2732: The Best Workout, Diet, and Supplement Routine for Men Over 40

Summary

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Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Episode 2732: The Best Workout, Diet, and Supplement Routine for Men Over 40

November 20, 2025
Hosts: Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a science-backed, practical blueprint for men over 40 to get fit, build muscle, and optimize health. The Mind Pump crew tackles the fitness myths aimed at younger audiences and instead crafts a sustainable workout, diet, and supplement routine tailored to the needs and realities of men in their 40s and beyond. Listeners will come away with actionable steps that prioritize efficiency, consistency, and results.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Reframing Fitness After 40

• Tired of Young Influencer Advice: The hosts highlight that most mainstream fitness advice doesn’t consider the specific challenges men over 40 face—like increased life stress, less time, and different recovery needs.

  • Sal Di Stefano (03:14):
    “If you’re looking for good information... you probably don’t identify with fitness influencers telling you ‘beast mode’... There’s a lot of confusing stuff out there. What actually works?”

• Exercise Is a Stress—Dosage Matters:

  • As stress (work, family, aging) increases, exercise programs must adjust to avoid overtraining and burnout.
    • Adam Schafer (05:47):
      “When you are north of 35...the level of consistent daily stress you have is just higher than what it was when you were 22.”
    • The right exercise “dose” avoids injury and maximizes adaptation.

Workout Routine for Maximum Return

• The Power of Simplicity & Consistency
  • 2 days a week of good strength training delivers 80% of possible results. Three days gets you closer to 90%, but the returns diminish with more frequency.
    • Sal Di Stefano (08:40):
      “Two days a week of good strength training gets about 80% of what you could look for.”
  • Consistency is key. A “B” grade plan done year-round beats perfect but inconsistent plans.
    • Sal Di Stefano (10:40):
      “A subpar workout and diet done consistently will outperform a perfect workout and diet done inconsistently.”

Sample Workouts

Workout 1 (12:40–19:00)

• Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday (preferably a day off in between)
  1. Box Squats
     • Safer, reduced skill compared to traditional squats but with similar benefits.
     • Sal (12:55):
       “With a box squat, you sit down on something and then stand up...made much safer.”
  2. One Arm Dumbbell Row (with hand and knee on the bench, slight rotation)
     • Builds the back and improves posture; lower injury risk.
  3. Incline Dumbbell Press
     • Recommended over flat bench for most over-40s, safer for the shoulders, builds a better-looking chest.
     • Adam (17:44):
       “Incline press is just as good...It's a safer, better exercise.”
  4. Standing Overhead Press (dumbbells preferred)
     • For shoulders and core engagement.
  5. Reverse Crunch
     • Preferred starting ab move; easier to execute well compared to traditional crunches.
  • Prescription: 3 sets of 8–15 reps per exercise.

Workout 2 (19:00–21:55)

• 1. Pushing the Sled
  • Exceptionally safe, effective for all skill levels; builds lower body and stamina.
• 2. Trap Bar Deadlift
  • Easier on the body than straight bar, highly accessible.
  • Adam (21:19):
    “I can't recall a client that I ever started that I couldn't go right into a trap bar.”
• 3. Push-ups
  • Excellent for functional pressing strength and core stability.
• 4. Rear Flies
  • For posterior shoulder health and aesthetics.
• 5. Curls, Overhead Tricep Extension, Calf Raises
  • Arms and calves for completeness.
  • Prescription: 3 sets of 8–15 reps per exercise.

Progression Note:

• Progress by increasing reps/weight over time.
• This routine can be effective for up to 1–2 years for most men before requiring changes.

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Diet: Simple, High-Protein, Flexible

• Macronutrient Focus:

  • Aim for ~45g protein per meal, 3–4 times per day (total ~135–185g/day for most).
  • Make protein the first thing you eat at each meal.
    • Controls appetite, supports muscle, easy guideline to follow.

• Sample Meals (24:42–27:13):

  • Breakfast: 8 scrambled eggs + berries
    or 2 cups Greek yogurt + 1 tbsp honey
  • Lunch & Dinner: 7oz meat or 2 chicken thighs + 1 cup well-cooked greens + baked potato or white rice
    • Add flexibility and variety by swapping different protein sources (steak, chicken, fish) and starchy carbs (quinoa, sweet potato).
    • Bread and pasta are okay, but host preference is for easier-to-digest carbs (potatoes, rice).
  • Tip for Breakfast Flexibility:
    • Combine leftover meat with eggs to avoid needing 8 eggs at once.

