Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 2486: What Happens When You Do 100 Squats Every Day for 30 Days (Listener Live Coaching)

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

In this episode of Quah (Q & A), Sal, Adam & Justin coach four Pump Heads via Zoom. Mind Pump Fit Tip: What would happen if you did 100 squats daily. (2:35) The Di Stefano Annual Post-Thanksgiving... workout. (14:05) New traditions. (19:24) Embracing the holiday spirit. (24:38) Crazy cat rescue. (28:45) Salted caramel delights. (34:31) A great/unknown place for a pick-me-up. (36:33) Christian revival. (37:52) The growing trend of politics. (39:33) Deep frying meats. (44:58) The Organifi Starter Kit. (48:07) Shout out to Dr. Mark Harwood. (49:48) #ListenerLive question #1 – At the moment I want to go back to finish my degree and get into sports program strength & conditioning. Is this a good move? Or should I focus on personal training? If you suggest the latter, how do I scale that as a legitimate business? (53:24) #ListenerLive question #2 – I can see my muscles when I’m lifting, however when  I’m not working out, I feel like I have nothing to show for my progress. I guess I’m hard on myself but I was wondering if I’m doing something wrong? (1:11:21) #ListenerLive question #3 – Any advice for someone who has struggled with losing weight their entire life? (1:26:51) #ListenerLive question #4 – I am struggling with the effects of a reverse diet. Should I add in a cardio day, and remove a day of weight training? (1:39:50) Related Links/Products Mentioned Ask a question to Mind Pump, live! Email: live@mindpumpmedia.com Visit Organifi for the exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners! ** Promo code MINDPUMP at checkout for 20% off. ** Visit Paleovalley for an exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners! ** Up to 35% off + a free gift on orders over $75. If someone subscribes and saves and spends over $75, they receive a free gift FOR LIFE!! (the life of the subscription). ** December Promotion: MAPS Aesthetic | MAPS Symmetry 50% off! ** Code DECEMBER50 at checkout ** TRUTH Behind BRO-SCIENCE: Their Key to Unlocking the SECRETS of Fitness & Health | Mind Pump 1998 US Sees 22% Surge in Bible Sales Compared to Last Year Dr. Mark Harwood - Creation Visit JOYMODE for an exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners! ** Promo code MINDPUMP at checkout for 20% off your first order** Mind Pump Fitness Coaching Course Mind Pump #2390: Should You Become a Personal Trainer? Building Muscle with Adam Schafer – Mind Pump TV Mind Pump #2462: How to Actually LOSE Weight This Holiday Season Mind Pump #2312: Five Steps to Bounce Back From Overtraining Mind Pump #2320: Throw Away the Scale! Mind Pump #2452: The Hidden Hormone That is Disrupting Your Sleep With Dr. Stephen Cabral Mind Pump Podcast – YouTube Mind Pump Free Resources People Mentioned Cory Schlesinger (@schlesstrength) Instagram LAUREN FITZ, M.D. (@drlaurenfitz) Instagram Dr. Stephen Cabral (@stephencabral) Instagram  

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Starting point is 00:00:00 If you want to pump your body and expand your mind there's only one place to go Mind pump with your hosts Sal DeStefano Adam Schaefer and Justin Andrews You just found the most downloaded fitness health and entertainment podcast. This is mind pump right in today's episode We answered live callers questions people called in we got to help them out on air But this was if they was after our intro portion. Today's intro is 49 minutes long. That's what we talk about current events. We talk about family life. We bring up studies around fitness. It's a good time. By the way, if you want to be considered for an episode like this one where you call in, email us your
Starting point is 00:00:40 question at live at mindpumpmedia.com. By the way, I mentioned in the intro the squat like a pro guide it's free you can get it at mind pump free calm this episode is brought to you by some sponsors the first one is paleo valley today we talked about their salted caramel bone broth protein it's so delicious it's so good actually emailed them and said are you sure there's no sugar in this and they said sure there's no sugar in this? And they said, yeah, there's no sugar.
Starting point is 00:01:06 It's the best tasting protein I've ever had in my entire life. And right now you can get up to 35% off plus a free gift on orders over $75. Go to paleovalley.com forward slash mind pump. This episode is also brought to you by Organifi. Today we talked about their starter kit. You get seven days of their green juice, their red juice, 30 days of their essential magnesium capsules, and you get an Organifi shaker bottle.
Starting point is 00:01:31 It's a great way to start yourself off to see which one works best for you. Go check them out. Go to organifi.com, that's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com forward slash mind pump. Use the code mind pump, get 20% off. Also, it's December, this is the new sale, ready? MAPS AESTHETIC and MAPS SYMMETRY,
Starting point is 00:01:51 two very popular workout programs, both 50% off. If you're interested, go to mapsfitnessproducts.com and then use the code December50 for the discount. All right, here comes the show. T-shirt time! And it's t-shirt time! December 50 for the discount. All right, here comes the show. T-shirt time! And it's t-shirt time. Oh shit, Doug, you know my favorite time of the week.
Starting point is 00:02:12 Yes it is, one winner this week. Only one winner for Apple Podcasts, nobody for Facebook, so please leave a review. If you heard your name, which is Sky Day for Apple Podcasts, send your name, the one I just read, to iTunes at mindpumpmedia.com, include your shirt size and your shipping address, and we'll get that shirt right out to ya.
Starting point is 00:02:35 So let's say you decide to do 100 squats every single day. What happens to your body? Some pretty cool stuff. Ooh, hey. Talk about this. You get stronger. If somebody, hey thanks, you gave away the first one for sure.
Starting point is 00:02:47 Actually, you know, a lot of people, it sounds obvious, but then you have a lot of people like, well you can't do that every day type of deal. You have to do them the right way, right? I think 100 squats all at once is probably not a good idea, but spread out throughout the entire day, you for sure will get stronger. Oh, you can easily over train
Starting point is 00:03:04 if you mishandle the intensity. That's right. That's the key. I think you could even do, because that's 10 sets of 10. That's it. So 10 sets of 10. That would be the best way to do it in my opinion.
Starting point is 00:03:14 Very, very doable in a workout. So I used to, so this is actually how I used to, which was a mistake by the way, just wanna put that out there first. How I would come back to the gym. Like if I had fallen off for a month or two and I was getting back, I used to, that first workout was 10 sets of 10,
Starting point is 00:03:29 but it was like with like 135. Oh, just blast me. That was back in the days when we, you know, measured our workout efficiency by how sore you got, which was a terrible measure. But you, I absolutely think that, that strategy would have been smart, but I could probably have done body weight.
Starting point is 00:03:47 I could have done body weight for probably the first week and then the bar and then 10 pounds. And that would be the key is to actually stair-step it very slowly, and then I think it would be unbelievable. So if there's two kinds of people that hear this right now, one would be the beginner, and then there would be
Starting point is 00:04:05 the person who's already fit and already exercised. Let's address the person who already works out, right? So somebody who hears this is like, okay, 10 sets of 10 body weight squats, what's that gonna do for me? I already work out really hard. Well, it's not intense at all. It's actually a low intensity type movement for you.
Starting point is 00:04:23 But you can add it to your current routine. It's not gonna cause more damage. It won't hamper your recovery. If anything, it's gonna facilitate recovery, and it should improve your strength in your traditional leg workouts. So if you're already fit and you did, let's say, 10 squats 10 times a day for 100 days in a row
Starting point is 00:04:40 or 30 days in a row or whatever, you would notice benefits. You would notice strength gains. Now to the beginner who's not working out, this is actually a little bit of a workout. Now it's not hard again for the average person, 10 squats, 10 times a day, not that hard, little higher intensity for someone who doesn't work out,
Starting point is 00:04:55 but you will notice this wonderful progression and strength. Now the key isn't to do more squats, like to say okay, I did 100 today, tomorrow I'm doing 200, don't progressively overload this, just be say, okay, I did 100 today, tomorrow I'm doing 200. Don't progressively overload this. Just be consistent, practice them on a daily basis, and the first thing you'll notice is the squats initially will feel harder, but after day five, seven or so, you'll start to feel easier as your strength
Starting point is 00:05:18 starts to improve. So that's the first thing. The second thing, now this is where the real benefit happens is you'll improve insulin sensitivity. This essentially means you're going to make your hormones, or one of your hormones in particular, and I say hormones because insulin actually has an effect on all the other hormones. As you become more sensitive to insulin, your growth hormone levels tend to become more effective. It's great for fat burning.
Starting point is 00:05:42 Estrogen and progesterone tend to get balanced out in women because there's a very strong connection between insulin insensitivity and things like estrogen dominance which some women suffer from. As you do these squats all day long you are literally sucking sugar out of your bloodstream and pumping it into your muscles and muscles are very insulin sensitive. So you do this throughout the day, especially post meal or post-prandial, you'll have an improvement insulin sensitivity, which means your body's gonna be primed to burn body fat, primed to build muscle, and just from a health perspective,
Starting point is 00:06:15 you're just gonna be a lot healthier and feel a lot better. Yeah, and not just from the movement too. It's just, I mean, this was like an old body builder thing. So you would eat and then you would instantly do what you call trigger sessions right afterwards. And that's how they get ready before they get ready to get on stage, right?
Starting point is 00:06:29 Right before you get on stage, you eat something like high glycemic, right? And then within 30 minutes, you're doing arm pumps and pushups and bodyweight squats and just shuttling all that glycogen. It's funny how that like bodybuilder and brosign stuff like comes back and you're like, oh wow, there's some value there.
Starting point is 00:06:46 There is a, it's what it was, and why it gets a bad rap is the way it was communicated. They didn't explain it right. Because- They didn't know why it worked. It's actually really unfortunate, and I know we've talked a little bit about this on the show before, about, I think we did an, didn't we do an episode on bro science that works,
Starting point is 00:07:00 or something like that? Like that was a good episode. Yeah, so yeah, bodybuilder bro science. Because a lot of it is true. The way it was communicated was incorrect. And then, but then the problem with that is everybody threw it out. Or, oh yeah, that's stupid.
Starting point is 00:07:11 Oh, that's bro science. It's like, well, wait a second. They didn't communicate the science part of it, but there's a lot of value in some of these things. And the reason why, there's a reason why it's been done, been done in the bodybuilding world for decades, because it's been proven to work. Right. But they didn't know how it worked. Exactly. They didn't know how to communicate it really well.
Starting point is 00:07:30 And so then you have the science geeks that want to shit all over it just to feel like they're smarter and better. But in reality it's like, well, there's like a lot of truth to what they're doing. It's just explained. Not to get too far into that, uh into that particular topic, but when you have one anecdote, I don't think you should place much value on that. When you have thousands and thousands and thousands of anecdotes over decades, sometimes hundreds of years, by the way,
Starting point is 00:07:56 you look at ancient forms of medicine, like Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, a lot of this is hundreds of years. Some of it you could go back as far as a thousand or longer years, and there might not be any double-blind placebo-controlled studies yet to support what they found, but when you have that many anecdotes over that many years,
Starting point is 00:08:15 it's pretty trustworthy that the effect that they say is gonna happen is probably gonna happen. So with bodybuilders, you had at least decades of experience doing certain things and saying hey this makes me leaner This helps me build more muscle. They shouldn't know how to explain it. Yeah, it's funny It kind of reminds me of like our culture now or like relies so much on reviews and relies so much on your peers and people That you know like to be able to validate it for you. It's like why should it be that much different? I mean, obviously, you know the science is kind of leads and directs you there in that direction
Starting point is 00:08:48 But or can explain the physiology or whatever But at least having people that have gone through the experience of it like that place especially when there's a lot of it, right? and again now doing 10 sets of 10 squats a day bodyweight squats if you looked at the Calorie burn it's not a lot of calories, especially if you consider how the body adapts to calorie burn. Lots of studies show this. The body's very good at learning how to burn less calories when you start to burn more calories,
Starting point is 00:09:14 except through maybe the metabolism boosting effect of muscle building. And yet, doing this will get people leaner. That's the third point, you'll get leaner. What is going on? Is it the excess calorie burn? That's part of it, but the other part of it, which is big, is the hormone optimization effects,
Starting point is 00:09:30 the insulin sensitizing effects, and what it does is it changes how your body uses calories. So when your body becomes more insulin sensitive, when you're sending a signal to your body to say get stronger and build muscle, your body takes those calories instead of storing, it tends to go to building, and so you start to get leaner as a result.
Starting point is 00:09:49 This is a very effective way to get leaner, is to simply add a little bit of low intensity strength training throughout the day. This is actually, I called this trigger sessions in the first MAPS program, was something similar, this was like three times a day, you would do these band workouts, and the way people mess them up is they did them too intensely.
Starting point is 00:10:08 That's how you'll mess this up, right? If you do this and you're trying to make it into a workout where you're sweating and working real hard every day, it's not gonna work very well. But if you just throw it into your daily routine to where you're, throughout through the end of the day, adding up to 100 squats a day, and it feels somewhat easy, you're doing throughout through the end of the day, adding up to 100 squats a day, and it feels somewhat easy,
Starting point is 00:10:27 you're doing something but somewhat easy, you'll notice all these effects of building muscle, getting stronger, burning body fat, improving insulin sensitivity, which by the way, you could measure with a CGM. So if anybody has a CGM, test this out, watch what happens to your blood sugar levels just by doing this.
Starting point is 00:10:42 By the way, this will do more for that than taking all that cumulative work and putting it in one workout because it's spread out throughout the entire day. You tend to get a better effect. So I love tips like this. I would add one. And I think we've talked about this
Starting point is 00:10:58 many times on the podcast. And that is the value of just practicing the technique of a movement. Of course. And since the squat is the king of all practicing the technique of a movement course and since the squat is the king of all Movements fundamental movement. That's right, and you get so much bang for your buck It's the most one of the most technical movements just the repetition of doing it every single day like that I mean you're really greasing the groove and so when you do start to load or load of the days that you do load Man, you're just gonna be that much better and more capable.
