Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 278: Pre-Workout Rituals

Episode Date: April 21, 2016

How do you get in the zone and put yourself in an optimal state of mind prior to your workout or to a lift? Sal, Adam & Justin share their tricks and tips to getting in the zone. Please subscribe, rate and review this show! Each week the best reviewers are announced on the show and sent Mind Pump T-shirts! Learn more about Mind Pump at www.mindpumpmedia.com.

Hey Doug. Hey, Sal. It's kind of weird without Adam and Justin here, isn't it? Yes, kind of quiet. Well, Adam had his, he had his pedicure appointment and then Justin was, he had to chop some trees down. So it's just me and you. But we get the honor of telling people about maps aesthetic. And the cool thing is it's really Adam's program in a lot of ways. Well, it's, I mean, it's the first program that we've put together that's specifically designed for aesthetics, for making you look the way you wanna look. It's out now, mindpumpmedia.com, it's available right now.

The regular price is 127, but we're putting it on sale for 107, and that sale is gonna end, when's that ending, Doug? That's April 26th at midnight. So if they enroll now all the way up until 26th of April, they will be able to get that $20 off, so 107. Yeah, but the cool thing is you can get started for only $44. Right, so that's right, I forgot about that. So if you want to enroll in the program, 107 is too much right now.

You can do it for 44 bucks. There's, we have a payment plan. So 44 bucks, you'll get full access to maps aesthetic. What if somebody does the program and it doesn't blow their mind? Here's the thing though, not gonna happen, right? We already know what's gonna happen. Yeah, that's not gonna happen, but.

But let's say they do it and they're like, I'm not happy with it. Yeah, 30-day full money back guarantee. So they can literally start maps aesthetic, try it for 30 days, they don't like it, return it. Boom, refund. Absolutely. Okay, why don't we throw in some shit?

Yeah, let's do that. Okay, so what are we gonna give them? Let's give them a car. A car, maybe not. No car. No cars. How about a t-shirt? Yes.

So they can do that for you. All right, so free t-shirt. And we have a lot of people that are interested in our guides. We have the intermittent fasting guide, which teaches people how to fast properly, very effective tool for improved energy health, fat loss. Why don't we give them 50% off if they want that guide? Yeah, and how about all the other ones as well? Wow, you're very generous today.

Yeah, I'm normally that way, you know. I don't think so. I think you're like that because Adam and Justin are here and you want to sound cool. Yeah, you caught me. Got me. So nutrition survival guide 50% off if you want that. If you want the occlusion guide, also 50% off. What if they don't want any additional guides, but they want more shirts. They want the red map shirt or the green map shirt or the black map shirt. What about that? Buy as many as you want for 50% off. So they enroll in maps aesthetic, they get the discount because it's on sale until April 26th. They also get a free t-shirt that's included.

Yes. And on top of that, 50% off any of our peril or any of our guides. Absolutely. 30-day money back guarantee. You got it. We've gone crazy. Mind pump.

Absolutely insane. MindPumpMedia.com. Check it out, mindPumpMedia.com. If you want to pump your body and expand your mind, there's only one place to go. Mind, pop, mind, pop with your hosts. Salda Stefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin Andrews. In this room is the biggest asshole in the world,

and his name is Adam, let me tell you why, oh, this is the biggest gaping asshole. Let me tell you why, but actually before I do, look us up on Instagram at Mind Pump Radio. You can find me, Salda Stefano at Mind Pump, Sal, you can find Adam the asshole at Mind Pump Adam, and you can find Justin at Mind Pump Justin. And check this out, we got a shit ton of testimonials at Mind Pump Media.com.

Now let me tell you guys why Adam's an asshole. We're all here, right? We're waiting for him because actually, he was waiting for us. He left, came back so he was here before us so he wasn't late like usual. He walks up the stairs. I'm looking down the stairs, here comes Adam.

I'm waiting to give him a handshake or a hug or hey buddy. What's up bro? Hey, you're my friend. I'm Missedia my handshake or a hug or hey buddy. What's up, bro? Hey my friend? I miss you and what does he do? He does he does the underhand dick like the dick the cock the the ball flick Yeah, and and and and land he did the grays where it's like way worse It wasn't hard. It was like he blasted me in the balls. It makes you like crippled for like why is it never get old to it? It was a little tap to it was a little tap it was a little tap

That's to me like forever bro But he hit me in the left exactly the left testicle and and you know when you get exactly the left You know when you get hit in the ball and and you know in about five seconds the pain Yeah, yeah, so I was just I was able to like Like express how angry I was a thousand ten and then it hits you so I was I was able to express how angry I was. I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like,

I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was coming up, you were standing at the top. I was the first thing that just came. Now, Jimmy, I'm gonna walk it up like a swashbuckler. Yeah. Yeah. He swashed my buckles.

I'm gonna flick these grapes real quick. Flick these low hanging fruits. Yeah, because I know you got your grape underwear on. Now, now that we're on air, let's just let everybody know. Oh, we're starting. Now that we're on air, it was heavy, wasn't it? It was heavy. You heard a thud.