• Practicality and Sustainability:

  • Avoid unnecessary fussiness about food swaps; focus on consistency.
  • Occasional meals out, treats, and alcohol are allowed but should be rare.
    • Adam (27:28):
      “You could also enjoy yourself with the occasional eating out...and probably easily land between 12 and 14% [body fat].”

• Protein Shakes:

  • Optional as a simple way to hit protein targets (45g).

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Supplements: Evidence-Based, No Hype

1. Creatine (5–10g daily)

   • Sal (30:41):
     “Creatine is amazing. It's a longevity supplement. It's good for your brain, it's good for your heart, it helps build muscle indirectly, probably assists with fat loss.”

2. Fish Oil (1g high EPA daily)

   • Reduces inflammation, supports lipid profiles and may aid muscle growth.

3. Vitamin D (2,000 IU daily)

   • Most are deficient; boosts overall health and hormone profiles.

4. Zinc (20–30mg daily)

   • Fills in common dietary gap, keeps testosterone in the healthy range.

• Note: Supplements are optional, not magic; biggest gains come from consistency with exercise and nutrition.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Consistency trumps anything else.” – Sal (10:40)
• “Two days a week of strength training gets about 80% of the potential results.” – Sal (08:40)
• “A subpar workout, done consistently, will outperform a perfect workout done inconsistently.” – Sal (10:40, summarized again at 29:20)
• “You do both [diet and exercise] together, you’re going to be more than happy.” – Adam (10:08)
• “Incline press...safer, better exercise...aesthetically better chest.” – Adam (17:44)
• “Trap bar...everybody can do...I had 80-year-old ladies that were trap bar deadlifting right out the gate.” – Adam (21:25)
• “If you’re consistent with this...you’re probably gonna fall anywhere between 14, 16% body fat over time, nice, athletic and fit. I think most guys don’t care. They just want to look fit.” – Sal (24:42)
• “You follow that, you’re gonna be shredded.” – Adam (28:18)
• “Most important thing is consistency.” – Adam, echoing the show’s recurring theme (29:20)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:14 – “Why young influencer approaches don’t work for men 40+”
• 05:47 – “Exercise as stress; lower volume works better for older men”
• 08:40 – “The 2-day a week strength training rule: 80% of possible results”
• 10:40 – “Why consistency beats perfection”
• 12:40 – “Detailed explanation of Workout 1 exercises and rationale”
• 19:00 – “Detailed explanation of Workout 2 exercises and rationale”
• 24:42 – “Breakdown of sample meals and why they work”
• 27:28 – “Realistic expectations on body fat and enjoying life”
• 29:20 – “Why protein and dietary consistency is the true unlock”
• 30:40 – “Supplements: what matters and what’s a waste”

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Tone and Approach

The hosts keep the delivery direct, humorous, and practical, referencing their years of experience, clients, and what actually works long-term—while pushing back on unsustainable hype and overcomplicated trends aimed at younger audiences.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a masterclass in what matters for men over 40:

• Two days of focused, total-body strength training will deliver nearly all the benefits you want.
• Hit a protein target (~45g per meal), eat mostly whole foods, and don’t sweat occasional treats.
• Supplements are the icing, not the cake—creatine, fish oil, vitamin D, and zinc are their essentials.
• Consistency beats intensity every time, both in training and nutrition.
• The Mind Pump crew’s advice cuts through fads, emphasizing simple, sustainable practices anyone can follow for years.

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(For more, follow the hosts at @mindpumpmedia and related channels.)

Transcript

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[Mind Pump Announcer]

If you want to pump your body and expand your mind, there's only one place to go. Mind Pump Mind Pump with your hosts Sal Destefano, Adam Schafer and Justin Andrews.

