Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 059: The Training Evolution of the MindPump Crew

Episode Date: April 9, 2015

There was a time when Sal, Adam & Justin didn't know what the hell they were doing in the gym. Like most people, they ended up following a lot of pseudo-science and half-baked advice along the way. Now with over 40 combined years as personal trainers, they share their own personal evolution which has led to the science-based MAPS/Team Level Up training philosophy.

If you want to pump your body and expand your mind, please only one place to go. Mind, pop, mind, pop with your hosts. Salda Stefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin Andrews. Welcome to Mind Pump. It's a punch to the spectacles all the way down to the testicles. That was a lot. That was great. You know what though? Can I see I know Justin so well that I could do it I'm gonna punk him right now. Yeah, that was so good that I know he practiced that Did you

Way too smooth right? Technicals to testicle it rhymes in everything You guys you guys want to talk about you had brought this rhymes in everything. That's what I'm saying. You guys wanna talk about, you had brought this up earlier, Adam. Let's talk about, oh sorry. Let's talk baby. Damn.

There's that angel voice again. That's what I'm getting me going. You guys wanna talk about our own personal fitness evolution. What we did when we first started working out and how that changed and how we basically got to where we are now in terms of our. That's a really good question because I've had a lot of people ask some things on Instagram and stuff like that and I think to myself like, you know, oh, God, I can give you the quick answer, the right answer, or whatever, but there's a part of me too that I feel like

we should share that because I think telling our story, let's be honest, none of us, I mean, we've all been trained with 10, 15 plus years, whatever that. None of us trained the same way we trained when we first started. I know we don't. I don't even know you guys' story,

and I already know that's not true. I know everything I know now. Back then, no, I'm just kidding, shit. I don't know anything. How old, now what about your personal, your own personal evolution of fitness? Like you worked yourself out. Yeah, it's what I'm talking about right now.

How long have you, how old were you guys when you first started lifting weights? Yeah, your very first experience. Yeah. I was a junior in high school. Wow. That's old. Yeah, yeah.

And let's be honest, even then it was, it didn't really get serious till I was a freshman in college. Really? Yeah. Yeah, when I was a junior in high school, my buddy had whenever good friends, this is great. You have flashbacks right now thinking about this.

I don't think someone's asked me about this in a very, very, very long time and talk on this. So I started off in like my buddy's garage. And you know, he had a pretty cool little setup his dad had a cool setup in his garage. And I was so, bro, I was so like week my chest, like and they love bench press in my two friends. Of course.

They all they wanted to do is bench press. And all I wanted to do was bicep girls. That's it, bicep girls all they love. That was like, girls, girls. And let's be honest, I bet you guys have a similar story of the first time you picked up any weights. Everyone's kind of naturally strong somewhere and I just had strong biceps in comparison

to anything else on my body for sure. So I was drawn to that. And that was kind of how you just, at least in my opinion, how you kind of start working out. Everybody's favorite exercise is the one they're good at. Yeah, the one you're on. It is, it is, right? So I find that really fascinating.

And so they always wanted to do bench. I used to get so pissed because they wanted to do benching all the time. And I had to bet this is true, right? So we had like a Smith machine rack. And I would do a bench press. And when I'm doing the bench, so first of all, I couldn't back then, I couldn't even do the bar, dude.

I couldn't do the bar straight. I couldn't hold the bar straight without them spotting me. And both of them had spot me. So one guy would press my shoulders down because I did one of those. You're like, wait, you're right. You're left. I couldn't keep my scapula retracted. You know, in order to even know what the fuck my scapula was, probably not. So I don't know what I'm doing as far as form and technique. I'm listening to my buddies who have probably just a fraction more information than I have. And one of them is pressing my shoulders

down by the other one spotting the bar and keep trying to keep it straight level. And it was the most awful thing to probably watch. I literally benched like that for like a year. Did you fall in love with it right away or was it something that you kind of forced yourself to do and then you got into it? You know, I don't know if I wouldn't say I didn't fall in love. I liked it. I enjoyed it. I was an athlete. You know, I liked seeing. But you like sports more than weights. Yeah, definitely definitely if back then it oh for sure if my boys wanted to like go play basketball outside or go lift some weights

Yeah, I'd play basketball outside for sure I was that I definitely was not into into weights till way way later But yeah, that's where it started for me. I'm curious here. Are you guys start? Dude, what about you just held where you when you first started lifting? I was probably a freshman high school actually. I'm curious to hear how you guys started. Dude, what about you, Justin? Held where you when you first started lifting? I was probably a freshman in high school, actually. Wow, I know. I got you guys beat.

