Diet VS Exercise Which One Is Better? | Mind Pump 2769

Key Takeaway

When forced to choose between diet and exercise, exercise wins for long-term health. While diet affects weight loss more directly, exercise builds muscle that protects against disease even in overweight individuals. Most importantly, people stick with exercise programs far more consistently than diet changes, and those who exercise are more likely to improve their eating habits naturally. Start with strength training 2-3 days per week and prioritize protein—this combination creates sustainable health improvements without overwhelming lifestyle changes.

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the age-old question: diet or exercise—which is more important? While acknowledging both are essential, the hosts argue that if you had to pick one, exercise (specifically strength training) is more critical for long-term health, longevity, and adherence. They discuss how muscle mass protects against disease, the rise of GLP-1 medications creating new challenges, and why exercise habits naturally lead to better dietary choices. The conversation includes practical advice on protein intake, muscle memory, avoiding injury during comeback periods, and the psychological aspects of behavior change.

Full Transcript

Transcript of Diet VS Exercise Which One Is Better? | Mind Pump 2769 from Mind Pump Show. Auto-generated from episode audio; may contain minor errors.

It's well known that two of the most important ingredients for a healthy lifestyle is diet and exercise. But if we what if you had to choose one, which one is more important? Which one's better? Is it diet or is it exercise? We're going to get into it right now. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. I feel like I flip-flopped on this. Yes. Well, you have to eat to survive. So, So, So, that's extreme. that's extreme. that's extreme. So, I'll tell you why I flip-flopped on this.

Um I of course I would have said diet years ago. Yeah. Um, in fact, we used to always say when you were talking to a potential new client that, you know, 70% of your results come from diet, right? And so, abs are made in the kitchen. That's right. Abs are made in the kitchen. All the things, right? Um, Um, Um, we are now entering this time of uh, and I'm seeing more and more of this. So, every time we talk about this, I actually run into more family, more friends, or more people I know that are on GLP ones.

Oh, great direction. And And And and and diet is actually not becoming a problem. like they've been all eat less y without trying like it's like they do they have no problem not having the extra serving having the dessert drinking the alcohol I mean it has really it has unlocked this hack for the average American that is is is almost unbelievable almost unbelievable almost unbelievable but because of that and and I can what's wild too this is so hard because these are like friends and close people to me and I remember when I did the experiment Um, I would have never let you guys let me take pictures for the company had I thought I looked like that.

You talking about when you Yes, bro. And we still use those epic and we still use those photos of I just thought I was lean. You know what I'm saying? Like I just like and I I knew I lost some muscle, but there is a look that you get. Yeah, there is. There is a look that you get. Um, and when you're when you're kind of in it, because I think you're losing so much body fat, you're like, you know, and I saw my app. I'm like, I'm fine.

I'm fine. And and granted, too, I uh I had some muscle to lose cuz I had built so much. So, probably not, but I have some friends who don't really train. They're they've used it and they've lost a lot of body fat, but they've also lost and they they look sickly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and and they don't and and I remember this cuz I talked about this going with you guys. they don't have the motivation to train. They're so low calorie and they're losing the weight and the the discipline to exercise just is not there.

So, for the first time in my life, I'm going to flip-flop this and say exercise is is going to become more important. I agree with you for for a lot of different reasons, but one of the main reasons why I agree with you because I think the GOP one um scenario has illuminated this. It's made it clear. Uh, but here's why I I strongly agree with you. Um, when it comes to being overweight, diet plays a bigger role. That's true. That's true. The data is clear on this.

Like, if you just exercise to lose weight, don't change your diet at all, you're not going to lose that much. Okay? That's what that's what the data is very clear. Lots of studies on this. I've trained people for years. It's true. Yeah. You go work out and don't change your diet, you won't lose that much weight. Uh, but here's also what the data shows. Can you be overweight and healthy? Yes. Can you be the right kind of weight or underweight and unhealthy? Yes. A significant percentage of people who get heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Okay? So, it's not the majority, but it's enough to uh to equate to millions and millions of people. Okay? Uh for heart disease, for example, it's like 20some percent of the people with heart disease are underweight or of normal weight. Uh people with diabetes, it's something uh in that in that number. cancer, same thing. So although obesity and being overweight plays a a role in those things, we also see millions and millions of people get those things who are not overweight. What's going on? They're under muscled and they don't exercise.

And the data will show this. You can be overweight and fit and have great health and longevity. If you have if you're weak uh if you have immobility, if you have low muscle and strength, your health is terrible. your mortality goes through the roof. A a stupid grip strength test can predict all cause mortality better than almost any other single uh measurement you could take, which is wild. Uh and that's just doesn't doesn't mean your grip is is special. It just means it's a proxy for overall body strength.

Mhm. So, if you had to pick one, and again, that's the that's the question cuz both are important, are important, are important, but if you had to pick one, which one's going to have the the greatest impact on overall health, overall health, overall health, vitality, vitality, vitality, vitality, mobility, vitality, mobility, vitality, mobility, lifestyle, it's actually exercise. And then here's the second reason why. Now, this is from a trainer's perspective. When you're a trainer and you work with people for 20 years, you go you start you go away from everything they need to do to what's the most effective thing I can actually get people to do because that's the big problem.

The big problem is getting people to do something because if everybody did everything I said it would be great wonderful healthy piece of cake. But the hard thing is getting people to do do do what is right. Uh and so this is the struggle with being a coach. It's way easier to get people to exercise than it is for them to fix their diet. That's why I pick exercise as well. Can I get the average person to walk daily, walk daily, walk daily, strength train a couple days a week?

Uh, the odds of me convincing the average person to do that are far higher. The adherence is way higher, way higher than me convincing the average person to overhaul their diet, which is what they need to do. That is you can correct the diet through this better patterns of movement. And um, I think it's it's one of those behavioral things that really kind of uh compiles the the more you do it, the more better behaviors like respond right after that. after that. after that. Well, and we know too that I mean muscle is an expensive tissue, right?

It needs uh a lot of calories. It needs a lot of nutrients. And so even if you don't have the the cleanest or best diet uh and you eat in a surplus, which is not ideal all the time, if you're lifting weights, some of that's getting partitioned over to building muscle, which is pro, which is good for you. And so, yeah, I I I can't stress the the GLP1 argument, too, because uh and you know, a lot of the stuff that you're you're touting right now is, you know, you know what we're seeing, Adam?

We're seeing people go on GLP-1s and come back with osteopenia. with osteopenia. with osteopenia. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Osteopenia before osteoporosis. What? What? What? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is h Well, here's what's happening. They just started eating less. They lost muscle, lost body fat. But if you don't do anything to keep the muscle, you'll lose you lose muscle, you lose bone. Yeah. I've seen fitness influencers come on and be like, I osteopenia, how is this even possible? If you've been listening to the show long enough, I mean, we've been screaming at the top of the mountain for a long time that when we look back at all the clients that we train, um, almost every single client, even the overweight ones that ate bad, were undereating on the protein part.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so that was always like the first fix for me, especially my female clients, especially like I don't 100% across the board. always had to boost a a feeling. Every once in a while I might have had like an obese guy that just ate 6,000 calories and he cleared protein and that might have been an issue, right? But for the most part, every client I had to teach to go after protein. So if you take the typical American that isn't eating optimal protein for a weight training routine and then you also cut their calories from that position and they don't really change anything else other than just pulling back on the calories, they're going to lose muscle.

the little bit they they they already had and so they end up in an unhealthier place. And this is uh why I love Dr. Gabriel Lion's argument that, you know, we we don't have an obesity problem. We have an under muscle program. I think her message is so important. It is. And and now, of course, to be clear, uh again, I'm going to say this again because someone's going to clip this and this and this and Oh, yeah. No, we're we'll get roasted for that. for that.

for that. You need you you need to eat healthy and you need to exercise. I think Jack Lane used to say that uh diet and exercise was a king and queen. uh you need to have both to have a kingdom. He's right. You also need to have good sleep and all that other stuff. That's all important. But again, if you have to pick one, if you're listening and you're like, man, I struggle struggle struggle with all this stuff. Where do I start exercise? That's it. Start exercise.

By the way, you know, Justin uh talked about this. about this. about this. The data shows that when you start one healthy behavior, uh it encourages others. So, if you start eating healthy, you're more likely to exercise. And if you start exercising, you're more likely to eat healthy. But which one is more likely to lead to the other? Exercise. Yeah, that's also what the data shows. Yeah, the data shows that exercise leads to healthier eating more often than diet leads to exercise. And there's a couple reasons for this.

We saw this other client. There's there's a couple reasons why this is true. Number one, exercise is easier to do and start. As hard as it is, and people are like, "That's hard. It's easier than diet." Trust me, diet's every day, all day. Your emotions are tied to it. It's not just an hour a couple days a week or a few days a week. It's like I eat all day long every single day. This is how I celebrate. This is how I bury my feelings. This is how I deal with stress or whatever.

Diet's way harder than exercise. So, you're more likely to stay consistent with a good exercise program, which will then lead to better diet uh more likely than you would if you started with diet. The second thing is if you're exercising and strength training, you start to focus on things like getting stronger, which means you got to look at your diet a little bit. You got to do that thing. Now, could you go on a diet and just lose weight on the scale, never exercise? You could.

And people, this is one of the reasons why they don't they don't exercise. Like, why do I need to exercise? I'm on a GLP1. I lost 40 pounds. pounds. pounds. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I think I'm good. Not realizing that they're losing, you know, 40%. This is what the data shows uh of their weight is coming from muscle. Um and then you want to look at things like um insulin sensitivity, which is, you know, very important. This is tied to so many of our metabolic conditions and and poor health.

If you had to do one thing to improve this, uh, it's not diet. It's actually build muscle. You can actually improve your insulin sensitivity, your blood sugar faster and easier if you just built some muscle than through radical diet changes. So, for those reasons, uh, exercise first. And by the good trainers know this, a good trainer knows this. knows this. knows this. You don't you don't force diet on your client until they're ready. No, but they're here working out and they love it and let's go.

Let's get it going. going. going. Hey, do you want to get trained by Adam, Justin, and myself for 30 days? Mind Pumps 30 days of coaching. It's 100% free. We give you daily coaching videos, myth busting, training tips, and real-time guidance. It's a full month of coaching. It's totally free. Click the link below, sign up for free, and start day one right now. Let's get healthy. Do you think that uh there's also another layer there that I mean for do you believe that as humans we're inherently rebellious?

inherently rebellious? inherently rebellious? So, so think about that. Like the difference between those two is this is telling someone to go exercise and go do a thing is different than saying you can't have something. So it's like that's another reason why I think it's easier to get somebody to adhere to, hey, add this to your already routine. Just go lift a couple a couple times a week and you'll be fine. Stop doing this thing. Exactly. Versus, hey, this I know you always eat and do these things, but you can't have that anymore.

You can't do that anymore. I think there's something with that that uh psychologically is far more difficult for us to do, especially if it's been ingrained since childhood or most of our lives. That's a great point. That's how you attach that's how you attack diet, by the way, too. As a trainer, you figure that out instead of telling people stop eating this and that. You, oh, eat your protein, right? protein, right? protein, right? You know, eat fiber and then everything else kind of falls into place, right?

Most people who decide they're going to go on a diet and start exercising, especially if they're by themselves without a good coach, they are going to go, "Oh, I I I got to stop doing that thing. I got to stop doing this. I got to stop doing that." It's I literally had a conversation this morning with a family member who's a dietitian, and she's a good dietitian. Like, she she knows her stuff. And we were talking about our family, and we were talking about uh people that we love with, you know, blood sugar issues.

diabetes is something that kind of runs in my family and all the issues associated with it. And she's like, "You got to talk to them about diet. We need to help them do this." And I'm like, "Listen, let's get them to lift weights a couple days a week." So, we had this whole discussion and she's like, "But diet does like you making dietary changes that last are so hard. And then making impactful ones that have uh measurable changes on blood sugar consistently are actually relatively difficult." I said, "But if they just lifted weights a couple days a week, if they gained like three pounds of muscle, we would see those numbers change." And it doesn't take that much.

And I was giving examples of like my parents, like my parents, I've been trying to get them to work on their diets forever uh as an annoying trainer. And recently, what I did is I just I did this about eight months ago, is I just bought them personal training at the at the place. I got them a membership at the place I go to. And then I bought them some training uh cuz they already go there. And so, and I know my parents would do the training because they're old school.

So, it's like, I don't want my son to waste his money, right? So, they go and do it. And we're getting great results. And I'm also starting to see them make slight changes to their diet through that process. Way more effective. Just took me so long uh to start to apply it to my own my own family. But again, if if if this is if this is your question, because what happens to a lot of people trying to improve their health and fitness or lose weight is they look at all the things they need to do and then it becomes a I got to do all this.

And yeah, that would be wonderful, but the odds that you'll be able to maintain that consistently are zero. Almost zero. Start with one thing. So, what's the most effective thing? Go build a little bit of muscle and the rest starts to take care of itself. it makes the biggest impact on your health, your longevity. There's also this uh wonderful um process of I did something hard uh for an hour that I got this result from. Does that translate to diet that can also be hard and what it's harder but also translate?