I heard my knuckles a thud like a dupes of a knuckle swollen. You felt the weight. Yeah. Hey, I got an idea. Let's play podcast Where are we gonna go guys? I don't know we have no we have nothing to talk about. I have something to talk about I thought it if oh, you know, of course well Well, no, when we have guests, you're so weird, that surprises me. I don't, I wonder when we have guests it when it's gonna get better. I feel like when we have guests, it's just, it's, yeah. It's almost like, um,

You know what it's like, we haven't jailed well yet. It's like, it's like you dream about having a threesome and you finally have one, it's just awkward. Oh yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, somebody feels like, hey, you're not, you know, doing these things to me over here. I'm over here. I was kind of It was I'll get to you. It's like being in a relationship

I feel like I've been in relationship with and I've been making out with you guys for a year and then I make out with somebody new for the very first time It's just I know might have even if they're good kisser. It's just weird. It's just weird the first time Well, that's what I feel like inner eight are getting new smells and our interviews I feel like that with you guys that feel like there's just a just the right amount of tongue you guys caress You hold me just the right way We introduce a new person in here. Yeah, we introduce a new person in here, and I just sloppy. It's just saliva everywhere bumping teeth Just gonna bump into each other. Yeah, just awkward. I've never had a reverse boner so strong

It's it's it's very uncomfortable hearing that kind of stuff. No, you know, here's a deal. I've had several people tell me this. This is, by the way, the only podcast that we'll talk shit about itself. I've had several people tell me, I'm gonna go out as right now. They'll come and be like, oh my God, I love Mind Pump. I don't like the episodes when you interview people as much,

but I like it when it's just you three. And I'm like, well, fuck you. You, and I agree. Yeah, it's interesting. I think- It's part of the formula that we have to do that. Well, we have, uh, we have to let them talk. We have a good chemistry amongst us in the room.

And when someone else comes in, it's just the chemistry's a little different. Certain guests are great. Like when we have Jo on, that's great, because you know, the guy can fucking wrap off words like a, you know, he throws everybody into the bus. Yeah, that's that's always amusing. Yeah, we just got to like, he throws everybody into the bus. Yeah, that's that's always amusing. Yeah, we just kind of like he's easy. You know, we don't have to we don't have to lead him anywhere. He's gonna like put your feet up and just everyone's

of all you got to throw a question out every once in a while. Yeah, he'll just go for it. But for us, I mean, when we first started, it was like, we couldn't shut up. We still can't shut up. Obviously, it gets worse. Yeah.

So I don't know, maybe it'll just be the podcast that interviews people every once in a while. For addict, yeah. Yeah. But the formula for podcasting, just for people who are listening. Yeah, those that want to get into podcasting. We're actually, we're very transparent. And we'll let you guys know.

There's a formula. And the formula, the standard formula for podcasting is you have other people on your show who have a large following. And then that will grow your podcast. That's like the easy way to grow your listenership is to get people on your show who have followers themselves. So if you have someone who has,

by the way, the best guest would be another podcast host because those people already listen to podcasts, right? So if you have someone who's getting, you know, X amount of thousands of downloads a day and you bring them on your show and they talk about on their show, you're gonna boost your growth. We don't do that at all.

We barely ever do that. Our growth has come from completely from word of mouth. It's just kind of cool. Well, I feel like we all, it's organic, like we're less than relevance in our industry or they have something that, we wanna line with or, there has to be some significant reason why

we're gonna pursue that. Well, and I feel like I was one of the ones that early on that really pushed back on this, because I remember when we first started, I remember Doug was really telling us, okay, we need to look for guests, we need to get on this, we need to push that. And I just felt like that was one of the things that kind of turned me off about other people's podcasts. Sometimes when I get on, and I love, you know, I love Lane Norton. I love Joe Rogan. I love Fighter and the kid. But you know, sometimes if it's not a guest I really want to listen to, I don't listen.

I don't, I don't, you know, I'm like, yeah, I don't know. It brings new people to a podcast. Yeah, it does. Yeah. And that's what, and that's the formula behind it. So I get it from a business, you know, aspect, but I don't understand for me for a listener as a consumer. If I'm listening to something, I want to be entertained like, uh, and I think I feel that same entertainer.

And entertainer. Yeah. Yes. Perfect. Nirvana plug there. Okay. So I really, I really think that, uh, you know, people that give me a reason to sing that are tuning into us, tune in because they, you know, they have, uh, been listening to us for

a while or a friend that's referred to him and said, hey, you know, you listen to mine, pump, hopefully you get some good information. And that's what they're looking for, where I felt like I feel like if we were to go into this whole guest thing, we're guest, guest, guest, guest all the time, it lose that, because I mean, how often when we get a guest, there's three of us,

it's already a dynamic, right? When you think about podcasting, how many podcasts have three dudes? Yeah. Right? There's normally one guy or maybe two. A guy in a backup guy. Yeah, right? There's normally one guy or maybe two guy in a backup guy. Yeah, right? It's all and so it takes already a serious chemistry for the three of us to be able to you know be able to interject and finish your turns

Yes, just like that Fucking guy, bro. Did you just fold the bill of your hat up? I did It looks good like that. You look like a BMXer. Yeah, let's in the day. No, listen to Sal. He can even wear hats to the end. What the fuck? Yeah. So one of my good friends who just started listening to mind pumps like, are you guys ever going to run out of things to talk about?