Yeah, you got us, dude, because we were like going bananas with sports. Like I was, I was going crazy with sports. Sal, you were, I remember the nerd, remember? Like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm saying I was like a soccer, a baseball basketball. Justin and I were busy doing cool shit. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah, no, I Justin and I were busy doing cool shit. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Yeah, no, I mean, you were busy reading in cyclopedias. Boom. Boom. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, like, it was until I started to play football. Because I didn't play football till I was in high school

because my dad just wouldn't let me. And so that was like, his dad wouldn't let him. And I really wanted to play. So I was playing soccer. And I was like, school because my dad just wouldn't let me and so that was like his dad wouldn't let him and I really wanted to play So I was playing soccer and I was like slide tackling everybody getting bored with it And I'm like I got to play football man. This is weak and so My buddies and I I think they had started lifting weights a little bit earlier than me because of they played Pop Warner and so they started teaching them how to lift weights and stuff and I went to the 6 a.m Workouts and they started teaching me you know how to lift weights and I was I was pretty good at Kellestinics like dips Like I was actually like for a while there. I held the the school record for dips and so me I'm all about pressing

So I love the bench press so I was very good at that. You were the opposite of Adam. Obviously, yes. Basically, so anything that it came to like doing pull-ups, I was like, yeah, or they actually, what was so crazy is, so the staples for football, you got your dips, your bench, you got your squats, like back squats, you got your power cleans, you got your deadlifts, which we didn't really do that many deadlifts to be honest with you. It was more just power cleans, you got your deadlifts, which we didn't really do that many deadlifts to be honest

We it was more just power cleans and power cleans were really awkward like so I totally eff those up I know cuz you I what was your form like it's oh so shitty Yeah, it's like a reverse coral to a freaking it was like nobody knew what they're doing even the coach didn't even know how to teach it Right it was so it was so bad you guys would be picking it up on the floor arching their back and just like falling And backwards and like kicking the bar out in front and everybody was eating shit And we were all just like wow so hard left, you know Nobody knew how to do it right it was really bad. I mean over the years We all kind of like gradually got better, but we start everybody was pretty decent

Squatting for the most part and so that's where we started getting strong together. But yeah, it was ugly. It was really ugly for a while there. And not to mention those weight rooms, I always remember as being the smelliest place on God's good on earth. A bunch of teenage boys lifting weights. A bunch of protein and oversized,

and yeah, party to get closer to. A bunch of balls and squats. Back to the Tuesday, you said, I remember that doing so even in basketball, you know, you wear your jersey or your practice jersey like three times before you wash it. Like, oh, you always had that one guy that had the lucky undershirt.

It's not lucky. It's really obnoxious. It's supposed to be a white and yellow. All right, all right, so Sal, where did you see? Where did you see? I'll do you. I was 12. I was 12.

12 years old I had I Yeah, dude I bought I had the cement weights you know the you know the the plastic ones with the cement on the inside They're like plastic prison weights No, no, yeah, yeah, I went to prison. I'm not a hard time. No, you know what I'm talking about the plastic like great like the great Yeah, the chick ones. Yeah, so I had those and I followed the form that came with the dumbbells and I did that every single night. I did every exercise.

And then my dad had a wheelchair set. Just showed you how much smarter he is than that's right there, right? He's like, I'm gonna pull the instructions out and then I'm gonna follow the broom. You probably saw way better results than just that. I did it, and bro, let me test that. So, so trial and error, fail, fail, fail.