Absolutely. Did I tell you guys my my story about my buddy uh Mike, my my car buddy that was asking me advice finally about uh he has like his own little at home like you know like he's doing like a lot of body weight stuff and he'd been doing it for like 6 months. We were hitting golf balls and he was just like hey man and he he was like you know I don't want to take up too much your time. I know it's valuable and you know I'll pay you and this and that but I'm just curious like you know what should I do?

this is what I'm doing in my inside my house like lifting weights and stuff. And uh you know I just I want to build a little bit of muscle and uh I was like at this point he's already he's been he's been training consistently in his house and he's doing like push-ups and pull-ups and he's got some light dumbbells. Yeah. Some some basic like he's got he's been consistently exercising now for and he's just like you know and I feel good. He goes but I I I'd like to put on a few pounds of muscle.

muscle. muscle. And I said I'm going to give you one thing to do and that's it. I'm not going to tell you to do anything else uh diet-wise and I'm not going to I'm not going to pick apart your workout routine because the fact that you're doing something right now should you're already sending a signal that your body should start to build some muscle if now if we just give it the protein that's it and like we talked for a long old time what about this sounds too simple right right so I this was uh this was like um I don't know maybe two months ago or whatever and then we just recently did that trip I told you that three-day trip and he shows up hey man you're looking good he's like dude I've put nbs on he goes just for having the protein just from that didn't he goes I haven't changed anything in my routine muscle he's yeah and he and he looks great he's a lean really lean kind of smaller guy and just was blown away and I was explaining to him that I said manial manial manial the first part was the hardest part you've already been in this kind of consistent routine consistent routine consistent routine I said and then just doing that I said but you know he said back to me he goes man it's hard because I really drilled home to him I'm not going to tell you anything else I said just this alone will be hard to be consistent with it but if you do it consistently I promise even the routine you're doing.

We'll show you the results you want. And sure [ __ ] he came back. But he is like, he's like, man, I have to like I really have to prepare my morning breakfast the night before or else I don't get that first 40 40 50 g of protein and then I'm behind all day long. Crap, man. Yeah. And so, I mean, that's why if you've listened long enough, that's kind of the two things that we talk so much about is like just start a routine, go after your protein.

that will take care of such a huge percentage for most people. people. people. Just start there. Just there. Just that. Watch what happens. It it just that alone. And I think that's why you know we obviously we get clipped, right? You get like and you will get clipped for your our comment that you know we're picking exercise over diet. So some some internet troll will will will break down the studies and tell us how pain is. Yeah. How how wrong uh we are. So, but we but the but we know that listen, like you said, it's it's what you figure out if you've worked with enough people.

It's like, okay, I know what the studies say. I know what the most important things are. I know if I do all these things, I can move the needle the most. But it's like, what can I realistically get this person who is 45, 50 years old, has already proven that they they've struggled with consistency around diet and exercise their whole life. So, do I tell them all the the best things are in this or do I tell them one or two things that make the big difference that make a big difference that I think that are the easiest for them to adhere to and then I'll build on top of that foundation.

foundation. foundation. 100%. 100%. Speaking of workouts, so you Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Yeah, I know. We talking about Why are you made of glass? I Why are you made of glass? I want to hear what's going on here. I I just can't I can't And I I'm also I thought about this a lot, by the way. I know you and I I text you and I think you working out with the Niners practice field. field. field. No, No, No, dude. The frustrating part right now is uh so I when I did my my transformation thing last year, the year before, whatever it was a while back, right, that I did the the last time I did this after I came off the JLP1, I got hurt like three times.

And I know what I did that time was I was man, I'm just feeling strong and lifting. Each time I deadlift, I was stacking on an extra 50 pounds like to catch up. Now, I started at like 135, so it's not like it was impressive. You know what I'm saying? And but I was I think I got hurt at like scaled. Yeah. But I scaled so fast, right? And I think what you and I have both distilled it down to or agree that it is cuz I've tried to I'm doing all the supplements.

I mean, I am like doing everything. I'm not and this time I'm like I'm not going I'm not doing anything. I'm not even doing five reps. I haven't dropped anything lower than eight to 10 reps, right? right? right? So in my so my eyes I'm not even lifting that heavy. But I think it's the same thing that I I talk about that has been one of the greatest things of getting older and the benefits of having lifted and built so much muscle in the past is it comes back.

It's coming back so quick. That's quick. That's quick. That's right. right. right. And even though it doesn't feel like it's that much weight to me, um it's it's enough that I haven't allowed everything else to catch kind of up. Yep. Yep. Yep. And I'm just these I'm pulls pulling and straining all all this stuff. I so I was thinking a lot about this cuz when this first when you started first getting hurt I'm like is there a nutrient deficiency maybe there's a nutrient deficiency but you're taking all the supplements supplements supplements and I'm in a surplus I'm going to and you're healthy you look healthy and I was so I was thinking about it and you know so muscle memory is this is real it's documented so people listening if you built 30 pounds of muscle on your body which Adam has built more than that you how many how much muscle would you say you added to your frame at your peak that you wouldn't have otherwise carried oh I I I have a track.

I went from like 160 all the way up to 210 lbs of muscle of of just lean lean bodyass. So that's 70. What is that? 70 lbs. What is that? Yeah. No, no. Uh 50 lbs. 50 60 lb of muscle. 50. Yeah. So that's a lot of lean body mass. Okay. That's a ton. Uh Uh Uh that was on top of by the way like a kid who was working out after. So it wasn't like I had zero and then I went to there as as as Exactly.

So you know you you build 50 pounds of muscle and then you have something called muscle memory. That means is if you lose the muscle, let's say you stop working out, you become sedentary, you lose it all, then you go back and work out, you'll gain it back at a fraction of the rate that it took the first time. Like super fast. Way faster. Way faster. Way faster. Like super fast. Like uh like and we've already seen this uh like the last time you did you did this with your training, you gained over 20 pounds of muscle in like 40 days or something like that.

It was crazy. But that's muscle memory, everybody. And that's it's true. It's real. It's well documented. It's it's incredible. The problem though is that when you have I believe when you have muscle that sits on your body for a long time, it's controlled, it's seasoned, CNS is is working with it very well. And if you look at the data on injuries, uh injuries spike when athletes dramatically increase their strength and performance in short periods of time. And so you because you've had so much muscle cuz you haven't worked out consistently consistently for like a year for a long time.

You've gone on for a while. a while. a while. Truth. Yeah. Truth. Yeah. Truth. Yeah. And you and you gain muscle so easily. You lose it and you gain it. you lose it, you gain it. So, I think it's that you you're just gaining it quickly and so you're trying to judge it based off your memory, which is like, oh, this is easy. It feels good still. It's like, oh, I was pressing the 40s, now I'm pressing the 80s and it's only 2 3 weeks later.

That's a doubling of the weight. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Which is frustrating. It is. It is. It is. It's frustrating, especially like when I when I feel the way it's moving. Like, it's it just I mean, I literally I I was I was I was This was so Well, last week I don't even know how I did it. Um, it was I did strain something on my forearm and it was like felt like a little bit of nagging pain. Still hammer curling right through it. No big deal.

And then all a sudden the next day I look at it and it's like bruised and swollen and I'm like oh man. Holy [ __ ] Holy [ __ ] Holy [ __ ] Yeah. And then and then then it hurts for me to grab my Tupperware out of the microwave. I'm like oh I'm like okay. So So then I just then I all of last the previous week I just I took off. I I started to do what you've been talking about. Yeah. Cardio. So, I did cardio way and then then I so I had a nice week off and I'm like feel great.

Come back in the gym shoulder pressing, you know, warm warming up with like And here's the other thing, too. And admittedly, I know I know better. Like, I didn't I didn't like really prime. I I didn't prime at all. I got in You did a couple warm-up sets. Did a couple warm-up sets. I did some 40s and 50s and then jumped to 80s. And plus your memory of what you do and what it feels like is so based off of when you were like jacked and training all the time.

the time. the time. So it's like how do you judge it? All right. It it's it's uh you got to go super ginger. I do. And and I have to stay there like like your your point is like not only do I have to do that, but I have to stay there for a while even though I can tell I can go more. Yeah. Mhm. And so I I'm just after this one, after this this shoulder one heals, I'm just going to I'm going to go back to kind of this this the old, you know, chasing pumps and high reps, super sets, really lightweight, and stay away from anything that I think is even remotely heavy, even though I didn't think it was heavy.

I'm not I haven't done anything really that heavy. But in the context of what you were doing a month ago, it's twice as much. And and I think it is it's like it's it's uh they're all it's all like stabilizer. So I think like or in ligament stuff. So I think what it is is my ligaments and tendons haven't caught up to the muscles. They don't build as fast as muscle. Yeah. So I think what it is is what I'm feeling is the muscles feel fine.

It's the ligaments, tendons, and to your point like the the how my CNS and my muscle just they they pick it right back up. And so I'm just going to have to take it super. You know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of uh women postpartum. Like really fit, strong women. How did I tell you? tell you? tell you? You know what you remind me of, bro? A chick. No. No. You know how like we've all known these really fit, strong women, they get pregnant, then postpartum you they're like, "No, I feel like I can do more." And they keep hurting themselves.

hurting themselves. hurting themselves. Uh and it's like, "No, like give it a year of doing like the we like the easiest stuff before you jump into it because your body was so I mean that's a dramatic example, dramatic example, dramatic example, mano puzzle." mano puzzle." mano puzzle." But I mean, muscle memory is crazy cuz I I literally will watch you. We'll record a podcast on Wednesday, then I'll see you on Monday. I'm like, "This dude gained seven pounds of muscle." Well, tonight tonight I get my DEXA, so I'll I'll have numbers to support what I just did.

But I I I mean, I can feel it. I can tell um that I' I've got I've put on a good amount of muscle in the last month again. And and again, really I thought going really slow weight and strengthwise and but that's the only thing that makes sense to me because I'm I'm I'm in a surplus. I'm not cutting. So, I'm eating close to 4,000. Sleep is back to normal. sleep is doing great. Uh I'm I have never been 90 days in my life of not missing a supplement.

I mean, I am taking everything you've given me and like and even when you're like, "Hey, I'm I'm already taking that. I'm taking it. I'm taking all of it and yet still still having those little issues." And so I just going to have to lay off. lay off. lay off. I'd love to sneak more of those isometrics in your programming though for your for your for your No, I should. I'm going to have you give me some by the way. the way. the way. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I I talked to my wife. a whole guide on it and I'm I'm like she's like, "When are you going to start that every other week workout?" So, of course, I'm like, "Next week." week." week." She's like, "Wow, it sounds like you're pushing it out." So, she gave me a recommendation I thought was really good that I don't want to do, which means I probably should. She's like, "Why don't you have other people other people other people write up routines for you?" And I'm like, "I don't really need that." So, I'm going to have you, especially for us, it's like I'm going to have you write something up for me because I know you'll give me something I need to do.

Sure. Sure. Sure. Cuz I know what I'll do. But I'll know what you like, too, dude. So, yeah. So, yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, I I think that's the other part that I think is really annoying and frustrating is that you know, you know, I know too like so it's just like when it happens I think that's part like poor you guys would be calming me down with the intensity like you know immediately I'd be like ah you know lame. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, you seem to be made out of steel though like you don't hurt yourself except for that time you hurt.

What did you hurt? Uh what did I I don't think you ever get hurt. just kind of like my um my QL like strained. Oh, you just hurt cuz you're you like you you're like old, dude. I just have like Yeah, like achy. Well, I I do. I mean, I thought of Justin right away, especially when it was my shoulder on this one. I was just like, you know, this is I mean, this is what he's really good at. When he gets when he falls off, gets back on, he goes to swinging the mace club.

Yeah. He does all the rotational. I I adjust right away if I feel anything. anything. anything. Yeah. You don't go right Yeah. You don't go right back into building like muscle building mode, guy. You go back into mobility drills. drills. drills. He's all movement. Yeah. We're the opposite. It's like we fall off. I'm like, "Oh, right. Back to getting the M. Let me get let me get looking good first and then then I'll address." That's exactly how I do. Let me make sure I look good first and then I'll address the other stuff.

And it's like so backwards and I know it's backwards and it's frustrating. I was reading some articles. So, uh, in today's episode we're talking, uh, we have transcriptions in here which is they have a methyline blue product just blue. And I've been reading a lot about methylin blue because it's really remarkable. remarkable. remarkable. Had that over the weekend. It has bad energy. energy. energy. It is remarkable. So, methyline blue um has been around for a long time. It's a a natural ma inhibitor. So, I didn't know it's been around for a long time.

long time. long time. Long time. It was a dye that was used for a long time. And then they noticed it had these like Somebody swallowed it and was like, "Wow." "Wow." "Wow." These benefits. Yeah. Are you serious? That's how Yeah. Look up metal and blue history. Oh, it's been around forever. And it's used in medicine, by the way, for certain uh disorders. Like you go to the hospital for I forgot what it was. They'll give you an IV of methyline blue uh to to help you.

But anyway, um it's an MAI inhibitor. So MAO the MAOI MAO is a enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters. So when you inhibit it, you increase neurotransmitters. So more serotonin, more dopamine, more more norepinephrine. And so you just feel more energy, you feel more awake, you're sharper. That's why they call it like a cognitive enhancement. By the way, it's also important if you're on an SSRI, do not take an MAI. Don't take an MAO inhibitor. inhibitor. inhibitor. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh because it's dangerous. Like you're taking something that increases serotonin and then something that that prevents it from getting broken down.

