2938: The Right (and Wrong) Reasons to Fast. Most People Are Doing It for the Wrong One
Release Date: 09/04/2026
Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs and Butt: https://mapsabsandbutt.com Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15). In this episode the guys break down the real dangers of artificial sweeteners — why they are unlikely to be physically dangerous despite all the scaremongering, why they simply do not work for weight loss in real life outside of controlled settings, how they change your perception of palatability so that water and whole foods start to taste bland, and why...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs and Butt: https://mapsabsandbutt.com Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version, and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15). In this episode the guys break down the real reason most women never build the butt they want — and it has nothing to do with effort or genetics. They cover why you cannot shrink your way to a bigger butt, why high rep burn workouts and kickbacks produce almost no results, why the exercises that feel the best in your glutes are often the worst for building...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs and Butt: https://mapsabsandbutt.com Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version, and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15). In this episode the guys break down why the cross-bench dumbbell pullover is one of the most forgotten and underrated exercises in the gym — covering how it trains a fundamental human movement pattern tied to throwing mechanics, why it fixes shoulder problems that nothing else touches, how it builds like a compound lift despite being an isolation movement,...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs and Butt: https://mapsabsandbutt.com Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version, and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15). In this episode the guys break down the right and wrong reasons to use fasting — not for body composition, not for anyone with a history of restricting, but specifically for spiritual purposes, breaking food attachment, gut health issues, autoimmune conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, and before or during chemotherapy. They also cover a...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs & Butt: Abs and glutes. The two most requested body parts, the two most commonly undertrained. In this episode, Sal, Adam, and Justin break down the brand new MAPS Abs and Butt program and talk about WHY so many people fail to develop these areas, even when they're putting in the work. The answer isn't what most people think, and the guys are blunt about it. If you've been frustrated by a flat butt or abs that won't show no matter how hard you train, this is the episode that explains exactly why, and what to do about it. 00:00 Intro 00:22 MAPS Abs and Butt...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS BOGO: https://mapsbogo.com Buy one get one free — mix and match any of the top 10 most popular programs (Anabolic, Aesthetic, Performance, 15 Minutes, Anywhere, Symmetry, Starter, Muscle Mommy, Powerlift, 40+). In this episode the guys break down 5 signs that fitness fanatics specifically need to eat more and move less — feeling chronically worn out, sacrificing more important things for workouts and diet, staying super lean all the time with no flexibility, not improving any objective performance metric in a long time, and workouts no longer being joyful. They also get into...
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Jim Kwik’s New Book: https://limitlessdaily.com Products: MAPS BOGO Sale — Sponsors: LMNT — https://drinklmnt.com/mindpump AI can synthesize, process, and generate faster than any human alive. But here's what it cannot do: think for YOU. Jim Kwik is back on Mind Pump, and he makes the case that your natural human intelligence is more valuable right now than it has ever been, precisely because most people are handing it over without a fight. Cognitive offloading, digital distraction, identity collapse as careers get automated, the risks are real and they are compounding fast. Jim...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS BOGO: https://mapsbogo.com Buy one get one free — mix and match any of the top 10 most popular programs (Anabolic, Aesthetic, Performance, 15 Minutes, Anywhere, Symmetry, Starter, Muscle Mommy, Powerlift, 40+) for $157. In this episode the guys break down the dangers of GLP-1 drugs — covering who they are actually for, who they are not for, the real risks including muscle loss, bone density decline and gastroparesis, and the only right way to use them with resistance training and behavioral change. They also get into Sal's Collective shoes situation that led into an unexpected...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS BOGO: https://mapsbogo.com Buy one get one free — mix and match any of the top 10 most popular programs (Anabolic, Aesthetic, Performance, 15 Minutes, Anywhere, Symmetry, Starter, Muscle Mommy, Powerlift, 40+) for $157. In this episode the guys break down whether a good gym actually makes a difference — covering convenience, cleanliness, and culture as the three things the gym industry has identified as the real drivers of consistency. They cover why 24 Hour Fitness put gyms within ten miles of each other on purpose, why culture matters more than equipment, why CrossFit proved...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS BOGO: https://mapsbogo.com Buy one get one free — mix and match any of the top 10 most popular programs (Anabolic, Aesthetic, Performance, 15 Minutes, Anywhere, Symmetry, Starter, Muscle Mommy, Powerlift, 40+) for $157. In this episode the guys sit down with seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath for a wide-ranging conversation covering the military, faith, bodybuilding and business. Phil shares stories from years of USO tours — including a trip to Guantanamo Bay with the Most Interesting Man in the World, drinking the ceremonial grog three times at a Medal of Honor ceremony, and training...
info_outlineMAPS Abs and Butt: https://mapsabsandbutt.com
Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes Butt Building Diet Guide, Women's Supplement Guide, at-home dumbbell version, and a free second program at checkout (Muscle Mommy or Muscle Mommy 15).
In this episode the guys break down the right and wrong reasons to use fasting — not for body composition, not for anyone with a history of restricting, but specifically for spiritual purposes, breaking food attachment, gut health issues, autoimmune conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, and before or during chemotherapy. They also cover a detailed breakdown of grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef over one week and how the nutrient differences add up, Legion's pre-workout Pulse and the 350mg caffeine discussion, the happiness and money meta-study showing what the happiest high earners actually do with their money, Justin addressing the Arlo dog backlash from listeners and why the military dog trainer couldn't figure him out either, and how to separate cravings from real hunger. Then they answer questions from Instagram on whether pull-ups replace lat pulldowns, if you can take a break from high protein, healing injuries in a calorie deficit, and how to activate rear delts instead of traps.
SPONSORS
Legion (Pulse pre-workout): https://buylegion.com/mindpump
Code: MINDPUMP — new customers buy one get one 50% off, returning customers get 20% cash back. 350mg caffeine, beta-alanine and more.
Butcher Box: https://butcherbox.com/mindpump
No code needed. Free ribeyes, NY strip steaks or filet mignons in every order for a year plus $20 off first box. Sal discusses the weekly grass-fed beef nutrient breakdown on air.
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LINKS
Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com
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Instagram: @mindpumpmedia
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - How to use fasting for the right reasons — and who should never do it
4:51 - Reason 1: Spiritual purposes — the original and most powerful use of fasting
7:42 - Reason 2: Breaking food attachment — learning the difference between cravings and real hunger
10:54 - Reason 3: Gut health — why giving your digestive system a break has measurable effects
13:33 - Reason 4: Autoimmune conditions — psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis have the most data
18:12 - Reason 5: Before and during chemotherapy — how fasting mimicking diet improves cancer cell response
24:14 - Grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef — the nutrient difference over one week adds up more than you think
29:00 - The guys compare their Butcher Box orders and why they all live off ground beef
34:41 - Legion Pulse pre-workout — 350mg caffeine, beta-alanine and the bathroom timing problem
41:35 - The happiness and money meta-study — what the happiest high earners do differently
52:53 - Justin addresses the Arlo dog listener backlash — the military dog trainer gave up
1:02:37 - Sal on fasting before podcasts for mental sharpness
1:08:49 - Q&A: If you only do pull-ups, are you missing anything by skipping lat pulldowns?
1:14:23 - Q&A: Can you take a break from 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight?
1:16:58 - Q&A: Can you rehab and heal from an injury in a calorie deficit?
1:18:31 - Q&A: How to activate rear delts instead of traps