I'm a Justin, I'm getting better. Oh no, so then I used to work on the backyard and my dad had an actual legit wait set and I bought Arnold Schwarzenegger's encyclopedia of bodybuilding, which till this day I have it. You bought it as a kid? I bought it, I was 13 at the time when I bought it. So I was like towards the end of fall

and at 13 a.m. And then I did every fucking exercise in that book, every single exercise. So if I did chest fucking exercise in that book, every single exercise. So if I did chest, it was like two hours of chest. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait of started. Right. But I mean, so you like, I've always, I've always thought physical strength was cool. I always wanted to be stronger. And when I lifted, it was just the concept

that I could work, you know, work my body and get it to where I wanted to go. That really appealed to me. And I really enjoyed it. And cyclopidial bodybuilding I started with, then I got Mike Mener's heavy duty, which was the complete opposite of Arnold Schwarzenegger style training.

Schwarzenegger did like this crazy split, you're working out twice a day, each body part twice a week, lots of sets. Mike Menser, he was one set to failure per body part. And the first time I tried that one set to fit, because it was so different, it shocked my body, I think I gained like seven pounds of muscle, like right away. Oh, it's so great. What a great, I'm glad you said that, because that's another question I because it was so different, it shocked my body. I think I gained like seven pounds of muscle, like right away.

Oh, it's so great. Oh, it's what a great, I'm glad you said that because that's another question I want to ask Justin too, is remembering the first time you did something different and how it affected your body. Well, it can remember. The biggest, for me, the one thing that will never, I will never forget.

So I was, let's see, I was summer of, summer before freshman year in high school. So I put this time, I think I'm like 14 and maybe 13, 14. It was summertime, we were freshman year in high school. So, but this time I think I'm like 14 and maybe 13, 14. It was summertime, we were with the family playing volleyball. I had gone up and jumped to hit the ball. I landed wrong, dislocated my kneecap, so I had this injured knee, and I had to wear this big brace for it.

So long story short, I had to rehab it, and I went to the YMCA, and at one point I got irritated with the rehab exercises that the physical therapist gave me all the band bullshit that, you know, works for one week and then I'm like, there's nothing else happening. So I got on the leg press and I started using leg press. Well, my legs, by the way, people comment on my quads,

especially how big they are. I had the skinniest legs you've ever seen in your life. Like my knees were bigger than my legs, but they responded so fast, I got stretch marks around my thighs because they just exploded. So I did leg press and I'll never forget. I'm at the YMC doing leg press and there were these power lifters.

And at the time, they looked massive to me, but I'm sure they were probably college students. I don't know. And they were squatting in the squat rack. And one of them's looking at, I mean, I have like seven plates on this. I'm a 14 year old kid. I'm doing all kinds of weight.

And he walks over to me. He's like, what are you doing? I'm like, oh, I late press and he goes okay. He's like that's not bad. He goes You ever squat? I'm like no, I'm never squat it before he's like well Late press is okay. He goes but that doesn't really count He's like you got to come squat so I'm like shit And like would you mind showing me so I go over with these guys and I think they they were I don't know if they were doing playing a joke on me But I basically puked like this they made me playing a joke on me, but I basically puke. Like they made me squat till I threw up.

I pulled the trash can over to the squat rack, I pukeed in it, and I finished my set. And the dudes were like, 17 right now? No, no, I'm 14. 14, savage dude. And the dudes were looking at me and they're like, they respected me at that point. So then they taught me to squat in Deadlift

and then the rest of the sister. That summer, actually, no, it was my my I think it was my freshman to sophomore year. I gained that summer 20 pounds That's when everybody in high school was like whoa, what the fuck? Because I learned a lot of way for a kid bro I mean not all of it was muscle But at the same time you got to consider going through puberty Yeah, so I have like natural steroids running through my system I had just learned how squat and deadlift and my hips and my legs and my back

Which now tend to be my strengths, back then I didn't have much muscle on them, so all of a sudden that just blew up. I was eating like a fiend. I was taking supplements. I had discovered creatine. I had bought weeders, you know, megamass 3000 and I'd make like two shakes a day.

And again, all this way, I got all this strength and all of a sudden I had these big legs. That right there was the most impactful thing that I ever did. I don't know who those guys are if you ever listen to the show, fellas, please. Oh, that'd be great. Yeah, awesome.