You can get what's called serotonin syndrome. But by the way, that's how powerful methylin blue is. It's a powerful MAOI or MAO uh inhibitor. Uh but I was reading about it and a lot of the products that are out there are are contaminated with heavy metals. Really? Really? Really? Yeah. So, they've had third party testing of other because methyline blue is all popular now. I think there was a video of uh Robert Kennedy using he uh he's squirting some of it as water and it's easy to see cuz it's blue.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so like a lot of people are using it and I looked up some third party testing that was like heavy metal contamination all over the place. Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. So the place we go with transcriptions clean, clear, it's good, legit, uh non-stimulant, but definitely works. Definitely. And you took it this weekend. weekend. weekend. I did. I took it this week. I was had to do a lot of manual labor and stuff and fix a bunch of things and you know was kind of running a little low energy took it and it totally like a long period of time too a couple hours of pretty consistent energy.

consistent energy. consistent energy. Now it's got tons of cognitive benefits but do you feel like energy almost like caffeine energy from it too? It's not like a stimulant but you will feel more awake and I feel faster was the right word. I don't know if that's the right word. Like verbally I'm faster. faster. faster. Yeah. Yeah. I could I could agree with that. Yeah. that. Yeah. that. Yeah. So, is it all there's no So, there's no central nervous system effect from it. There is mild because of the increase in the neurotransmitters, but it's not a direct uh central nervous system stimulant like caffeine is.

So, I I I still don't think you should take it before bed, but it's not a direct CNS. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Have the groggy kind of underlying I don't know. Sometimes during the day, I'll just I'll just have that kind of low fatigue hang. Is it okay for me to take with caffeine if I was drinking? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. So that a lot of people take it with caffeine. with caffeine. with caffeine. What should you not take it with? Anything that any kind of medication that raises serotonin like an SSRI or another MAO inhibitor.

Dangerous. It's actually very dangerous. What would be another M what would be another one of those? Uh natural one. I can't think of them, but people are on medication. So remember remember remember do they all fall in the anti? This is not a good commercial, but I'll tell you guys what happened. Remember a while ago when I got freaked out? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I took uh what was it called? Teslen. Teslen. Teslen. Oh yeah. So testoenin you get from peptide companies right peptide companies this is when sal does stupid stuff and it's a uh it's a serotonin norepinephrine dop dopamine reuptake inhibitor and so people it's actually used for weight loss for some people they'll take it and they'll eat less and it's also makes you feel better whatever well I didn't know that you shouldn't combine it with methyline blue that was scary that's why I told you guys I was I started sweating profusely like uncontrollably sweating and I I knew right away I was like uh oh I think I'm in serotonin syndrome went to the hospital and they're like you're going to have to wait it out and I was okay.

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Go to mapsg greatate.com. So that's mapsgate number88.com. number88.com. number88.com. Use the code launch. That gets you 50% off. It also includes a great8 nutrition guide. It also includes if you get in before the 22nd, five days of free coaching with one of our trainers, Cole. So one other time, one more time, mapsgrade8.com. The code is launch. Go check it out. Back to the show. I got I gota tell you guys a funny story, dude, about my kids were all my kids were mad at me. All of them.

Why? Pissed off. My little one, my daughter. You're so mean. I hate Everybody was pissed off at me. So in my garage, I noticed signs of a mouse. So he's nibbling on like our paper towels. He was doing all kinds of things, right? things, right? things, right? Coupe droppings everywhere. And then I came in one day, turned the light on, and I seen him running by. So, I'm like, "Oh, you're in my house, dude. Like, you're going to I'm might have to kill you." And uh I I'm I'm a I love catching my I don't know about you guys, but I I like catching live or like You mean like trapping them?

trapping them? trapping them? Okay. Okay. Okay. Trapping them. Trapping them. Trapping them. I have fun shooting them. Yeah. Don't Yeah. There's something about it. It's like I feel invaded. Don't you know carry disease? Don't be in my house. So, anyway, but it's in the garage. garage. garage. So, I set up mouse traps. Like the ones that snap. Yeah. Okay. Now, this little mouse somehow got the food off three traps and they did they went off and he was he dis he wasn't there. So, I'm like he's this is war.

So, I'm like strategizing. Remember the sticky ones? The sticky ones always catch them. So, So, So, so we come home one day in the garage. I got my daughter. Uh I got my my niece. I got my and my two little ones. Okay. My my 5-year-old, my three-year-old, my 16-year-old, my 18-year-old niece. We turn the light on the garage and the mouse is just sitting right there by the by the stairs and he's and my daughter's like, "Oh my god, my 16-year-old. He's so cute." Cuz he's tiny.

He's so cute. Look how cute he is. I'll show you guys a video. So I'm like, so I grabbed the I'm like, "Is there something to like smash it?" I didn't have a shovel. So I'm like, "Let me get a broom." So I walk over to him and everybody's like, "He's so cute. Let's keep him. Come on." And I And I And I keep him. keep him. keep him. So I take the broom. I open the garage is open and I blasted him out and I didn't even kill I didn't hurt him cuz it's a broom.

But I got him outside the garage. garage. garage. Oh my god. I can't believe you caught him right there. Everybody was screaming. Everyone hit the mouse. My little one start crying. My daughter runs in the house. My daughter runs. You hurt the mouse, bro. My wife comes home. Everybody's mad at me. She's like, "Why are you guys mad at your dad? He's so mean. He hurt the mouse. mouse. mouse. Oh my god. You didn't kill it." My daughter took a video. Look at this video. I can't believe he did this.

I'm like, dude. like, dude. like, dude. What they need to see is a cat eating it head first. Just biting it off and then leaving the intrails for you. Do you still Hey, do you still have your work cats? Do you still got those cats? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're savages, dude. They don't. And they're on a hunt right now. I think it's cuz there's this false signal of like spring. So, a lot of like flowers are cuz it's weather is so weird right now. right now.

right now. It's just off, right? There's all the moles and the, you know, the mice and the rats and all that. They're out in forest and so they're starting to bring them in. We had one of them bring like it was a mole I think and they brought we had the doors open cuz it was such a nice day. We're letting the breeze in and everything and the cats came in and had one of those in its mouth and then let it go and then they're like you know playing with it pawn like AH GET THIS THING OUT OF HERE what are you doing freaked me out.

It's like dude I mean they're they're they're kill machines. Oh yeah they're effective. Hey, I found Do you remember a while ago we talked about the the the infamous hammer strength leg machine? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I It's been going viral right now. Yes. Yeah, it's going viral right now. Somebody's all I see a bunch of people talking about. talking about. talking about. What is it called? H squat. Doug, look it up. Go hammer strength. H squat. Hat. I I've seen all kinds. Dylan, you got to put this in the video.

You got to edit this in so people can see what this I don't know why. Why didn't our clip go viral when we talked all the time? It's because I don't think we put a picture of it. It is a monstrosity, bro. It is huge. It's a towering climb stairs. climb stairs. climb stairs. Doug has gota Doug has got to have some footage of that when we shot in that gym. I know we had him take a You had to have taken a picture or video of that school.

school. school. Is it that vertical position? Doug, did you find you find you find Is that your old gym? Yeah. Remember the old one I trained at when I was in high school where we shot the original maps black and you had to climb up it. Remember stairs? stairs? stairs? Yeah, you climb. Yeah, you climb up. If you fell off the top, you would hurt yourself. That's how tall it was. Did you find it, Doug? I I think so. Yeah, it's it's a huge lever like squat lever machine.

There's all kinds of viral clips going around it right now. Is Is this it here? No, no, no, no. Also a guillotine, you know, if you look up up up Oh, here it is. Oh, there it is. That yellow one right there. there. there. The yellow one. Okay. Oh my goodness. What the hell? You have to climb that row of stairs. I actually feel like the one that replaced the older one was even taller. Apparently, it feels I never used one cuz I was always when I saw it at the gym like I'm not going up.

So the clips I've been seeing, they're talking about how it's the was the greatest leg. Yeah. Says greatest leg machine ever made. Now I'm like curious. I want to throw hilarious. hilarious. hilarious. But as a gym owner like come you remember the remember the one that I was at mine who had the chain on it and it was a chain. Yeah. It was like lawsuit. Dangerous. Dangerous. Dangerous. Look at that. What? What? What? Hey, how dangerous is that? You just hammered your legs. You go down the stair that's a new version of it right there.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But you can see the lever. So at the bottom is the weight. So when you push the the platform, it's the bottom that lifts. So it's like this crazy lever squat. Weird. Yeah, dude. I know. I I wonder what the physics are on it that makes it so so great in comparison to like any traditional half press because of the platform goes down. It It goes from leg press to squat almost. You get this really full range of motion. I was watching it on on Instagram.

Instagram. Instagram. I've never used it. Like I said, every time I saw it, I'm like, I'm not climbing the stairs. Cuz you know the the other the one that you used to work at the uh the old golds or whatever that's off or market American barbell, whichever one. I forget what it is off of Monterey has the the one where you lay upside down. Oh, yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. And that's the old school leg press. If you miss that, you're dead. Crush you. Crush you. Crush you.

No thanks. No thanks. No thanks. In your dreams and everything. Hey, speaking of Instagram and social media, and you brought this up, too, Justin. You said your boys were starting to watch uh Oh, yes. There's this new category of fitness influencers that are like these steroid influencers. steroid influencers. steroid influencers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That are getting popular with kids. Have you watched some of their stuff? So, I haven't. Yeah. I've been meaning to like really sit down and watch I've I've heard a lot from like especially my oldest cuz he's I think it's like Tik Tok uh where they're popular, but he says they're they're funny and it's he knows it's ridiculous, but at the same time I'm like, you know, this is probably horrific information.

like I need to get in there and like dissect it all. all. all. So what they do this cuz I So I clicked on one, clicked on another one. So now my algorithm is starting to pick up on them and I'll click on them now cuz I'm like what are they saying? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's it's either a dudes who lift who talk about steroids or B it's these like fitness personalities who are like experts on that's that's how they post as experts and they'll post like before and afters and here's my clients and here's what I recommend.

All they do is talk about steroids. So, they'll literally talk about the cycles that they're putting their clients on. They'll show before and afters. Here's what the doses are. You guys, the information information information is crazy. is crazy. is crazy. How is that like, bro? I I'm watching these guys say things like, you know, like there was this one guy that's like, a,000 milligrams of testosterone a week is a crazy high dose. Then this guy gets on, it's not a crazy high dose. This is what I have my clients do regularly.

You're not going to see anything over 500 milligrams. I'm like, what? How How is this not regulated? That's crazy. 1,000 milligrams is not a lot. That's nuts. That's nuts. That's nuts. That's 10 times insane. insane. insane. What they would typically give you. Do you think part of this Do you think part of this is because and I remember when I was in my early 20s and I and I messed with steroids and and you think you need more of it, but really what it is, you just don't have the muscle maturity and the amount of steroids you add don't make that big of a difference and all you do is increase more and more risk as or you don't have the diet or the training.

training. training. Oh, yeah. Exactly. Those those things just were not were not there. It took years of years of years of Bro, the doses that you cuz you're open about it's not like you hiked it. What you took to become a pro physique competitor was like half of the way you messed around. messed around. messed around. Oh yeah. Not less than. Wow. I took way more in when when I was a kid. Way more because of that same reason. Took a little bit and it's like, oh yeah, I feel a little bit but I thought that I've only put on like five pounds or you know what I'm saying?

must need more of it and then must need more. And then I and of course I'm taking advice from these big bodybuilder guys that are like, "Oh yeah, a gram's not that much." You know what I'm saying? Telling you it's not that much. And every all these guys are all doing it thinking it's okay. And it's like, bro, you should see what they're recommending. They're having this there's this one guy and he sounds smart. He sounds like a smart dude. I would have got fooled if I was 19 for sure cuz he sounds like a smart guy.

I would have been like, "Oh, he knows what he's talking about." He's having his clients take they're like they're taking this much testosterone, this much Masteron. Now they're this is an anabolic steroid. Then he's adding a little bit of this Anavar and then he's taking this much growth hormone. Like what? what? what? Oh my god. You're going you're going hard. Are they young clients or older clients? They're in their 20s. Oh wow. Yeah. 20s and 30s. Wow. Wow. Wow. So anyway, that's what they So like you talked about the trend twins which are kind of funny.

Trend twins was Yeah. But that's these little these little dudes are real short but kind of you know little meaty guys and and they just talk about how much steroids they take and they work out and they yell at each other. Well, you know what you know what's so dangerous dangerous dangerous and they are funny but it's like come on. on. on. You know what's so dangerous now too is that uh that uh that uh the the best advice doesn't surface to the top. It's the most shocking or that's what goes viral.

That's what goes viral. So somebody like freak show freak show freak show Yeah. like somebody who's talking about a very conservative this and boring science and this, you know, like that's not going to go anywhere. It's like it's always going to be just liver king and all that [ __ ] Yeah. No, it is. That's the only thing that's going to be popular in these social media things. And do you think that our our kid or your guys cuz your kids are kind of in it right now, you know?

Do you think by your younger kids or your younger kids, my my kid when they get older will be more privy to that? I hope like that these these algorithm feed these feed these people to the top because it's a wow factor more than it is it's good. Well, at least he knows it's ridiculous and he has conversations with me about it, but it's like he's still drawn to it cuz it's entertaining and they're freaks. Like, so I think it's somewhat human nature. It's like you're drawn to these oddballs, you know, like it's like the circus back in the days, right?

You know what's wild to me? just on this topic just hopefully some kid is listening so I could get through to you a little bit because of Mind Pump because of the podcast we started getting popular. I had the opportunity to sit down with some of my old bodybuilding heroes like guys that were like way like back in the 90s that were crushing. I got to talk to them off air and they were very candid about everything that happened. I thought it was all about like oh this guy got that big cuz he did way more drugs than everybody else.

everybody else. everybody else. Did a lot. Yeah. And he'd tell me he's like no dude. He's like I'm telling you the truth. like this is now I know some guys lie. I get that. that. that. But I believe them because uh genetics are crazy. are crazy. are crazy. It's a lot. And you have genetics how you respond to food. I remember when Ben Pakolski just crushed my paradigm. Cuz I I talked to him and I said, "God, yeah, yeah, yeah, pro bodybuilders have the the best digestion." He's like, "What do you mean?" I'm like, "You guys are able to eat 10,000 calories a day and get big." He goes, "What?" He goes, "No, pro bodybuilders can get big on low calories.

