What Works & What Doesn't For Muscle & More With Sal Di Stefano

October 16, 2021

Listen on:

My buddy and my guest on today's podcast—Sal Di Stefano—has a long history of podcasting with me, including on episodes such as:

Fatherhood, Motherhood, Parenting, Home Schooling, Religion, Muscle Gain, Sourdough Bread & Much More With The Mind Pump Guys & Jessa Greenfield.
Unschooling, Plant Medicine, Anti-Aging, Veganism vs. Carnivore & More With The Mind Pump Guys!
The Official Edgy, Explicit & Epic Podcast With Me & The Mind Pump Crew: Longevity, Religion, Parenting, Biohacking, The Joe Rogan Debates, Snake Oil, Pseudoscience & Beyond.
Six-Egg Breakfasts, Ketosis For Bodybuilders, Resetting Weed Tolerance, Kratom Experimentation & Much More With The Mind Pump Guys!
The Mysterious Kuwait Muscle-Building Phenomenon, The Too-Much-Protein Myth, Anabolic Triggering Sessions & More With The Mind Pump Podcast Crew.
The Mysterious Micro-Workouts, Turning On Your Butt, Overdosing With Melatonin & More With The Mind Pump Guys.

I've also been a guest on his Mind Pump podcast a handful of times as well, including on the episodes:

Anyhow, Sal just wrote a book, entitled The Resistance Training Revolution: The No-Cardio Way to Burn Fat and Age-Proof Your Body―in Only 60 Minutes a Week. This new book promises to help you burn fat, build lean, sexy muscles, lose inches, and feel healthier, more energetic, and youthful than you ever have in your life…with a revolutionary new approach to resistance training.

In the book, Sal Di Stefano breaks down fitness misconceptions, shares his decades of industry knowledge, and brings you a comprehensive, accessible guidebook that will give you the body you’ve always wanted—in as little as 60 minutes a week. His book features:

More than 60 fat-burning, metabolism-boosting workouts you can do at home to sculpt your body and maximize your health and longevity
Raw fitness truths that will show you what works and what doesn’t. You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to build lean muscle and lose fat once you understand these truths, and once you train your body the right way
The newly discovered health benefits of resistance training in terms of heart health, bone strength, joint protection, and especially anti-aging
The exact formula for nutrition that makes losing fat, while sculpting your body a breeze and for the long term
Dozens of self-assessments to track your progress, and much more

Sal Di Stefano is a personal trainer and co-founder of Mind Pump Media and co-host of Mind Pump, an online radio show/podcast that is dedicated to providing truthful fitness and health information. He is also the designer of the Muscular Adaptation Programming System (MAPS Fitness Products). Sal is dedicated to prioritizing health over appearance, and he aims to shift the direction of the fitness industry from aesthetic and insecurity-based to one based on self-love and self-care.

During this discussion, you'll discover:

-What you'll find in Sal's new book…06:45

The Resistance Training Revolution

-When and why Sal got into personal training…12:10

14 years old when he discovered dumbbells
By age 19, was general manager of 24-hr fitness chains
Started his own practice at age 22; goal was to merge fitness with wellness
Fitness is the most unassuming form of self-improvement that exists
Mind Pump is meant to appeal to the average person looking to better themselves

-How motives for pursuing fitness make all the difference in its efficacy…18:30

It's not that people lack discipline; they approach fitness with the wrong motives
Bad relationships are equal to a pack of cigarettes per day
- Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
If it's for purely aesthetic reasons, it will wear off eventually
The motive must be for self-care, self-love, and long-term self-improvement

-A realistic timeframe for building muscle…31:30

There's a wide genetic window that defines a response to training
Younger folks respond faster
Are you new to exercise, or is it more familiar?
8-10 lbs of new muscle the first year on average
You'll reach a point where you peak with muscle building
Muscle building is the only pro-positive tissue form of exercise
Testosterone levels as a whole have been dropping for decades
Huge difference between natural muscle building vs. synthetic via drugs
Simply sending a signal to the brain that muscle building is going on will enhance metabolism
High-stress lifestyle inhibits muscle building

-The essential equipment for a one-year muscle-building regimen…45:50

Squat rack
Barbells
Dumbbells
Adjustable bench
Full body workout 3 days per week max
Long hikes and walks
Mind Pump MAPS programs, MAPS Anabolic, MAPS OCR, or performance programs