Starting point is 00:11:27 And there's so much value you just get from that. Translates everything. I mean, we stand up right, you know, and that whole base of support is, you know, it's all based upon how much strength you have with your lower body. And this is the way to address it. I never did this like for a client, but I used to do things like this where I used to have them, they'd have like this booklet of stickers and I'd have them put the stickers throughout the house and there'd be like one on the refrigerator, one on their bathroom mirror, and when they would see it,
Starting point is 00:11:56 I'd say every time you see that sticker, you have to do 10 squats. And so that was just like a thing that we would do. So I'm sure it ended up being something like that. They probably after the entire day saw that somewhere between five to 10 times. So they're getting 50 to 100 squats every day. And just, I saw tremendous value in it. And of course- And that daily practice.
Starting point is 00:12:14 Yeah. It makes a big difference. This reminds me of a story. When I went to visit my father's family in Sicily, well, I went when I was a real young kid, but the first time I really remember I was 12. And I remember visiting them, and we went to visit an aunt of mine
Starting point is 00:12:28 that lived in this small town next to the town that my dad's from. So my dad's from a town called Bagaria, which is a larger city, but there was a smaller town, and in this smaller town, a lot of the houses, first of all, some of the roads are so narrow that if you drive your car through, people would sit outside their house,
Starting point is 00:12:44 they'd have to stand up against the wall, let the car through. So these are old towns, right? And some of these houses are old and they're up on these hills and you live on a particular floor and you got to go up all these flights of stairs. Well anyway, my aunt was old. She was, at the time, she had to have been in her 70s and I remember walking with her to the town square to get groceries but we had to walk downhill to get to this place and then walk back uphill. Now I'm a 12 year old boy, I remember walking, following her and she's just trucking up this hill. I don't remember how far it was but it was enough for me
Starting point is 00:13:19 as a 12 year old boy to be like getting tired and then we'd have to go up two or three flights of stairs and I remember my dad looking at me and kind of laughing and he goes, she does this every day. Every single day she does this. And it just maintained her strength and her fitness because it was a daily practice. And it wasn't hard work for her at this point.
Starting point is 00:13:35 She'd been doing it forever. Well isn't that one of the most common things in the Blue Zones? Is just the way that the cities and the community is structured. There's a lot of like just activity movement, not necessarily organized exercise, but just like.
Starting point is 00:13:49 It's in your life, it's in your daily life. That's what we're trying to do with something like this. By the way, we have a guide that teaches you how to squat like a pro for anybody that's interested. It's free. It's free, it's a free guide, we created it because so many people have questions around squatting like a pro,
Starting point is 00:14:03 or how to squat effectively, so we have that up. Speaking of workouts, we had our, I don't know what year it is. I wanna say maybe 15 year, now we've done this, the post Thanksgiving workout. Wow, that many times, huh? I think it might be 15 years. The earliest photo I could find was from 12 years ago,
Starting point is 00:14:22 but I think I did it like two or three years before that. Oh wow. Where we just didn't take a picture. But yeah, so it was my cousins and I, we do this every year after Thanksgiving. It turned into this like tradition where we have Thanksgiving and then. Who can lift what? My cousins, my brother and myself get together
Starting point is 00:14:38 and we do a workout and then we typically would grab food afterwards. So today was, or this was I think the 15th one, it was a lot of fun. But it's funny how the workouts have progressed throughout the years. Like it was very competitive early days. When you were younger.
Starting point is 00:14:52 Yeah, we're like, you know, now the workouts are. Now it's like mobility. Bro, listen, hey listen, shut up. Mobility for the first half hour. What does it look like? It opens with excuses. So it's like. Set the table, oh man.
Starting point is 00:15:03 Pull the fires. Pull my back last week, girls. People are showing up already. Oh, my back's got a kink. Yeah, you know, my back and my shoulder, you know, I can't really do this exercise or that exercise. And then my one of my cousins over there doing like 30 minutes of shoulder rehab stuff. And then the that's the same shit talk, right? It's the same like you're fat, you're old. Yeah, yes, like we just make fun of each other and it's a good time.
Starting point is 00:15:27 But it's fun, man. It's a lot of fun. Now how many of the years have, because you've been coming here now, because it used to be at your own gym. I started in my old, my personal training studio. Since we've had this place, have you come every year? Every year.
Starting point is 00:15:39 Oh no, one year I did at my garage. One year I did at my garage. This one there was a year you didn't do it here. But we did this one. But it's funny, I pulled up, the oldest picture I have, I think it's 12 years old maybe, and I looked at that picture,
Starting point is 00:15:48 picture was this one, and I sent it to, because we're on a group thread, and I sent it, and of course, the shit talking, right? Like, oh, you had so much more hair, and you look like you ate old you, and this and that. It's like, it's so bad.
Starting point is 00:16:02 But this is so, it's so fun. It's such a great, I think traditions are so important because they get you to do things you might not normally organize. Like it's not common that all of us get together just us guys. Like these days if we get together it's family, we have kids, but this is probably the only time a year
Starting point is 00:16:21 where it's just us fellas getting together and just you just hanging out. It's so important to have those because everybody, at some point in your life, you and all your friends and your family get really busy. And it's like one thing to have, you know, meet up with a friend or a family member, but to organize five, six, 10, 20 people,
Starting point is 00:16:40 I mean, it just, it becomes really difficult if you have not established tradition Like that's something that's so important to me with Max as he grows up But I didn't have a lot of that I had a little bit of it And some of that was with my friends with their family their families and I valued that so much You know and so what a gift that you you've turned that into you can you notice the value in it because of the discrepancy Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, Rather than not doing it, you know? Yeah, I know, so it's just been something that,
Starting point is 00:17:07 it's like, okay, this is something that I wanna make sure that I do with, in fact, speaking of that. Oh, wait, before we go, I gotta tell you guys what happened while we were in here, you guys will like this. Well, two things, one, my brother is just, he's such a horse, the guy never works out. He comes in here, throws up 225 on the bat, I think he did it like 13 times. Wow. And I'm like, what, is serious? Yeah, dude, he doesn't a horse. The guy never works out. He comes in, throws up 225 on the bat, I think he did like 13 times.
Starting point is 00:17:25 And I'm like, what, he doesn't even work out, dude. He doesn't even work out. He's just a mute. He's so wild when people have like that too. He's just a strong ass dude who doesn't even work out. That's really strong though. It's like one thing to be kind of natural is. I did that.
Starting point is 00:17:41 I think I did a rep or two more than he does and I work out all the time, bro. And he's just, you know, just he's a moose. But anyway, they come in, they love the studio, by the way. They're talking about how great it looks. Oh, yeah, it's totally changed. It's the last time you go to the studio. Kudos to Justin for, you know, just an organizer studio make it look just so so great. But then they walk in that back room over there where you guys have your your driving simulator, your video game. where you guys have your video game. And of course, they were like, what?
Starting point is 00:18:12 Your cousins are all into cars and stuff. They're like you guys, right? They love cars, so they're like, oh my God, you got one of these, Sal, please come on, show me how to use it. Whatever, I'm like, I don't know how to turn it on. So I told them the whole story about whatever. I'm like, listen, here's a problem. If I let you guys use it, it takes $300 an hour. So they were trying to FaceTime Adam. They were going to ask him. They were going to answer the phone. They were going to FaceTime. But for a good 20 minutes they were talking to the crowd. You're so stupid you don't use this one. So cool. Yeah People get excited about something else now and they're giving the same points bro people train on these and they go race real cars Although you did you did have an ally the other day when Brett and Shalene came to the studio and I thought because I told
Starting point is 00:18:55 Uh Katrina I'm like, oh, you know what? I'm gonna tell Brett Yeah, I'm gonna show him the podium one cuz I bet he's like I want to say listen to his wife He's listen to her interview a million times who want to do that and I'm like, hey bro, come just a second. He's like, oh no, I don't do video games Yeah So we're just talking about traditions. And so I just decided that like, okay, there's this, so Katrina has a lot of these traditions too with her family.
Starting point is 00:19:36 And I always have to remind myself, it doesn't matter how many years, we're 14 years together now, that when I come into this week, that once she gets into family mode, and I don't know if you're like this, I don't know if it's more, uh, like cause the chicks do a lot of the decorating probably in your family. I don't know if you do any of this, but the week of Thanksgiving,
Starting point is 00:19:56 like I better be prepared for my wife being busy and not her normal self of like taking care of me and everything like that. She normally does. So because it becomes about, I mean I'm not kidding, it's like there's several days dedicated to the decor that goes on the table. You know, and the, cause they go, she goes and rents it every year, it's a whole different theme.
Starting point is 00:20:19 And the family does it together? All the women get together. All the women get together on the night before and they drink and it's an all-day kind of a party straight decor thing. But that's that day alone that she's gone doing that and then there's days leading up to that of preparing for that and the stress that comes with figuring it out and making sure. Oh yeah and I just I still one don't come from a lot of tradition, two, not the big family thing, so it doesn't matter that I'm on, you know.
Starting point is 00:20:46 Are you at home or mad? Yeah, you know, in the past. Who's gonna rub my back? You're right, that's, you know, just complete transparency. I'm a fucking Grinch, right? And I'm like, and this year, I was really motivated to flip that.
Starting point is 00:20:58 I'm like, you know what? I don't know why I get like this. I know it's fucking coming every year. Why am I acting surprised? I still relate to that, dude. So are you like, I'm gonna be thankful? Yeah, so I'm just like. I know it's fucking coming every year. Why am I, why am I acting surprised? I still relate to that dude. So are you like, I'm going to be thankful? Yeah. So I'm just like, you know what, like instead I'm going to like, this is going to be tradition for me and my son. Like, I'm like, you know what, this is because she goes and does that. And instead of me making it all about me and being butthurt about it, I'm like, you know what,
Starting point is 00:21:20 I'm going to flip this into like a, this is going to be our thing. Like him and I are going to be at Beakside. And so what'd you guys do? Well, here's what, so Katrina's rule in the house is that no Christmas before Thanksgiving, right? So like no Christmas decorations for Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving is still, you know, fall pumpkins, that theme and so with that. And Max just like Thanksgiving is boring. Like, can we get to Christmas? Like, so he's always nudging and I'm, I'm like, I'm, I'm like, Thanksgiving's boring. Can we get to Christmas? So he's always nudging.
Starting point is 00:21:46 And I'm like, you know, prodding and making it worse. You know, like, man, I wish there was Christmas stuff right now too. And so he's bugging her and she's like giving me the dirty look and everything like that. And so the night that she's gonna go, I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna make this whole day about him and I. And since it's the day before Thanksgiving, right? I tell him, I go over, cause he's all, where are you all where you going mommy oh I'm going over to go do Thanksgiving so what am I gonna do and I lean over to him I said hey I said you know I will do Christmas decorations when mom leaves. No. Yeah yeah he's just you see him light up and I'm looking at him like like this and he's like okay and then
Starting point is 00:22:19 that he's like shooing her out the door. He's like bye mom my mom's here she's looking at them all weird. He actually keeping a secret. He's like, my mom's here. She's looking at them all weird. He actually keeping a secret. He kept it under raft, right? So he gets her out the door and man he was just so, just so excited. And he's like, just blah, blah, blah, blah, talking like crazy. Daddy would do this and daddy would do that and daddy would do this. I'm like, yeah, it's okay. So we made the whole night about, and I mean, he got popcorn and ice cream and we watched Christmas movies and we put up all the blow ups and so, but I'm pulling it up and boy God, I had this moment dude where I literally almost like
Starting point is 00:22:51 cried because he was so excited to do all that. It was a moment where I was telling you that I've just, like I said, I was, I'm flipping the script. I'm not going to be negative or, you know, frustrated about her taking off all day. It's like, you know, this is her tradition. Let her enjoy it. We're going to make our own trying to be present in the moment. So that's so totally enjoying the moment. And right before Katrina leaves, she sees me grab the box that has this, this snowman thing in it.
Starting point is 00:23:18 And she goes, if you're going to mess with that, be patient. And I'm like, huh? Like I didn't, didn't even get what she met until I opened the box and realized it was her who probably put it away because it's all fucking tangled up in knots and shit like that. And I'm sitting there and I'm putting it together with him. I'm just like, oh my God. Inside I'm frustrated, but he's so excited and happy. I'm not letting him see it or anything like that. And I'm sitting there taking with it. He's talking to that. And then he just, he stops for a second and I'm still listening. And he looks at me and he walks over to me and he just gives me this big hug and just holds me. Doesn't say a word anything like that just big ol hug held me and I
Starting point is 00:23:53 went oh my god. Do you think he could tell it? I 100% he's so in tune like that it trips me out like I swear to God I didn't have a look on my face nothing I was totally like he's in a good mood, but inside I'm like Who I can't wish you put it away like this I'm thinking that in my head, but I'm not showing it I'm doing my thing, you know and keeping him happy and he just had this moment where he stops and he walks over cuts Right in front of me in the middle what I'm doing. Just nice gives me a big hug and I'm like, oh my god Okay that that right there sealed it for me. I'm like, you know what? And then it was a great night for us.
Starting point is 00:24:26 And I go, you know what, going forward, this is gonna be our tradition. We're gonna get our Christmas stuff out earlier than we're supposed to when mom's gone doing her Thanksgiving thing, getting ready for that. And that'll be like our day and stuff. So it turned out really cool. We hosted at our house, which is a big deal
Starting point is 00:24:41 because we have a big family. And it's a stressful thing. It's a stressful thing to do. And my wife always comments on the women in my family and how well they, you know, how well they host parties. Like my aunts and my mom, they do such an exceptional job. And so she could get a little stressed out over kind of trying to meet that standard.
Starting point is 00:25:02 And she crushed it, man. We had such a, and then she gave the prayer before we ate and it's the first holiday that we've had since my grandmother passed away. And so we did the prayer, she mentioned that, and my aunts and my mom were just crying and it was just this wonderful. And she just really felt in the spirit.
