to play, and what realistic aesthetics look like for someone who actually has a life. Sal opens up about his own ongoing struggle with making fitness an idol, Adam talks about genuinely letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality, and Justin reflects on the identity shift from performance-based athlete to training for quality of life. They also get into the SpaceX IPO and the 4,000 overnight millionaires it will create, why politicians criticizing billionaires is frustrating, Olipop's origin story and 1.8 billion dollar valuation, the delta sleep inducing peptide Sal has been using, parasite infections being far more common than people think, and Adam shooting a squirrel that was eating his peaches. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com.
No BS 6-Pack Formula: https://nobs6pack.com
Code: 6PACK for 50% off. Full ab building system, two phase workout blueprints, video demos by Sal and a healthy diet guide. $28.50 after discount.
SPONSORS
Organifi: https://organifi.com/mindpump
Code: MINDPUMP for 20% off. Natural parasite cleanse combo (two bottles: one for the parasite, one to heal the gut). Discussed on air with Sal sharing his personal experience.
Olipop: https://drinkolipop.com/mindpump
Buy any two cans of Olipop in store (any flavor, any retailer) and they will pay you back for one. New flavors: Blackberry Vanilla and Raspberry Sherbet.
Zbiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic: https://zbiotics.com/MINDPUMP26
Code: MINDPUMP26 for 15% off first purchase (one-time or subscription, 3, 6 and 12-pack options).
LINKS
Submit a live caller question: https://mplivecaller.com
Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com
Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com
Instagram: @mindpumpmedia
0:00 - Intro
3:20 - 5 steps to becoming the fittest you've ever been for life
5:03 - Step 1: Fitness should improve your life, not become your life
22:25 - Step 2: Build strength, why it matters more as you age
25:46 - Step 3 and 4: Move well and be able to play
26:38 - Step 5: What realistic aesthetics actually look like long term
33:26 - Sal is going back to jiu jitsu and his fears about walking in as a purple belt
42:43 - Parasite infections are more common than people think and Organifi's cleanse
53:28 - The delta sleep inducing peptide Sal has been using from MP Hormones
55:57 - SpaceX IPO, 4,000 overnight millionaires and the Elizabeth Warren reaction
1:00:36 - Caller: Daniel (Georgia) eating 1500 calories since high school, 30 year history of restriction
1:20:05 - Caller: Matilda (Singapore) doing everything right for a year but period has not returned
1:29:30 - Caller: Christina (Missouri) 51 years old, six day a week program, not progressing
1:37:31 - Caller: Olivia (Texas) active athlete trying to balance lifting with sports and Pilates