[Sal Destefano]

You just found the most downloaded fitness, health and entertainment podcast. This is Mind Pump. Today's Episode here's what we did. We put together the best workout, diet and supplement routine for men over the age of 40. We know you're gonna love this episode. By the way, this episode is brought to you by our sponsor, the world's best probiotic Seed. Go on our link. Get a discount go to seed.com mindpump use the code 20mindpump get 20% off. Also, all Maps workout programs and workout program bundles are 60% off. It's the biggest sale of the year. It's a Black Friday sale, 60% off site wide. Go to maps fitnessproducts.com use the code BLACK Friday for the discount. By the way, every purchase enters you into a contest you're gonna have Two people are gonna win a one week free vacation at the Mind Pump park city house, including $1,000 of travel voucher. And 15 people are gonna get personal training. And 10 people are gonna get to hang out here at Mind Pump Studio all day long. Again, 60% off across the board. Maps fitnessproducts.com, use the code Black Friday. All right, real quick.

[Justin Andrews]

If you love us like we love you, why not show it by rocking one of our shirts, hats, mugs or training gear [e-mail] I'm talking right now.

[Adam Schafer]

Hit pause.

[Justin Andrews]

Head on over to mypumpstore.com that's it. Enjoy the rest of the show, fellas.

[Sal Destefano]

Those of you over 40 like me, here's what we did. We put together a sample. Perfect routine. Diet, exercise, the whole deal. Supplements too. Now, of course, it needs to be individualized, but we're going to give you an example of what this would look like if you're trying to get fit, lean and muscular. Let's get into it.

[Adam Schafer]

I feel like this is more Justin and I. You're more almost 50.

[Justin Andrews]

Wow, that's a great point, Adam.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, I mean, Justin and I are in our.

[Adam Schafer]

He identifies in our 40s.

[Sal Destefano]

He relates. Almost 50. So I feel like this is off a little bit. Well, you know, tell us what it.

[Adam Schafer]

Was like back in the day.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, yeah, dude, I'll be. That's true. You know, I want to put this together because every time we do any kind of content for people in this age group, either men or women, we get a lot of feedback, a lot of interest, and I get it. I think that if you're looking for good information, it tends to come from fitness influencers that, you know, if you were listening to these fitness influencers, you're in your mid-40s, you probably don't identify with them.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah.

[Sal Destefano]

You know, they're. They're telling you things like beast mode and get after it and do this. Then the other, you're like, man, I got kids and a job I haven't worked out in a while. Like, is this going to work for me? And there's a lot of confusing stuff that's out there. So what I want to do is kind of distill down and put something together that really would work because what we put together here would definitely work for most people. Now, I want to, like I said in the intro, individualization has to happen. So it's impossible for us to get on this podcast that reaches, you know, millions of people and give you, an individual, the perfect routine for you. So there's going to be a lot of variants here, but I wanted to give an example, like, what would this look like if, you know, for the average 40 plus year old dude that's just trying to, you know, they want to get strong, they want to look good, they want to feel good, and they don't want confusion. There's a lot of stuff out there. There's a lot of information out there that confuses people. Like what actually works is. And why does it work and why should I focus on what you guys are saying?

[Adam Schafer]

I find it interesting that you referenced the young fitness influencer right now in Regards to a topic about over 40 training, I just saw a post from our friend Joe DeFranco commenting on the current trend that's happening right now in the young fitness influencer space. And that is a massive reduction in their volume.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah.

[Adam Schafer]

And so, and I think what you're speaking to, that happens to a lot of these people that maybe come across that content and then why, why does the content that we talk about tend to resonate with this age group is I think something that you start to figure out is as you understand that exercise is a stress on the body, a good one. Right. It elicits all kinds of great positive change, but nonetheless a stress. And when you are north of 35 years old, most likely have a career, maybe you're married, probably have kids or about to have a kid. And so the level of consistent daily stress that you have is just higher than probably what it was when you were 22 years old.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

And because of that, you respond way better with a lower volume training program. And so I think that these fitness influencers, what's happening, I think the, it's getting around and the message, because I also would also argue that the more affluent buyer is the 35 to 40 year old guy or girl. Right. And so these people might have found these young people and bought their programs and realized, oh my God, this is just too much not working for me. And I think that the, the influencers are coming around and it's now becoming trendy.

