2874: The Best Variations to Explode Your Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press
Release Date: 06/06/2026
Mind 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 5 tips for bigger arms — full range of motion and why going lighter beats stopping short, always including a stretch exercise like incline curls or overhead tricep extensions, why elbow angles completely change which part of the muscle you target, using compound lifts like close-grip bench and chin-ups as the foundation, and...
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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 exactly how strong you should actually be — covering the real strength benchmarks for men and women across bench press, squat, and deadlift from decent to good to great to advanced, why strength is one of the single best predictors of longevity and all-cause mortality, why we are in a muscle weakness epidemic, why mainstream workouts...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS BOGO: https://mapsbogo.com Buy one get one free on 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 5 non-workout shortcuts to fitness gains — post-workout sauna and its 32% improvement in run time to exhaustion in just 3 weeks with competitive runners, visualization producing nearly identical skill gains to physical practice, music and its measurable effect on pain perception and exhaustion, caffeine as the most consistently supported...
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Buy one get one free, pick your combo: One of the most common questions the guys is also one of the simplest: what program should I run next? It matters more than most people think. Stack the wrong two programs back to back and you leave gains on the table. Stack the right two and you buy yourself six months of near zero plateaus, real strength PRs, and a body that keeps changing every week. In this episode, Sal, Adam, and Justin stop making you guess and lay out the definitive MAPS program pairings for every major goal. They cover advanced muscle gain, pure strength, fat loss...
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MAPS Upper Lower — https://mapsupperlower.com (code: launch)Most people over 30 who try to lose fat end up in one of three traps: they lose the weight and gain it all back, they lose muscle along with the fat and end up softer and slower than before, or they hit a wall and feel like their body just refuses to cooperate. In this episode, Sal, Adam, and Justin lay out the six things the fitness industry consistently leaves out of the fat loss conversation, and why ignoring them is exactly what keeps you stuck. The biggest shift you need to make? Stop treating fat loss like a demolition...
info_outlineIn this episode the guys break down the best squat, deadlift and bench press variations and accessories to explode your strength — box squats, belt squats, front squats, split stance squats, trap bar deadlifts, zercher squats, suitcase carries, reverse hypers, dips, incline press, and bands and chains. They also get into a study showing married young adults are significantly happier than their single peers, astaxanthin as an internal sunscreen supplement, the spike in strokes among people in their 20s and 30s, alpha-gal syndrome increasing 3000% in some states, and Justin's family trip to Yellowstone. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com — Aaron from Indiana on body composition after strongman, Derek from California on a slow bulk and rising body fat, Nick from Alberta on low testosterone after multiple concussions, and Kathy from Florida on building muscle and bone density with MS and osteoporosis.
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0:00 - Intro
2:07 - Squat, deadlift and bench press hacks to explode your strength
3:43 - Squat hacks: box squat, belt squat, front squat & split stance squat
17:16 - Deadlift hacks: trap bar deadlift, zercher squat, suitcase carries & reverse hyper
23:28 - Bench press hacks: weighted dips, incline press, bands & chains
27:50 - Astaxanthin as internal sunscreen — Justin's Palm Desert experiment
38:24 - Study: Married 22–35 year olds are dramatically happier than single peers
50:58 - Strokes spiking in people in their 20s and 30s — what's going on?
52:24 - Alpha-gal syndrome up 3,000% in some states — bioterrorism investigation
56:50 - Kion amino acids — why 40% leucine is the trigger for muscle protein synthesis
1:00:36 - Caller: Aaron (Indiana) — strongman background, 29% body fat, bulk vs. cut cycles
1:09:21 - Caller: Derek (California) — slow bulk, rising body fat, strength doubled in 18 months
1:19:33 - Caller: Nick (Alberta) — low testosterone, 5 concussions, hormone questions
1:31:06 - Caller: Kathy (Florida) — MS, osteoporosis, overtraining on Maps Esthetic, gets a coach