That'd be actually. I'd like to thank you guys for that. But yeah, I'll never forget, man, I puked. And as soon as I puked, I wiped my face and I went right back over to squat rack and the dudes, they were trying to un-rack the bar and I'm like, no, I got too more reps. Got how far? And they looked at me like, holy shit, what's wrong with this kid? Oh, this kid was on it.

Yeah, that's great. So Justin, do you remember the first thing that you did, that you transitioned like as far or changed up in your routine? What was the first thing that actually was shit, this was something's working? I do remember, and again, like to be fair, like every time I would lift weights,

it was part of a program for a sports team. And this was still due to football. Like all of my changes happen in this period from like my sophomore year. Actually, like the once football season started in football year in the fall, well, actually right before that we did it in the, that's what it was in the off season. I'm sorry, off season.

So anyway, we did these like morning workouts. And I started taking heavy amounts of like protein shake with creatine and then I put peanut butter in there and banana and it was just loaded with calories. Blue up. I totally blew up. Like my arms got fucking huge in my chest and my back and my legs, like everything just exploded.

Do you remember how fast you recovered at 16? Oh yeah, it's so easy. It's so easy. It's hard to get so easy. It's hard to get so easy. What happened was for me, like there was different groups of lifting going on. So you had like, I started out as like a DB,

running back kind of group, and I immediately like grew out of that. So I was lifting more weight than all of them. And so then I went up to the guards and the offensive linemen and defensive line. And then I started matching all these guys that were like 50, 60 pounds heavier than me. So I started lifting in their groups.

And so then they challenged me even more. And so I'm lifting even more weight You know more squat more Power clean more bench press and so yeah, so I got to I got to remember going from football after that sophomore year to Because I still played basketball and my arms were were you know Definitely like obviously bigger and I had like Actually influenced like some guys that were grades ahead of me. They're like, dude, how'd you do that to your arms and ball a lot,

you know, because you were tank tops and my arms were just huge. And they, I remember like this guy in particular that played for another team and he was like, start working out all heavy and I saw him the next year, and he was all big too. So it was cool that it was like, everybody kind of noticed it right away, and then I was into that. Obviously my basketball skills kind of diminished a bit because my arms weren't very flexible anymore.

But yeah, that was crazy. It was almost like an overnight thing. Yeah. What about you Adam? My what? What like the thing that made it change? So the first, the very first one was, okay, so I was your typical,

like you kid who didn't know what the fuck he was doing. I was told you before I was, I'm doing bicep curls every day, practice. Every day I went to the gym, bicep curls are in there for sure, right? And then probably working on bench press and we did a couple of chest and arms is like primarily all we're really doing.

And like every once in a while, that we throw a shoulder machine in there or whatever. I'm doing that all the way from, you know, what, 16, 17 years old all the way till I'm almost 18. And before I turned 18, I had, at this time though, I'm in junior college, so I graduated high school young. I was in junior college before 18. And I'm going junior college, so I graduated high school young. I was in junior college before 18.

And I'm going my freshman year. And at that point, I'd got a real membership. We'd moved on from working out in my buddy's garage, and now I'm getting serious, and I'm starting to get into it. Because I've starting to see my body change a little bit, not really, not a big change. It wasn't until I purchased a national certification, because I had become intrigued about being a personal trainer and I did at that

Time I didn't think I'd be a personal trainer for a career. I thought it would be a cool job to have while you went to college Sure, I thought oh, what a cool job. You know workout and learn learn all this stuff and teach people and I had no idea How much they made or anything like that? I just there was a couple really buff trainers in our gym and I was like that would be cool You know, let's say he look cool. I wanted to be cool, you know, whatever So that point that's the extent of it, right? So, and I started doing research on what I needed to do to, in order to become one, and you know, national certifications was like the thing that I had, or what I thought at that time I had to do. So I purchased one, it was IFPA back then, and I got the book and I

started reading. And once I started reading, this is when I knew I had falling love because I was never the guy who I did not like reading in school at all. I did not really start reading until my 20s when I started to like to read stuff that I, and this is what changed a lot of that is, I picked this book up for the first time in my life. Like I couldn't put it down.