[Justin Andrews]

Well, they've been pitching to their emotional pool forever and like trying to get that, that thought process of like, well, I still feel like an athlete. I still feel like I can get after it. I can still, you know, I'm capable of what I could always do. But yeah, over the years like you start adding all these stressors, responsibilities, lack of sleep, like all these factors, it doesn't quite work the same. And you do need to really take these things into account and adjust and make these modifications.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah. And there's two points here that I think are important to, to understand. You said it's a stressor. That's true. Right. The reason why you get stronger when you exercise or you improve your stamina is because your body's adapting to a stress and it's attempting to make that stress no longer stressful next time. So you do 10 push ups today. That's hard. Your body's like, ooh, we got to get stronger so that 10 push ups isn't a stress anymore. And of course what you do is you do More push ups and add weight and that kind of stuff. So that's number one. And the stress has to be appropriate. If the stress is inappropriate, if it's the wrong dose, oftentimes too much of a dose, you're not going to get fast results. You'll actually get worse results, sometimes no results and at worst, injuries. There's another point though that needs to be made here is, and the data supports this now. So we knew this as trainers for a long time and we knew this through experience. But now the data is starting to show this. When it comes to strength training, 80%, roughly of all you'll ever get at a strength trainer, in other words, if you can imagine the max potential benefit you can get from strength training is 180% of it is about two days a week. The other 20% comes from doing more and being smarter and the program, in other words, you get diminishing returns. So one day a week gets you a bulk of results, two days a week gets you more results. And then it starts to kind of become diminishing returns. So if you're listening to this, you're like 80% of the max potential two days a week. Plus I have a job, I got a family, I'll take that, I'll take that all day long. So the other thing is, I think guys in this age group are like, I don't want to waste time. I don't have the time to go to the gym and do nothing or hang out or do a bunch of exercises for no reason. I want to do something and get something out of it so I can go do the important things in my life.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah.

[Sal Destefano]

Which are my job, my family, you know, taking, taking care of things. And so that's the other point here is two days a week of good strength training. We'll get about 80% of what you could look for. Three days a week gets you closer to 90% any more. Now you're squeezing out a couple percent each time. And that's just again, the data now supports what we've known for so long. So what we're gonna give you with exercise and by the way, in this episode, we're gonna give you examples of workouts, why we're choosing the exercises. We're going to give you examples of diet, what that's going to look like, and then we'll talk about supplements. We're going to give you, what we're going to give you is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. So you're not wasting a bunch of time. You're not figuring crazy thing out with your diet. You're going to hear a lot of things with diet about this oil and that fatty acid and there's value there. But it's like, look, let's look at what's going to give us the biggest bang for our buck. And again, to be quite honest, I think most men are going to be, would, would be very happy with a generally fit, healthy body.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah.

[Sal Destefano]

You know, they're not necessarily like, I want to be 6% body fat and be jacked. Especially if it means I'm gonna not do anything else than just live in the gym. I just want to be fit, healthy and strong. I want to look like I work out, essentially. You'll get that from what, what we're about to talk about.

[Adam Schafer]

I mean, I'll make the argument you get more than that. 80% of your potential is a lot.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

That's a, that's a really fit.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Justin Andrews]

Happy with that.

[Adam Schafer]

Especially if, if paired correctly with the nutrition piece.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

I mean, you do them both together.

[Sal Destefano]

You're doing.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah, I, I think from an aesthetic purpose, if that's your, your main desired outcome is look good, feel good type of deal, you're going to be more than happy. I think most people, when they envision the physique that they're training for, it's not even 80 of their max.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

So I think this very good point exceeds most people's expectations. If you just, in fact, I think that what, what ends up happening to most people is, is too much, too fast in burnout and they stop.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, that's okay. So I'm so, I'm so glad you said that. Consistency is most important with this. So when you're listening to this or whenever you're embarking on a fitness journey, you're like, look, I'm going to try doing this and this is now going to be a part of my life. Consistency trumps anything else. I've said this before on the show. I've said this many times on the show. A subpar workout, you know, a workout and diet. That's okay. That's not terrible. It's not bad, right? It's okay. Done consistently will outperform a perfect workout, perfect diet, that's done super inconsistently. So consistency is the most important thing. And so you also got to take that into consideration. And a two day a week strength training routine, the odds of consistency with that are far higher than a four or five Day, a week type of routine, especially when you factor in what we said about what you're going to get out of this. So let's start with the workout and we'll start with, you know, what the exercises look like and why we pick them. So there's two workouts here that we're going to give you. So day one, day two, ideally you would have a day or two off in between. So this might look like a Monday, Thursday routine or a Tuesday, Friday or something like that. So that's typically what's going to look like. Now. You can do these back to back, but you, you probably ideally want at least a day off in between. But workout one, we're going to start with squats, but we're going to start with box squats. Box squats are just as valuable as traditional squats. The difference is we've dramatically increased the safety and we've reduced the skill required to perform the exercise. Because a barbell squat, a traditional squat, is a phenomenal exercise, one of the best exercises you could do. The problem is it requires a high level of skill and mobility and connection to do properly, to yield those results and also to not injure yourself. A well performed squat is a very safe exercise. All exercises done well are perfectly safe. But not all exercises require the same amount of skill. In a traditional barbell squat, you need to have good ankle mobility, you have good stability, you have to have good core stability, good form, good connection, and a box squat. With a box squat, what you're doing basically doing is a barbell squat. But the difference is you sit down on something and then stand up rather than squat up and down. That change in direction at the bottom is actually where you get a lot of the challenges with mobility and stability. It's that switching directions, that box stops the momentum. You pause, brace your body, come back up. Congratulations, you are doing barbell squats. But you've dramatically made them much safer. And most people without, you know, big issues with mobility can do a box squat and can progress nicely.