That's what makes them pros." And I'm like, "Of course." Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, of course that's what it is because I as a kid I could eat 7,000 calories. Sustain that. Yeah. Yeah. It made a lot more sense. more sense. more sense. Totally different. Totally different. Anyway, speaking of crazy of of not science, did you guys see the the viral study on transgender athletes? athletes? athletes? Oh, yeah. They're trying to they're trying to trying to trying to I didn't read it. I know it was promoted on I Love Science, but I just I couldn't.

What What was Give me the cliff notes. cliff notes. cliff notes. It's terrible. It's terrible. It's terrible. We're trying to make the case that there's no advantage. Well, I'll read to you already. I'm I got questions. I'll I'll read to you guys like a like one of the headline type thing. By the way, uh just some hope. You read the comments, nobody believes it. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, nobody believes it. Everybody underneath is like, okay, like roll. Sounds like a total. So, here's what it says. Landmark study finds no fitness advantage for trans athletes in women's sports.

So, a landmark study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that transgender women who undergo hormone therapy might not have a fitness advantage in women's sports. The research, which analyzed data from over 6,400 participants, concluded that after transitioning, trans women show no significant difference in strength, endurance, or oxygen consumption compared to cisgender women, or as I like to call them, women. The findings challenge assumptions about trans women's athletic advantage, though researchers noted the need for further studies. Okay, so here's what you have here.

when you have uh men and women, when you go more to the extremes of athletic performance. So, if I start to move out here with strength, stamina, endurance, bone density, that kind of stuff, there's more men on that extreme and there's more women on the extreme over here where they're weaker, less strength, less stamina. But there's a crossover in the middle. In other words, if you gave me the average dude and had him lift weights with the strongest female powerlifter, she's going to crush him. him.

him. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. She's just going to crush him. We know this. Yeah, this. Yeah, this. Yeah, you give me an average dude and have him fight the top female MMA athlete that weighs about the same, she'll kick the crap out of him. Okay, that's just that's just okay. So, there's some crossover, but it's the extremes where things get wonky. So, when you're competing for first place, place, place, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. and you were a man for most of your life, you have a major advantage.

And that's the data clearly show. And this is an example of how they used data to twist and mold outcomes to communicate crap. So, so based off of what you're saying, then the the 64 participants they used 64,000 64,000 64,000 or 64,000 particip,00 6,400 the 6,400 participants had to be like these average athletes is yeah people who just like oh I'm going to go get fitness tests I'm going to go whatever but if you again if you look at like competitive sports uh what you'll see is an advantage and that's really what matters like I don't care about pickup basketball like I don't think anybody cares yeah wreck league that transgender athletes are showing up at the recck league.

No, who cares? Whatever. Fine. We're going to go play. We're going to go swim in the pool. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. But high school, especially college, especially professional sports, come on. come on. come on. Where scholarships are on the line and records are on the line. It's like it's funny that we It's funny that we need a a study to try and prove that when it's when you can if you ever wa if you've watched some of these, it's like there's clear physiological advantages. It's gaslighting otherwise.

It's clear. It's like the M the MMA transgender that was just pounding the crap. crap. crap. just not even just it's not even close, dude. dude. dude. No, I I because I I've I've had conversations with friends about this and they're like, "Well, I know a woman that could outsquat you to me." I'm like, "Yeah, dude. You're talking about the strongest woman in the world and I'm just a dude that lifts weights." So, now let me go find the strongest on the other end, but show me the strongest man in the world and compared to the strongest woman in the world.

And there's a massive difference. Huge gap. There's a massive difference. So you can't look at the averages because there's crossover and everything with men and women, but it's the extremes where you start to see the gender differences. differences. differences. And so this and they really did a good job of twisting and it's like going viral. I hear people now but again some hope the comments were like nobody was buying dude. Everybody in the comments was like cool like well since we're touching the third rail from the people that brought you fluoride in your water.

Since you're touching the third rail already, why don't might as well I'm so uh I'm so curious right now. Um your thoughts on thoughts on thoughts on what what's going on with these Epstein files and the stuff that we're seeing. Well, there's I have two things that I want to ask. Like one, uh it's crazy to me that stuff like the pandemic that has come out and it's pretty clear that this was completely planned. um that I watched families get divided over. How are we not in just an uproar of like somebody has to hang for this?

I mean that I mean people got killed over this. Uh families are still divided over over this thing. It was probably if you grew up in the last 15 years, it was the most tragic thing you've probably you you've probably been through. Um and we're not we're not in an upheaval. And then the the the other two-part to this question I have to answer to it because they were, you know, protected. So yeah, and there's certain individuals that led this whole thing that are protected and they were from the very beginning.

And so yeah, it's frustrating. it's frustrating. it's frustrating. So someone someone DM'd DM' me that like how they're like, you know, I'm are you guys I feel like you guys are skirting around this conversation. And I'll tell you what, and and this leads to the second question, so hang in there. Uh what I said to him that I don't feel like we're skirting around it. I think we're just cautiously waiting to see what's going to happen because there's an other part of me that goes, goes, goes, why are we just now getting this and this is the information we're getting and how much do we not know?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And is it really about this and there's more? There's really more than meets the eye. Like what? Like this these are the questions I have. This is why I'm not cuz I I there's a part of me that thinks to disseminate to disseminate to disseminate that uh what what what we're seeing here are a bunch of scapegoats and that were intentionally being used as scapegoats so that the real people in power and control that will keep it will keep it moving and is so like I'm not on any team right now and I heard you guys say before we started podcast I hadn't heard it before that there's the new saying is the clear pill right so there's the the blue pill the the red Clear pill.

Now it's like clear pill. pill. pill. It's like that both pills are crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The world is a stage. That's the clear pill. pill. pill. And and I and I just caution anybody else that were friends of ours and and and content creators to like, you know, it's real easy to want to jump on a side on this stuff. Well, there's two two parts that cuz I'm I same thing, dude. I see it and I'm like, "Oh my god." Like, first off, this this this this uh confirms the the big leak of the Podesta emails from back then.

And if you've never read them, please don't. Don't it'll disturb you, bum you out forever. There's a huge email leak that uh was put on what's that? Wikileaks. Wikileaks. Wikileaks. Yep. Yep. Yep. So, it all coop. It's all like you see it, you're like, "Oh my god, it's true. It's all real." So, I think part of it is a who's going to go after all the people in the emails when everybody's implicated. Y Y Y which side is going to arrest the other side? Both sides.

I know. I know. I know. Or all the sides. You have the top billionaires, top scientists, political leaders from both sides, other countries cooperating with cooperating with cooperating with everything integrated. everything integrated. everything integrated. Yeah. Like religious leaders. You see the Daly Lama visited Epste. Okay. Like who's going to make the move when everybody's in on it? And then two, if everybody's in on it, why are they releasing it? Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. That's the part I'm like, and I think I think I sent you a video.

My wife sent me this morning and she's like, I think this may be true, accurate. I think because it's clear when you read the emails that they play a game of psychological warfare on the public to manipulate us. This is what they did with COVID. It's what they do with the world wars just to get us to freak out and manipulate us and act in a particular way. They overthrow governments. It's just another part of this of the psychological warfare. So why would they put this out now to freak us all out about everything?

I don't know. One theory is uh because they're preparing to get everybody to be up in arms against the powers that be. So, we got to overthrow everybody and get this new government, this new world order or whatever. whatever. whatever. There'll be a vacuum. Yeah. So, I don't know cuz it's true. It's like, wait a minute. If everybody's in on it, if all the powerful people are in, how the hell this get released? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Why? Because the people are like, "Release the Epstein files." They wouldn't give it.

They don't care. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Why? Why? Why? Well, and also, this is all just from the FBI's uh collections, not even from the CIA. the CIA. the CIA. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That goes really really far. Yeah. And supposedly the FBI, the CIA, other intelligence agencies were using Epstein Island for blackmail. So why are they releasing it now? I think it's true. I think they're trying to still mess with us psychologically and and they're they're going to come out with something else. It's really interesting and I and I love the the the So it's like we got to be I love the clear pill thing because I told you I have I have these I have these personal threads of like family and friends that and that like I have like a like liberal thread and a conservative thread.

So and probably really good for me that I have both, right? because I seen and I remember during the pandemic like man really struggling to to connect and to see eye to eye with my my liberal side of my family and friends and I'm like man these they just are they are they've drank the Kool-Aid all the way right but now I see it on my my my right side y y y that are just like Trump's in the emails a bunch of times times times hey we so pro so pro the other side and like celebrate and I'm like whoa dude I'm like you guys should pump your brakes a little bit just ignore information right if it's not like something you want to uh promote.

It just shows you how easily everybody is fed by their own al algorithms and they do such a good job on both sides like convincing you that you're right, your team is this is this is all the science, all the information, all the stuff to support your argument. And so to kind of be like somebody who doesn't really identify as one one side or the other other other all wrestling to me. Yeah, it's you literally have your heel, you have your uh your uh your uh Oh, pro wrestling.

Yes, pro wrestling. Yeah, it's everybody has their their part that they're playing and they're projecting and you know, you know why that's such a good example, Justin? I actually was just watching the the Netflix series on that right now, too. Katrina and I, that's like some of our background TV. And by the way, even when people know it's fake. it's fake. it's fake. Well, that's so the point, you guys know that more people watch the the SummerSlam and the WWE than Super Bowl. Yeah. Like that's that's how popular and we all know it's file.

Yes. Yes. Yes. So that's like think about that for a second. second. second. Yeah. Real excited like fandom. We we at least believe football although there's a lot of people we used to believe football. those people think it's all scripted too, but you know I know why now I'm like oh man it's everything is you know what I'm saying it's saying it's saying it's meddled a little bit with but yeah and so it you see the amount of people that are get behind it get behind characters when they all know it's it's like but it's like that's such a great example of even how we navigate through the real world and politics and everything that's going on it's just like we buy so hard into our team and our guy without without we fed a narrative that's all we have to go off of the question is like cuz I people I hear people like what do we do?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What do we do? Well, here's what you do. You stay calm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When this when the you know what hits the fan, just stay calm because it's going to hit the fan and you're going to want to like grab your pitchfork and you be ready for whatever. Just stay calm because it's obvious that they like us to be afraid and to be angry. The advice we gave last last podcast where we lightly is Yeah. Exactly. Focus on people. Focus focus on your your family, your neighbor, your closest friends, and and like don't get caught up in everything outside.

When you hear trumpets in the sky, you know what's happening. Yeah. Just stick with what you you have influence and control over. And I think that we've all been pulled out of that, you know. It's that's where the problems all arise. all arise. all arise. Point point of me bringing that up is because I I don't know you. I've gotten several DMs from people that have heard us like talk about certain characters or people and they're like they want to hear us like why aren't you saying more about this person?

I'm like man you guys are so easily manipulated by your finger me. Yeah. Like I'm I'm not I'm Hey, I'm on I am on any of their teams. No, No, No, I'm not on any of their teams. No. Yeah. None of their teams, dude. Don't Don't Just because I have certain values that might align with somebody's team, it doesn't mean I had a client. I know. I know. I know. Everybody wants a gotcha. What's that quote? Like, none are more hopelessly enslaved than those who believe they're free.

I think that's so true. So true. I had a client once tell me, great advice. This is when I was getting into like understanding politics for the first time and I was getting all whatever. And he's like, would you let him babysit your kids? I'm like, well, no. He's like, why? I'm like, I don't know. I'm like, yeah. So, stop trusting him so much, right? Oh, yeah. You're right. That's my That's my new That's my litmus test. Would I let them babysit my kids? Nah, Nah, Nah, probably not going to Yeah.

listen to everything. Well, even too, like we said before, like anybody who wants that kind of power that bad. He's like, you shouldn't have it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Shouldn't have it. They're vermin. They're vermin. They're vermin. The type of character it takes to to do that. that. that. Imagine climbing the ladder to try to be president. What you got to do, the hands you got to shake. Well, now we know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, when it was really eye opening for me, I don't remember how old I was when when I realized how little they get paid.

paid. paid. Well, that was enough for me because I always thought like I always thought like, oh, it's a super high paid job. 400 grand a year. I'm like I'm like so okay wait let me get this right. So a lot of these really you've been questioning that you'll get sued right like you see what happened with Sean Ryan or Ryan or Ryan or Yeah. Oh he's been taking all kinds of heat. heat. heat. Yeah. Well he just like starts kind of looking at oh you know some senators and some people I'm not going to mention it so we don't get sued but they get they get in they make How much does the center make?

250 grand a year and then you look they serve for five years they come out and they're worth $100 million. $90 million. How like excuse me? How did you you definitely didn't earn that? other business and you know, oh, it's just investments. Is that what we're talking about? You see people get in trouble for following their trades. That's my favorite. There was a page on X that was like copying uh Pelosi's trades and whatever. whatever. whatever. Oh, they got in trouble for that. Yeah, dude. Now other people have popped up and they fought for it because you follow their trades, uh, you'll crush the market, the market, the market, dude.

dude. dude. How do they know? To think that you're taking money from other like countries and you don't think that's going to have influence on like our own country is is hilarious. How how skeptical are you guys now of of Bitcoin now that they came out that Epstein was part of funding all that stuff? 60% of the people there he was giving he was giving money to. Wow. Wow. Wow. They c I mean Bitcoin too. I saw it tank. tank. tank. That's why cuz we we this whole time it was supposed to be like a thing to free us.