And I'm like, how long have you known me? Do you know who we're dealing with, sir? I really never run out of shit, Tata. Actually, I just thought of something to talk about. Weird shit that you've done in your workout career. Like weird things that you do that kind of get you in your, either in your zone or something that's different about something you might do

in terms of prepping for a workout. I'll start, I'll start. There's a couple of things I do that are really weird. One is way weirder than the other. So I'm gonna start with the less weird one. So as you guys know, as you guys know, I owned a gym, a small personal training studio for about 12 years, 13 years. And so that's where I did the majority of my workouts for a long time. And one of the great things about owning

your own gym is you do what the fuck you want. So I used to love and I still do. I just got in the habit of turning all the lights off and working out. So the only light coming into the gym was coming in from the you know the glass, you know, window. Really? That's sexy. That's different. Bro, I'm telling you, I had a work, there was a massage therapist that worked for me in the facility or rented space for me, I should say. And she enjoyed working out that way.

And I always thought it was weird, like, why? You can't really, it's like too dark. Yeah. So I did my first workout that way and I had my evil death metal, you know, devil music on. And it was dark and I was working out. And let me tell you, dude, it makes you become aggressive. Yeah, like that. I felt I felt it came over you. And so now if I get the opportunity, I'll turn the lights out and the jam if no one's in there, because I still train people there. And I'll work out and it just man

It's just great. It's dark. I've never even thought to do that Bro, it's dungeon like why you remember you and I know you remember because you worked there I worked there we all did actually with Justin was even started there for a little bit was Hillsdale It's dark. Yeah Hillsdale was known as the dungeon because it had no windows. Yeah, it was a square box Big gym, you know, I would say I don't want to run a gym like that because it's harder to sell, I think. But when I'm working out, oh yeah. The ceilings were low, it was dark.

I couldn't work in that facility, either like train clients in that facility, that's all dark, but I don't want to work out there. See? For sure. But here's the thing, like I have a similar ritual, but it's more like, if I'm trying to PR that day or like really getting the zone,

I'm gonna wear like a lightweight hoodie and put the hood over my head and like blast death metal and I'm just like, I get fucking angry. And like so like people needed to just watch out. Like don't talk to me when I'm in that kind of frame of mind. Well see it's similar, it's similar. So you put a hoodie over your head. It's almost like you need to block everything down.

I have to block it out, yeah, exactly. Exactly. What about you, Adam? Is there anything weird? We're a source planter. Well, I don't know if you would call weird. It's definitely new for me, literally in the last six months. I have really.

We pull on an impulse. No, no, no, no. I have really gotten into the whole mobility piece before I start my workout. That's not weird. It's not weird, but it's different. I think it's unique and it's, I mean, God, I've been training for fucking over 15 years

and for this. There's gotta be a weird ritual that you do, dude. Well, okay, probably the, probably embarrassing or the thing that I do, I guess. Yes, I know you like question. That's what I'm in here. Well, I am a bit fanatical about how I look when I go to the gym.

I like to fucking match, dude. Of course. I turned the lights off. Make it dark. He wears a hoodie and gets angry. You're like, I like to wear matching clothes before. Let's see, I need to laugh, right? Hot damn.

Yeah, I probably spend, I probably spend, honestly, if I really thought about this, this is actually true, and I think about this. I spend more time picking my outfit out that I'm gonna work out in the gym and then I do the one I'm wearing all day. No, it's where to go. It's where to go, dude. If I'm getting ready for the day and I'm just gonna be out in the bell,

I'll fucking just throw on any sweats, I'll mismatch, throw a ball cap on and go. But if I'm going to the gym, like I need the whole, I need the whole. Yeah, yeah, my chucks and my socks. Gonna be right with my sweats and it's gotta match my shirt and hat. Gotta have my gear and bag.

It's just to have your ensemble. I do, I do have my ensemble, I have my gym bag that has like all the tools or all the things I could possibly need inside of it. I've got, you know, my headphones, you got like, and it's all gonna be there. I will literally walk out of the gym. If I show up and I forgot something,

I'm like, oh, fuck this, I gotta go back. What about a pre-workout poop? Of course. Every time, right, Justin? Yeah, because even before anything big, like we mentioned, like for the orange theory thing that we did. Oh, yeah. The biggest fart ever.

I don't know, something inside me just fights. And I'm like, I gotta take care of this guy. And every time. Before every workout, yeah, you had to get the pre-workout. The big games, whatever it was. I had to, you know, we had to have a moment. There's a science behind it too. So you figure, if I'm going for a max lift, right,

you don't want any extra weight on your body. Okay, so you need to get light. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? That's two pounds. That only affects me when I was messing around with pre workouts a lot. And I don't really mess with pre workouts hardly ever now. Less somebody sends me some free shit

and then I'm like, I want to I'll try this. You ever, isn't it trippy how people will take supplements that give them the runs and they'll just keep taking them? Well, that's like a lot of pre workouts man. A lot of pre workouts that are loaded with 200 to 400 milligrams of caffeine, you take it and then you know, 15, 20 minutes before the gym and you're on your way to the gym and by the time you get the gym.

And then I hate that. There's nothing more that I hate more than getting into my groove. And then like that comes on. And I'm like, son of a bitch. Yeah, that comes on. And then you're like, I got to go. And then you're in the bathroom for 20 minutes and just like lose your mental focus. You know, I don't not like that at all. And pre workout does that a lot to me. Well, so here's something that's, so I remember I had two things. That's not a shitty. Here's a second weird. This is a very weird strange thing. For a second, and when I say second,

they might have been like a month or two, where I was doing some yoga, and I was kind of getting to the yoga thing. And I was home alone one day. And you were able to assume the position where you get hit all the way down. What? No, that was, wow, that was really bad.