[Adam Schafer]

Well, this is typically where we start. Most people, I mean, this is why you put that in pre phase of maps. Anabolic is, I think we all experience this as much as we preach the value of a barbell back squat. The reality is that most clients we trained were, you know, advanced age or middle aged men and women. And a lot of them had a lot of mobility issues or dysfunction that we had to address before we loaded a barbell back squat. And so with no support. So what it looked like was a box squat. And, and that box squat, many times sometimes depending on their capability and range of motion, could have a pad underneath it to elevate it depending if they were really limited. And then it just looks like you slowly lowering it over time until they get really comfortable with going deeper into that squat.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, I, I, you know Stan Efferding really makes a point with. Now remember Stephen Efforting is well he was known at one point as one of the strongest bodybuilders of all time. Competed as a powerlifter. Now he's I, I believe Stan. How old is Stan, would you say he's in, is in his mid-40s, 40s. 50s.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah, he's 50s, 50s.

[Sal Destefano]

And he loves box squats. He's a strong guy. Like that guy gets under a bar, it's going to be £500, £400 and he's like I love box squats because.

[Justin Andrews]

You get all the benefits from it. And you're literally doing the squat. You're just now you're segmenting it. You take a lot of the risk out of it.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

Well and also a lot of the damage too. I would imagine the bottom of the squat where you are changing direction, you probably do the most damage and so you eliminate that.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah, tissues take a lot of the brunt of that exchange of that stretch.

[Adam Schafer]

Reflex which by the way for the listener. So we don't get this twisted that that's like, like that's a bad thing. I mean that's also what promotes a lot of the growth why it's such a beneficial. But talking to somebody who's this episode inspires to get moving, get started, get going. This is probably the best we can.

[Justin Andrews]

Work our way there this way most effectively.

[Sal Destefano]

In fact you could do this and if you get really good at this, eventually go to a traditional barbell squat. But box squats are perfectly fine. So that's the first exercise. The next exercise, one arm dumbbell row, hand and knee supporting you on the bench with a little bit of rotation. This is just a great back exercise. It's going to make you strong. It's strengthening the mid back and the lats. It's going to help with posture because you're supporting yourself with your knee and your hand. You're probably gonna have better technique than if you're doing both dumbbells at the same time. Lower skill required. Still wonderful muscle building exercise for the back and I do back especially with my people in this age group before I do chest. Oftentimes you'll see a chest exercise before Back exercise, but back exercise before chest.

[Justin Andrews]

And the thing is we're so anteriorly driven to then kind of get your shoulders set back in a good position. So then when you get to chest exercises like you're already, you know, fired up those muscles to stabilize.

[Adam Schafer]

That makes a huge difference. I remember I used to as a kid in my twenties always start with bench press. It wasn't until later did I start doing. And then I remember that like light bulb going off.

[Sal Destefano]

Shoulders feel better.

[Adam Schafer]

Oh my God, for sure. Especially with somebody who's 40 plus.

[Justin Andrews]

Like we're gonna do so much more fixed in this four position all the time.

[Sal Destefano]

Time.