And if it's tied to that dude it's the it's the complete opposite. Nobody wants to hold on to that. Yeah. I'm like it's Is it still dropping? Where's it at now Doug? It's at 70,000. went up a little bit. It rebounded a little bit. little bit. little bit. It was at 100 something and it went down to like something like that which was depressing. depressing. depressing. Mainly just because I bet you because you know they made it they they did this umh it's not a law it's a uh it's it's a tax exempt thing.

Did you see this Doug? So if you So let's say you bought at 100 Bitcoin and you you lose okay uh down to 50. Say it dropped all the way down to 60 which it dropped down. Can you write off the losses? You could write off the losses against capital gains. Wow. So, a lot of people that were at bought at 100, sold at 60, took the 40,000 and then they they can write that 40,000 against other capital gains. So, if you flipped the house or made money made money made money Oh, wow.

Oh, wow. Oh, wow. And so, and then you reby right back into the the market. So, they they did you know that? Oh, I didn't know that. You can do that with stocks, right? You could write off your your losses, right, Doug? Yeah, I believe you can. Yeah. Against capital gains. Doug, are you taking the Doug, are you taking the RHO creatine? Is that what that is? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Have you been taking it? I have been. What do you think? I mean, it's great. You just squirt it in your mouth and you're done.

Yeah. So, so the they're glutathione and NAD. That's the one. That's why that's what I use every day. So, the So, for people unfamiliar, it's a it's a company that makes uh supplements. They're all liposomaal, which means they're encased in a liposome, which is a fat to uh to encourage to get it to be absorbed and used. So, I'll use glutathione as an example. If you look up glutathione supplementation, if it's not liposal, you might as well be you might as well just take your money and burn it.

You just don't absorb it. If it's liposal, it will raise your blood levels in levels in levels in We've had other partners that that do this. I just I like the fact that it's in a bottle that I could just squeeze and it tastes all right. Yes. Yeah. So, it's just cuz we had the other one. It was like Well, not well was it gross, but it's also the effort to tear the package and do the whole thing. So, it's like this thing I just pop the lid and then take it and I've been super consistent with it.

So, it. So, it. So, but that's the thing is that is their delivery system which they do a good job. They have a following that is fervent. Soon as we started talking about it, we had people come on were like, I've been using it for years. Yeah. I didn't know that. I didn't know how big and popular they were before. I I they when they first started sending stuff to us, that was the first time I had heard of them. But they they're they're big. Yeah, they're real big.

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You got to go check them out. out. out. Our first caller is Karen from the UK. Hi Karen. Hi Karen. Hi Karen. How you doing Karen? Hello. Hello. Hello. Hi you guys. Thanks ever so much. I'm in a bit of a shock really. I can't believe this. So thank you so much for having me on. I just want to say a big thank you to you actually. Thanks for for listening to me today. And also, I've been listening to you guys for over a year now, and you really have helped me so much.

Um, move on from a bit of a dodgy place I was in. So, and also, thanks for the tip about the pots and pans from our place cuz my husband and I bought a set for with our Christmas money, and they're brilliant. So, thanks. thanks. thanks. Aren't they Aren't they great? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nice one. Well, I'll get if I just read out my email, it's probably the easiest way to do it. So, apologize for the essay. Um, right. Okay. So, I've been following you guys for about a year.

Um, and it's around about last year that I had a chat with Margaret and she advised me to go and do anabolic, which I've run twice. Then I had a chat with Kyle, who then advised me to run symmetry and then do Muscle Mummy. So, I've done both of those as well. Um, and I also, um, did join the Muscle Mommy movement for a bit. um and had a great chat named Corin who helped me a lot um and advised me that I needed to sort of move my calories up because originally last year I was in 1700 and I'd moved up to 2,000 um she advised me to reverse diet up to 24 um which I did very but I did it.

Um I also had a chat with Marello as well. Um he then pushed me up to 26 and advised me to do that while I was doing Muscle Mommy. Um, and then said also about then moving on to max strong cuz I said that I wanted to build muscle but lose about 5% body fat at that point. So I haven't run that one yet because I started on max 15 cuz I was like I want to give that a go. So that's where I'm at at the moment with that.

Um I have uh so at the moment I I have actually I'm getting all dropped my calories back down recently um because um where my job is so active normally in January it gets very quiet and I had a bit of a panic um about my activity level. So I was at 26 and then I got to January panicked about it and dropped down to 22 cuz I was really worried about gaining body fat. Um I have two jobs. I am mainly a singer. Um, but I also trained to be a nutrition coach a few years ago off the back of my history.

Um, and I've been trying to help people ever since get out of the ruts like I got myself in for many years. Um, okay. So, so at the moment I'm on 2,200 calories, 140 gram of protein, about 75 gram of fat, and the rest is made out with carbs, stroke fiber, and the majority of my diet is whole foods. I hardly drink. Um, I've really made an effort with all of that. I'm on 10 milligrams of creatine a day, upped it because obviously I listen to you guys every day.

And I'm also on omega-3s, D3 plus K2. Um, my scale weight when I started last year was 57.1 kilos. I hope kilos is all right. I know you guys work in pounds, don't you? Um, I my sceal muscle mass was about 22.9 and my body fat percentage about 26.6. Now, as of yesterday, I'm at 60 kilos. muscle mass is about 23.6, so that's good. But my my body fat percentage is 28.3. It's it's got a bit up 28.3. It's it's got a bit up and down over this whole course, but that's where I'm sat at about the moment.

I'm on HRT. I'm on estrogen and progesterone. I was on testosterone for libido issues. I stopped it a few months back cuz when I started lifting heavy, thanks to listening to you guys, started to notice a natural increase of my testosterone. So, I decided to come off of it because my I was having a bit of an issue with excessive hair growth in the upper thigh area and I wasn't keen on that. So, I thought I'd give it a go off it to see how I fared.

And my libido has been all right actually. I've felt pretty good, but I I don't know if that's affected me at all. Um, my positives throughout all of this is my strength increase has been quite significant. Deadlift has probably gone up about 20 kilos, squat 10 kilos, and my bench 10 to 15. Corin gave me some sort of goals to work to which I'm getting close to which is good. Generally my sleep I track it a lot now seven hours if I work a lot of late nights 6 and a half but I tried to make it up on other nights if I'm not working.

Um I my permenopausal symptoms I was getting quite bad dips. they've improved a lot and I'm and spiritually my major thing is and I haven't got to that yet is I I've had I've I've got a 20 year history with bulimia um and body dysmorphia and I've seen numerous counselors I've had all been in today's day centers and everything. Um so I'm not binging and purging anymore since I increased calories. So that's a major bonus. Um I just I'm sort of I'm stuck in a rut now.

I don't feel like I've got the body I really want. I just send any of the photographs. Um, I just feel like I've got bigger. I've gained some muscle. I just feel like my fat's got a lot higher. I don't like what I see in the mirror. Um, my dresses have all got tight. I have to stand on stage in front of people. It It's It's making me lose a bit of confidence. I had some lady come up, poke me in the belly, told me I put on weight, knock me back.

I did bull my arms out over that. I have to be honest. But I didn't I woke up the next day and thought, "Don't let it stop me from what I'm trying to do." I've got so far I can't go back on this now. So, I just kept with it. That was um that was in November last year. Um I'm 47. I'm a mother of two boys. Um I've I've um worked with a coach previously. This is 21 22. And she reverse dieted me from 15 to 21 in calories.

I got leaner at that point. So, that's what led me on to training to be a nutrition coach myself. I wanted to help people get out of their own head over this and try and feel better about themselves. So, I really have tried to do something positive off the back of it and generally help people to feel better about themselves. So, I'm also doing that as a sideline as well. I just seem to be able to help people better than I can help myself. But I am dealing with a lot of reverse diet clients and they all hate me for it cuz I'm I'm having to trust me, but I just feel like I I can't trust myself.

So, I'm a bit stuck. I just would appreciate your guidance on what where I'm supposed to go with this. Should I keep with the cut this reduced calorie? Should I go on a different program? I think I've covered most of stuff. Anyway, so over to you guys. You're doing so good. Karen, you're doing so good. So many wins. Yes, you're doing so good. You got to recognize all those. So many so many wins. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So many wins. Strength up. You're not You're not purging.

I know. I know. I know. Your calories are at the highest they've been probably in years or ever. Your pictures look amazing. You look great. You're feeling great. You're feeling better. The enemy The battle is in your mind. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The battle is all in your mind. And you've dealt with this for 20 years. It's going to take some time, honey. And it's going to keep it's going to keep coming after you. And um you know, I think you're moving in the right direction. It's going to be difficult.

Some of the things that can help you with this um is to let go a little bit of the control. And I know that's where it stems from. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So control can look like um restricting. It can look like purging. It could also look like counting macros and weighing myself and testing my body fat and analyzing my workouts. Uh it can look like all those things. And so the path the path forward is letting go uh of control. That's easier said than done. And so you got to let go one piece at a time and then make peace with it and be okay.

And I'm really sorry that somebody came up to you and said what they said. But I want to remind you uh that your value uh you're you're you're a valuable person. What other someone else some random person says to you doesn't matter. This is this is my job. This is what I don't I don't people don't come up. They do come up and say, you know, great singing, but the majority of it is, oh, you you know, why have you changed your hair? Why do you look like that?

Why have you done, you know, why, you know, why don't you wear that dress? You know, and it's just it can I'm very good at faking stuff. I'm I'm really great at that. I've got this mask on, but it's it's hard. It slips, you know, to put yourself uh Yeah. on stage to Yeah. to put yourself on stage like that with the with when especially when you're challenged with this is extremely difficult. So, also keep in mind this the so when we're when we're reverse dieting and we're building muscle and we're building metabolism, building metabolism, building metabolism, it doesn't work in this like perfect linear like just leaning out and just speeding up the metabolism.

So, what'll happen sometimes is which cuz the fact by the way too I am uh not only am I impressed with you, I'm very impressed with our team. The fact that you talked to six different people and they were all giving you great advice. Yeah, I know. All different. They were all different and they're all giving you the right advice along the way, which is so awesome. That makes me feel really happy about my team that they're just all on the same page. So, cuz to bounce around to that many people and everybody giving you the right advice from everything from programming to reverse dieting to the goals that Karen gave you, I think is phenomenal.

is phenomenal. is phenomenal. And I even think uh staying up at that 2,600 calorie would have served you and just hanging out there. uh just like give yourself time to acclimate to that new calorie intake, build some strength. After you build that strength, then that metabolism starts to speed up and then you see the lean out process. It doesn't always happen like what you saw from the uh the 1,700 to 2100 calories. Sometimes that was you were just so malnutrition that you started to get calories.

Your body responded with lots of muscle, built a bunch of muscle, and then all a sudden you got leaner. And so it's like, whoa, I increased calories, I got leaner. It doesn't always happen that way forever. you'll you'll keep increasing calories and then what it will look like sometimes is you'll get to a new number like 2600 and you you put on a little bit of muscle, you put on a little bit of body fat, but then you kind of level out and then you're like, h I don't feel better yet, but give it some time.

Keep getting stronger. Keep working in the training and then all a sudden you build a little more muscle and then all a sudden the metabolism kicks up and then all a sudden you lean out. And so it's not always like this perfect. So you were doing all the right things. I think you got it in your head with the like I even with your activity reducing I still would have kept your calories up there. I would have really really you know I was starting to see the changes.

I got to the end I love the last phase of muscle mommy the 5x5 you know and I got to that stage I was starting to see some and then I hit I mean Christmas is crazy for me workwise. I hit January and then it started to shift back a bit and I was like oh no and that's when I panicked. panicked. panicked. Yeah. Here's you're you were in the right place. You really were. And that this is where the coach part helps to have someone in your ear because obviously if I was talking to you on a more regular basis, I would have been like, Karen, you're good.

Don't worry. I'm not I'm not worried about your steps coming way down and your activity coming down cuz we're lifting right. We're feeding the body right. And don't worry, that metabolism is going to come up and then you're going to see yourself lean out. Just stay the course. So, I actually think you did you've done really good. And honestly, you cutting back down in the calories. What might have happened was you might lo you might have paired down a little bit of muscle and that's why you saw the body fat percentage go the direction you didn't like it yet you were actually on the right track.

You were actually doing Yeah, I think that's Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I I think that's what's happened here. I mean I wish I just stuck with it. I was going to start strong, you see. And then I just I don't know why. I just I I went to map 15. I don't know why. why. why. It's fine. Map 15 is fine, too. Strong is it? is it? is it? Yeah. They're both going to be great for you. you. you. Here's the other thing, too, Karen. And what you're doing right now is you're talking about all talking about you're talking about all of this.

of this. of this. Yeah. Don't the the the what'll make things get worse is if you keep it to yourself. yourself. yourself. They tend to flourish in the dark. Okay. The insecurities, the the negative changes that they they they start to they grow like mold in the dark. And so keep talking about it. And the second thing is coaching other people is really helpful. helpful. helpful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that you're doing that because you can you can share your story. You can empathize with other always empathize with other people better than yourself and it's going to really help you move in the right direction.

This everything you said is a massive success story. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I just Yeah. I've done I did a tell I basically when I started my business a few years ago I did a video where I told everybody about my eating disorder and a lot of people had no clue because I always seemed like a happy confident person and they had no idea. Actually, I GOT A LOT OF CLIENTS out of it cuz they trusted me and they were like, "We you weren't what we thought you were." And it was, you know, so I I I that's what I'm not in it for the money.

