2941: Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You | The Real Problem Nobody Talks About
Release Date: 09/09/2026
Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Sale:Code: SCARY40 for 40% off everything sitewide for 3 days only. Also: MAPS Abs and Butt at — Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. In this episode the guys sit down and tell the full origin story of how they each got into fitness and the personal training industry. Sal shares starting at 13 with plastic sand-filled dumbbells, spotting his dad benching 300 pounds, getting his first job at 24 Hour Fitness at 18 with zero certification, and selling $6,000 of personal training on his first day without knowing what it cost. Adam shares falling into fitness accidentally, the moment money sold him on...
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 secrets for training in a calorie deficit — why bodyweight lifts are psychologically and physically the best choice when cutting, what it actually feels like to train depleted and why anticipating it helps you push through, why low reps beat high reps in a deficit because they preserve muscle with far less stress on the body,...
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 best forms of cardio for fat loss, endurance and athleticism. They cover why walking is the best cardio for fat loss, why steady state is best for building endurance, why HIIT develops the kind of explosive stamina that sports actually require, and why playing a sport or just going out and having fun is the most...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs and Butt: 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 how cardio keeps getting rebranded with new names and logos while staying the same activity underneath. They cover cozy cardio, Japanese walking, the 666 walk, the 3-2-8 method, the fart walk, retro walking, zone two, rucking, High Rocks, Orange Theory and F45, the hot girl walk and the 8000 steps data — explaining what each one is, who it is actually good...
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 five fat loss diet myths — why feeling hungry during a cut is normal and expected (and why reframing it is the key), why no food actually burns body fat, why a calorie is not just a calorie when it comes to behavior and palatability, why neither carbs nor fat are the enemy, and why treating food as just fuel is a...
info_outlineMind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
MAPS Abs & Butt is still 40% off: If your goal is a stronger, rounder butt and visible abs, this episode gives you the programming logic, the exercise selection, the rep ranges, the rest periods, and the mindset shift you need to actually make it happen. In this episode: • Rest periods are what make strength training strength training: resting two to four minutes between hard sets trains the energy system tied to muscle growth, while cutting rest short shifts you into aerobic, stamina-based work that does NOT build the butt • A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology...
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 how to cut fat and keep muscle — covering why you need to be in a good metabolic position before you start cutting, why letting food create the deficit beats trying to burn calories through exercise, why cutting volume during a cut is counterintuitive but essential, and why increasing low-stress activity like walking is...
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 seven easy food swaps that lower calories, bump protein and still taste great — protein snacks over carb snacks (Crisp Power honey mustard), high-protein Greek yogurt desserts with cocoa whip and berries, shelled nuts instead of pre-shelled roasted ones, grass-fed beef over grain-fed (200-calorie difference in a 12oz ribeye), two...
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). Dr. Stephen Cabral returns to break down the seven blood markers that predict heart disease better than cholesterol. He explains what each one means, what optimal ranges look like versus what standard lab ranges say, and how to improve each one through diet, exercise and targeted supplementation. He then reveals the guys' individual omega-6 to omega-3 inflammation...
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 rep speed — slow reps, fast reps and pause reps — and what the data actually says. They cover why saying it doesn't matter for hypertrophy misses the nuance completely, why injury risk alone makes rep speed matter enormously, why slow reps are essential for mind muscle connection and targeted esthetics, when moving fast...
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 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 the novelty effect of pairing them with meals causes people to eat more overall. They also cover the LMNT pre-workout pump hack Sal has been using, making 1,000 pounds of tomatoes into Sunday sauce with the whole family, the GTA 6 trailer and the $1-2 billion production budget behind it, the serious and underreported sexual and psychological side effects of finasteride for hair loss, Ketone IQ stacked with morning caffeine as the guys' favorite energy combo before recording, the rock climbing store in Seoul South Korea you have to climb seven stories just to get inside, night club culture and what everyone is like after a few drinks, and Sal chipping a tooth and finding an emergency dentist on a Friday afternoon. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com.
SPONSORS
LMNT (electrolytes): https://drinklmnt.com/MindPump
Free sample pack with any purchase, no code needed. 1,000mg sodium per serving. Mix with your pre-workout for a dramatically better pump — Sal discusses the hack on air.
Ketone IQ: https://ketone.com/MINDPUMP
30% off subscription orders plus a free gift with your second shipment. Take mid-day after your caffeine window for sustained mental sharpness.
Joymode (sexual performance booster): https://tryjoymode.com/mindpump
Code: MINDPUMP for 20% off first order. Natural, science-backed formula — L-Citrulline, Arginine, Yohimbine and Vitamin C. Mix with water 45 minutes to 4 hours before.
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
2:47 - The real dangers of artificial sweeteners — why they fail in real life
10:02 - How artificial sweeteners change your palatability and make whole foods taste bland
15:32 - Why the novelty effect makes you eat more when pairing them with meals
22:01 - The LMNT pre-workout pump hack — mixing electrolytes with your pre-workout
26:31 - Pickleball injury stories and the 47-year-old playing junior college football
29:34 - Making 1,000 pounds of tomatoes into Sunday sauce with the family
34:44 - GTA 6 trailer — $1-2 billion budget and why it looks like a movie
38:50 - Finasteride for hair loss — the serious sexual and psychological side effects nobody warns you about
47:01 - Ketone IQ stacked with morning caffeine — the guys' favorite recording day combo
47:58 - The rock climbing store in Seoul you have to climb seven stories just to enter
55:08 - Night club culture — what everyone is like after a few drinks
1:04:49 - Caller: Julie (Illinois) — osteopenia, vegan, reverse diet to 3,000 calories, plateau on Maps Esthetic, switching to Maps 15
1:30:36 - Caller: Dave (Georgia) — lost 100 pounds since 2019, wants to improve VO2 max and body composition
1:42:23 - Caller: Elissa (Michigan) — 90-day check-in, strength up across all three lifts including a month in Italy with no training
1:47:09 - Caller: Amber (Michigan) — cleaning business owner, beach volleyball 3-4 days a week, drastically overtraining, needs to cut volume way down