Starting point is 00:25:22 She's invited all these people over that aren't even part of the family. We had our friend Dennis come over. He has no family here, so he came over. Yeah. How many people did you guys have this year? 30, like 30, so make that up. Because we have a bunch of family up in Sacramento
Starting point is 00:25:38 that didn't come down, so it was a smaller, whatever, party. But it was a great time. It's so good to invite people over too that aren't people that would normally come, so reaching out to friends that don't have anywhere to go type of deal. That's like the best holiday for me. We brought Denny and Cole.
Starting point is 00:25:55 I know, I saw you do that. Yeah, so that was cool. That was Katrina actually, Katrina of course, right? So she was in tune knowing that they didn't have family or anybody there, and so she called them and I heard her on the phone, I didn't know you were gonna invite them. She goes, yeah, they're not here with family. I just wanted to put it out there.
Starting point is 00:26:10 They showed up and I mean, you could talk to them, ask them what their experience, but it sounded like they had a really, really good time. It's so great to see to all the kids connecting. We had our niece and nephew over from Vegas visiting. I had my cousin sleep over with his little girls. And it was just a full house for like a week, and everybody was just, the kids loved it, we were all having a great time.
Starting point is 00:26:30 It was just really nice. Your house was like full for like a week? Yeah, because I had my cousin and his wife and their two girls, plus our niece and nephew were there. Now that's a lot, how was Jessica for the whole week like that? I mean, godly. That's the best thing I could,
Starting point is 00:26:42 that's the best description I can use. She just... I know she's like me. That's a lot. Exactly. It's a lot. It's a lot of noise. Plus it falls on her mostly because you guys know me. I'm a little scatterbrain or whatever. Now, are you good? This is something that Katrina is really good about and it helps me in these moments. Recognizing her in those moments. Like, right? Like, you know, like Katrina will come over to me and she knows like all my, like, for example, when we're huge pet peeve of mine is when I'm prepping meat and I'm relying on
Starting point is 00:27:15 the other family members to show up on time and present their potatoes and shit like that. And I've got like the main, the main thing that everybody's going to like judge by the meal, like is this tri-tip good or not? It's like that's a huge pet peeve of mine. And of course that I don't think anyone's ever been on time in her family I don't think anyone's ever I don't think we've ever had the meal at the right time and they're always behind and so Katrina will see that and know that's something that she'll walk over to me and like hey, you've been so such a great support I know how much it drives you crazy when people aren't.
Starting point is 00:27:46 And so just her recognizing that always calms me, brings me down another level. Are you good about doing that? I am, I am. But she was just so, she was so just at peace and so just open hearted, I think was the right thing. Cause you know, when you have stuff, when you have stuff like that,
Starting point is 00:28:01 I mean, this is me speaking through logic, right? You have to expect the unexpected or you have to be okay with just a bunch of chaos. Easier said than done. But yeah, it was great. It was one of the better holidays I think I've experienced. A lot of my family members commented on that as well over just how warm it was.
Starting point is 00:28:16 I mean, people don't wanna go home. They stayed so late. We were playing a game where you, I think it was Deloney's card game. You know, John had that card game where you ask questions to the point where her niece card game, you know, John had that card game, where you ask questions, to the point where her niece and nephew, they're both, you know, teenage kids, shy,
Starting point is 00:28:29 they don't know my family, my family's loud and in your face, at the end of the night, they were playing with us, you know, answering the questions and just having a total blast. And literally nobody wanted to go home. They were there until like 11 o'clock. I think this was one of our best ones too, if I had like, as far as how everything went too.
Starting point is 00:28:43 So interesting. Yeah, no, it's fun, dude. Does that mean you blew yours up or what? Yeah. Just the quiet. Way to go, guys. Yeah, we're normally balanced somehow. Just like, it was the worst.
Starting point is 00:28:53 I know, I was waiting to drop. Yeah, so no, it wasn't negative. It was actually a really good holiday. We had minimal, actually no drama, I'll be honest. I mean, there was just a few little things that, we've had some issues over the years, trying to figure out, tradition-wise, where we're gonna go with this.
Starting point is 00:29:10 And Courtney and I have assumed the role of, we're gonna get everybody together at our house and be able to host more often and take some of the responsibility off my parents and all that. And that's really helped, I think. They kinda showed up and finally have like, I think it's taken a lot of time for like,
Starting point is 00:29:28 especially my mom to kind of release that a bit. Yeah. Hand it over. And it's, they were really helpful this time and very accommodating. And then my brother was there, you know, with his family. And they also like had his wife's brother was there with us too. We all got to stay at the trucking place.
Starting point is 00:29:45 And it was great. Cousins got together and all the stuff. We played soccer and basketball and all that. Got a little competitive. You got competitive? That's weird. Just a little bit. Rolled my ankle a little bit.
Starting point is 00:29:57 Got a little crazy with it. But there was this moment, though, after Thanksgiving where, I don't know if I told you guys, but so one of our cats had taken off. There's this moment though after Thanksgiving where I don't know if I told you guys but so one of our cats had taken off and We we were like, you know messaging the whole neighborhood We're on next door or on Facebook and we're like trying to like find this cat and it was the one that It's the killing machine one. I really like this cat. He's he's been very productive like I'm not really a cat person per se but like he won me over because he was just like super chill, cool,
Starting point is 00:30:30 like did his thing. But anyways was gone. And like Courtney was just like beside herself. Yeah. She's super attached to this cat and was like, get up. He's like, he's dead. Cause we had all these mountain lions and Bobcats. And so she's every day checking her phone on the cameras. And you could see bobcats just circling our property. You could see they're still pretty active. And so we're just like, oh, we all came to this conclusion. This cat is dead. It's done.
Starting point is 00:31:00 And she's just like, I can't believe nobody's on board with me cuz like we all like has thought hope I think he's gonna come back and she's like no he's dead and like Everett starts crying at dinner, you know Then like immediately when she said that she gets a text message from one of our neighbors and it's like hey I saw your post on Facebook and you know and we heard this meowing in a tree, and we're just like, no way, I wonder if it's him. And so took a video of it, and it sounded like him, and we're like, yeah, it sounds a lot like him.
Starting point is 00:31:38 He was up in a frickin' redwood tree, like 40 feet up. Got stuck? Stuck. No way. All the way up, like way the way up there How do you get him down? Yeah, how do you get him down? This is where the story happens Like she's frantic like she oh she almost was like I'm gonna go drive home Like you're gonna drive like five hours, you know the middle of the night to get there for what like Nobody can do anything until it's like light out. And two, what are you going to do?
Starting point is 00:32:05 You know, I'm like, so anyway, I had to talk her out of that. And then we made some calls. And I thought, I was like, hey, one of my friends is like this volunteer firefighter. And I'm like, maybe he's available or whatever. He's just a really nice guy. Like, I coached some of the Little League games with him and Everett.
Starting point is 00:32:24 And so anyway, we hit him up. we hit up some of our other friends, and they all kind of went to meet up and see if it was the cat. And so they're up there like, yeah, I think this is the cat. And then my friend Jesse actually, he said that no firefighters could, they don't have a truck anymore that could reach up that high unless you get one from like Santa Cruz It's like the huge like, you know 40 foot for forest fires. Yeah, it's so like that's not gonna happen And so I just kind of chalked it off. Well, maybe we could find like a tree climber or something You know the next day we can get like one of those Davey tree guys to kind of go up there and get him
Starting point is 00:33:01 So unbeknownst to us like he just decides to go there with this, uh, 30 foot ladder. And he goes and he climbs up, I guess, takes some of the cat food that one of our other friends had brought and start smearing it like up there on top of like some of the branches and stuff. And then, you know, cola, the cat sort of like kind of climbing down and, and, you know he's interested in it. And so it was really smart. He kind of brought the cat down, but he still was, I don't know, a good 10 feet from reaching the cat. And so he ends up like from 30 feet starts climbing up and like hugging the tree and like hoists himself up and, and then gets close to the cat. The cat comes down and sees him, I guess, and then literally falls off the tree.
Starting point is 00:33:49 And he reaches and grabs it midair. Shut up. And pulls him in. And saved his life. And saved him, dude. I was just like, what are you, some freaking hero? Superhero, dude? Anyways, it was a crazy story and totally unnecessary. I I was like you really didn't have to do that dude
Starting point is 00:34:08 like that's crazy, but like Courtney was like beside herself. That's so great. Yeah, it was great. I want to give him a shot It was like totally like a cool thing that happened. So I'm like dinner or something. Yeah. Yeah, we're definitely like Yeah, so it was just great It was just like we we literally went from like, he's dead, blah, blah, blah, and then all of a sudden, like boom, that whole thing happened. Oh, that's so great, dude.
Starting point is 00:34:30 It was cool. You know what was a hit? Was the salted caramel Paleo Valley. You guys busted that out for Thanksgiving? So listen. It's delicious. It is good. It's so good.
Starting point is 00:34:41 So I come home, because they send, our sponsors will send us stuff for people, no they'll send us stuff, well obviously we have free stuff all the time from sponsors, and whenever they're coming out with something new, they'll send it to us. Well they only sent us a few bags, so we all use it up very quickly.
Starting point is 00:34:54 My wife couldn't wait for us to get any more, so I come home, she buys a bunch. I'm like, honey, you know I get it for free, right? She's like, I wanted it right now. I said, did you use my code at least? No, she didn't even use our code. I'm like, you don't even get credit for it. Just to show you how many people don't do that, you know?
Starting point is 00:35:10 My own wife didn't use the code. That's funny. Oh, but yeah, huge hit. So you know what I do with it is I make her coffee with it. So I take, I get coffee. So I'll make like two or three shots of espresso. You take milk, you warm it up really well. I can see that being good. Froth a scoop of the salted caramel in there mix it with your coffee. It's a latte
Starting point is 00:35:30 Salted caramel flavor zero sugar. It's protein. Yeah, it's protein. I have to try that I just came off of what a two and a half three week cut and What I was doing with it was putting it on a huge thing of just ice and almond milk and making it just like a like an icy like an almond like a salted caramel icy and so that's how I was drinking it yes low calorie high protein and I could make it into this big old icy thing that I could sip on it for an hour hour and a half of getting some high protein low calories I'd say it was a huge hit taste so good taste yeah cuz their chocolate because their chocolate, I've talked about it so many times, it's incredible.
Starting point is 00:36:07 The salt's a caramel. It's almost like I don't believe it doesn't have sugar in it. I know. Because it tastes so much like a holiday drink or whatever. Anyway, so it's good. It's a lot better than me putting eggnog in everything right now.
Starting point is 00:36:20 Are you eggnogging? I have told Katrina not yet. I'm like. I love eggnog. Because I'm wrapping the YouTube series up right now. And she's at the grocery store. And she's like, hey, you want me to grab eggnog? And I'm like, no.
Starting point is 00:36:30 I said, you got another week. I said, what is it? Then I'll go ham on that. Hey, you got to calm down. I got to tell you guys about something that I stumbled into that I think is such a great pick me up for people. And you would never guess where you would get this. So social media in general, comments on videos in general, they're typically not
Starting point is 00:36:51 places you want to go to feel better about anything. It's usually just the cesspool of whatever negativity, shit talk. It's just not like I would never go to a comment section of anything to feel good about life. Okay, well I found a place and it's consistent. It is consistent like every day will come. If you go on YouTube and you click on any Christian worship music, read the comments. Within 10 comments you'll cry, I promise you.
Starting point is 00:37:22 The comments under worship, people's stories. People's stories. I had cancer and I survived, or please help me. I was a drug addict and now I'm clean. Every comment, I got stuck reading these comments and I started sharing with family members. The song's cool, read the comments. Well, it's a nice bias, right?
Starting point is 00:37:41 Because there's nobody, no assholes gonna be listening. No, exactly. Not a lot of pricks. It's a filter., right? Because there's nobody, no assholes gonna be listening. No, exactly. Not a lot of pricks. It's a filter. A lot of Russian bots in there. They're probably not listening to Christian worship music on YouTube, so you get a. Speaking of which, there seems to be,
Starting point is 00:37:54 you guys know I've been talking about how it seems like there's this revival in people interested. There was a 20 plus bump in Bible sales recently, which they haven't seen. Wow. 20%? That's huge.
Starting point is 00:38:07 Massive, and it's new readers. It's all people who've never owned one before. Oh, wow. So just to give you some context. How do they even track a stat like that? So sites that sell them, like Amazon or whatever, will track, and it's usually flat or negative in terms of growth.
Starting point is 00:38:24 There's usually flat or negative in terms of growth. There's usually consistent or negative, 22% jump, like recently. I mean that fits your, what you've been saying for a while. Cause I go back and forth, sometimes I feel like, that's you're in your bubble because you're in it so much right now, so you feel it way more than the average person. But then I see other things and I'm like,
Starting point is 00:38:42 you know, there does seem to feel like there's this kind of conservative movement that's happening right now, but that confirms it. I mean, 20% is a big jump. Huge. Interesting. Yeah, huge. And just like in the last month or so, or is that like the years?
Starting point is 00:38:56 I can find the actual stat, but it's very recent. Yeah, I wonder if it's just happening in particular. No, no, no, it's a very recent thing. They just posted it to a very recent thing. They just posted it, so the Wall Street Journal, this is happening this year. Literally through the end of October. So this year up to the end of October, so 22% in 2024.
Starting point is 00:39:20 Wow. And just like again, so you guys know, before that it's like 1% or 0% or negative percent. So this is something that now you're seeing articles are being written about which is kind of cool. Big shift happening. Yeah, now to YouTube, here's some negative. We track trends on YouTube because of our business.
Starting point is 00:39:40 Oh yeah, this is crazy. And there's like flat or negative growth and anything that is personal growth or health related. Growth negative 30 40 percent. Which is like what? Yeah so it's like what are we doing? There's this negative trend and where all the viewers are going right now is politics. Yeah. Politics. So that means people want political stuff. That made sense to me in the last like a month ago but right now that's kind of weird to me. I know that's why I was thinking I was like, yeah I understand that leading up to the election, but like now let's why are we still like hung up on?