You finally got mentally stimulated. Yes, I was so stimulated by it and I wanted to learn that I was just and it just gave me this thirst for more information and to get better at this craft and that's when it really took off. And the very first thing that I changed in my work now would that like a light ball went off was like, you need to tell me if I want to if I don't want to get big, I don't necessarily have to do six reps, four to six reps of everything and it's heavy as I possibly go. Yeah. doing light repetitions could actually give me my build muscle too because at that time I thought they're like it was all heavy because anyone had ever told if you asked any of you in the media

How do I get big when you do low reps heavy ass weight? Yeah, so that was everything we did and we did that for years Yeah, and so I switched to like super lightweight and wrapping out like 15 reps and I blew up I was like also and I added like 10 pounds on wrapping out like 15 reps. And I blew up. I was like, also, and I added like 10 pounds on, I was like, holy shit. And forever that's been like, I love to share that with people who think that, you know, you can't get big,

you know, you can't build muscle by lifting high repetitions and like, wait, that's for girls. Girls are your whole mantra. Oh, right. So it was so that was very, very fascinating. So that was the first time it switched for me. It was the first time I had fallen love with it, but by far, it still was nowhere near

the evolution of my training is now because even then, now I'm starting to work the body a little more symmetrically. Ligs get done once every couple of weeks. You know, I'm not completely screwed. I'm definitely like rarely ever squatting because it was just awkward for me. I was awkward, I was very lanky, I was very lanky

and I always ended up hurting my back. My back was always hurting my knees. So I got into leg pressing and I was doing lunges and doing all the other shit that you could do for legs. But you mentioned how much you were pressing. I remember like four plates on each side was a big thing for me way back then. So to think you were pressing seven, that's crazy.

Yeah, I was at that young of an age because I'm like 20 years old, like pressing four plates to it. Oh, and yeah, in high school, like it's squat three plates and deadlift four. Oh, so I was, I was just really strong at those two, at those two lifts. Wow. Right off the bat. Yeah, that's impressive because I didn't see, I didn't see gains. But then keep in mind, keep in mind I had been lifting weights since, you know, well, yeah, no, that's, I I didn't see I didn't see gains. I think well I'm much want to keep a mind I had the lifting weights since you know, well, yeah No, that's I mean it explains a lot even like you talk about your quads like

You're pressing and doing that kind of weight on your legs like I was doing that like just like three years ago I barely got over that hump like just like three four years ago. You were doing that in like 14 15 years Oh, you and I started yet. I mean talk about serious head start I'm making your hell of old dude. What about exactly? What about like stupid things? You guys remember any stupid shit that you did when you first started working out? Yeah, I well I think it's pretty stupid to be skipping a lot of body parts. Yeah, I mean that sounds very good. There's like zero core function. Oh yeah, there's nothing. It was like maybe like some crunches and that was it like I was you get to a point where I was so imbalanced

and I would, I would seriously be like top heavy almost. I felt myself on the field like once I started getting like even more solid. Yeah, I was like juggernaut. Like I couldn't stop myself even. It was bad. I mean, my, I was such a fanatic right off the bat that my mom was constantly worried about me

because I'd come home from school and I would take a shake Then I'd go on the backyard and I'd be lit some this remember you're I'm you know, I'm in freshman I what freshman does this I'd come home eat then I go on the backyard and I lift weights for two and a half hours I just be out in the backyard just by myself just lifting way I bring out my little boom box and I'd start I put Metallica on and then rage against the machine was you know was another one Yes, and I just start lifting and I'll never forget this one time. I'm doing This shoulder oh no, what was I doing? I was doing heavy shoulder presses and I take the barbell out to the grass

So I could do it out in the sun with my shirt off because I could see my reflection in the in the glass And my mom sometimes would be there cooking, right? So she'd be looking back at me. So I'm doing this lift and when it gets really hot, especially when I was younger, I used to get bloody noses really easily, especially in the hot weather. So I'm doing these shoulder presses

and I'm like halfway through my set and my nose just starts bleeding. And fuck, I'm not gonna stop. So I keep going, right? So I got blood coming down my nose. My mom almost exploded. I hear her screaming what the what are you doing? She goes like oh my god I got blood all over me.

I'm like I got one more red bomb. I got one more. And I just got blood all over. Another time I dropped the barbell on my eye. I was doing an incline press and I thought I racked one side and I dropped it. Boom black eye finished my whole workout. I walked inside and my mom was like, what the hell happened to you?