I really am in it cuz I want to help people and and actually I use a lot of the stuff that you talk about is what I preach to them. So, I'm very grateful to you guys. I really am. I mean, my husband's fed up with me talking about you all the time. But, you know, you know, it's very helpful information. It's really changed my life. So I I'm I'm just I'm doubting everything at the moment. Yeah, you're doing you're doing great. It's a challenge. And let me remind you as a trainer, what makes you effective is your ability to connect with other people.

people. people. And that comes from us uh exposing our own challenges and weaknesses. Vulnerable. Vulnerable. Vulnerable. When a client looks at you and thinks that you've got it all put together, it's so much harder to coach them. And it's also a lie. I don't I've never met a single trainer in my life that's got it all together. It just doesn't exist. Karen, when you you uh you mentioned um that you you came off the testosterone. When did you come off the testosterone, too? Just curious. Oh god.

This was during muscle mummy. So, this is like a a month at least a couple of months or so ago. You can you can adjust the dose. You can also look at lowering DHT. Sometimes uh they'll they'll prescribe something else with it or stay a little bit if you feel good. Uh testosterone and thyroid are the aesthetic hormones. So, those are the ones that tend to help. that the reason why I'm bring this is the reason why I'm bringing it up and why I was curious about that because if we reduce calories, we dropped off the testosterone that that right there will can result in that that muscle loss that you felt.

you felt. you felt. Yeah, fair point. Fair point. So, yeah, all a sudden you cut back the calories. Now, the body is not getting as much testosterone. The testosterone helps you build muscle. Uh obviously, you need the nutrients to build the muscle. The combination of the two of those could also. So, I had this feeling that when you were right around 2,600 calories, you were humming along just right. Then got in your own head a little bit, pulled back the calories, took off the testosterone, then get a body fat test and you go, "Oh [ __ ] this is not what I want." When it's like you were actually probably doing really good, good, good, you're doing you're doing you're doing Yeah, I I did change my progesterone as well.

I took I had my Marina cuz I was sleeping very well and I know it was the marina. So, I had that taken out and then it pushed the the GP out to to put me on body identical, you see. Um, so I don't know if that's a little bit of a difference, but I'm very up on my hormones. You see, I've done cords and stuff in it. So, but my RGPS are a nightmare over here. They're so scared of it all. So, it's it's just it's a fight.

It's a real fight with it all. Progesterone is great for anxiety, great for feeling calm, great for sleep. Testosterone is the aesthetic hormone. So is thyroid. Uh, so you could always talk to them and say, "Hey, can I try a lower dose of the testosterone testosterone testosterone uh if you're feeling like you're getting too many of the of those other side effects?" or if you feel good, you know, stay off. I think the biggest impact is is is going to be diet, exercise, and lifestyle. And you're doing great.

You're doing really the strength gains that you were you were talking about. Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Oh, that's good. Then you're doing good. You're doing good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Um do you think that cuz I'm I've got about 3 weeks of 15 left. Um do I go on to strong cuz I do want to do it in less calories. I want I I love that next. No. bump your calories and get us strong.

Yep. I love that. Yeah. Okay. That's what I was wondering. So, I just wanted to check that was the right place to go with it. So, can you call us back? I want to talk to you again a few months. Yeah. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Oh, okay. Let's do it. Now you've got me. Stay on top of you. You're doing stay with it. You're doing good. good. good. I'd appreciate that. That's really kind. Thank you so much, guys. You really made my day. my day. my day.

Thank you. Take care. Yeah. Bye. See you later. Boy, that a sweetheart. What a success story. But I also I just feel that in my heart, you know, that's just that's a challenge and a struggle. And then that person who went up to her and made that one comment, which for someone like her, just so crushing. crushing. crushing. Well, I mean, talk about um you know, you ever I I feel like a lot of people battle with some sort of body dysmorphia, but to to battle with that and then also be the type of person who puts yourself on stage where others are going to look at you and constantly just Absolutely.

I mean, talk about a a really tough place to find. Yeah. cuz like she can't win. She gets lean and muscular, she's going to get negative comments. She gets, you know, changes like she said, change her hair color, she's going to get like no matter what, you get judged in comments. And so anytime you're on stage, it's like that. You know, also got to remember just for people who do this, like the the love you get from uh or hate that you get from your fans or it's not real.

It's really not it's not the same as like somebody who actually knows you. I really think she was doing really good and I think that the I'm so great comment. Our team was really really really I know. I was like I was a little nervous cuz she's like we I I Kyle K. She literally talked to like five or six of our trainers and but everybody gave the the the same good advice. Great great advice. That is difficult to do by the way. Okay. That's Yeah.

You find three trainers in the same. same. same. I mean you get even the three of us if we get the one person a little bit different. Right. Exactly. To to stay aligned like that's that's kind of tough. You know what I'm saying? So that's awesome that everybody was right on the the right the right direction for her. Our next caller is Shayla from Connecticut. Hi Shayla. How you doing? Hello. Hello. Hello. Hi. Nice to meet you all. I'm so excited to be talking to you today.

Yeah, same here. How can we help you? Um, so I will go ahead and read off my question. Um, my name is Shayla and I am a 21-year-old college student and I've been listening for about three years now. Um, I wanted to call in because the last few months I've been struggling with recovering from an injury. In September, I started experiencing scyatic pain that was primarily in my lower back and radiated down my leg on the right side of my body. Um, and I started to going to physical therapy and she told me that I have SI joint dysfunction.

dysfunction. dysfunction. Um, and then I started doing rehab after that and then slowly reintroduced lifting again. And I got to be painfree for a little bit. And then recently, since the past like week or so, I started experiencing pain again in my lower back. And then what I believe is in my paraphformis muscle because exercises like cat and cow and 9090s, they cause pain in my lower back and right glute. Um, additionally, since my initial injury, I've been experiencing spasm like sensations in my right foot.

Um, when I walk for extended periods of time, it's like a tingling and kind of like numb sensation, and my toes kind of curl up as I'm walking. walking. walking. And then for a little more context, I'm 5'4, about 145 lbs. Um, I eat around 2,300 calories a day. I consistently hit my 150 gram protein goal through mostly whole foods, and I average 13 to 15,000 steps a day. Essentially, I wanted to ask what program or training routine is best for me as someone whose goal is to build muscle and stay injury-free with my past issues in mind.

Yeah, thanks for calling in. So, okay, so here's sometimes what happens with physical therapy. Okay, so uh SI joint dysfunction common. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Um it's it's actually quite common. Paraphformis syndrome quite common. Sciatica pain as a result. And did they explain all this to you? Like kind of how the papformis muscle sits on the scatic nerve presses on it? Did did you they they explain that to you. Okay, good. good. good. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Because you know if you have SI joint dysfunction then you've got a lot of muscles trying to stabilize.

One of them being the parapformis. And if you get that sciatica nerve pressed on long enough, it can cause uh tingling, numbness, uh it can cause heat and it can go down all the way down the leg. Usually it's in the back of the leg, but sometimes it can go down as low as as what you mentioned um down to your foot. So, it's all kind of related. Now, here's what happens sometimes with PT is we'll we'll rehab something until it's good enough, but not good enough to go to back to heavy training, bilateral movements, squats, deadlifts, you know, that kind of stuff.

Um what what movements do you think bothered it? Was it a deadlift? Was it a squat? Were you doing what were you doing? Also, quick question too. Are you a athlete at all or do anything else outside of this training? Just curious. Um, I Um, I Um, I usually typically I run a half marathon. I've been doing that for the past three years. I'll run one a year and then I'm a group fitness instructor so I do that. I've run about four to five classes a week at school.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. So that's kind of I'm glad you're asking. This is why I asked. There's other stuff normally probably alluding or leading to a lot of this stuff too. Yeah. Yeah. So, how did you hurt reheard it? What were you doing? So the day before I started experiencing the original scyatic pain, I did a lower body day and in that day I did hip thrust, um, Bulgarians, I did Romanian deadlifts and I think it was probably the hip thrust because I typically do machine hip thrust and that day I did barbell and that after the first exercise of doing that, it initially started to feel like a little bit sore but not like super concerning.

And then the next day is when the concerning theme started. theme started. theme started. Are you uh are you okay with reducing the group X teaching or is that how you you're are you getting paid to do that? Is that part is that your job through college? college? college? I am but I did scale back on that. So during my original injury I was teaching um I think six classes a week and most of them were more instruction based where I was doing the exercises with them.

However, I started doing more coaching style. So I'm not necessarily doing the exercise. just kind of walking around the room. So, I've definitely scaled that back. Much better. Good. Good. So, so it's going to take longer than you think to get you back to a place where you go back to your your lifting. So, once you feel better, that doesn't mean you're done. Then you start to work on changing recruitment patterns. Yeah. And strengthening. Um I think uh right now a MAPS 15 performance protocol performance protocol performance protocol would be good, which is going to feel like a lot less than what you're probably used to.

with two lifts a day. Uh okay. And and and I want you to do that in combination with the correctional exercise that you got from PT. How are you still doing those? Yes, I am. Okay, good. And are you foam rolling your parapformis and all that stuff before you train? Yes, I started doing I wasn't doing that recently, but in the last week or so since I started having that pain. Yeah. Yeah. Actually, what about symmetry 15 only because I I think that some unilateral uh emphasis will do you well especially to you know get that stability again.

I think around the hips especially like single leg type work is really going to go far. Yeah, I like that's I forgot we had that symmetry 15 would be good and keep the intensity moderate for like 3 months. the the the PT work that you they have you doing should be the the the bedrock and the foundation of the of the movement stuff that you do and then the only bit of strength training you do is map 15 symmetry. All the other like running classes that stuff is only going to exacerbate this this issue until we get really strong and stable in the hips.

Um going back to all that stuff is just going to even when you start to feel good there's going to come a point where you're like oh I feel good. If you go right back to all that stuff, it's going to happen again. again. again. You're like you're an you're a very active person. Uh so you should that this should just become a part of your movement. You get down, you do all these movements that your PT had you do uh on a very regular basis.

Absolutely. Before you do any sort of exercise or classes or so that it should be a part of it, but doing it as much as you possibly can. And then strength training, all you really need is like two exercises in a workout. That's it. performed very slow and controlled. Uh so that's the other thing too is to if we're trying to strengthen these patterns, we're really trying to be hyper aware of what's taking you out of that pattern. And so, you know, when you start feeling lateral forces, rotational forces taking you in a certain direction, you want to be able to correct real time and and really slow down and be effective in that movement.

To put So, just to put it very simple, right? simply um you when you're what you're trying to do is create a new default uh muscle recruitment pattern and and that takes a little longer than people think. And so what happens is you can start to train it and start to feel better. better. better. But when you push the intensity, the old default kicks back in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's a strong it's a stronger program still. program still. program still. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now I want to encourage you.

This is a very fixable issue. Yes. Yes. Yes, very it it becomes chronic in people because they do this thing where they make it feel better and then they go back and they push a little bit and then it hurts again and then it's on and off, on and off and eventually people are like, I don't want to work out anymore. Plus, you're still going to progress with strength and aesthetic uh goals. And so, don't be discouraged by that while you're addressing this. It's just, you know, this is what we need to address and really sharpen our mechanics.

And this is why running classes, any sort of like high intensity type stuff is the the enemy here because it's like to Sal's point, as soon as you get going and you increase intensity and you do a lot of stuff, you're going to go to the default pattern. We really need to slow down the training and exercise really put a lot of work in the corrective. So again, that's why the foundation is the corrective work. That is your you don't miss that. You do that all the time.

And then when you sprinkle in strength training, it looks like a 15 protocol. and then avoid this. Otherwise, every time you go to these long runs or intense type classes or lots of like fast type movements, you're going to go to the default pattern. You're going to slow everything. It'll just automatic as soon as fatigue kicks in uh or or lots of intensity and struggle kicks in, your body's better at the old default pattern. It'll just go right to it. Um, and then that's what cause So, you know, you want to give yourself a good probably 3 months at least of training this way before you start to slowly scale up to see how you feel.

Okay. Will that take will the math 15 take me through that? Okay. All three months long and then honestly after scaling up to me would look like going to symmetry as a whole program. So eventually, so MAPS 15 symmetry right now with all the corrective work we're talking about and then as you start to get strong, feel better, and if you want to do more strength training, it would look like map symmetry, the full program is what I would go to. So that would serve you the best.

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Yes. Yes. Yes. There you go. Are you in a are you in a like a like a health related field? What are you studying? Um I am studying health sciences and then I'm applying to my masters in speech language pathology. Cool. I had a feeling you were gonna be in the health field. Awesome. Well, good deal. So, we'll send you We're gonna send you Symmetry 15. Follow that. that. that. Okay. Thank you so much. You got it. Thank you. Yeah. The whole default the the recruitment pattern thing.

I knew she was doing other stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good question. Um uh the default pattern stuff, it's it's hard for people to understand, but um you when you're I like to use the the analogy on a keyboard, right? If if you type with two fingers all the time and then you try to learn how to type properly, you're going to be slower with the proper technique for a while. So, in other words, if I'm practicing the proper way and then someone holds a gun to my head and says, "Go as fast as you can." I'm going to go back to my old way cuz I'm better at it.

Even though it's not as effective, uh ultimately, this is what happens. So, when you have a default pattern, it's like basic it kicks in when you're tired and it kicks in when you're when the intensity is high. So, that's why this like this process has to be very deliberate. Right. You have to be careful with the intensity. I'm so glad that you brought up how common SI joint dysfunction and sciatica is cuz is cuz is cuz it was like 30% of my clients. So many in fact this is uh I mean we talk about the the challenges as trainers that we had.

One of the challenges I always had as a trainer especially as a young trainer was when I got a client who be like oh I can't do that cuz I have sciatica I have sciatic issues. And it's like you know we can fix that right? It's like you know that's not like a you're not like plagued with this fixable. It's so fixable and it's so common and but people continue and the reason why they don't believe it is because they do something they feel a little bit better.