Starting point is 00:40:14 Yeah, yeah, I would I would not guess that for sure though You know January 1 that'll flip. I hope so, of course Number one New Year's resolution is always to lose weight. Yeah always a year in a year that and smoking cigarettes always no one and two So there's no way people smoke more cigarettes January 1st. Oh quitting quitting Yeah quitting smoke number one and number two number one and number two for New Year's resolution has always been quit smoking and and at number two for New Year's resolution has always been quit smoking and and and get in shape. It was like one and two has is smoking on the downturn still or is it pretty flat? Do you guys know at all? I don't know. That's a that's an
Starting point is 00:40:52 interesting. There's no vaping for a second. I know. Do you include that? No, no, I would. I would. I bet you can look up stats. Maybe Doug can find stats on cigarettes on. I don't know, but like it's so abnormal to see, I think that I showed you guys a while back about this like golfing girl. That chick, that hot chick. Attractive girl. That's why I'm asking this question because I've seen a couple things now where people are smoking cigarettes. Yeah, almost like never would be rebellious again. It seems like to get attention and and be like well, too I've seen this other guy who's like getting a lot of traction who's just like
Starting point is 00:41:29 Talking shit about like all the chemicals people are like alarmed by and so he starts drinking He just like it's not gonna affect me and just there's drinking like all of these like forever chemicals and so show how not to show Yeah, smoking rates are still going down both in the United States and globally. Smoking rates have been steadily declining in the United States with the percentage of adults who smoke dropping from 42.6 in 1965 to 11.6 in 2020. Wow. The percentage of daily smokers has also declined
Starting point is 00:41:58 from 16.9 to 13.7. Cigarette use has decreased significantly among teens with daily cigarette. Now see, this is what would be interesting interesting to me is that's where you'll see it is is the drop. But then have we seen this huge spike in vaping and they're not counting those as in the same group? Like what would be really interesting is let's say back in 1965, 42% maybe let's just say for argument sake represents 10 million people.
Starting point is 00:42:25 And now it's 11%, so what, that would be a fourth of that. So a fourth of that is still. But what do you make up for the difference? Is nine million people vaping now. Yeah, I don't think so. But I hear what you're saying. There's a lot of people vaping, dude. A lot of people vaping.
Starting point is 00:42:44 There's some nasty effects connected to that as well. Yeah, totally. For the solvents and the chemicals. Oh yeah. Yeah. Wow, 40% of Americans used to smoke. You know there's countries that were still, that's way higher.
Starting point is 00:42:57 I think some of the highest smoking places in the world, believe Russia, if I'm not mistaken, is one of the highest percentage of people that smoke cigarettes. I can see that. I know China is really high. Maybe, Doug, look that up. What's the highest, what countries smoke? I think it's China.
Starting point is 00:43:11 I think we've seen this, we've looked at this before. We did, right? Yeah, I think it's China. Yeah, just by the way, on the e-cigarettes, our vaping is 6% currently. 6% of people do that. Yeah, oh, that's not that much. That's not that much at all.
Starting point is 00:43:23 Yeah, not if we're in 40 or above. You know what's going up are nicotine lozenges. Yeah. That's not that much at all. Yeah You know what's going up or law or nicotine lozenges? Yeah, that's what you're seeing a lot of well. Yeah, you've seen Let's wait by using that for energy and for like nootropic reasons, you know, it's interesting I somebody asked me this question on a podcast. I was interviewed and somebody asked me what I thought about nicotine and I mean just straight up, it does have some nootropic benefits. It is an interesting stimulant slash calming agent.
Starting point is 00:43:51 It's one of the very few things that actually seems to do both. But it's addictive. That's the only thing you gotta relate. So it's addictive, it's been proven. Do you want another addictive thing in your life? We have enough of those already. So think of something that you already-
Starting point is 00:44:03 Yeah, I'm already struggling with caffeine, so I don't need that. That's right. What are those pouches that all the kids use? It's like super popular. Zins. Zins. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:44:12 Is that what they're called? Zins, right? I think so. They make me nauseous. Way strong. So strong. I took one of my buddy had one of the day, I was like, oh, let me have one of those. Oh.
Starting point is 00:44:21 Guess I wasn't ready for that. They're pretty powerful, yeah. They are way more powerful. I like the little, we used to have like the one milligram gummy gum. Half a milligram. Is it half a milligram? Yeah, those were more, those were better.
Starting point is 00:44:30 I can handle that. But again, like do you want to introduce something in your life that's another thing that you're gonna have a tough time getting rid of? Like you said, you brought up caffeine, Justin. Yeah. And you know, caffeine, if you use it properly, it's not bad for you.
Starting point is 00:44:43 But I know how hard it is for me to not have caffeine. Oh, you keep going to excess real fast. Yeah, and I also know how hard it would be for me to have it in a day. Like, if I was somewhere and I didn't have caffeine, I'd be upset. Yeah, I'd be. I don't want to throw one more thing at myself.
Starting point is 00:44:55 A bear to everybody. You know, like that? Yeah. No thanks. Doug, did you go to Seattle? I did, yeah. How big or small was your, thanks, Huynh? I'd say there were about 20, 25 people.
Starting point is 00:45:05 Oh, you had a big one too then. So we had it at my sister's house. They're actually gonna be selling their house, so it'll be the last year there. Oh. Yeah. Really nice though. Yeah. Had some nephews and...
Starting point is 00:45:16 Was it mostly family, all 25, or did you have friends? Yeah, pretty much all family. I was gonna ask you, Adam, did you smoke the turkey the first time? So I didn't, Thanksgiving. So I did a pre, so I wanted to try smoking, I've never smoked a turkey. Right, that's what I was gonna ask you.
Starting point is 00:45:30 So I smoked a turkey the week before to test it out. Bad idea to do that on the same day that I was watching my son by myself. Oh. Yeah, so it was like, I didn't. So you decided not to do it? Yeah, because I mean, Katrina said it was all, she said it was good, and I was not happy with how it turned out, and so there's like things that I wanted to figure it? Yeah, because I mean, Katrina said it was all, she said it was good, and I was not happy with how it turned out, and so there's like things
Starting point is 00:45:47 that I wanted to figure out and tweak, and so before I presented to 30 people, I like opted out. And we were having it at Katrina's mom's house, who she has a green egg, which I don't, I've never smoked out of a green egg. I know they're amazing, but. What the hell is that?
Starting point is 00:46:01 A green egg? Oh yes. It's like one of the best smokers you can get. It's a smoker, it's, I'm assuming it looks like a big looks like a big green Weber yeah yeah there's a good giant green egg and they're they're well known for being a really good smoker but they're different mine used to my Traeger and it's all digital it's easy and so yeah so to be learning to do it I don't think I hit it yet and then on top of that not having my own equipment stuff
Starting point is 00:46:24 like that I'm fin my own equipment stuff like that I'm finicky about that stuff like that. I had I did a tri tip and I did a deep-fried turkey and I did the tri tip for them You deep fry red meat Well, you could defry any kid. I don't know. It's good. It wouldn't be good. I'm not sure I'm making a lot of I wouldn't think so. I'd be nice crust on it. Is anything bad? I know I wouldn't think so. I'd be, who knows? I have nice crust on it. Is anything bad deep fried?
Starting point is 00:46:44 I know. Oh. That's just like, that's why I'm just. I've tried a lot of things that are fried. I told you guys, I went to that one place, Chicago, they literally deep fry anything. Although, one of the things that's nice about a slow cook on red meat is how it tenderizes it.
Starting point is 00:46:57 So the slow smoke, that's what makes that so good, is that it slowly cooks the meat internally, and so it's really tender. Yeah. So if you were to drop it in, if you fry it, it fries fast. A whole turkey cooks in 30 minutes. So you would cook that meat really fast. So I don't know. But that would be hard. So yeah, it'll probably be chewier. It probably wouldn't be better. You know, I mean, it would have a real crispy outside, which would probably be good, but I would imagine that the meat would- You don't want hard meat, right? The meat wouldn't be as tender
Starting point is 00:47:26 as like a slow smoke. Apparently some guy burned down a $4 million house frying a turkey this year. Every year. Every year that happens. Every year that's like the number one, I think in fact, I believe one of the number one fire hazards is deep fried turkeys.
Starting point is 00:47:42 It's gonna be that fireworks. There was someone on social media was trying to do this stupid post talking about how dangerous it was to fry, because who was it, RFK was deep frying his turkey in beef tallow? Yeah. And they were like, oh, this is a fire hazard
Starting point is 00:47:55 because the beef, and it's like all oil catches fire. Yeah. Well, it doesn't matter what oil you use, it'll catch fire. A loose flash. Beef tallow, like corn oil, it's all gonna catch fire. Anyways, you guys, I got a little flashback to our days at 24 hour fitness.
Starting point is 00:48:12 I saw that Organifi's doing a starter kit. That came from us. That came from us. So we talked to Drew about. And I'm sure you got that idea from week in. Yeah, yeah, so I mean I was telling him how we used to, and I think we've brought it up on the show before about what starter kits were, but they were brilliant.
Starting point is 00:48:30 And they used to attach them to memberships back in the days. They used to be, they were sold as $100 value that they would sell for $50, and they would wrap it into the price of the membership enrollment fee. And in it was basically like a weak supply of all the different supplements that the company sold. And it was just a great way to introduce
Starting point is 00:48:51 the new client to all these different supplements that you then would hopefully get them on later on. And so I was telling him that like, hey, this is a great way because Organifi has so many products for you to put a handful of your best products or go through and look at what the most popular products that people buy from us for Organifi. So it's got a week of green juice, a week of red juice, 30 days of their magnesium capsules, and then a shaker bottle.
Starting point is 00:49:18 That's brilliant. We did talk about that once. I remember that. Try them all out. That is really, I like that. Seven days is enough. People will know if they like the green juice and they'll like it for sure. I remember that. We did. We did. We did, yeah. I like that. Seven days is enough. People will know if they like the green juice.
Starting point is 00:49:26 Yeah, yeah. For sure. And again, it gives them an opportunity to try all of it out, and if it's something that, and I think they even called it, I think it's called a starter kit too, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, so that's exactly what ours was called.
Starting point is 00:49:37 That's awesome. Yeah, I'm super interested to hear how it does for them. So I know that the, I don't know if they are launching just with us, or they're going site-wide and telling everybody else but I know it's definitely something for our audience. Alright so I want I want to do a shout out but for someone I think you would like a lot Adam. Me? Because yeah I tease you we always used to joke whenever we'd bring up like carbon dating and you'd be
Starting point is 00:49:56 like how do you know that they're that old or whatever. Nice. This guy named Dr. Mark Harwood he he's a PhD, and he'll go on a podcast or he's on YouTube, and he'll talk about how inaccurate carbon dating is, how, you know, that there's evidence for this great flood, how, and he talks about, and he disputes and debates scientists on a lot of these different things. So some of his evidence, now you brought this up
Starting point is 00:50:29 before Justin, where you'll see, there'll be like something that we know is a few hundred years old, but encased in rock that the carbon dating shows is millions of years old. And we're like, well, how's that possible? And so people are like, well, maybe it was aliens or some weird shit, and he's like, no, it's because the way that the carbon decays and the way he breaks it down
Starting point is 00:50:48 is like, it can be terribly inaccurate. For example, he also talks about how fossils can be created under just extreme pressure. Extreme derasity, it could be like... Like you could flash make a fossil. Immediately, yeah, exactly. It's not something that has to happen over thousands of years. Yeah, so I went down this rabbit hole and watched it.
Starting point is 00:51:05 Again, Dr. Mark Harwood. And I'm watching and I'm like, oh no. I knew eventually I'd get you. I knew eventually you'd come over here. I knew it, I knew it. It's pretty cool. It's cool if you're into that kind of stuff and you wanna go down some rabbit holes and it's fascinating.
Starting point is 00:51:22 Older guy, I've been doing this for a long time. Older guy, very intelligent. I wonder if it's someone who I've heard from a long time ago, because someone had made an impression on me a long time ago that I've always questioned. It's not like I came up with that, I don't know that science, right?
Starting point is 00:51:34 Somebody who I respect, intelligent, I was like, oh wow, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I went down this rabbit hole, for example, there's this diagram that I brought up that I'll share with you guys. And it talks about like the cell, okay, like a complex cell, right? A complex cell and it has, I mean, you've got, you know,
Starting point is 00:51:55 microfilaments and microvilles and microtubules and you've got the mitochondria, et cetera, et cetera. And you cannot, it says, now the argument is it's not possible for cell to have evolved step by step, because you take one component out and the cell dies. And so the argument is evolution didn't happen in some of these cases where we think, oh, it started from basic organic compounds
Starting point is 00:52:21 that became single cell organisms that then turned into complex cells that then turned into complex cells that then turned into complex organisms. Like, no, there's so many, the conclusion that they make is that the cell is irreducibly complex. And they're saying how a lot of the theory of evolution is a fairy tale.
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Starting point is 00:53:19 Use the code mind pump, get 20% off. All right, back to the show. Our first caller is Devin from Georgia. What's up Devin? How can we help you? How's it going fellas? Hey, um, first off, it is a complete honor to be talking with you. Um, you guys have legitimately changed my life and because of that, I am in turn, uh, changing other lie, others lives and, uh, yeah, just the utmost gratitude to you guys and what you do. So, uh, just big thank you. Thank you, man. Thank you. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:53:54 So I'll just go ahead and read my question and we'll just get right into it. That work. Yep. All right. So, um, I got personal trainer certified late last year, and I've been training clients in a local independent gym since January. My clients and I have seen incredible results, and I'm slowly starting to gain some traction all by using your programming and wisdom. I personally have lost over 60 pounds since implementing your methods. I attached a photo if you guys can see that, I'm not sure. Um,
Starting point is 00:54:28 and in turn my clients are seeing, I mean, just off the top, one guy started with me in March at about 370 pounds. Now he's sitting at 300 pounds and, uh, I mean just killing stuff and powerlifting competitions I mean it's it's crazy nice very cool so I have a huge passion for this I'm still working another job outside of personal training so personal training is kind of a part time thing right now but I'm kind of torn between two things at the moment I think I may want to go back and finish my degree exercise science kind of torn between two things. At the moment, I think I may want to go back
Starting point is 00:55:05 and finish my degree, exercise science, kind of go the strength and conditioning route. But I also just have this kind of big passion for kind of one-on-one body transformation, sustainable health side of things. So yeah, my main question, like, is this a good move? Should I focus on personal training? And I know it's kind of hard just to kind of see from a little bit of information I'm giving you,
Starting point is 00:55:29 but if you do suggest the latter, how do I scale personal training as a legit business and kind of setting myself up for legacy and a legitimate business that I can sustain my family's financial health down the road, so on and so forth. So also, it's probably fun. Great question. Great question. So personal training can definitely be a long-term,
Starting point is 00:55:58 stable career where you can do really well, and it's very, very, brings a lot of value to other people and to yourself as you're experiencing now. It's a really enjoyable thing to do, and it can be a successful career for sure. The problem is there isn't much training and coaching around how to develop a career as a personal trainer.