Yeah, I turned all the lights off again. I got to think with the lights. It's not the point of yoga. And I did naked yoga. So I took, yeah, I took all my clothes off. Dear God. I don't know why. I just felt like it was meditative.

This is true. I don't want to even pick up. I'm telling you, dude, and I'm stretching, and I'm nude, and I'm stretching, and I don't know, I felt very grounded. This is so, this is horrible. No, I want you to edit that entire thing out. This is very impossible. No, I'm extremely interested now in this,

because I don't, I don't know, as a man, I don't you feel like your ass being all out there when you're in a... Well, nobody was there. It's your open, bro. I was by myself. Nobody was there. Yeah, nobody was there. You're open, bro. I was by myself. So nobody was there. Yeah.

I don't know. I just do when yoga poses like, dude, what if the UPS guy comes? You know what I'm saying? Yeah. No, I had all the blinds and shit, you know, shit. I was in the front yard, no, I was in the back. I was in my house.

Fire! And I did that. And I had one of the best like stretch sessions of all time. Well, you know, now that you say that, I can see you do this because out of all three of us or four of us, you've included that probably. I'm the weirdest.

No, I think you're the most secure with his body and stuff. So I still don't think I look good naked. That's just, really? Yeah, I think the male body, I don't think you look good naked either. You do, bro. I said, just because you're secure with yourself, I'll just let you know you don't look at naked.

You know, you know, I'm not, it's not that I'm comfortable being naked. The male body is just not attractive like a female body to me. It's awkward, man. Yeah, I work fucking as hard as I possibly can to be aesthetic and then I look at, I'm like, God, damn it, man.

You just, There's too many things hanging out. There is, it's just, and we're shaped different. Girls are, you know, even a girl that's not like the most awesome shape ever has like was already, you know, that's because you're attracted to women, of course, dude. Yeah even a girl that's not like the most awesome shape ever has like was already, you know, because you're attracted to women. Of course, dude. Yeah, you think that's what it is.

I of course it is, bro. So maybe you're more comfortable with the being naked thing because you're attracted to men. No, just myself. Just subtracting myself. No, that's not what it is. Listen, okay, we all look to full look. Everybody's got a dick. All guys have dicks. Oh, whatever. It's not a big deal. But it for me, it was grounding. I felt very meditative. I put music on that. I had the yoga music on and I was just doing my yoga. And I felt very grounding.

I was so making a meme out of this. And I'm telling you dude, it was great. And so I've done a couple other yoga sessions, not fully naked. And yeah, not fully naked, but like just in my underwear, just feeling like totally free. Well I know you know some yoga people

and are close to them. What's their theory on that? Have you ever shared this with them that you do this or you've done this? The first time I've ever shared this is right here on Mind Pump. And for whatever reason, I feel like I can say anything on this.

It's so bad. But I'm so glad you're so open with that. But I'll guarantee you right now that there's someone somewhere who's teaching naked yoga. They go hand in hand, I'm telling you, I guarantee it. Now naked lifting, see that would never work. Never would that work.

Yeah, they're teaching that and then nobody's showering. Yeah, you're not gonna get a deadlift, naked or squat deadlift or any, I mean squat naked or any that shit. No way, man. You might hit some. You might be on something, dude. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you might.

I left you doing the hands free deadlift, if you know what I mean. But, but you don't want to you know you don't want to do anything else like that But I mean no other weird rituals before your workouts. I don't I trumped us on that one Well, I win I feel like I have I feel like I have a a ritual unfortunately for mine I don't and maybe that's just because I'm just not as weird as you are just mine is Mine is just really basic I get basic. I get in the gym. It's like clockwork. I drop my bag off the exact same spot. I get on the treadmill first.

I walk on the treadmill for like five to 30 minutes to put. And for me, that is at my time to like decompress. I come down from whatever, wherever my mind is business wise or whatever, I find that that helps me when I come in the gym. If I when I was 20, 20 years old, I could come in the gym and go right into the weights right away and start pumping away and do my thing, no stretching, no nothing, just workout, hell of hard, get after it, you know,

where now it's a process for me for sure. And I don't know if that's something that just with age or I've just learned more about myself, who knows, but I do, I come in, I walk on the treadmill five to 30 minutes and I am, I have like, and and I also maybe here's a ritual for you I like to if I really want to get after a workout a new playlist I'll spend you know, I'll spend an hour before my workout at home You know creating this iTunes playlist of what I want to to listen to like of some good rock that I haven't heard in a while

Or whatever and I'll make a playlist and then I I'll go. And then that first part of walking is kind of getting into that mentality. And now, like I said, now what's new for me is, I've really embraced the whole warm-up, man. I really, before it was, you know, the foam roll and the stretching was my process before, and it was kind of daunting, and I didn't like doing it,

but I knew it was necessary. Where now I've really embraced the whole mobility stuff and I like learning a new move and practicing it and then applying it and seeing the difference in my workout. And I've learned to treat it just as much as an importance as the rest of my lives. And I like it. I actually got it. Once I get into the weights, I just feel so great, man. I feel so good and so ready.