And I was like, oh, the barbell was like right now, I'm like, no, about 40 minutes ago. I think one of the most embarrassing things that's happened to me like that were, like an idiot move I did, was actually when I was older and I was a trainer already and I was doing fucking stability balls, stupid exercises and yeah, I don't even remember what I was a trainer already and I was doing fucking stability balls, stupid exercises.

Yeah, I don't even remember what I was doing. I think I was doing rope push downs on my knees on the fucking... You fall? Oh yeah, bro. I finished the rep and the ball just shot out from it. And it was one of those ones too, I didn't tip over. The ball shot out so I completely went like a backflip and landed on like back on my neck and my head dude was just nice. Bro I was when I was 70 I remember who I read that did this there was a bodybuilder

that had done this and I used to read about all like I could tell you about almost every single bodybuilder up until Doreen Yates that's when I stopped kind of following but I knew all the old school guys I fall so when I'd see things that I that would that I that they did that you know And I thought would have an impact on my physique. I would do it And so this is how 16 years old I just set my alarm for 3 a.m So I could wake up and take a shake and go back to bed see I did stuff on that too But not until I was in my late mid to late 20, but just to show you what a fucking idiot like crazy I was 16 years old that's what I mean and I'd wake up take my shake go back to look at it It's still actors that like say they do that as part of their getting ripped.

Yeah. And it wouldn't. Well, now I know that that's stupid. Yeah. I'm doing thing. But you know, at 16, I thought it did. So I'll tell you what I used to do it because I was always that kid who could never eat enough.

And so I was like, it was just a way for me to get more food in the hands. I was like, I wasn't hungry when I went to bed. I ate everything I could possibly eat. And I was, that was a huge problem for me too, for a very long time, which that's another transition we can talk about that as huge as far as, I had a lot of points where I really switched, and I have to say the last bit of,

and I don't say last, because we're always evolving and growing and learning and right, but I have to say this last run, like just what, the last two and a half, three years when I got any competing. Really figured it out. Oh, yeah. It really, it was, and like, it's probably,

It takes two things that takes experience, but it also takes checking your ego. Yeah. Once you're able to finally, and this is for the listeners, if you can check your ego, you're gonna make more gains. Oh, instantly.

Oh, oh. And it sounds stupid, but it's 100% true. It's probably more true for guys than girls. Check your ego, stop trying to do the ego workout. Start training smart. That's tough, that's tough training. It's hard, right? But once you make it, you look back and you look out. What was I thinking?

It's why I'm so passionate, because I probably talked the most shit about how I don't like beast mode this and blah, blah, blah. And everyone like, it drives me crazy, because I have learned, most shit about how I don't like beast mode this and bruh bruh. And everyone like, like, it drives me crazy because I'm, I, I have learned. And I was very much so that mentality and very much so that guy. And to have now seen the best changes ever I've ever had in my physique. It was when I had to get so dialed for the show that it was like, it didn't even, I had to, like you said, check the ego.

It didn't matter that I felt flat and weak and you know, all these things like that. I was like, I was on a mission to get to a certain body fat percentage and from there it didn't matter. All I knew that I couldn't hit stage fat. I mean, I'd be the best looking shape guy, the most symmetrical, the biggest this, the biggest that. But most certainly, I will not be the fat

as kind of a stage. So I had to switch that mentality and it really made me change a lot of ways. A period of time. Oh yeah. And then it's so that that was probably the greatest and the biggest was that was getting past that to this level. Do you guys remember the first time like a girl noticed that you worked out without you having to go up and tell her or flex? You know where someone's like wow you look you look like you, do you remember that?

Yeah, when I had my shirt off and I was playing basketball and then like these, you remember the exact moment I was broke. Two girls came up to you and I was like, wow. What have you been working out, huh? And I was like, yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna have my face free.

I have, you wanna touch my muscles? Yeah, it's a pretty much. It was so funny. I was like a soft, that's when that whole thing happened when I was soft, I just realized like the, I don't know the attention of it was just so different. It was crazy. Well, in high school, I was kind of known for being strong,

but not really like ripped or anything like that. It wasn't that long ago. I'd say it was probably maybe only 10 years ago where I'll never forget I had gotten really, really ripped, you know, for the first time. And I was at the beach and people were just staring at me. And I remember thinking, what the hell's going on? And I realized, whoa, it's because I'm really lean.