Starting point is 00:56:21 Are you in our course, Devin? No, I've been doing all the free webinars. It's on the radar. My wife's an accountant, so we gotta have everything ducks in a row, and after the holidays, we're gonna kinda reassess, and hopefully I'll be able to do the next enrollment phase. Well, here's the deal, Devin, and we'll get into
Starting point is 00:56:39 the sports and, excuse me, strength and conditioning, there I said it again, Justin. Strength and conditioning degree. We'll ask about that as well, but as far as the, excuse me, strength and conditioning, there I said it again, Justin. Strength and conditioning degree. We'll ask about that as well, but as far as personal training is concerned, it's much more than just the conversation that you're gonna get here on this podcast.
Starting point is 00:56:54 And we'll help you as much as we can, but it's an ongoing coaching process. Just like if somebody asked you, hey, can you help me lose weight and get stronger? You know, you'd say, hey, look, I can help you in a 10 minute conversation, a little bit, but not much, that's gonna require some coaching.
Starting point is 00:57:11 Our course is designed in that way. Okay, so there's nothing I'm gonna say now that's gonna be more effective than the course that we have. And we walk you through every step, whether you work in a big box, private, you wanna do online, we'll take you through and really help you develop and build a career around fitness. So that is paramount, okay? So strongly suggest that, by the way, you can make payments on it, where you don't have to buy the whole thing up front, you
Starting point is 00:57:37 just make payments on it. And dare I say, it's gonna be more valuable for personal training than any degree you're gonna get. I'm just gonna tell you that straight up. Now, in terms of working in strength and conditioning, what were you thinking, like a coach, like a high school team, something along those lines? Okay. Something along those lines, right. Okay.
Starting point is 00:57:58 The question I would have for you, and that's definitely a route you could go. Not a lot of money in that. Not much money in that. It's also a bit difficult to get into. But that being said, the only thing I would say is where do you find more of your enjoyment and your passion? There's pluses and minuses to doing that, right?
Starting point is 00:58:20 So working with teams, you get to work with athletes. You're watching them compete. it's a completely different environment than working with everyday people and coaching people one-on-one like when you coach people one-on-one it's a totally different impact and then the financial aspect you could do way better as a personal trainer than you would as a as a strength and conditioning coach so it's really up to where you find your you know where your hearts as a personal trainer than you would as a strength and conditioning coach. So it's really up to where you find, where your heart's pulling you.
Starting point is 00:58:50 Because this will be what you do for the rest of your life. So that's the real question. The financial side of it, yeah. It's almost weird to hear. I know me personally from hearing you guys, I know kind of sky's the limit whenever it comes to personal training like finances personal training, but I think My mind just keeps going back to kind of the stability of The being part of a you know a school program something like that having that, you know
Starting point is 00:59:20 baseline pay or something like that, so that part of security is appealing, but, um, at the same time, I see the other side where you guys say, you know, you sky the limit of, you know, personal training and that's kind of the biggest questions I have of like the scaling aspect, like I see myself day to day now. Training the clients that I have and getting great progress, but I, I'm just kind of lost whenever it comes to that next level, that next step, you know, is there a big like sports performance facility in your area that you could possibly like do like have a mentorship with one of the coaches and kind of peer in a little bit more
Starting point is 01:00:03 to the finances of what they're pulling in, because I know there's some facilities that do well. It's not like, I mean, Sal's right in terms of like, if I was to purely focus on like a financial gain in this career, in this industry, just being a personal trainer servicing a lot more needs of like body fat and composition
Starting point is 01:00:24 and everyday average people versus athletes a lot more needs of like, you know, body fat and composition and, um, you know, the everyday average people versus athletes is probably a more, uh, sustainable, um, side, but, but there is options and there's people that have made it work. And I've interviewed a few of them. Um, but it's to kind of get into that world. It definitely takes, you know, a commitment, uh, and a timeframe of you being able to build that network so you can build a name for yourself and move your way up and maybe even get to the college level and then the pro level. Corey Schlesinger is a good example of that as well.
Starting point is 01:00:58 But is there any staple place near you that you can kind of go, uh, do some investigation. Um, maybe I know, I mean, I know there's a few kind of designated strength and conditioning gyms around the area, but I mean, I'm sure there would be closer, you know, down toward Atlanta. I'm just about an hour North of Atlanta. So like looking down that way, I'm sure there would be. You know, I'll be more blunt about this. I think the degree is a terrible idea.
Starting point is 01:01:31 Unless you know for sure you're going into a field that is gonna require you to have it and wanna do it, and then you're fully committed on that's the direction you wanna go. Otherwise, the amount of time and money that you'll invest in getting the degree, I could have you with seven national certifications, interning with somebody who's a great coach or other trainer, and also scaling your personal training business to make more money than
Starting point is 01:01:57 you may ever even make as a coach anyways. By the time you, so let's say it takes you two to four years to finish that degree, and that amount of time, you know, I the time you, so let's say it takes you two to four years to finish that degree. And that amount of time, you know, I've got you making more money already as a trainer and better educated, better certified and better qualified to be a great trainer in that same amount of time, less money, more, uh, more time. just the only way it makes sense to me is if you are like dead set, I am going to go and I want to be, you know, a D one coach and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get there. And so I know part of the requirements, I'm going to need this degree in order to even get my foot in the door. Then by all means put your head down, bury it, start working.
Starting point is 01:02:38 But that is a long, uh, rough path. It is not easy. It's loaded full of politics and connections and people that don't get paid very well and have to do a lot of fucking work to get recognized. And so, I mean, I wanted this is what I wanted to do when I first was getting into personal training. I thought that was the direction I wanted also. So this hits home for me. Also, this decision of do I finish my degree or do I go do these national certs and just build my trainer business?
Starting point is 01:03:09 And if you know the story, I didn't finish my degree and I just started doing national certifications and never looked back. And now I understand the full scope of that side and have several friends that are in that side. And boy, they are very envious of the trainer side, the flexibility, the financial ability on the training one-on-one.
Starting point is 01:03:33 More so than I am envious of the long, crazy hours and grunt work they have to do for very little pay, just so they can say they're a sports teacher. Most people with that degree end up becoming PE teachers, that's just the reality. There's very, very few people that get the glamorous job of being a D1 coach. And I'll tell you, the D1 coach isn't glamorous.
Starting point is 01:03:54 If you talk to our friends that are D1 coaches, they'll tell you it's fucking a grind. It's a grind, they don't make much. You know, there's also the myth of stability. You know, like, oh, it's more stable if I go get a job at a school. Go be a personal trainer at a big box gym. Like, very stable, very stable, easy.
Starting point is 01:04:11 Getting clients is easy there. You build a business, you make more money, you actually have more flexibility. You get benefits and the whole thing. So it's a bit of a myth, you know. And it is a long road. You have to go back to school and continue to work while going to school, do the whole thing.
Starting point is 01:04:27 So that never appealed to me personally. I've always looked at the stable argument as a myth and it's true. Look, I've been self-employed, not working in big box. I'm talking about own my own business. Since I was 24, here I am over 20 years later, I have lots and lots of friends who worked in the corporate world, worked in whatever, with
Starting point is 01:04:49 the quote-unquote stable jobs that have gotten fired, laid off, or whatever. Meanwhile I've been employed the whole time and I've done well. So that's also it's also a big myth. So you got to ask yourself like I mean you know so and I'm look again I'm I understand the kind of the direction, the question, but I'll tell you what, I don't know what your current situation is and what your demands are, but whatever decision you make, go for it 100%. Like, if you wanna do, if you have the ability,
Starting point is 01:05:17 yeah, if you have the ability to pursue personal training right now, you're in a situation where like, okay, I could have four months of not making tons of money and kind of building this or three months of building this. Go for it. Go find a big box gym, go work there, get our core supply of what we said. You will do well. Like you will. It's literally, now the rare occasions are the people that become general managers or the people that like crush it, but I have yet to meet a trainer who isn't just lazy,
Starting point is 01:05:50 who loves what they do, who can just do well, just by following what we say. We train people, we train coaches for a long time, and it's not, especially in a big box gym. Yeah, and I think if you're really building your business first is the utmost importance, and then specializing as you go. Like you can still have the passion for it,
Starting point is 01:06:08 but just you gotta see what kind of demand is there and what you can pull in to keep you afloat. So that was a reality check for me too, like for training athletes. It's just seasonal, inconsistent, and unless like you really own a facility and you're bringing all the teams to you It's a really difficult model. Yep, Devin
Starting point is 01:06:28 The best advice is just don't half-ass it whatever you decide to do go all in and do it and commit to it That's gonna be so important And hey And I don't know how familiar you are with Sal's story of my story because it was very similar to this when we were in our late teens early 20s and What I said to myself was, hey, I'm gonna give it one year. I'm gonna go all in on this idea or plan.
Starting point is 01:06:51 And if it doesn't manifest into the vision or what I think it should be or could be, then I mean, it's one year of my life. I'll go back to school. I'll go back to school. I'll get the degree. I'll go that direction. But I really love this.
Starting point is 01:07:04 I really think there's potential. People are telling me I'm good at it. I'm just gonna, I need to fully commit myself to it instead of me having my hands in three different things and just see where it takes me. And in one year's time, I had enough. I was ready to go. So, you know, nothing says you can't do that,
Starting point is 01:07:19 but whatever you do, fully commit to whatever it is. Like what Ron Swanson says, right? Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing. That's right, that's right. Whole-ass it, that's right. The whole butt. Yeah, great. That's, I think I, as many people do,
Starting point is 01:07:38 I think that's, I knew that's what you were gonna say. I think the whole affirmation thing was, I just needed to hear that from you guys. So yeah, that's really great to hear, I appreciate. Listen, Devin, we just closed enrollment with our new course which offered a discount, a bunch of free stuff. I'm gonna have someone reach out to you, and offer, because if you try to get in now,
Starting point is 01:07:58 you're gonna pay the full price. I'm gonna have someone reach out to you and see if they can take care of you. Incredible, that would be awesome. All right, we have your email here. If you'd rather they call you, I'll make, why don't you, let's see, I don't know if Doug, he can message you here.
Starting point is 01:08:13 I'll have Kyle set up, if that's his email, I'll have Kyle set up a call. Done. So we can talk to him. Yeah, we'll take care of you, we'll give you the open enrollment rates and all that stuff, so. That would be awesome. Got time for one last thing. Yes, sir. Do it.
Starting point is 01:08:28 You guys were talking about Dungeons and Dragons, a couple of, yeah, yeah, of course. I was the previous, uh, professional dungeon master for Dungeons and Dragons. And, uh, you guys talk about that. That was, that was pretty, that was pretty cool. Just, yeah, you guys should definitely That's something a really important role. Yeah You gotta come set us up man. I think Justin would like it the most Yeah, wizard
Starting point is 01:09:00 Yeah, let's go well I appreciate it so much guys thank you man brother. Thank you man. Good luck. Thank you. Alright man. I hope I see him in the course. Yeah me too. I hope he gets in there. First of all, going back to school he'll pay way more money than our course. It'll give him way less.
Starting point is 01:09:19 Less application. When it comes to fitness, I'm going to say this straight up, when it comes to fitness except for maybe the medical field or where these things are required, which is a small sliver of fitness, like physical therapy. Yeah, therapy, chiropractic. Yeah, chiropractic or whatever. Besides those small slivers, a degree is worthless.
Starting point is 01:09:40 It is worthless. Now if you need the structured education, you don't mind spending 10 times as much to learn half as much, because that's what happens, then go for it. Otherwise, it is a complete waste of time and money when you could do in four years with a degree,
Starting point is 01:09:54 you could do with a certification course and then go get experience where you're gonna learn everything. Even strength conditioning, you can just get a CSCS and save yourself a ton of money and then still have the accolades that you need to get hired for that Degree for CSCS you have to have a degree you have to yeah, you have to have a degree in order to even take
Starting point is 01:10:18 Well, I mean nonetheless in that short of that period of time the what you could do the amount of national certs that he can have acquired on his own pace and on time, the amount of interning or working underneath, because that's how I would do too. It's like, hey, maybe I don't just ditch the whole coaching idea altogether. I still go find a local school, college, volunteer my time. You're going to make cool networks of people.
Starting point is 01:10:40 You're going to meet a lot of potential clients and their kids and all that kind of stuff. So it's gonna be valuable regardless, but you're gonna get a lot of data to work with in terms of like, is this really the direction for me or not? Yeah, I assumed when I was younger that those jobs paid really well. I did, I mean, I thought you're working with pro athletes and stuff like that, like these guys get paid good,
Starting point is 01:11:01 it's like not at all. So, I mean, and how long. Demand, by the way, there's a line of people willing to do that job for almost nothing. Yeah, which is why they, that's why they give, that's why most people are doing it for free, volunteering their time, just so they can be considered
Starting point is 01:11:17 to get paid not so good money. Like as a personal trainer, you'll do way better, so. Our next caller is Corinne from New Jersey. Hi, Corinne. how can we help you? Hi, how are you guys? We're good, how are you? I am super excited, I am such a fan. I'm gonna start like everybody else does.