Where in the past, and once again, this could be, uh, attribute this to being older now, you know, being in our mid 30s, you know, I cannot just go grab some dumbbells and start curling or pressing or, you know, get under a barbell and start deadlifting right away and feel awesome right away. I mean, it's, it takes some time. Well, I think, uh, we underestimate the mental component of getting ready for a workout. And I think a lot of people who, you know, are listening right now who are trying to make fitness kind of more regular, that pre-workout, whatever you want to call

it. We're talking about rituals, all joking aside, there's a mental component to getting yourself ready for what you're about to do. And that makes what you do feel more important and it makes you take it more seriously. And think about all the things that you do that are very important to you. You tend to do things to prepare for them, right? And if you don't treat your workout that way, I do think that there's indetriment. Don't think for one second that part of the benefit of your mobility session before your workout isn't just the mental component of as well.

You know what I'm saying? Oh, absolutely. It's like you're as well. You know what I'm saying? It's like you're getting ready, you're spending 15 minutes to get ready to have this great workout. Well that's why I don't understand your yoga thing. I'm still like my brain's still there dude. Still big tricks.

Just some big tricks out there and they're like, we need to stop tricking. So no, now I'm thinking about like, how this all fits into our different characters because for me, I still wanna talk about weird shit, right? You guys are kinda moving in in a direction. Like, so I'll take like a big rocks and I'll pick them up and I'll walk up like a sand hill.

I love doing shit that it's like, I'm gonna do it. Wow, well, you don't know. There's this spot at the end of this road where I live, like you go and there's like this big sand hill And so I'll go grab a rock and I'll walk up a hill and I'll just do random shit and then I'll take like Yeah, I'll take trees and fucking push them over Okay, now we're getting we're getting like getting naked yoga shit here like that fucking weird, man

It's weird, but like I like to I like to destroy thing you can be more tree Big rocks like on things just to hear the sound of it like crash in breaking shit You're like you're like a monster. I just say it's like kind of ogre is you're like a big fucking child I love doing you're like a big fucking child. I don't know why. I don't know why. I love doing that. You're like a big fucking child. That's the stuff the kids do. I like to throw rocks, store windows. Who doesn't like to do that? Like a spray graffiti.

The sound of breaking glass. Oh, it doesn't get better than that. But okay, fine, it's weird and whatever. But it does put you in that mental state, or whatever that mental state is that you wanna be in. Yeah, like I'm a fucking ogre. For whatever, for your workout. Right. And I think it's under I think we it's under

Utilized this underestimate I think people on the way to the gym from work Should visualize what they're gonna do visualize what their goal is should think about the things that they're gonna achieve in the workout and studies will show that visualization Makes a significant difference in terms of a person's subjective You know how they, the workout appears to be in terms of it's difficult to hear how hard it is. Well, it's the same thing too with athletics if you're talking about rituals. Like, think about how, you know, all these athletes like prepare for games. It's almost like, what's the word for it when they get like...

Sacked out, sucked out. No, no, no, no, like They think like something bad is gonna happen otherwise super superstitious. Thank you Yeah, so they get like real superstitious about the way that everything like The process of how they get ready for the game and you know it Seeing this on Multiple teams that I played on like you just see the this process. Each person kind of has to take to get themselves in that right state of mind.

And one of the things that we did is a team, like it was like fucking silent. And it was silent leading up to the game. Nobody talked. And if you talk, like you get your ass gets reamed. And so we just like made that a thing that we had to be disciplined and focused and like even, you know, leading up to it, all the

drills and stuff. We had to know that this is what we do each time, but nobody talks about it, nobody talks about it, but stay focused. And I felt like for me that really helped, because then when I got into college, people were fucking around and just trying to joke right before the game, I was not into that. I was like, this know, just trying to joke, you know, right before the game, I was not into that. I was like, this does not work for me. Yeah, I think it's interesting. As humans, we develop these rituals because we instinctively know how important it is

to become mentally prepared before any type of a physical exertion. You know, it's a very important factor and nobody talks about it. Nobody talks about it. Nobody tells their clients, hey, before you come to the gym, I tell my clients this,

before you come to the gym, I want you to think about, you know, what kind of attitude you're gonna have when you work out. I want you to think about the things you're gonna achieve and I'll work out. Even if you just spend five minutes doing it, it sounds stupid, it sounds silly,

but it makes a very big difference. I used to say that working out is 60% mental. More than half, I think is mental. I think if you just go and pick up a rock, kind of like what Justin is saying, and you don't think about how to do that properly, what your body will just do, it can choose the easiest path.

So, and to me, I feel, and I don't know this, I don't know if this is the aesthetic guy in me or what do I have, but there's said to me, you know, training and bodybuilding and lifting weights, it's an art, it's sculpting. I have that attitude like when I go into it. So I'm so focused on where I wanna feel things,

how I wanna feel it and listening to my body. I feel like that's such a mental piece. And I think a lot of people neglect that, they approach a workout and they gauge it. We've talked about this before, based off of the result from it, how sore I was or what I thought where I'm more in tune with how I feel it as I'm going through the process. You know, and have is that muscle fatigue? It did.

