Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
bySal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge
HealthFitness
MindPump exposes the RAW TRUTH about health, fitness, nutrition and more... Hosts Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer & Justin Andrews pull back the curtain on the mythology, snake oil and pseudo-science that pervades the fitness industry and present science-backed solutions that result in increased muscular development and performance while simultaneously emphasizing health. No fitness institution or fitness "truth" is safe from their quick wit and over 40 years of combined experience in the fitness industry. Produced by Doug Egge. Find Mind Pump and the Mind Pump hosts on Instragram @mindpumpmedia, @mindpumpsal, @mindpumpadam, @mindpumpjustin & @mindpumpdoug and at mindpumppodcast.com. Get expertly programmed Mind...
Episodes(40 episodes)
2909: 5 Running Styles to Lose Fat (And Which One Is Actually the Best)
In this episode the guys break down five ways to run for fitness — for distance, same distance for time, same time for more distance, sprinting, and running for fun. Sal shares that he ran his first mile this morning for the first time in years and how humbling it was. They also get into the story behind Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky in three days with $100 in his bank account after watching Chuck Wepner vs Muhammad Ali, Italian dialects and how Mussolini unified them, the cyclosporiasis parasite outbreak in US lettuce, the liver die-off effect and why people feel worse be...
Published: Jul 25, 2026Duration: 1h 57m 46s
2908: How to Pick the Right Workout: The Most Important Question to Ask Before You Start
In this episode the guys break down exactly how to pick the right workout for your goals — covering why enjoyment matters more than most people realize, how to honestly assess whether you actually like what you're doing, the ROI of strength training versus other modalities, and why appropriateness for your actual life is the deciding factor. They also get into the origin of clowns (spoiler: ancient India and Egypt, not the circus), the CLOW peptide stack from Vita Bella and why Sal and Katrina are both using it for recovery and skin health, Sal's revelation that he quit jiu ji...
Published: Jul 24, 2026Duration: 1h 15m 29s
2907: How to Clean Bulk Without Getting Fat (The Exact Formula)
In this episode the guys break down exactly what a clean bulk is, how it differs from a dirty bulk, and why most people do it completely wrong. They cover why increasing training volume during a bulk actually makes sense (because you have the nutrients to recover), why 500 calories above maintenance is all you need, why staying active with daily steps dramatically improves muscle building, and why garbage food is what separates a clean bulk from a dirty one. Sal and Adam both share their own dirty bulk horror stories — competing against coworkers and friends, gaining more fat than mu...
Published: Jul 23, 2026Duration: 28m 31s
2906: Should You Bulk or Cut First | The Answer That Actually Leads to Long Term Results
In this episode the guys break down whether you should build or cut first — covering what each actually involves, why cutting first almost always fails long term, how building first boosts your metabolic rate by 700-800 calories a day, and why 95% of people who lose weight gain it all back. They also discuss Sal's prediction that probiotics will be the next major performance supplement, the ditto dating app taking over college campuses by using AI instead of swiping, the new short king shoe brand giving guys a few extra inches of height, 80s and 90s movie reviews tha...
Published: Jul 22, 2026Duration: 2h 2m 37s
2905: How to Build an Aesthetic Physique | Best Exercises for Chest Back Shoulders and Legs
In this episode the guys break down the best exercises to sculpt the physique men actually train for — covering incline press for upper chest development, deadlifts and barbell rows for back thickness and width, standing overhead press with rear delt flies for that rounded shoulder cap, and barbell squats with Romanian deadlifts for complete lower body development. They explain why most guys develop flat-looking chests by neglecting the upper portion, why powerlifters often have more impressive looking backs than bodybuilders, and why rear delt development is one of the most technically misunderstood movements in training. MAP...
Published: Jul 20, 2026Duration: 26m 39s
2904: How to Reverse Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (The Data-Backed Formula That Actually Works)
In this episode the guys break down how to reverse osteopenia and osteoporosis — explaining the difference between the two, why 43% of adults over 50 have low bone mass, and why this is actually very fixable. They cover the four key steps: getting stronger (not just lifting weights), eating enough to build, taking key nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, and being consistent because bone adapts more slowly than muscle. They also discuss why GLP-1 users are showing up with osteopenia and why it's not the drug's fault, Sal's experience with Rho Nutrition's liposomal curcumin and why it's dramatically reducing hi...
Published: Jul 18, 2026Duration: 1h 54m 14s
2903: How to Build Bulletproof Joints (So You Can Train for the Rest of Your Life)
In this episode the guys break down six ways to build bulletproof joints — proper strength training, unilateral training, static stretching post-workout, mobility drills, hydration with high protein diet, and consistent sleep. They cover why joints actually strengthen rather than wear down with proper use, why MAPS Symmetry alone solves most chronic pain issues without targeted correctional exercise, and why CNS tightening after workouts causes the low back pain people feel hours later at night. They also get into a new study showing probiotics plus protein powder outperforms protein powder alone for strength gains, creatine reducing anxiety in 95% of postmenopausal wo...
Published: Jul 17, 2026Duration: 1h 8m 58s
2902: How 311 Has Stayed Together for 35 Years — Nick Hexum on Sobriety, Fitness and Creativity
In this episode the guys sit down with Nick Hexum, lead singer and co-founder of 311, just hours before a live show. Nick opens up about how the band has stayed together for 35 years, his path to sobriety in 2005-06 and how the band stuck by him through it, bringing weights on the road since 1993 and having a full gym dressing room on every tour, and why exercise was his earliest tool for managing anxiety and depression. He covers the study showing dance and exercise outperform SSRIs for depression by one and a half times, how he syncs his workouts...