And then it kind of clicked. Like, if you're really lean, you're gonna make much more visual impact. Oh, yeah. Big any day of the week. And 99% of the time, those people that like, that think like, they think you look bigger that when you're leaner, then what you do,

because every time I've gotten shredded now for show. Everybody says you get bigger. Everyone's like, dude, what are you doing to get so big? I'm like, I'm going the other way, bro. I'm like 15 pounds lighter than when you last time you asked me that, but people, you look so aesthetic, it makes everything pop and you look so much bigger. So it took a while for that transition.

I think kids today, like we were, you know, so it took a while for that for that transition. I think kids today like we were you know back then what were our resources? We had muscle and fitness flex magazine a iron man. I even read muscle media 2000 which was talked a lot about Annabelle steroids. Dan Ducane was one of the the writers in there. But now a day now kids got the internet and I'll tell you if you're listening to this right now, you have so much information that's out there that you could learn in terms of how to train your body. There's so much science out there that you can access. Like, these kids right off the bat are going to know

as much as we did seven years into us working out. Yeah, but there is a part which I also think why I like, I really enjoy what we do is there's a lot of bullshit out there. Tons. And there's more than there ever was when we were coming up. We should just, you know, I should enjoy what we do is there's a lot of bullshit out there tons And there's and there's more than there ever was when we were coming up We should just you know, I should correct what I said if you listen to us Don't listen anybody else No, I think about that though for a second. We didn't have all that bro

It was very I mean, you know Arnold's encyclopedia was pretty much the Bible bro Yeah, I mean there and and they, and there obviously there was a lot to learn and to evolve from that, but then there was also a lot of great foundational things that came from that. It wasn't like a worthless book. It wasn't like, there was a lot of good stuff that came from that book, I'm sure you. Well, I learned every freeway

to exercise bodybuilding exercise in existence from that book. So that, but now there's so many fucking gimmicks and people trying to make a buck that there's so much random Information out there like oh this is the best for this. Oh, this is the best for that who this is best for this and so people I feel like Some of I get very very educated people that come to me that are their fucking just lost They're lost and they it's not that they don't read or they don't try and educate themselves It's just that they don't feel like they don't feel quite confident enough that you know the bullshit that they're reading isn't bullshit Yeah, you know because it they use because I mean what do we do in the in the fitness world so crazy?

We back it up by some doctor some doctor says it. It's got to be the fucking way right some doctor wrote this book or wrote this Diet it's got to be the way because he's got his PhD So no and there's so many companies that utilize that, knowing that as a way to manipulate. So they run studies that are biased towards proving whatever their theory is, I mean, and it's crazy. So, they don't even run studies. Half the time, it's a chiropractor, and then he says,

I'm a doctor, that doctor approved it's a chiropractor. Oh yeah, there's something not fitness related. There is, there's always some hustle to it. And that's just it is like, you know. The dentist or something like that. If you even be a smart kid or smart person, there's a lot of, there's a lot of, there's a lot of shit they gotta go through.

You know, there's a lot of stuff they gotta weed through to kind of figure that out, which, which is why I feel like, you know, why this show will always do well. I try and feel like we try and stay true to that. That, you know, it's all about that. It's all about just bringing, bringing to surface like how it really is, you know.

Well, you know, I'll say this, man, I, I, when I talk about when I first started working out, I get such, I get this incredible nostalgic feeling because I had, I got love working out now. I still love working out. It's one of my, it's one of my absolute favorite things to do. But back then, there was just this feeling of awe, like, you know, you walk into the gym. I mean, the first time I walked into a gym, I think I spent three and a half hours there. I think I called my parents like twice to not pick me up. Like, okay, give me another hour.

It was just a feeling, it was just amazing. It was like, I was in Disneyland, you know? And like I said, I still love it, but some of that mystery and that excitement's gone because I've been doing it for so long. Like, I've been living in gyms for, you know, almost 20 years. You know, so, you know, and you guys have been in gyms for a long time after a while.