Am I noticing that all my secondaries are starting to fire now? I've pretty much toasted that muscle. Do I need to continue on and do all these extra sets that I had planned to do originally? And no, I don't. I can move on to something else now or so I'm always listening and paying attention and that takes a lot of mental focus to do that. If you have all this shit going on beforehand and you're elsewhere, I just don't see how you can maximize a workout like that without being connected.

Well, especially with resistance training because resistance training, you are, of course, the calories you burn throughout the day, really boils down to what kind of activity you're doing when you're not in the gym, okay? But resistance training is just as stimulus. It's as stimulus for the muscles to grow or to change. And so that's the most important time of your day in terms of getting your body to change.

So it only makes sense that you treat it that way. You see what I'm saying? If I know I have one hour, three days a week in the gym, that's only three hours at the entire week. So why not maximize those three hours in every way possible? And the mental component is a massive, massive part of it. If you go into your workout, scatterbrained, thinking about other things, I'm just going to go in and just do this prescribed workout and then leave, you're not going to be nearly as effective as if you prep your mind before and during while you're in there, you're in your zone, get in your zone,

and then afterwards, think about what you just did. That makes a massive difference. Studies will show it, and anecdotally speaking, as somebody who's trained for as long as I have, it's one of the biggest things you could do, easiest things you could do that makes the biggest impact. Is that simple thing? It's this is the reason why stimulants, why people love taking stimulants before their workout. You know, stimulants do that kind of artificially, right?

You take a shit ton of caffeine, you're kind of, I'm focused, right? Just like taking any other stimuli, like a riddle in or aterol or some of these other exotic things that they put in these supplements, people enjoy them because it artificially puts them in that kind of state of mind before they'll work out. And then you're stronger. It's not subjective, it's objective.

Like you take caffeine before your workout, they've done this in studies, and you're a little bit stronger. You perceive less pain. That's all mental. Can you do that without the stimulants? I think so, absolutely. They've done studies on some of these monks

that will meditate and will be able to lower their body temperature, raise their body temperature, slow the heart rate down to ridiculous levels, and because they practice. And it takes a little bit of practice, but I see people in the gym, and they're not treating the workouts. Some people use breathing too, you know?

Breathing part of patterning that and getting yourself in the zone as far as like slowing the heart rate or raising the heart rate or whatever it is Like they're just they can manipulate Factors like that in order to get them into that place. Yes, and I've seen people in the gym and it seems like they're they're kind of messing around or they're They're on their phone or they're talking or whatever and there's a lot of results that they're missing Because they don't have that mental component there while they're working out and I think We need to treat it as as seriously as the work at itself. Well, I feel like human movement period It starts from your brain. It's almost obvious, it seems so obvious. Like you're not moving and wiggling your fingers

without your brain telling you to send us, sending that signal to do that. So to me, it seems so obvious because we do stuff like that, just wiggle your fingers and you take it for granted. But there's something that's happening neurologically that's going on right there. And we've done this a million times all day long,

move your hands, grab the door knob Do still like that so we have second nature, but you know Willing weights is not something that's necessarily You know second nature for a lot of people and it takes time to get into that groove and define that in I find it very important to do those things and I think I'm an experienced lifter and I still find a difference I so there's been times I don't know about you guys before, but I've left to work out because I can't get out of my mental funk because I'm so,

I got so much heavy shit going on outside. I'm not being effective here. Exactly, and I'm in the gym and I want, and I'm going there in hopes that it's going to help with all the shit that I got going on, but it's so bad that I can't get out of it, and I'll walk out of the gym. Freshers do that's like when you're just bombarded with stress.

And so what, as much as you don't want to admit, people think that it's therapy to then go add physical stress to your body to kind of divert that, but a lot of times you'll bring that stress and it's going to intensify the stress by adding exercise stress. So you have to watch out for that. For example, yesterday, yesterday was, I scheduled a day off three days ago. And then the next day after that, I had planned to go to the gym and I just didn't,

and I just had so much on my plate. I had other things that I was working on business-wise. And I was like, that's okay, I haven't given myself two days off in a row in a while. I'll be good recovery, day three, I'll be able to come back. And I had really planned. I wanted yesterday to get after it. I was excited. I wanted to go. I didn't get off your left, some dead lefting. And I'm like, man, I feel fully recovered. This can be exciting workout. And then I was up all night the night before, work until late night. Then I was up at

the crack of dawn working again. And then we then we podcasted. We had Joe on the interview. And so that and then we're out late again. I just was so exhausted and as bad as I had planned and wanted to go to the gym like I just said no it's just I had to take it off you know and I could have I could have went in I could have powered through it and done it but there's there's a there's a point where I feel like you have to learn to listen to your body and that was the situation right there where you know it was as much as I wanted to go in and go lift, you know, I was like, I wasn't there mentally

and I think if I would have went in and pushed through it, you know, sure, I might have seen some benefits from it, but I think I would have had just as much. Well, you could have even just modified, right? You could have even, someone in that same situation could have said, you know what? I'm exhausted, but what I, so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go in there and I'm gonna just do

some mobility stuff and I'm a stretch. I'm gonna go in there and I'm gonna just do some mobility stuff and I'm a stretch. I'm gonna go in the aerobic studio, make it dark, whatever, and just make myself feel a little bit better. Could have been another way. Here's an easy tool that I've taught some of my clients. This is an easy way to get yourself mentally prepared for your workout. It's as easy as visualizing what you're gonna do before you do it. It's simple. It takes a grand total of 10 minutes Maybe when you're warming up or you're stretching. I want you to do this yourself on your next workout when you're warming up