Starting point is 01:11:36 I've been listening to you guys for about two years now and honestly, you are my motivation to just live a healthy lifestyle. I brag about you to my family, my friends, my husband. I love you guys. You're awesome. Thank you. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:11:52 All right. You're welcome. So like I said in my email, one of the things that I did bring up was anytime I do like a military press, I get like a clicking sound in my shoulder. Since I've emailed you in July, I've worked on that. I have done physical therapy.
Starting point is 01:12:10 I've gone to a chiropractor and I've honestly just been stretching more than I ever have been. And that made a huge difference. So that question kind of solved itself. Oh, okay. But my second question has not. In the email, I just said, no matter how active I am, and I don't think I overdo it, I do listen to a lot of what you guys say.
Starting point is 01:12:36 No matter how active I am, I feel like I struggle to see, I don't know if this makes sense or like makes me sound vain, but I struggle to see true muscle definition when I'm not lifting. Does that make sense? It doesn't make you vain. Okay. Okay. Well, it's funny cause I listened to your episode on Thursday about like working out
Starting point is 01:12:57 for aesthetics and looks. And I don't think that applies to that cause I do generally enjoy working out. Like that's, you know, I revolve my life around that, more for the mental aspect. But I just feel like when I'm not working out and I put clothes on, I don't see that muscle definition for all the hard work I put in. Okay. Yeah, that's a fair question. Look, to be clear, you look very healthy.
Starting point is 01:13:22 You probably are pretty healthy. But probably aren't pretty healthy, but you wanted, what you're asking is to get a little leaner. That's what you're asking basically. Do you know where your body fat percentage is sitting? No, I've never done anything before like that. Honestly, I can be an obsessive person, so I stop tracking macros. I do have a loose count on how much protein I intake and it's
Starting point is 01:13:47 about anywhere from 115 to 120 grams a day. I weigh 125 pounds so I'm almost hitting that mark. But other than that I don't really track anything else because I become very obsessed with it. How tall are you? Five foot. Okay you're probably sitting in the low 20s for your height weight and that your strength training your heat and your protein which is good. Let me ask you this Corinne because this might this might help. Would your husband say you look really good and fit? Yes he definitely does because I constantly ask. Okay, so you probably look like you work out, okay?
Starting point is 01:14:28 But here's the deal, I'll answer your question about getting leaner. That just means you're going to have to eat a little less than what you're burning. So now definition in women typically shows up around 20%, maybe below 20%. That's where you start to see the lines in the shoulders, around 18%, 17%, you might start to see some obliques and a little bit of outline there, lower back definition. Most women are happy in the low 20s, between 20 to 23, 24% with muscle underneath. Most women are happy in the low 20s, between 20 to 23, 24% with muscle underneath.
Starting point is 01:15:07 Most women are happy around there, but definition starts to happen when you get in the low, like I said, around 20% or a little bit below that. It does require for most women, not all, but most women, it requires to be a little bit more meticulous with diet. When you're fit and healthy, when you're fit and healthy, most women's body fat percentage will sit right around, like I said, in the low 20s. That's just typically where most women will sit.
Starting point is 01:15:34 And there's a range, there's a genetic range there, but that's most women where they're gonna kind of be, okay? But to see definition, it requires a little bit more meticulous. You just have to get a little bit more granular, that's all. And so we'd have to reduce your caloric intake. Okay, so it's more within like my diet than my actual like strength training
Starting point is 01:15:54 and workouts that I'm doing. Probably, are you following one of our programs? Looks like it's in split right now currently. Oh, at the moment I'm not following your program. So I have in the past, I've done anabolic, I've done the butt mod, which I love, by the way. And, and I've done the split program, and I love them. It's just at the moment, I'm not following anything. I'm a teacher, I'm a miserable teacher, but hoping to get out of the profession and it's just with school
Starting point is 01:16:26 starting I just kind of lost my motivation I am working out frequently it's just hit or miss with what I'm doing I'm lifting but they're like 20 minutes maybe a one yeah we're gonna say the massive team sounds like your schedule and everything going on right now, this would be a good fit for you. Do the advanced version of it. You'll love it right now, especially while you're teaching. So I did, I looked at maps 15 and I couldn't bring myself to buy it because
Starting point is 01:16:53 I'm so meticulous that I felt like 15 minutes just wouldn't be enough. It's why you need to do it. Yeah. The advanced version is more like 20 to 25 minutes and it will be enough. You'll see yourself getting stronger for sure. Yeah. For sure. Okay. I can obviously do that at home. If yeah, if you can, do you have weights at home?
Starting point is 01:17:14 I have, yeah, I have a squat rack. I have barbell dumbbells. Oh my God. I have a tele-bar. It's four days in a row too. You're gonna love it. Yeah, you have plenty for that. You'll love it. It's yeah, it's about 20, 25 minutes a day with the barbell version. You'll love it. You'll get love it. Yeah, you have plenty for that. You'll love it. It's yeah, it's about 20-25 minutes a day with the barbell version
Starting point is 01:17:27 You'll love it. You'll get great results. Okay. Yeah, Corinne are you Are you watching the series that I'm doing on mind pump TV by chance? No, I am NOT that's another thing too that I struggle with I don't have any social media I deleted social media about two and a half years ago. So I really just listen to your podcast and that's about it. I don't, is that on YouTube or what? Yeah, it's on YouTube. It's under mind pump TV and I've been documenting my process of coming back and getting in better shape. So building muscle, losing body fat. I just think the stuff that I communicate around nutrition and
Starting point is 01:18:06 leaning out and seeing definition, I talk about a lot of that in this whole process. And even myself, I get to a point where if I want to keep seeing more definition that I just, I have to be more diligent about how I track or I accept like, this is kind of where I can be. I can be healthy and fit and it's healthy, it looks good, you know, but I want more. And if I want more, this is kind of where I can be. I can be healthy and fit and it's healthy, it looks good, you know, but I want more and if I want more, this is just the, and so I think the way I communicate in this series will be helpful for what you're trying to kind of figure out.
Starting point is 01:18:35 So I think we all agree that you're already a healthy fit person, but you kind of wanting the next level of definition and aesthetics and kind of what that transition looks like, you kind of watch me go through that. And so probably be pretty valuable. Also. Yeah. Yeah. I just wrote that down. I'm definitely going to watch that. Yeah. And I don't, it's like a little extra into the question. I don't, do you have time? Can I ask it?
Starting point is 01:19:02 As I feel like Sal, I can relate to you on a lot of things. So getting into the holiday season, I just get super frustrated because my husband and I are relatively very healthy people. Um, and our family, I come from a huge Italian family. Um, like my dad is from Sicily. My mom's family is from Naples. They revolve everything around food and they are super judgmental anytime I decline something or if I say I have to get a workout in or just what the holidays coming up I have so much anxiety around
Starting point is 01:19:33 it and I feel like you might be able to relate to that to help me navigate through that and really focus on my health and fitness without their words getting in my head. Yeah, well there's two things. One is I just do what I'm gonna do so they can say whatever they want and I'll just do it. But the second thing too is the realization that, and this took me a long time to realize. And I have a daughter too, so I don't want her
Starting point is 01:19:58 to have any negative associations around food. That's gonna be tough coming from our culture, right? Because it's so like, you better eat this, you better finish that and eat this. So that's kind of tough. But there's two things. One, if I'm gonna do something, I'll just do it. And they'll say whatever and I'll be like,
Starting point is 01:20:18 oh come on, I love you, whatever. And I'll just do it, don't let it bother me. The second thing is the realization that the holidays, the value with the holidays is really, it is about family and part of it is about food. Now, it's not always about food. Every time I go to my parents' house or every time they come over,
Starting point is 01:20:34 but when I go there for Christmas or Thanksgiving or whatever, I go there and my mind, my focus is on my family. And so I'm just gonna be there for that. And that's a very healthy thing. But otherwise, everything else. I guess what I'm sure of the most is like my mom or like my cousins would be like,
Starting point is 01:20:52 hey, I just made this recipe that I wanna do for Christmas Eve, do you wanna try it? Like I'm gonna drop it off at your house. And I'm like, no, I really don't wanna eat cinnamon buns for no reason if I don't, you know, like it's not a holiday right now. It's just, they're just so obnoxious and overwhelming. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:21:07 I mean, take it, take a bite of it, and then give it to your neighbor. You know what I'm saying? So there, you know what I'm saying? So that way you can say, oh, I admit it was amazing. I tasted it, it's gone, already gone. You know, there's only one thing I've ever seen in my, used in my entire life
Starting point is 01:21:21 that has made a family member stop pursuing me with food. And that is to tell them that my stomach hurts. Like, oh no I can't. I have a bad stomach hurts. Yeah. Then they'll leave me alone. You know what I mean? That's the only thing. But I mean it's just the way it is. You know that's our culture and I get it. Like my mom the other day she came over and on her way you know before they left they said, hey we have some persimmons. Can we bring you some? I said, yeah mom bring me two. We only want two. Of course she came with a bag of like 15 persimmons, can we bring you some? I said, yeah, mom, bring me two. We only want two. Of course, she came with a bag of like 15 persimmons.
Starting point is 01:21:47 I'm like, we're never gonna eat all these. Oh, you know, don't worry about it. Maybe you want some. I'm like, why do you do this every time? I don't get it. Right, well, that's like, my mom invites us over. We're very close. She invites us over weekly.
Starting point is 01:21:58 And obviously, like, my daughter's almost five. I want her to see my family. But she's like, oh, you know, I'm making lasagna. We're having pasta. I'm making chicken parm, and like, they always just rag on me for bringing my own food there, which I do. I'll bring like grilled chicken for the chicken parm, or I'll bring like an alternative for the pasta,
Starting point is 01:22:15 and it's not that I don't eat those things, but I'll eat them when I want them. I don't want them every week. Yeah, no, I get it. You know, listen, I understand. It's just, you just accept it, because there's a lot of good things that come from our culture and our family as well, and so it comes, I get it. You know, listen, I understand. It's just, you just accept it, because there's a lot of good things
Starting point is 01:22:26 that come from our culture and our family as well. And so it comes, it's like a big package, but you know, when my mom does that, or my dad does that, and they say, why'd you bring your own food? I always give them a kiss. Mom, I love you. You're always trying to feed me.
Starting point is 01:22:39 And that seems to smooth it out a little bit, you know? But I get it. Yeah. It's not gonna change. It will never change. No. You can't change them. So yeah,, but I get it. It's not gonna change. It will never change. You can't change them. So yeah, I just gotta accept it.
Starting point is 01:22:47 It's not. And my husband is like the most laid back person, so he definitely like grounds me with that. But yeah, that's just something I struggle with because fitness and my health has always been a priority. I mean, I was a gymnast in my younger years for like 14 years, so I've always been active. And I feel like it's just more important
Starting point is 01:23:05 the older I get to keep at it, and I do feel like the family can be judgmental with that. Yeah, I get that. By the way, being a gymnast, you're high at your weight, I bet you look like you really do work out. You might be a little hard on yourself. You're probably really strong. I'm hard on myself because I do have a hard time
Starting point is 01:23:22 comparing myself to other women that are- Big mistake. I've always been stocky. I've always been short. I've always had muscle and I've always just looked stocky. I'm not skinny. I'll never be skinny nor do I want to be. You probably have a really round butt. You probably have great curves. I bet your husband loves it. I have some big legs. Yeah that probably looks good. I want to lean them out. Comparing yourself to other women, it will never, ever, ever, ever work. I don't care how lean you get, it will never work. That's the thing you gotta stop. And that was part of the reason for deleting social media is that there was just so much
Starting point is 01:23:57 information out there and so many different fitness people and this and that. I just got really overwhelmed and it wasn't great for my mental health, so I just took a break. Good, you did the right thing. We'll send you Math 15, okay? And watch the series, I think you'll... I am, I'm actually very excited about your series, Adam. That sounds like something that I can relate to. Yeah, you'll like it.
Starting point is 01:24:20 Yeah, good. Follow Math 15, you'll like it. Awesome, thank you. I'm really excited about that because right now I've just been like kind of piecing together things to get myself moving, but I can't be down there for like hours. Yeah, no, no, no.
Starting point is 01:24:34 You'll like the program. It'll really get you a great result. Very effective, yeah. And how many days a week is that? Is it five or six? Six. Six. Six days a week, about 20 minutes, 25 minutes. It's very frequent, so that's why you like it.
Starting point is 01:24:47 Okay, awesome. Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. You got it. All right, Karen. Thank you. All right, good stuff. The family stuff, I mean, you're not going to change them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just feel you have to stand your ground, you know. You do, and but here's the thing. You stand your ground, that doesn't mean they're gonna stop pestering you. So you just accept it. You laugh it off, you accept it. You shrug it off.
Starting point is 01:25:13 Yeah dude, and it's just, that's it. And it's the way it is. And eventually they stop. If you get all like butt hurt about it and you get like defensive, it actually fuels it. But if you laugh it off, you give them a hug, you give them a kiss, come on, you know how I, they kind of leave you, eventually they start to kind actually fuels it. But if you laugh it off, you give them a hug, you give them a kiss, come on, you know how I, they kind of leave you, eventually they start
Starting point is 01:25:28 to kind of get it. I mean we don't come from an Italian family, but I had a lot of resistance with Katrina's family. Well her family's similar, you guys are similar. Yeah, and so that was a challenge. I mean, and we got together when I was in the thick of competing, so I literally. Yeah, which is like super.
Starting point is 01:25:41 Yeah, so I mean I think half the family hated me, because I'd come over and it was like so Disrespectful that I was eating out of this Tupperware when they're all But I tell you though like years later obviously not right away years later I they all like super appreciate now They all come to me and ask about eating and making choices They always when when they make dinner now a lot of times they make things that they're like, hey, we made this because we know you'll be able
Starting point is 01:26:07 to eat this or you like this. So I don't know, I think that certain parts of them, they'll never change certain things, but they've learned to appreciate that and the way I've done that. Your influence can impact them. Yeah, and really the challenge, and I've had this conversation many times,
Starting point is 01:26:22 and it gets better, but it's still, the way that my family shows love many times, especially the women, is by feeding you. And so when you say no, it would be like if I came up to you, Justin, to give you a hug, and you pushed me away. I'd be like, what do you mean you don't want a hug? Like, why don't you want my love? That's how they interpret it.