They go through their physical therapy to the point you're making then they go right back to their old [ __ ] and it comes back and then they're like they're like they're like so they've had it for years. So they it's it's like the I got bad knees, I got bad hips, I got bad shoulders, I have sciatica. It's like no, we can fix these things. Yeah, exactly. We can fix all these things and and understand but what you what you've done in the past is not fixing it.

And so we need to change some of those behaviors. We need to change some of those patterns and we can solve this. All of the issues that I would encounter with clients, the common ones, shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, sciatic pain, SI joint pain, all fixable. all fixable. all fixable. The the sciatica and SI joint pain was the most guaranteed pain. Most direct. Most direct. Most direct. It was the most like, oh, cool. You got that? I know what to do. Just Yeah. Give me a couple months.

It'll be gone. Look, if you like the show, come find us on Instagram. We'll see you. It's at Mindpump Media. That would make a really good guide to a to a potential cell. Yes. Yes. Yes. Sigh pain. Sigh pain. Sigh pain. I don't I don't know why we haven't we haven't thought of that. I mean, that was such a common super common super common super common and and so many people avoid strength training because training because training because I wouldn't call SI, right? Just sciatica back pain.

back pain. back pain. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Our next caller is Kyle from British Columbia. Columbia. Columbia. Hey, what's up, Kyle? Hey guys, what a trip this is to see you guys and actually be talking to you. I was just listening to you guys this morning. This is great. How can we help you with that? All right. Well, uh, before I begin, I just want to thank you again for this opportunity and I just want to thank you personally for saving podcast. Don't get me wrong, I love health science and studies and all that, but you guys are rare in the case where you make it relatable and honestly, I feel that's the best way to help people.

So, just want to get that. Appreciate that, man. Thank you. Thank you. you. you. Yeah. Awesome. Now, uh, regarding my question, I I have it written out here just so I don't ramble. I tend to do that. So, I'll try to stay on point here, but I'll summarize my question and just kind of fill you in on my backstory just so you have my current situation just for context and all that. Okay. So, simply put, it's my 35th birthday this week, and as always, I'm looking to upgrade my life and health in any way I can each year.

And I've learned that without health, life basically sucks. So, the more you can improve that, especially the older I get, the better. Um, so I feel like I've kind of reached a training midlife crisis in a way to put it. I'm looking for some enlightenment on how to continue here and um, just move on to a new chapter into my fitness. I'm trying to kind of overcome a plateau and just try to adapt a new way of training. Um, I also have one semi unique lifestyle factor that I'm trying to um, learn how to turn that challenge into an annual benefit here.

So, um, in terms of my backstory here, um, you can feel free to tell me to shut up at any point, but, uh, I'll just try to fill you in here. Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. So, I began my life in a state of poor health and obesity, unfortunately. And that was about the age of 10 or 11. And at that point, I remember I still remember to this day, I was looking at the scale and it reached 200 lb. And I was like, man, once I reach 200 lb, I got to do something.

And then it kind of continued and I reached 210 lb. Then I was like, okay. Um, that in combination with, of course, being a kid, you have that motivation of the bullies and all that stuff, right? So, it was time to make a change. And being a young kid, I honestly had no education, like no knowledge of what to do. So, I remember starting my workouts. I'd do just like 10 body weight squats at night and I'd be like tired like okay that's my start that's that's the go for it.

Um so that was that and in terms of diet I really had no idea. So after seeing zero progress after a bit I was still motivated to change. So I read one the first book I found on the subject which basically just told me to eat real food and it gave me a basic weight training program. So, I started that and that was really hard. Even just changing food. Going from Oreos to an apple took me like two weeks. I just spat out the apple. I couldn't it just didn't taste like it wasn't sweet enough.

Right. So, um I was going through that transformation and about 2 years of following that following that following that um I yeah 2 years of following that I continued to lose weight. I ended up losing about 50 lbs. I I reached down to about 160 170 um and I basically maintained that until my early 30s and I still didn't really know what I was doing. And um looking back on all this, it really just like I didn't really notice the transformations transformations transformations um like physically as they developed.

I was more focused on the mental aspects. I I realized that like my mental health got so much better and that's kind of why it continued and um so I just kept doing that but I was strictly kind of more cardiobased until my early 30s really and it came to another point where my wife was pointing out she's like Kyle you work out every day but you look so weak you know like you're weak you're skinnier than the other dudes and I was like oh man that's that's kind of something and I was like yeah I guess so And that's when I started getting into the weight training.

So, I found you guys and I started listening. I ended up getting MAP spplit and I started adapting that. I gave into I was like, "Okay, I'm just going to go to the gym. I'm going to start lifting weights finally." And within a year of doing that, I honestly I gained like 10 lbs, which I imagine is muscle. Like I I didn't gain fat. I was mostly muscle there. And I really started to notice for the first time a difference. And that was just like basic weight training, uh, like the split program there.

And I I just absolutely love that that method of training. Um, since then, my wife has noticed a difference as well. And now she's started weight training as well, which is great. I got her Maps 15 for Christmas and it's kind of like getting her there. We just got the kids at home now. So, um, that really works well. So, I actually stopped going to the gym. We work out at home now. I invested in some weights here. Um, and at this point, yeah, like I'm just really looking for like I've done the split style and I feel like I'm still getting stronger, but at the same time, I I haven't really been seeing much progress lately.

I'm I'm starting to kind of feel like I'm peing like I'm adding a little bit of weight here and there, but I hear you guys talking about like changing things up throughout the year or adding different kind of dynamic movements or ways to go about it. I'm just curious from someone who like given my training background so far and just following the split style split style split style um if there's anything I could be doing to really help. I want to get a little bit stronger still and kind of just overcome this and move on to a new chapter of strength building.

Basically, the the answer is actually really easy. Uh doing it might be the challenging part. Uh and because it's going to be related to nutrition and so uh you probably are due for a reverse diet where we start to actually add calories. you have uh you've got the newbie gains from lifting weights and you've put on some good muscle and you're probably feeling like you've kind of peaked out a little bit because you've peaked out for the amount of calories and nutrition you're giving the body and the body will if you give it more and continue following MAPS programs.

You can follow any of the ones that you want to. I mean, they're all going to be great and they're and you're going to respond well to all of them since it's all pretty novel to you. Uh but you probably need to increase calories. any idea on what your calorie intake is right now? Have you ever tracked before? tracked before? tracked before? To be honest, I haven't uh tracked too closely. I went through about a month where I tried it. Um and I would my best guess would be around like 23, like 23, like 23, but this I'm glad you brought up nutrition cuz I honestly feel like that's my biggest downfall at this point.

I just started focusing more on protein, but I feel like a reverse diet would be a good way cuz I I wanted to ask you guys, I have this issue where it's like I feel like I'm eating, you know, an appropriate amount, but there's like like twice a week I just feel like I have this insatiable appetite where it just like bring on more and more and it's like it's like it's like that's your that's your that's your body telling you it wants more to go build more cuz you're doing the right things by lifting.

you're you're doing a good lifting program, you're sending the signal to the body, it needs more muscle. Your body's going, "We need more nutrients." And so that that feeling you have is a natural good feeling, and it's the body telling you, "We need more material to go build you more muscle." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Kyle, when you um do you do you because you you talked about working out as a 10-year-old um and you know, bullying and being overweight. Do you do you have a fear of getting fat or overweight?

Um to be honest, it's been in my mind. Yes. I um like for me personally, once I lost the weight, it's just like there's two sides of it really. It's like the one side is once I started to lose the weight and develop my consistent exercise, just mentally at that point in my life, I had a lot of just like depression, anxiety, and stuff like that. So that honestly just like disappeared. I felt super optimistic like once I started the exercise. I know there's brain benefits and all that.

It made a huge change. So, I'm I'm scared of losing that. But at the same time, I noticed that people treated me different after, you know, like after I made my transformation. And I just I fear in a way that if I because I got that through consistency and all that stuff, I fear like if I backtrack on that in any way or just kind of deviate, I just I don't know. I just grew up having like you know I was I was treated poorly because of that.

So it's definitely in my mind. I'll let you know something. Okay. Uh the respect sometimes we associate how we look uh with the change in the way people treat us. But what's deeper than that is uh you're a doer and a go-getter. By the way, that's where you get a lot of the the mental health benefits. Yes, there's physiological changes uh that we can measure, but if I induce physiological changes with medications, you don't get the same benefit. We know this on the data. The data shows this quite clearly.

Where where a lot of it comes from is you're a kid, you want to make a change and so you just you just start working at it. at it. at it. Y Y Y and then it starts to work and so you build that muscle of discipline and skill and then the confidence comes from that that that exudes from that and that's what people kind of see uh and that's what earns uh the respect. So it had more to do with that. So, I just want to let you know that I knew I I I I I could feel that there's that underlying fear of, oh, what if I become that, you know, what if I just gain tons of body fat type of deal.

Uh, your body definitely needs more calories. Uh, so guy your size, I would aim for 200 grams of protein a day. So, you're looking at four meals with 50 grams of protein. Uh, whole foods. Don't cut anything out. Have some carbs in there. Um, and that should guide you. And then workout wise, split is a lot of volume. Wow. And it's it's amazing that you gained muscle, which tells me that you were uh a bit depleted going into it and so you just started to feed yourself and not maybe burn yourself out, but MAP's anabolic plus an increase in calories and hitting your protein, you'll build another 10 pounds.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You'll gain another 10 pounds of muscle. Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh yeah, no problem. no problem. no problem. No problem. But MAPS is less volume. You're not going to be working out six days a week. Uh you'll be lifting three days a week. That rest recovery is really where the magic is. And you're going to find that especially if you start replenishing your body with nutrients on top of that, everything is just going to accelerate. Are you are you doing anything else you haven't told us too as far as exercise?

Are you are you running too? Uh no, actually I'm I'm going for daily walks. Um that's all good. I just want to make sure cuz Yeah. Map's anabolic, 50 grams of protein, four meals a day, have other stuff in the meals, and your strength's going to go through the roof. Yep. And you're going to gain another 10 pounds of muscle. No problem. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If you gain 10 pounds of muscle on split, split, split, you gain 10 on anabolic. It's pretty crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Because split is too much volume for most people.

That's a advanced bodybuilder routine. Uh where everything is like so anabolic, bump your calories, 200 grams of protein a day. If you hit that every single day with whole natural foods, you have to you got to chase it. I'll tell you that much because it's not easy. Like 200 grams of protein doesn't happen on accident. So you're going to have to like really go for it and your strength going to explode. Your squat, your deadlift, your bench, your overhead press, your rows. Then you follow that up with power lift.

It's going to go through the roof. Definitely don't allow yourself to be hungry, right? When you feel that hunger signal kick up, just go eat a full meal that's that's 40 grams of protein. that like if you just that's a simple way to handle this is like if you're not good on tracking or you don't like tracking is like you're hungry go eat and go eat a meal that has 40 50 grams of protein in it and and just listen to your body but you may you may actually feel like you're overeating you're overeating you're overeating because you're so used to undereating.

Uh so that's why I'm saying uh 50 grams of protein four times a day with food. And so what you want to do is this. You don't have to track and weigh everything but you get a get a good idea of what that looks like. Okay, that's 8 ounces of meat. Okay, now I know what it looks like. That's what I'm aiming for. Whether it's chicken, steak, fish, uh that's what it looks like. You know, eight, you know, 50 grams of protein for eggs. Uh what is that?

That's uh seven eggs, eight eggs or something like that. Nine eggs. So, so just get an idea of what that looks like. And then eat eat that four times a day. Follow maps anabolic. If you're getting stronger, you're moving in the right direction. And your wife's going to trip out. She's like, "What's going on?" Right on. Right on. Right on. Over the whole thing, for sure. And all the the mental and the other posit You're going to see all kinds of benefits. Yeah. more energy will go up, strength will go up, libido will go up, you'll probably sleep better, you'll see all kinds of other positive benefits.

So, more to come, buddy. buddy. buddy. Excellent. That's really exciting to hear. And um yeah, it sounds like it's kind of solving my issues there in the back of my mind. So, I really appreciate that, guys. that, guys. that, guys. Yeah. Can we have you back on in a few months? I want to see what happens in 3 months. Yeah. months. Yeah. months. Yeah. Oh, boy. I'm I'm now I'm even more excited. I got a path here and some followup. I dig that. Um Yeah, for sure.

I'd love to. I'm going to anabolic the heck going to I'm going to anabolic the heck out of this next couple months here and uh yeah, I'll be pounding those eggs. Love it. Love it. Love it. Track the weights cuz I can't wait to see the strength game. So, we'll send it to you. to you. to you. I'm excited. Phase one in particular, you're going to love. Right on, guys. Um may I just bug you on one more quick question. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um so, I have one kind of unique thing I'm trying to as I'm thinking ahead in life, uh just like in training and stuff and my wife and I were in a really good routine now.

Um, but there's one mixup that kind of makes it a bit challenging throughout the year is every year we go we visit our family out in Japan for about 2 months and I have all my weights out here. I've got nothing out there. I've collected a kettle bell last time I was there. But like in in terms of the year, would you use that as an advantage to uh like is there a way to train if you have minimal like just Okay, I'll say so MAP suspension, that's our program that you use a suspension trainer and you can pack that in your suitcase suitcase suitcase and that's your workout for the two months you're over there.