Whatever your warm-up is whether it be mobility whether it be on a piece of cardio equipment Visualize your exercises and the sequence you're going to do them and where you're going to do them and what you're going to do and That alone puts you in this state of mind that's gonna give you a better workout. You know, scientists have shown that thinking about something lights up the brain in almost the same ways as actually doing them. So if I'm thinking of writing a bike and I'm visualizing, I'm doing a really good job visualizing it, they almost can't tell the difference between me actually writing my bike and my brain and me just

visualizing it. And so the same thing happens when you're working out. So it's almost like you're doing sets of your exercise before you do sets of that exercise. It's almost like another part of warming up. It's a very important factor. It's the cognitive factor. It's the brain and the mental factor that factors into the success of your workouts. And those of you that are listening right now that are saying, well, that's silly.

Trust me. Try it. Just visualize a little bit and notice the difference. It's, to me personally, it's the equivalent of having a stimulant before my workout. It's almost, it's powerful. I go into my workout. Now I'm ready. I've already visualized my deadlift.

I've already visualized my pull-ups. I've already visualized whatever I'm going to do. I go in and I do it and it just, it feels that much better. And it only takes 10 minutes. I find it, and you have to do it. I feel like you, especially when you're lifting heavy, I feel like I can go into a workout. If I'm on, you know, phase three or what I like that and we're doing a lot of hypertrophy and supersetting and lightweight and getting into it.

That's one thing. But when I have to call upon my central nervous system and I have to go, I gotta go rip some serious heavy weight off the floor or put some shit on my back that I know is serious weight. There is definitely a piece that I feel I have to get mentally ready for that. I just, and to me, and I know some people probably think

they just kind of use their warm upsets or whatever as that, but I feel like at that point, it's almost game time already. I feel like I need a good 10 to 20 minutes before, and that's that walking on the treadmill is visualizing the bed. Because I don't know about you guys either that I don't go to the gym knowing for sure

what I'm going to do. I go to the gym with our structure, our skeletal structure that we've built in programs and I know, okay, I'm in whatever phase and I have an idea. But a lot of that time, I'm on the treadmill. This is where I like to apply a lot of our science and the stuff that we're always playing with is I'm like, okay, you know, I'm going to try this today. Before I go, you know, squat, I'm going to do this and I'm going to see how I feel, you know, and I'm going to try this and I'm going to do that. And then so a lot of that is is happening when I'm walking on that treadmill too before I get started or doing my mobility is really putting together, you know, exactly how I'm

going to go through what order these exercise I'm going to do them in. If I'm going to modify or change something and then what I'm looking for if I do, you know. Yeah, I have a couple techniques I do for the squat and for the deadlift. So for the squat, I visualize how it feels to get into a good squat. So it's hard to explain, but I know how it feels when I sit into a squat and it feels stable, strong, and where I could push up out of the hole.

And so I just think of that feeling over and over again, and then when I get into a squat, I tend to be able to get right into it. And then when I did lift, there's two things that I visualize when I'll deadlift, especially if it's a heavy pull. One is that the weights are nailed to the floor and I'm trying to rip the nails out of the ground. So for whatever reason, I'm imagining that I'm ripping it off the ground,

I feel stronger. And the second thing is that I envision myself squeezing indentations into the bar. So I grab the bar and I squeeze the shit out of it right before I lift. And I imagine that I can actually leave my fingerprints in the bar. That's how hard I can squeeze the bar. Both those things, for me, subjectively feel like I get stronger. And I don't know if there's evidence behind that. There is some central nervous system evidence. But for me, the fact that it feels better makes the lift feel easier. It makes me want to do more lifts with heavy weight. It's worth it.

I feel like I've experimented with that same process with squeezing the bar and also using other techniques to kind of drive that intensity to my central nervous system. And it has, it has, especially when I'm trying to lift an heavier weight limit. So, but for me, when I'm going to ritualize this and go into my big, heavy lifts, I will lose focus. Once I lose focus, it's done.

When I'm going for a heavy lift, anytime I've ever failed, I feel like it's been mental. And so, that's always one thing that it's like, ah, it's so, so it's just like an obvious thing to me that like, oh my God, I wasn't focused enough. I wasn't prepared enough mentally for this lift that like, you know, I just kind of went into it. Like, I've done this before, I've done this before, but my mind wasn't there. And then, you know, you hit that sort of spot

that where your brain almost shuts down. You're like, no, not, you, not gonna let you have it today. And then I'm done. So another thing I've done too is when I've loaded weight on the bar, as I'll load it in the past I've done this, instead of putting all 45s, I'll add little weights on it because for whatever reason the way it looks, it makes me think that maybe it's less,

even though it's the same weight. Oh really? Yes, think about it. Think about the sticking points in your lifts. It was two plates on the bench, three plates on the squad. It was four or five plates on. It's always these numbers that have to add up to what the 45 pound plates.

When it's just an arbitrary fucking number. And I mean, five plates on the diddlyfs, 495. I remember that was such a big deal to surpass. And now it's the sixth plate. It was so true. You look at it visually, like exactly, like when I'm doing power cleans, I'll see like, okay, I'm stacking this one. Now I'm stacking, you know, another red one next to each other.