Starting point is 01:26:41 So that's why when they would do that, and I would say no, I would give them a hug or a kiss. Cause I realized it was they were just trying to show me love. And they felt rejected. I'll accept your hug next time. Jeez. You like that?
Starting point is 01:26:52 Yeah. Our next caller is Ryan from California. What's up, Ryan? What's up, Ryan? What's happening, dude? Calgary. I'm all the way up north in Canada. Okay, CA means California in this country.
Starting point is 01:27:01 We gotta tell our assistant to put Calgary next time. So what's happening, man? All good. All good. All good. I'm good. I'm doing good. Thanks guys.
Starting point is 01:27:09 I appreciate being here. Thank you. What you got for us. Awesome. So, um, I'll try to make this concise. So like long story short, I used to be a real heavy cat got up to about 275 pounds in my early teens, lost a bunch of weight along the way,
Starting point is 01:27:29 different fitness, different exercises, the whole thing. About two or three years ago, I got life, family, kids, business, gained a whole bunch back, decided I wanted to get fixed up again. So joined a local club here, started doing workouts. And then I did the ill-fated weight loss competitions and, um, was able to cut down weight over the course of about two years.
Starting point is 01:27:55 In the meantime, though, um, probably not doing it correctly. And, uh, I ended up, um, uh, late last year in January or February, probably crashing out really hard. So I got down to 155. But ever since then, I've kind of been a mess. I'm constantly tired, super fatigued, just the loss of energy. So I trained for triathlon. I do weight training three times a week. So I do a lot. But it definitely wasn't feeling great. I was feeling exhausted. And just generally in life,
Starting point is 01:28:33 just, you know, kind of really being down. When got tested in May, because I thought maybe it was my testosterone, I'm still pretty young, but that was maybe my testosterone was having an issue. I have it in my family. Um, the results came out good. Um, so they didn't qualify for me for that. And at the time they suggested it, you know, we're not going to be able to do that for you, but you can look at HCG as an option to see if, you know, we can bump those levels up for you. Um, and I just, I did some research in HGT and I really couldn't find anything that was overly relevant to help me out or to be useful in that. And, um, I just wanted to see if you guys had any feedback on that or some things that I can improve.
Starting point is 01:29:16 If, if your testosterone, it feels low or you have symptoms of low testosterone and you're over-trained the hell out of yourself, which is what it sounds like. Over-training sounds to be the issue. training sounds testosterone isn't the issue that's just the symptom yeah so yeah are you still training for an Ironman plus strength training three days a week yeah like I'm on a pretty a pretty heavy schedule for Ironman I'm looking to do either Texas or like Placid. Um, so yeah, I'm doing a lot like I'm 15 hours a week. And you feel like shit. Yeah. Yeah. What do you think's happening?
Starting point is 01:29:51 I don't know if that's just the hustle on it. I'm not sure. No, no, you're overdoing it. You can't handle it. Your body, your body isn't, isn't able to handle it at the moment. 15 hours of work to 15 hours. Yeah, dude. You got to, you got to, and you run a business too. You got to back way off. Yeah. Yeah. All the symptoms that you have, fatigue, low libido, you're not feeling good, you probably have insomnia or crushing fatigue, or both.
Starting point is 01:30:16 You know, probably hot, cold intolerance. Cravings. Your performance is probably not doing great. Like, you're over-trained to shit. And here's what's gonna happen if you keep going down that path, you're gonna get shit. And here's what's gonna happen if you keep going down that path, you're gonna get sick and injured is what's gonna happen.
Starting point is 01:30:29 So you need to back way off. So I don't know what you signed up for, but I would back way off, maybe keep the date, give yourself a week off completely, get back into it at one third the volume, see how you feel, but you're just over trained man. Can I ask what draws you to the ultra marathon running? That's a very unique sport to get into. What's the draw to that? I mean it's, you know, it's all mental for me for sure. I mean I kind of
Starting point is 01:31:01 grew up with a lot of like thinking, you know, I was a heavier dude for most of my life. So I just kind of grew up with limitations in my head. And so I'm just constantly chasing the edge. Have you done, you know, what, what, what I'm possible I can do. Have you done an Ironman before? Is this your first one? Yeah, actually completed Pentectin in August. And then I tried my first hundred miler a couple weeks later. Unfortunately DNF due to heat but you know got up to about 70 miles. Wait wait you did an Ironman in August then you did a hundred miler and then when's this Ironman that you're gonna try and do? The next one would be April but I'm leaning towards plus it which is in July of this year, or next year.
Starting point is 01:31:46 Yeah, dude, take some time off, bro. You're over-trained to shit, yeah. By the way, by the way, HCG, I'll just answer that question. HCG will raise your testosterone temporarily when you're on it. When you go off, it'll go back down to where it was. It's really more for fertility for men than anything, improving sperm count. But even if you went on, here's what'll happen, even if you went on testosterone
Starting point is 01:32:06 right now and brought your testosterone up to high normal, you would notice a little benefit, but you'd still feel like shit because you're so over trained. It would just mask it. It wouldn't even mask it that much. It would mask it a little bit. But you're so over trained based off what you're telling me. 15 hours a week of training.
Starting point is 01:32:25 How long have you been training like this? Did you stop at all after your last ultra run? Yeah, I took like a two week break. Yeah, you're fucked, bro. You're so overtrained right now. You're so overtrained, it's not even funny. Bro, I wish I could. You're recovered from that.
Starting point is 01:32:41 The reason why I asked like this whole ultra marathon because a guy with your discipline, boy, I would love just to get ahold of your metabolism and put some calories in you and lift some weights to build, because right now, you're not doing, like you lifting weights three days a week on top of all this running. No, I ain't doing nothing.
Starting point is 01:32:59 It's just doing nothing for you. It's just more over training. Like you're not, you could take off all the weight training and not see or notice a difference. You'll probably feel better. You'll feel better. It will happen because your body is so over training. Yeah. I think that's partially the issue too. Cause like, I can't drop weight and like I can't get anything lower on my, uh, on my gut either. You know, I still have that little punch in there. We need to build. We need to get some muscle on you. We need to build some muscle right now.
Starting point is 01:33:27 If you're okay with changing direction, if this is an option, Ryan, here's what I think you should do. I think you should stop all the stuff you're doing right now, go hire yourself a strength-specific personal trainer, like somebody who's good, not someone who's gonna beat you up, start strength training with a trainer about three days a week and that's it, and then hit your protein targets and watch your body transform. Yeah. Watch it transform. Resurrect it. A guy like you with your competitive attitude and edge would do
Starting point is 01:33:58 really well actually signing up for a powerlifting meet and hiring a powerlifting coach to actually take him through that process. You could do it that way but I'm just saying. Just all strength focus. Your body would change so radically with so much less effort. You'll blow yourself away. Right now, your body right now is in survival mode. You're barely functioning because your body is maintaining its bare minimum functions.
Starting point is 01:34:21 That's why your libido's gone. That's why your energy's gone. That's why you probably sleep like shit. All that stuff. And why your body is holding on for dear life for whatever little body fat you have because your body is in survival mode because you've beat the crap out yourself. And just to continue to hammer you here, but bro and you're young and you're a young guy. So for you to be feeling symptoms like this at a young age means you are really hammering yourself. You're red lighting. Because we are resilient, man. I mean when you're a young guy. So for you to be feeling symptoms like this at a young age means you are really hammering yourself. You're redlining it. Because we are resilient, man.
Starting point is 01:34:48 I mean, when you're under the age 30 and stuff like that, you're resilient as shit. This is late 30s. Oh, are you 30s? Yeah. Oh, I thought you were in your 30s. 38. OK.
Starting point is 01:34:56 You're old, dude. I thought you were. You're old. You're not old. But you've definitely been hammering yourself for a long time, and your body's screaming at you right now to get to recover and And and if you want to get rid of that pooch your belly fat is still that stubborn fat
Starting point is 01:35:10 You need a reverse diet build muscle and then come back down again after that and it'll it'll go away If you went and worked with a good trainer three days a week strength training started hitting your protein targets Slowly reverse diet you would see a radical transformation in your body, and you would feel so different. By the way, if you take my advice, I'm gonna give you another warning, you'll do it, you'll start to feel so good that you'll think about being the shit out of yourself again.
Starting point is 01:35:35 Don't do it, just stay the course. Don't keep adding, adding, adding, just stay the course. And watch what happens, it'll free you up, by the way, 15 hours a week for feeling like shit, like there's so many other things you'd be doing with that time. You can go build another business, bro. We'll give you enough time to go build another business. And get jacked. Yeah, a lot of potential here though, dude.
Starting point is 01:35:56 The amount of, I know the effort that it takes to train for Ironman and Ultra. Like you got some serious discipline and grit in you. If you could just shift that focus. You proven that now Let's just focus on strength Yeah You focus on on getting strong and taking care of yourself and you're gonna see incredible results if you're open to it You gotta be open to it though Yeah, I mean by my biggest issues patience, right so obviously, you know, like if I'm not going hard
Starting point is 01:36:20 I'm not patient on it. But you know, I hear you. Well, I mean, you like going hard and getting no results? Yeah, yeah, yeah, true. Yeah, 100%. Yeah, dude, so it's not patience. It's your race placed energy. There's another word for it, it's not patience. If you want results, stop doing what you're doing. If I'm telling you right now, if you stay on this path and don't stop, you're going to feel worse than you do now and or something bad is going gonna happen injury-wise or something like that. It's just inevitable. So back away the hell off, focus on strength. If you don't mind dropping the Ironman and then watch what happens to your body. Within
Starting point is 01:36:56 two months you'll be blown away. I would love to put you in our private forum, give you MAPS Power Lift and send you on your way and keep in touch with us. That's what I'd like to do. I'm 100% down because what I've been doing ain't working. So, gotta try something. All right, we're gonna send over Power Lift. I'm gonna get Doug to put you in the free forum and then I'd love for you to check in with us on a monthly basis. Just let us know how you're feeling and a good, bad, indifferent, doesn't matter. I wanna hear from you, just hearing what's going on, because what I'm most concerned about
Starting point is 01:37:28 is what Sal was already alluding to, is like you getting in your own way. Probably doing really good in 30, 60 days, and thinking you need to do more, or hammer yourself harder, and I wanna make sure that I stay on top of you, stay focused, do what we're telling you, and I promise you're gonna be all right. So check in with us on a monthly basis and let us
Starting point is 01:37:48 know what's going on Ryan. Yeah no absolutely I'm down for that and I really appreciate that's honestly probably what's been sitting in the front of my head anyway it's just you know awesome being real about it. Awesome, awesome, cool I'm excited for you dude. Yeah so am I bro. Serious potential right here so I can't wait to see what happens. Thank you, guys. All right, Ryan, I'll see you in the forum. He'll gain 15 pounds of muscle so fast. Bro.
Starting point is 01:38:10 I mean, I'm not exaggerating. Strength trains. By the way, I've trained several Ironman competitors, and I'll never forget the first one that I trained, I took them on as a client, and I started strength training with them twice a week. And I remember twice a week. And I remember twice a week and trying to be smart about everything and they weren't
Starting point is 01:38:28 progressing and they were complaining about aches and pains and doing crowds like what is going on. I backed way off to one day a week, two exercises and then we saw them progress. You know, that's what I wanted to put them on Maps 15. I'm just afraid that's what I'm afraid of. I thought the reason why I went power lift for the audience so they know like why there, because I do think maps 15 is more ideal. It's just more direct, just like a direct power. Exactly. He'll have a goal. It'll be like trying to get stronger. I'll let him take his little obsessive personality
Starting point is 01:38:59 and apply it in a healthier way. And then I'll get him to go massive. And he won't get stronger if he overdoes it. And that's what he's gonna see in the program. Spoken like an experienced personal trainer. This is what you have to judge, and you have to really contemplate as a coach or trainer is what is the best answer, and what factors in there is what they're gonna do.
Starting point is 01:39:18 So, power lift might not, it's probably not the perfect program, but he ain't gonna follow the other ones. So therefore it makes it the best. Yeah, if he paid me six months in advance, and he's now locked in with me I'm making yeah, that's 15 and I'm running the show But I don't got that kind of power and control of this guy and knowing from my experience that type of personality Totally you take them from running 15 hours a week to all sudden to it to exercises you're done
Starting point is 01:39:42 He'll fucking go insane or he'll do it for two weeks, but this isn't working. And I'm out, you know what I'm saying? So this is my, hopefully get a moving in that direction. Our next caller is Nicole from California. Hi, Nicole. How can we help you? Good morning. Um, okay.
Starting point is 01:39:55 So I'm going to get right into it. Um, I have kind of a long backstory, but I'm just going to give you a brief. Uh, two years ago, I started maps anabolic for the first time coming off of like a really restrictive diet and a lot of cardio and I actually was on your show like a month or two after I started Anabolic and you guys had told me to do a reverse diet and focus on getting stronger because I was sort of uncomfortable with my growing upper body size because my shirts were all getting tight. So I tried to do that and I wasn't successful at not putting on weight. I actually gained like about eight pounds, but I got my calories up from probably like an 18 or 1900 calorie maintenance to like 2400.