You've seen a lot. You've seen it all. And I feel at home, I go into a gym and it's like, today I was working out and, you know, there's some weird dude doing some weird kung fu on the bars. I don't know if you've seen this guy at the golds. He's like this older Hispanic guy and he like grabs on the bar and he kicks his legs around and swings and does,

I mean, the weird, I think he thinks he's in the matrix. But, you know, being in gyms for so long, legs around and swings and does I mean the weirdest I think you think He's in the matrix, but you know being in gyms for so long. I don't even get faced That guy there's always a weird shit. Let's you just see you know, it's like whatever. I'm at home No, I think when was so I you kind of mentioned a little bit about your nutrition I don't think that switch really really went off for me So I was probably in my my-20s of the importance of, I always thought I could work out hard enough or train, and that was always it with offset it.

Yeah, to offset it, and because I was somebody also who needed to gain, I was never worried. Why would I worry about... Why am I worrying about junk food? Yeah, exactly. Why should I count my protein, carbs, fats, things, weird stuff like that and worry about that? I don't even eat enough of that.

I should just keep eating, eat whatever. So like, that was my mentality of just eat everything inside, you know? And so I was, in looking back now, I was, oh my God, I was, I underrate protein, unbelievable amount of under my protein. I didn't get enough of my vitamins and minerals. I didn't, you know what I'm saying?

Like the carbohydrates, most carbohydrates, where shit carbohydrates where they came from. It's like, dude, once you really went, once I figured out, like, I remember running, working it like, okay, I'm going to do this for like 30 days, 30 days, I'm going to eat this. I'm going to eat exactly what I write down, you know, I'm going to write down these foods. I'm going to follow this. This is what I'm supposed to eat. And then what, what, holy shit. Week two, I was already sold. This is what I'm supposed to eat and then what what holy shit week two I was already sold week two I was like all my body had changed so much and that's why I created a long time ago The 14 day challenge that I used to do with clients and in my camps and things like that and all it is is that I Challenge my clients to follow something strict and by strict

I mean exact same foods. I mean a program program where there's a variety of all those things in there and your eyes is meals, but stick exactly to that. You actually do it. Yeah, for 14 days. And it's amazing. In 14 days, the actual success rate is under 10%. Because either a birthday, a long night at work, a holiday, sick, something happens in that time

that makes them break stride in four news and it taught me so much about consistency and that was the next big transition was when I realized like shit okay not only is it important to do all these things but then it's also important that it's consistent and and you said this before I think it's such a it's such a great line is that you know a a subpar program done consistently will always be, you know, better than an excellent, the best program done inconsistently.

Every single time. Every single time. It's so true, that is so true, consistency, consistent, and when I buy consistency, I don't know what you mean, just working out, but, you know, because working out piece can really be, like, three days a week, you know you're gonna have to get in there seven days

a week and crazy as much as we all be consistent about it Be consistent about it and then feed the body right consistently, you know not two or three good days Then a kind of okay day then and not so good day then a real shitty day then back to a good day, you know It's like well, how do you expect your body to respond to you? If that's how you're gonna treat it all the time It's like you know I always think of it as like an engine if you're gonna constantly be depriving it of it of fucking oil, you're going to have to be running with one flat tire. Like, you're constantly doing that. Like, yeah, you could still go forward, you know, you could still drive the car, but

it's not very fucking efficient. You know, like, if you want this thing to run smooth and right, you got to take care of everything. Just bottom line. Yeah. And once that happened, I think that was another transition for me that switched. So I remember each and it's like, that's the part of the growing of, I think, of my, my, training, my, myself and the evolution. It's, it is definitely not been just because I read it a book. I had tons of national certifications and experience and these are still some things that I evolved way later after that when we're talking about getting into competing. That was just here in my 30s, you know, so there's a lot to be said about that. So at the end of the day, just trust what we say,

follow it, and be consistent, you'll be good. Thank you for listening to Mind Pump. For more information about this show and to get valuable free resources from Sal, Adam, and Justin, visit us at www.mind pumpradio.com. Until next time, this is Mind Pump. Pomp Radio dot com. Until next time, this is Mind Pump.