-Sal's thoughts on electrical muscle stimulation devices and wearables…51:55

Benefit to avoid atrophy while injured
Not much benefit to building muscle
Neubie device
Marc Pro
Compex
Katalyst suit

-The efficacy of blood-flow restriction (BFR) training…57:13

BFR training podcasts:
- 1 Cheap & Easy Underground Training Method For Growth Hormone Release, 5 Biohacks to Increase Strength in 60 Seconds, 7 Exercises for the Eyes to Radically Enhance Stamina & Speed with Kusha Karvandi.
- The Official KAATSU Episode: Everything You Need To Know About How To Use Blood Flow Restriction For Muscle Gain, Injury Recovery, Testosterone, Growth Hormone & Much More! with John Doolittle and Steven Munatones.
Kaatsu bands (use code BEN to save 5%)
BFR bands (use code BEN20 to save 20%)

-Thoughts on super-slow training…1:00:07

Body by Science by Doug McGuff
Originated during WWII while rationing iron and steel
If the reps go too long, it slows the muscle-building effects
Intensity is an important variable to training
Olympic lifting is the most studied/funded strength sport
Benefit to practicing the motion at lower intensity vs. high-intensity training
Physiological Differences Between Low Versus High Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophic Responders to Resistance Exercise Training: Current Perspectives and Future Research Directions

-Hyperthermia's effects on muscle gain and maintenance…1:05:25

Won't build muscle in a profound way
Simulates hormetic effect of exercise to a small degree
Being overly reliant on one training modality limits its effects
Do the hard stuff, then do the fun stuff to put the icing on the cake

-The most ridiculous, asinine, and downright silly fitness trends today…1:12:55

-And much more!…

Upcoming Events:

Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Sal Di Stefano:

– Podcasts:

– Book and Gear:

– Other Resources:

Episode sponsors:

–Kion Clean Protein: Organic natural flavors, Himalayan sea salt, and stevia deliver rich chocolate and velvety smooth vanilla flavors that are out of this world—seriously, even in plain ole’ water.

–Organifi Gold Pumpkin Spice: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.

–Levels Health: Levels is currently running a closed beta program with a waitlist of 100,000+ people, but you can skip that line and join Levels today by using the link levels.link/BEN

–Paleo Valley Beef Sticks: 100% grass-fed AND grass-finished. Keto friendly and higher levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Receive a 15% discount on your order when you go to paleovalley.com/ben

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Sal Di Stefano or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

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6 thoughts on “Muscle Building Myths Busted: What Works & What Doesn’t For Lifelong Muscle, What Fitness Trends Actually Work, Desert Island Workout Routines & More With Mind Pump’s Sal Di Stefano.”

Chris Abatecola says:

November 23, 2021 at 4:36 am

Hey Ben! Any recommendations on how to maintain upper body muscle using the 1/9th rule you mentioned?

I’m going through a posterior labrum tear recovery and probably won’t be able to hit the weights or do my pull ups and push-ups for another four months I’m thinking… Any insight or recommendations on this would be amazing!

PS Your Nov 4 podcast with Angelo was awesome so I’ve definitely increased my protein intake a little and I’m taking at least a serving of Kions AAs daily

Mario Martins says:

November 9, 2021 at 4:24 am

full body workouts were discussed but not suggested sets per body part.
what do you recommend?
thanks

willaimstuward says:

October 28, 2021 at 11:23 pm

I love Sal’s reason behind zeroing in on the exercises you appreciate versus the exercises that are “awesome” or generally productive.

Mike says:

October 20, 2021 at 6:15 pm

About the first 15 minutes of the podcast was a combination of Ben touting his products (I understand the need for this) and then went into the “Bromance” of how much Ben and Sal love each other. My advice keep the mutual admiration, which I’m sure is sincere down to a sentence or two. That’s really all that’s necessary or desired by the audience.

Ben Greenfield says:

October 21, 2021 at 8:59 pm

Thank you for your honest feedback!

Reply

James Quandahl says:

October 17, 2021 at 10:27 am

I love Sal’s point of focusing on the workouts you enjoy versus the workouts that are “the best” or most efficient.

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Muscle Building Myths Busted: What Works & What Doesn’t For Lifelong Muscle, What Fitness Trends Actually Work, Desert Island Workout Routines & More With Mind Pump’s Sal Di Stefano.