Starting point is 01:40:41 And I was just getting more uncomfortable with my goal getting further away from me as far as my body size and dress size going up. So I've tried to do cuts and it doesn't really ever work out for me because when I focus on counting calories or weighing food or any kind of mindset of restriction, I tend to do what I call like a reactionary eat. It's not like binging or anything, but I just rebel about it, you know. So I kind of panicked this summer and I thought, well, maybe because my weight just kept going up, I should drop a day of weight training and start to do more cardio to try to shed some fat. So that was my question that got called for today but I have a follow-up question that I think
Starting point is 01:41:30 is a little more relevant if we have time. Let's first address the first mistake that you made early on was thinking that the eight pounds and going from 1,800 to 26 or 2,400 calories was not a huge success. That's a massive success. First of all, two or three pounds of that is mostly water, just because you're increasing your calories by that much. Carbohydrates, sodium naturally goes up, you're gonna hold more water,
Starting point is 01:41:55 you're automatically gonna see the scale go a couple pounds up just from water retention, period. Then you probably built some muscle and we're on the road of building a incredible fast metabolism so you you thinking that that wasn't good is the direction we probably needed to keep going and Getting to a place where maybe you're at 2800 3000 cut is this it right here? Oh gosh. Yeah, you did great Yeah, you did build some how much stronger were you? after the during the reverse diet, by the way?
Starting point is 01:42:27 Uh, so when I started lifting weights, I probably was squatting like around 85 pounds. And I think the highest squat I've gotten is like. One 35 for multiple reps and I can box squat like one 60. And then, um, bench press, like my highest that I can bench is about 95 to 100 pounds for like a single or double rep. She looks phenomenal. Yeah, now this-
Starting point is 01:42:53 You look phenomenal. Let me ask you this. Okay, you went from a 65 or 85 pound squat to one something within the reverse diet period? Yeah, but then I didn't really get any higher. And when I was on my original call, I think Adam had said he would push me like in six months to get up to like 185.
Starting point is 01:43:09 I've never gotten to that number on my own. Okay, but so how, wait, hold on. So you started with what squat and you ended up where? Again? Probably like 85 when I first started using a bar. And then I can do like 135 for probably like eight reps, at least. You're doing great. No, you're doing phenomenal. You're doing really good. You know what? I can do like 135 for probably like eight reps at least. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:43:25 You're doing great. You're doing phenomenal. You're doing really good. You know what? You just need to be in your ear constantly telling you, you're doing a good job. You're heading the right way. It's so mental.
Starting point is 01:43:33 It is so mental, this entire process. You might've gone up a tiny bit. I don't even, I think you might've gone up a tiny bit body fat at most, but you definitely- I think it was like 1%. I had a trainer on these calipers. Yeah, well. You gone up a tiny bit body fat at most, but you definitely- I think it was like 1%. I had a trainer on these calipers. I mean, like a year apart. 1%, that's within the margin of error too.
Starting point is 01:43:52 You look like you gained mostly muscle. So you're definitely moving in the right direction. And yes, you will feel bigger because you built some more muscle. Yeah, my diameter measurements are all much bigger than I'm used to being. And my weight on the scale is a lot higher than what I would consider
Starting point is 01:44:08 like a comfortable level for me. Yeah, listen, it's a tough, building muscle, especially for women, can be such a mind game. It's a very psychological game. Very, very difficult, but you went up from 1,800 to 2,400 calories, built essentially all muscle, got a lot stronger, metabolism moving in totally in the right direction.
Starting point is 01:44:29 And if I recall when we were on the phone, I know you wanted to build your legs, which it looks like you did, and I remember talking about getting leaner. Going down from 1800 calories, you don't have much room. But at 2400 calories, you had some more room to go, but I still wouldn't cut so quickly. I would wait and let let everything solidify a little bit before cutting,
Starting point is 01:44:49 because otherwise your body will adapt again very quickly. Doing more cardio, less strength training. You'll burn more calories initially, but then the body adapts very quickly to that. Nicole, I think it's important you hear this also. You got I seen three pictures that were sent over. I don't know if you sent any more or not, but I've seen three pictures. I see looks like an older modeling picture of you when you were really. And then I see the before the bulk and then the bulk.
Starting point is 01:45:14 You look the best at your heaviest, just so you know. OK, one fifty five. Yes, that was the heaviest. Yeah. And right now I'm like one fifty one. And I don't change my shape that much. You can just see a little more definition when I dropped down to the 140 was when I was doing a cut at 1800 calories, but it wasn't sustainable for me. And that's why, that's why I would keep moving you up. So the goal would have been the original goal.
Starting point is 01:45:39 I told you keep pushing that direction to where we get your calories so high that when you come down to say 23, 2400 calories is probably a more sustainable, nice, you know, flexibility in your diet, you enjoy that, you can be lean. That's, we just got to keep reverse dieting it, but I mean even at the 153 I can still see your abs. Yeah. Like you look. Yeah, that's my leaner area. I definitely carry it on my like butt, thigh area. Even your thighs and your butt, thigh area. Even your thighs and your butt, they've got muscle shape.
Starting point is 01:46:07 They don't look like you've got a bunch of fat. It looks like you put on muscle. It's a tough mental game. Yeah, I think you can see I'm coming from like a pretty small frame. Yes, yeah. Yeah, I agree. How tall are you?
Starting point is 01:46:20 Five, five. Yeah, you're in a good place. I mean, keep moving in that direction and you probably need to get rid of your scale. What, you're in a good place. I mean, keep moving in that direction and you probably need to get rid of your scale. What did you tell- Yeah, I stop weighing myself regularly. That's been really helpful. I don't track my food at all
Starting point is 01:46:34 because that has not been good for me. Good. I just eat like you guys tell everybody to and I'm very good with protein. I cook all my meals from scratch. I love to cook. I, you know. Yeah, I think you're doing so good with protein. I cook all my meals from scratch. I'm got a love to cook. I eat, you know, doing so good.
Starting point is 01:46:47 Yeah. I don't see any flaws here. Yeah. I love the programming. I actually tried cardio a couple of times. I hate it now. So I just do, I just do three, one hour training sessions a week and I love them,
Starting point is 01:47:02 but my big hurdle that I'd love to bring up if you guys have time has been my sleep. So for the last four years I really haven't been able to sleep past 2 a.m. and I don't really know what changed. I'm 42. I had a baby four years ago too, my second. So I thought maybe it was that whole just coming out of being a mom and then waking in the middle of the night. But she sleeps fine now and I still wake up every night at 2 a.m. And I've tried every supplement that you guys have recommended, every night routine that you guys have recommended. And now I've started to dive a little bit more into taking things. Like I won't take an Advil if I have a headache.
Starting point is 01:47:39 I am a very natural person. But in July, I ended up going to a naturopath having all my hormones checked and they had recommended taking progesterone to help me with sleep. Yep. And I got on some testosterone cream because it was like my testosterone was sort of on the low side but everything was in normal range and none of that helped me at all. I took it for three months and I've taken melatonins and anything else you can do that's natural. And most recently in the last month, I started taking THC gummies, which I don't drink alcohol. I don't do drugs.
Starting point is 01:48:13 I'm very like straight edge person. And it's the only thing that's actually helped me sleep through the night. And I think my tolerance has started to increase. So I've had to double the dose to once I wake up, I can go back to sleep. It like keeps me drowsy enough. And I've gotten about a month of the best rest I've had in four years.
Starting point is 01:48:33 And I'm wondering, has that been the major hurdle that I've? Could be. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, if you've been, if you've been, if you've been struggling with sleep, that'll affect everything. I would go back to the nitro path and look at
Starting point is 01:48:45 progesterone still. You know I've worked with lots of female clients where especially in that age age range between 38 and 45 and they found the right dose of progesterone and it really did help make a difference with sleep. Do you follow our friend Dr. Lauren Fitz? No, no. I took the Cabral test that you guys came out with a month ago on your podcast, this leap. It was like the evening cortisol one. Yeah, how was your cortisol?
Starting point is 01:49:16 It was right at the border of normal and high. Okay. That's not too bad. Okay. Yeah, take a look, look up Dr. Lauren Fitz on Instagram. She's got a lot of really good content, talk, speaking to this, and I would love for you to get with her.
Starting point is 01:49:31 Do you try to eat a- I would message her for sure. Have you tried, so this actually makes a big difference for some people is eating carbohydrates before bed or at night with their last dinner, with their last meal. Yeah, I mean, I'll have like potato or rice or whatever for my dinner. But I eat really early, like 4 35 PM. Cause I've got little kids and then I'll sometimes have a little snack,
Starting point is 01:49:52 but it's usually like a Adam's yogurt bowl dessert kind of thing. Okay. And I assume you've already done like magnesium and stuff like that. You've already gone down. I've done all of it. Like every adaptogen you can imagine. And I hate to take like considered a drug, THC, but it's really the only thing that's helped. And I don't know if that long-term is actually like real sleep. Is it going to be beneficial if I can go back?
Starting point is 01:50:14 Well, you're not comparing it to good sleep. You're comparing it to five to six hours of sleep. So in the context of I sleep five to six hours, or I sleep eight hours, but I'm taking THC, it's better. Okay. It's not better than sleeping eight hours without it, but you couldn't do that before anyway.
Starting point is 01:50:33 So I wouldn't worry about that. But again, I would go back to the naturopath and look at working with the hormones again. I've had a lot of success with clients on using in particular progesterone, especially women in your age group. And also somebody who is trying to balance all this stuff out hormonally and is not getting the most optimal sleep and has the results that you have,
Starting point is 01:50:52 really speaks volumes about your discipline around diet and exercise. So I just want you to know that. It's important that you understand that what you're doing in the lifting and diet world, I think is perfect. And I think the results show that and I think that getting this figured out, getting the hormone and sleep thing, it may be the thing that unlocks the
Starting point is 01:51:12 next level of seeing results but you've been able to get those kind of results while also trying to figure sleep out after having two kids and being in your 40s, you're kicking ass. You need to make sure you know that because you're, you're pulling a lot of the right levers already. We just got to really solve this, this sleep issue and get to the bottom of that, cause that might unlock another level for us. Yeah. Which is what I've been trying for two years, but I feel like in the last month,
Starting point is 01:51:39 the only thing that has helped those gummies and I have, I feel like I'm in a really good place, like I said, with my training, my food. So that was where I wanted to talk to you guys about what is that last little piece that'll get me just feeling a little more comfortable in my skin. Yeah. And I think the reaching out to Dr. Lauren, I'd love for you to get with her and dive more into the hormone side. Cause that is, that's above my pay grade and she's far, far better at that than Dr. Lauren, I'd love for you to get with her and dive more into the hormone side,
Starting point is 01:52:05 because that's above my pay grade, and she's far, far better at that than any of us are. And I think she's gonna be able to help you. And then the advice, I'm gonna stick with the original advice with you, is you keep going in that reverse diet direction and building muscle. And the goal is ultimately just to keep getting
Starting point is 01:52:21 the calories up so you can come back down. It's not a place you're gonna live at forever. So I don't want you to eat, you don't have to eat 2,900, 3,000 calories and be 165, 170 forever. But you're heading in the right direction based off of what I've seen already. Like you're putting good muscle on. Even if you put a little bit of body fat along the way, just remember it's not the end goal. It's just to get your metabolism up and then we can come back down the other way. And then I think you'll be happier with what you see when you lean out from speeding the metabolism up.
Starting point is 01:52:49 1800 calories is just not sustainable for you right now. And we got to go, we got to keep reverse dieting. That's the only thing I would do right now as far as diet and exercise wise. And then the next thing would be diving deeper into the hormonal stuff. Okay, I hear you for sure on the hormonal stuff. As far as the reverse diet, I don't know how comfortable I am pushing my calories back up right now, but I see what you mean. Like I can't sustainably cut from here.
Starting point is 01:53:12 I'm probably around 2,000 calories now at maintaining this weight. Okay. What's your steps? How many steps do you take a day? Are you pretty active? Yeah, like 12,000 to 15,000. Yeah, yeah. You know what?
Starting point is 01:53:24 You're doing everything right. I think that the sleep is going to make a big difference if it hasn't already. Yeah. I mean, it's only been a month. I don't really know how quickly that will help out after being sleep deprived for four years. Oh, it's going to take, it's going to take six months probably just start to get all that back. Yeah. Yeah. Well, hopefully I can keep that up somehow and then I'll check back in taking maybe
Starting point is 01:53:51 Bigger dose of progesterone or something. We'll just see what they say. Yeah, that's that's why I want you to talk to Lauren She's really like honed in on like the the ratio and balance of all those and and I know that a lot of the stuff I've heard her talk about Is outside of what the general practitioner would talk about the ranges and she's found sweeter spots for women. I mean she specializes in women your age that are trying to figure solve this. So that'd be helpful. I'll look into her. The naturopath actually that I went to, I didn't really love because she wanted me to take the two different hormones and then she also recommended I get on a GLP one to lose like eight pounds and I just didn't really trust. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's okay. You're not a GLP. She was a really eight pounds. And I just didn't really trust. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's okay.
Starting point is 01:54:25 You're not a GLP. For herself, she was a really very thin woman who runs and she said that she takes it just to keep that extra five pounds for menopause off. And I just didn't understand why you go that drastic. I don't think you're a good candidate for GLP-1. That's not what we're, yeah. I don't even like taking that, Bill.
Starting point is 01:54:41 So I just, it's not my lifestyle choice. Okay, good. Okay. Good. All right. Yeah. Let us know what happens. Yeah. Thank you. All right, Nicole. The sleep, that's a tough one. I mean, outside of that, she's doing really, really well.
Starting point is 01:55:00 You know, by the way, you know, women late thirties, early forties, it's not uncommon to see these issues with sleep and then not be able to figure out what the hell's going on and the hormone Stuff in my experience has been that's a big role has been the biggest game-changer for a lot of women So yeah, I know There's also the she's got a couple things to that the image of what I can't know how old she was in the modeling picture like that, but that's not even a healthy version of herself. Like, like, and so the first of all, you have to get rid of that idea that that's a, that's not even a good goal to even want to look remotely, anything like that. The way she looks right now, she's in a very,
Starting point is 01:55:39 very healthy, good position, but I get what it's like to feel not comfortable in that and wanting to be a certain size But the answer still is the reverse diet and get the calories up so that when she comes down to 2,000 calories She can be leaner and still eating more. That's right. Look if you like the show come find us on Instagram Justin is that mind pump Justin? I'm at my pump to Stefano and Adam is that my pump out Thank you for listening to mind pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body, dramatically improve your health and energy, and maximize your overall performance, check out our discounted RGB Super Bundle at mindpumpmedia.com.
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