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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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, Sal, Adam & Justin speak with John Meadows who reveals all about what it takes to be a top-level bodybuilder.
- Why John doesn’t have a colon. (4:30)
- Was there anything he did that contributed to his digestion issues? (10:35)
- How did he change his approach coming back? (12:10)
- Has going through this experience forced him to become more in tune with his body? (14:55)
- What are the BIGGEST mistakes he sees with people trying to build muscle? (16:38)
- Has he found there is a RIGHT dose of protein for his body? (24:40)
- What are the big missing pieces in bodybuilder’s regimens? (26:03)
- What kind of things does he cover in his workshops? (29:42)
- What made him start to compete at a young age? (30:50)
- When did he start to use anabolic steroids? Was he a hyper responder? (34:20)
- Does he believe people do not cycle out anymore? (43:19)
- What are the differences between taking anabolics vs growth hormones? (45:17)
- His take on training and why certain bodybuilder’s physiques look more ‘granite.’ (54:38)
- What does he think of the new culture of thought around isolation movements being the BEST movements for most muscle activation? (1:00:45)
- What is the ‘Mountain Dog Diet’ and does food quality matter? (1:04:10)
- Is the trend starting to reverse with coaching in bodybuilding? (1:09:20)
- What is site enhancement oil (SEO)? (1:10:15)
- How bodybuilding is a different level of drugs in sport. (1:15:54)
- What is the difference in training people that are natural vs. people on ‘gear’? (1:18:16)
- His theory behind metabolism in competitive sports. (1:21:52)
- What is his take on people not adapting their training routines? (1:26:30)
- How social media killed bodybuilding. What does the future of bodybuilding look like? (1:34:04)
- If he was to go back and whisper into 22-year-old John’s ear, what would he tell himself? (1:40:13)
Featured Guest/People Mentioned
- John Meadows (@mountaindog1) Instagram/Twitter
- Dr. Jordan Shallow D.C (@the_muscle_doc) Instagram
- Flex Wheeler | Official (@officialflexwheeler) Instagram
- Stan "Rhino" Efferding (@stanefferding) Instagram
- Jon Call (@jujimufu) Instagram
- Kai Greene (@kaigreene) Instagram
- Ronnie Coleman (@ronniecoleman8) Instagram
- Ben Pakulski ® (@bpakfitness) Instagram
- Coach Daniel Matranga CSCS (@dynamic.danny) Instagram
- Brad Schoenfeld, PhD (@bradschoenfeldphd) Instagram
Products Mentioned:
- December Promotion: Enroll in Any MAPS Program – 1 Year of Forum Access for FREE!
- Mind Pump Free Resources
- Mind Pump Episode 865: Stan Efferding: The World's Strongest Bodybuilder
- Anabolic reference guide - Book by Bill Phillips
- Mind Pump Episode 715: Mind Pump Goes Deep with Ben Pakulski
- Mind Pump Episode 548: Ben Pakulski
- Synthol - Wikipedia
- Oil Bags: Rise of the Idiots | T Nation
- Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development – Book by Brooks D Kubik