Let me get that. Now I'm gonna go for, you know, I'm gonna get my yellow one on top of that and then a green one. And then it's just like, I can't get that last one. And so then I started experimenting around that and adding like the little donut size ones and you know kind of incrementally putting it up and it was like I had a totally different response is because it's like mentally I had this block, you know, I just would see

it as as what it was. That's crazy. Yeah, I've never tried that. Oh yeah, I've done that. We're all I'll add I'll put a certain amount of weight on the bar and then I'll start adding small plates and I will consciously not count how much weight is on the bar. That's funny, that is funny. Cause I actually, if I were, I think it's different for me. I think seeing the big 45s on there

gives me the mental juice of like, oh this is like Rebs, yeah. Yeah, Rebs me up, like I'm about to pull five plates right here, oh I'm about to squat four plates right here and seeing the four plates on, where if it's, and it's not like I've never obviously squatted with 25s and 10s and 5s and I've done all that stuff before when I'm doing that, I feel like it doesn't count or it's not unless the actual big wheels are not on there. It doesn't count. So I got to have the times where I'll actually take the smaller stuff on just and to put the same exact weight on, but I want the 45s on

there because I want to see it like I'm going to go I'm going to go squat to to circuit this But where I'm like I'm glad Justin said that because I'm very similar to you I would say 90% of the time maybe more I can't think of a time where I have failed and I didn't attribute it to mental I almost think every time that I I've I've I've failed it didn't feel like oh my muscle gave out and that was just too much for my muscles It was something that I didn't I didn't fire everything just right. With heavy lifts and PR and I feel like, and this is kind of cool topic because I know we've had a lot of people lately on the forum asking about PRs and when do incorporate them or how often you should hit them.

When I'm going after a PR or a strength, I see where I'm at, you know, it's, there is a lot of little things I do. When I get in there squat for me personally, how I get up underneath it, I got to really concentrate on retracting and pinching my scapula together. If I don't, that slightest bit of being off when I come down, that could throw me off. I've been getting better about bracing my core with breathing techniques before I go under. I always know a difference, which is why I think the belt

helps a lot. The belt, I feel like when you have a belt, when you're going for a PR, I have to say that that's probably one of the things I like most about it, which I also notice when I lift a lot without it and then I let myself have it, is it gives me a wall for me to feel that core being braced against.

It's, I totally get, you know, being somebody who lifts a lot of heavy weight with and without belts, you know, I see the difference. And that's something the biggest advantage I have with a belt is more so than the safety thing is I can feel myself bracing my core against the belt. And so that's just one less thing that I have to kind of think about when I'm against that squat. So boom, I feel the core bracing against the belt. And so that's just one less thing that I have to kind of think about when I'm against that's what so boom I feel the core bracing against the belt. Now I pull back my shoulders and retract and I drop down in the hole and then it helps me get out. It's a total another discipline that you have to establish like you really have to concentrate

on bracing your core right before you get to the lift or yeah it will hurt you. So yeah that's something that subconsciously you, maybe that is a block for you So a belt in that case if you get up to the heavy weight would make sense Yeah, no, it makes a big difference for me for sure when I used to train in Jiu-Jitsu sometimes we would do no-gee no-gee meaning we wouldn't wear our gee, but you would wear a rash guard and some of these rash guards you buy are the tight right so the really be tight kind of like spandex shirts Yeah, I don't know and long sleeve.

And I actually worked out in those things a couple times when I did Max Lifts. And just, and it's, it's thin. It's not like a bench shirt or anything like that. So it's not giving me support. But the feeling of the tightness around the body made me feel really secure. And there was this mental thing I got from it that would make me feel stronger. And I've used that in the past when I've gone to do like a Max Lift. I'll wear like a tight shirt, a tight t-shirt.

You know, that is the only reason why there's a part of me that has wanted to try compression pants is for that exact reason. You like the tightness? Yeah, no, I have noticed that before when you're all snuck in the belt. Not going as much. It does, it does feel like you bring everything in tight and like that. And I've been curious if that, if I feel a difference like that when I'm, when I'm wearing that, I just can't break myself to do it,

I can't put spandex on as a man on my pants. I can wear a spandex shirt, and even then, I don't like doing that, because I think that's kind of weird too. The guy that wears the under armor shirt that he tucks into his shorts and stuff, that's like a medium and he should be wearing like an extra large. Just wear it and then wear something over it. Well, that's what I would, yeah,

absolutely. If you ever catch me in spandex pants, you better believe I'd have shorts over the top of it. My junk would not be hanging out, you know, all over the place when I'm squatting, because that would be a fucking distraction for me. If I was looking at my squat form in the mirror and all I see is a vein in my cock,

why I'm trying to squat, I would just completely throw me off completely. That's a great place to end. Leave us a five- star rating review on IT. Visual. And find us on Instagram at MindPumpRadio. You can find me at MindPumpSally, you can find Adam at MindPumpAtom and Justin at MindPump Justin. And you can check out our testimonials at MindPumpMedia.com.

Thank you for listening to MindPump. For more information about this show and to get valuable free resources from Sal Adam and Justin, visit us at www.minepompradio.com. Until next time, this is Mind Pump.