Published: Jul 16, 2026Duration: 1h 7m 40s
2901: Chronic Pain Causes | 5 Common Habits That Make Pain Worse
In this episode the guys break down five weird and common things people do that cause or worsen chronic pain — poor sleep, inflammatory diet, macro and micro deficiencies, dehydration, and shallow breathing. They cover the difference between acute pain and chronic pain, how movement pattern issues are almost always the root cause, and why the experience of pain can be just as real as the physiological signal. They also get into Arthur Saxon pressing 370 pounds overhead with one arm in 1905, eating 24 eggs and 10 pounds of meat a day, the genetics study showing hyper responders gain three times as much mu...
Published: Jul 15, 2026Duration: 2h 2m 40s
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Published: Jul 13, 2026Duration: 26m 30s
2899: How to Lose 15 Pounds in 90 Days | The 5-Step Fat Loss Formula
In this episode the guys break down the exact five-step formula to lose 15 pounds of pure body fat in 90 days — lifting 1-2 compound movements daily, walking after every meal, eating only whole foods, hitting 1g of protein per pound of body weight first, and perfecting sleep every single night. They also get into Joovv red light therapy and how Sal is using it on his jiu jitsu mat burns, red light improving eyesight and macular degeneration, the guys turning into old men (AC wars, slip-on shoes, grunting when they stand up), Doug's Butcher Box chuck roast stew recipe, the vi...
Published: Jul 11, 2026Duration: 1h 39m 43s
2898: How to Do Pull Ups in 30 Days (The Exact Method That Actually Works)
In this episode the guys break down exactly how to be able to do pull ups in 30 days — covering the daily low intensity practice method, why you need to drop all other back work, why eating more and sleeping consistently will accelerate your results, and how to set up your test day for maximum performance. They also discuss whether chemical sunscreens are actually causing more cancer than they prevent, a large UK Biobank study showing frequent sunscreen users had up to 292% higher melanoma rates, why Crisp Power protein pretzels are outperforming traditional protein snacks on satiety, and the guys' Fa...
Published: Jul 10, 2026Duration: 1h 15m 17s
2897: How to Build Glutes, Quads, and Shoulders (The Body Women Actually Want)
In this episode the guys break down exactly how to build the glutes, quads, and shoulders that women actually want — covering why you should train your priority body part first in the workout, how to shift volume away from other areas rather than just piling on more, why getting stronger in the big compound lifts like hip thrusts, squats, and overhead press is what actually builds muscle, why you have to eat in a surplus to build anything, and why balance still matters even when you're focused. MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.comCode: LAUNCH for 40% of...
Published: Jul 9, 2026Duration: 25m 30s
2896: Why 95% of People Regain All Their Weight (And How to Be in the 5% Who Don't)
In this episode the guys break down why 95% of people regain all the weight they lose — covering both the method (why cardio and starvation approaches are doomed from the start) and the mentality (the tyrant, the tyrannized, the rebel, and the robot). They also get into Sal's return from vacation and how coming back to Ketone IQ after a week and a half made him realize how well it actually works, feeding grizzly bears at Bear World near Yellowstone, the Toy Story 5 iPad villain and its zero effect on the kids who watched it, kids and freedom versus helicopter pa...
Published: Jul 8, 2026Duration: 2h 6m 6s
2895: Should You Train Each Muscle Twice a Week? The Data Says Yes - Here's Exactly Why
Short answer: yes. Training each muscle group twice a week builds more muscle than once a week — the data is clear on this, and Sal, Adam, and Justin break down every reason why in this episode. From how fatigue silently kills your volume to why junk sets pile up when you try to cram everything into one workout, they pull back the curtain on what's actually happening inside your body when you split things up. You'll also learn why total training volume — not just sets, but reps AND weight — goes up automatically when you split your body across...
Published: Jul 6, 2026Duration: 24m 33s
2894: 6 Fitness Truths That 95% of People Still Get Dead Wrong & They're Quietly Sabotaging Your Results
MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.com 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 six fitness truths that 95% of people still get dead wrong — you don't need to train 5-6 days a week to build muscle, cardio is not the best way to lose fat long term, your metabolism isn't broken your habits are, protein timing matters far less than total daily intake, flexibility without strength is useless, and the real fountain of youth is...
Published: Jul 4, 2026Duration: 2h 2m 0s
2893: The 5 Best Forms of Cardio Ranked From Worst to Best (The Results Will Surprise You)
MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.com 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 pr...
Published: Jul 3, 2026Duration: 1h 23m 54s
2892: Upper Lower Split Workout | How to Build Muscle 4 Days a Week
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. MA...
Published: Jul 2, 2026Duration: 24m 43s
2891: How to Heal Your Body Dysmorphia (5 Strategies That Actually Work)
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 Super Pa...
Published: Jul 1, 2026Duration: 2h 11m 17s
2890: Speed Training for Athletes | How to Sprint Faster Without Getting Hurt w/ Brian Kula
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...
Published: Jun 28, 2026Duration: 1h 8m 26s