I want you to know though, I want you to know though, Kyle, you do a good job of reverse reverse dieting and hitting anabolic consistently those two weeks. No, it's two months or Oh, it's two months you're out there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, 2 months you're out there. So, you'll Yeah. Map suspension will be perfect. Preserve everything you've built. built. built. Yeah. So, we'll send you maps anabolic and I'll send you a code for map suspension if you want to get that now ahead of time.

Uh and that that program is easy to it's just it literally all you need is a suspension trainer. Fits in your suitcase and then as long as you have a doorway or a tree or something, you're good. good. good. Excellent. Well, I'll definitely find one of those. Great. Yeah. Yeah, we got you. Awesome. I'm I'm Oh, this is so exciting. Yeah. I'm going to Yeah, I'll see if my wife wants to join me, too. Yeah, it'll be great for both of you. Yeah, it' be great for both of you.

We'll talk to you in a few months. Right on. Well, thanks again, guys. Really appreciate it. Love the podcast. And, uh, yeah, Doug, you do an awesome job, too. I know you're in there somewhere. So, uh, yeah. All the best to you guys. you guys. you guys. Speak Japanese, too, by the way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, excellent. Oh, excellent. Oh, excellent. Right on, guys. All right. Take it easy, Kyle. Take it easy. easy. easy. Yeah. Thank you so much. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. It was two months.

I thought you said two weeks. two weeks. two weeks. No, two months. Okay. I was going to say he'll need something some need some but dude so would tell okay so I knew right away just for people listening if you never strength train and you gain 10 pounds of muscle and the first program you do is split split's a great program but it's too much volume for most people especially as a beginner he gained that because he strength trained and finally fed himself a little bit and stopped doing so much cardio you know but maps anabolic if he gained 10 on split he would have gained 15 to 18 on 18 on 18 on on maps There's so much more potential for him.

for him. for him. I think he's going to gain every bit of that that that if I mean if he can eat that the hardest part the so like the answer like I said was easy. The hard part will be the the mental block of like you know you don't want to go back but he yeah he has the other thing too is just so crazy how your your childhood just it just man it just forms you and shapes you deal with it for the rest of your life you know so but but I'm glad he called us.

Our next caller is Chris from South Carolina. Carolina. Carolina. What's up Chris? What up Chris? Hey how are you guys? Adam, Justin, Sal, and Doug. He's been a long time. I've been watching since probably 2016 or so. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Dude, you're like you're like family then. family then. family then. Yeah, man. How can I help you, dude? One of the originals, I'd like to say. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, all right. I'm just going to jump right into it. I'm not a huge uh talker, so I'm just going to read it right off here.

Uh, listen to the show for years. I've bought many of your guys' programs. I've jumped in and out of them. Uh, I'm really struggling. I've yo-yo dieted my entire life, gained and lost weight. My heaviest before I enlisted in the uh military was 305 lbs and then I've gotten all the way down to 182 lbs. I've lived in between that for the past 15 years. Um my biggest show right now is staying compliant with military height and weight standards. Uh they're very stringent when it comes to a number versus a height.

Um it's currently up for review though. So they're going away from right now we do a neck to waist circumference value in the Marines. Um but the whole Department of Defense or Department of War is going to uh a height to waist ratio which will lend a little bit better to me. I'm 6' 3 years old. I'm pretty run down. Military's not been kind. Separated my shoulder. I've had compartment syndrome. I have severe osteo osteoarthritis in both knees. Been IED explosion. List goes on and on.

Most recently, I've dealt with a Morton naroma in my foot. And that plus the arthritis has really slowed me down. Uh I understand this is like very broad. Um, we do two different PT tests a year. One is more, uh, endurancebased pull-ups, uh, plank, and a three- mile run. The other one's more, uh, quick quick tick, quick type stuff, more up, uh, Justin's alley. Uh, I'm open to any suggestions you guys have. I just want to get programming because like I said, bought tons of your guys stuff, but it's always like it's either weightlifting or endurance and I've not ever learned the healthy cycle of both of them.

I really want to be happy and healthy. Um, sitting right at 250 lbs at 6 foot right now. Uh, definitely not in a good shape that I've been in in my life. I've hired coaches before. I've went with the the dumb ones online. crush it, kill it, cut me down to 1,200 calories and that's what I've been at. Um, one thing to maintain those height and weight standards, I have uh crash dieted and fasted. Know you guys are hate me for it. Uh, don't fast for fat.

Uh, fat loss doesn't work in the long run, but you know, I've I've powered through my uh I've done probably two three weeks where I wouldn't eat just to uh be within standards. So, really just throwing it out to you guys. I know it's like way all over the place, but No, it's good. I know exactly. Yeah, I I know exactly what what to do with someone like you, but you know, first off, thanks for your service. Uh, thanks for the support. You know, it's what I do.

Listen, your your discipline is your strength. Uh, but it's also your weakness because you have the ability to turn it on or turn it off. And so, this tends tends to do be what you do, right? You're like, "Okay, I got to make it happen." and to hell with the pain, to hell with the hunger, and I'm just going to make it happen. That button, we need to stop hitting it, though. It's not working for you anymore. It's caused injuries, and you're probably tired. It sounds like you're tired of it.

You're tired of that onoff type of deal. It would be real nice. Like even even the join, like I told you before, I was 300 lb. I did the uh the machinist diet, can of tuna, and apple a day to lose 60 lbs in a month, you know? I was all about it. about it. about it. I'm still all about it, you know? So, listen listen, dude. You You can do it. You and you and you I'm sure you do. You're probably very coachable. You just need the right coach.

You need the right coach. Like, you're so coachable. so coachable. so coachable. That would be the hope. You're so coachable that I could be a crappy coach and they'll do what I say and you'll just follow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Which is what I did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You need a good coach. You need somebody who knows what they're doing, they're doing, they're doing, who's going to get you out of this cycle, uh, prevent the injury, get you healthy, get you fit, and get you in a place where you don't do the cycling up and down anymore.

That's what you need. I could give you the advice right now. Uh, but it's it's a hard a hard a hard This is a hard um uh cycle to break. It's because you've been living here for a long time. I mean, how long have you been doing this up and down? Uh, I'm going on 15 years this year. Yeah. This is like part of who you are. So, So, So, pretty much. Yeah. You need the right coach, dude. Uh because I could give you the advice right now, but this this mentality that you have is what we need to work on.

It's going to take time. It's going to take months of work and you're going to want to go harder. What's going to happen? Well, you know, if I gave you advice, coach you a little bit like, "Oh, can I turn it up?" I'll be like, "No, dude." And you're going to need me in your ear kind of helping you through the process. And then at some point, you'll see that it feels good and it's working. Then you'll start to trust the process. And then you'll develop a different uh behavior, different behaviors around behaviors around behaviors around and different relationship relationship different associations with all that stuff.

If we don't uh if you don't have the right coach, you're gonna you're going to be stuck here for a while. It's going to be really hard. I mean, I've heard it from I mean, I've heard it from you guys time and time again. It's like I've always done it not to uh not with any help or anything, just with me. Like I'm I'm waiting for that like, oh, this is actually working. And I've never had that feeling. that feeling. that feeling. Yeah. No, I get it, dude.

And what's what's hard what's hard what's hard you can though? You can. Totally. And what's hard with someone like you, I'll just tell you the challenge cuz I've worked with people like you before. The challenge is when we're doing things right, I'm fighting you to not do too much. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's the constant conversation. Yeah. Is you're going to be like, "That's not enough." And I'll be like, "Dude, chill. This is a this is plenty. We're moving in the right direction." And and a lot of this is diet.

And and a lot of this is diet. And the other side of it is the overlication of intensity. Uh but the hard part is probably the diet. That's going to be the harder part. That's typically the harder part. The intensity part we can work with. Uh and there's going to be times you have to turn it up anyway cuz you are in the military and that's totally fine. But the idea is to keep your joints healthy. Having you feel good uh be generally fit um so that you can turn it up when you need to and not hurt yourself or or drive yourself into the ground.

Diet wise is going to be difficult. It's not going to be this extreme. extreme. extreme. Yeah. Uh, the reason why the diet part's hard is cuz we want you like in a Goldilock zone where there's not a lot of movement on the scale. And that mentally messes with people like yourself who have the ability to like lose 30 lbs in 30 days cuz you've been able to do that before. And so when you're coaching someone like you and you're like, "Listen, you're right where I want you calorie-wise.

You're right where I'm at what we're doing." And you're going like, "It's not moving. We're not moving." And then that's the part we'll wrestle with going through this process. And and then you just got to kind of surrender. You got to surrender that to somebody you trust uh to kind of guide you through that process. And then the light bulb goes off because then then at one point you'll see it, you'll feel it and you'll go like [ __ ] this is the easiest effort I've ever put towards this and I'm at where and that and then you then you'll have this unlock.

But to the the coaching to get there and the handholding to get there of like just trust the process. I got you. Let me lead you. And Let me lead you. And then all of a sudden the switch hits and you're like, "Oh, wow. This is a trip that I feel like I'm trying a quarter of what I've tried in the past, yet I feel better, I'm stronger, I'm fitter, all the things." And then that becomes sustainable. sustainable. sustainable. The guy sustainable. The advice you'll get is you've listened to the show for a long time, so you're not going to hear anything that's going to blow your mind.

You're like, "Well, yeah, I know I should do that. I know I should hit my protein. Okay, yes, I need to reverse diet. I need to strength train. I need to work on mobility. I need to not overdo it. I need you to focus on sleep. You're going to hear all the stuff that you've heard us say on the podcast. Uh the the the key though, the kicker is the the the guidance, the coaching throughout the process. So, So, So, offload it. You know, yeah, we need to offload this somebody trustworthy that you know has your best if you're open to working with a coach if that's uh feasible for you.

I'll have uh our guy call you and set you up. Uh but the advice you're going to get isn't going to be like revolutionary. You're not like, "Oh my god, I never heard that before." before." before." uh you'll be like, "Okay, that makes sense." And then you're going to check in with them constantly and keep open communication like, "Hey, man. I feel like I got to do more or I feel like I'm eating too much or it's not moving fast enough." And then just keep working with the coach the coach the coach and uh I it'll take it'll take a few months, but in a few months you'll be sold.

sold. sold. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. In a few months be like, "Okay, this works." works." works." I'm like I'm 100% open to it. Like I said, I I'm 36 years old and like that's not old, but I feel old. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you you bro, you're 36 with a lot of, you know, a lot of hardcore mileage. mileage. mileage. A lot of crazy stuff to your body. Yeah, dude. Yeah, dude. Yeah, dude. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, Yeah. So, Yeah. So, we we'll fix it though, Chris.

We'll fix it. it. it. I'm 100% open to it. And as long as one of like your dudes cuz like I'm tired of the crush, kill it. Like, you see everything on Instagram. Like, I want to work with some that you guys. Not only are that the worst, that's the worst for a guy like you cuz you're the type of guy that will go do it. You're the guy that go do it. That's what makes it really bad. Like those guys are already bad, but most people don't do it.

Like you're the guy who's like, "Okay, I got this." You're the guy that probably gets a little excited when they're like, "You're working out twice a day. You're going to eat,200 calories." All right, let's go. let's go. let's go. Horrible, bro. Yeah, you don't need David. The worst guys. We got good people. Uh they know exactly how to coach uh people the right way and very solvable. Very, very solvable what you're going through. We'll have him call you, Chris, and then we'll be checking in with you and then I'd love to have you back on the show after you've gone through it so you can talk about it.

Awesome. I look forward to it, guys. I I appreciate everything and it's been like great great watching like growing up with you guys. Feel like feel like one of the five of y'all. You got the four and I'm the fifth guy there, you know, watching your guys' transformation over a decade. a decade. a decade. Dude, if you ever come to California, tell your coach and he'll have you come in and hang out studio. We appreciate it, dude. I will. You're part of the family. family. family.

Stop picking on Justin Stop picking on Justin so much, huh, Adam? I can take it, bro. It's good. It's good for him last gives me ammo. If we don't pick on him, he's destroy them with later. Don't worry, dude. dude. dude. Thanks, man. Thanks, man. Thanks, man. All right, Chris. Have a good one. You got it, brother. Yeah, dude. That That's the uh It's lit. It literally is like all or nothing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I've trained people like that. And the hardest part is to pull it back, dude.

dude. dude. I know. I know. I know. It's like Even in the workout, I would have clients like this in the workout I'm fighting. He'll run through a wall in the workout. I would fight with people like this like, "Okay, you're done." What do you mean? I could keep going. going. going. The point that I was making, why this is so difficult is cuz for 15 years, he knows that he can turn it on and drop 40 lbs like overnight to achieve the objective. Yeah. He'll just not eat.

He'll have tuna and apples. Like he knows he's he's done all the crazy [ __ ] And so when you get a guy like that and you're like, "Hey, this is what you want to do." And he's he's like 3 weeks in, he's like, "The scale hasn't moved. I I don't feel I know how to solve this." Yeah. Yeah. And there's a part of him that's just like, "Well, this isn't better than what I've done. I've you know what I'm saying?" And so you're constantly constantly constantly He feels it now.

Injuries. I'm tired. I feel old. I'm beat up. He's in the right place. He's in the right place now of right He's in the right place now of like like, "Okay, surrender and let the coach take you. We'll take good care of him." him." him." All right. I know you like that episode. If you did, check this one out. One of the keys to fat loss is protein. It's true. If you're not eating a high protein diet, you're not going to burn as much body fat as you can.

So today's episode, we're going to talk about the smartest ways to use protein for fat burn and to build muscle. You got to watch this. watch this. watch this. I wish I understood this earlier in my career. I think it was probably almost 10 years in when I started to just focus on this with clients. I knew it was important, but I don't know how important. Yeah. I also did I knew what was important and but I also