[Adam Schafer]

Well, yeah, you're building in the priming before you.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

You know what I'm saying by, if you, if you do all the upper back muscles before you go into chest, I mean this is what we teach people to prime before you go into a bench press. So if you're, especially if you didn't spend the time sitting priming before you get into that bench press, this will.

[Sal Destefano]

Do it for you.

[Adam Schafer]

You do it if you do the.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

Plus I love the fact that you have a unilateral movement. You've got a little bit of rotation, anti rotation involved, you got core stability involved. I think that's such an overall great exercise and you can regress it so easily for the client. And so it's. This is a great choice.

[Sal Destefano]

Next we have an incline press. Notice we didn't say bench press. An incline press is just as good as a bench press for developing the chest and the shoulders and the triceps. I would venture to say probably more functional, but it's definitely a safer type of a press and just as good. Bench press is actually far more technical than an incline press. Incline press sets you up in a nice position. Here's the other plus of it. Aesthetically speaking, if you're like, I don't care, I just want to have a nice looking chest. Incline chest bench press will get you a better looking chest than a flat bench press. Just from that upper and bodybuilders know this, this is what they do primarily as their, you know, first chest exercise.

[Adam Schafer]

I mean, I remember just figuring this out as a young trainer trying to teach the bench press. Matter of fact, bench press was one of the more difficult exercises to teach a new, new client because just naturally on a flat bench, it kind of pushes their shoulders forward and then they press and then they're just exasperating.

[Sal Destefano]

People get shoulder problems.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah. And so I always got Would get frustrated. And then I realized anytime I put them on an incline bench, it just. It automatically pushed their chest up, their shoulders fell back down into position. It was like, oh, this is just easier. I remember pretty much eliminating the flat bench from most of my training protocol with all my clients and just sticking with incline bench. And to your point, some of the better aesthetic results came from incline bench anyway. So if it was a safer, better exercise, it was like flat bench was, like, rarely ever done.

[Sal Destefano]

And then next up, you have standing overhead press. It's just a shoulder press. Standing dumbbells are probably better. Brace your core, press them all the way up, all the way down. Great upper body shoulder exercise. Also engage the core, trying to arch your back. Very basic exercise. And then finally, a reverse crunch. A reverse crunch. You'll work your abs. A traditional crunch. People tend to mess that up. This reverse crunch is where I always have my clients start. And just on a flat bench, you just bring your hips and roll them back, and you're going to get your core involved. A nice, functional ab exercise. That's workout one. You're doing three sets of every exercise. Your reps can be between 8 to 15. Now we'll go to workout two. We're going to start with pushing the sled. Do a couple rounds of driving the sled. One of the safest, best, most effective lower body exercises. It works the foot, the calf, the hamstrings, the quads, the glutes. There's no negative portion of the rep. Doesn't really beat you up. It's got athletic function. It's one of those few exercises beginners can do and advanced people can do.

[Justin Andrews]

Contracting those leg muscles without all the damage.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Justin Andrews]

It's such a beautiful thing that I wish I knew this a long time ago, especially training, like the elder population was like, man, what a go to move. To take them onto the sled to get them that kind of muscle contraction and then build upon that.

[Adam Schafer]

I was gonna say the same thing. It was such a bummer that, you know, you know, we grew up in a gym that didn't have, you know, astroturf in it, didn't have sleds. That came much later for all of our careers, because I trained a lot of people. Looking back now, that, man, I wish I had that tool because I would have done a lot of training on that early on, just simply because of the safety.

[Sal Destefano]

And it's crazy, too, because you could take somebody who's young, wants to build lots of strength and power, also. Also phenomenal. Exercise and there's a stamina component here that you're going to get from this that you won't get from a lot of other exercises. Next up we have the trap bar deadlift. So this is a deadlift but we're going to use a trap bar because it requires less skill and it's great you're still lifting something off the ground. It's still considered a back exercise. You're also involved in the legs quite a bit. Strengthens your grip. Just an overall good exercise for the posterior chain. That refers to all the muscles of the back of the body. Then we have push ups, classic push ups. Now you can do these elevated if you need to. But you know, what's the difference between a push up and a bench press? Well, a push up means you need to have good core stability. Your whole body has to stay rigid to do a push up. So it's a nice functional body control pushing exercise.

[Adam Schafer]

I just want to comment on the trap bar Dillard because you just went over it because it's similar to your, your programming with the box squats which is just, it's a regression to like what we would normally preach which is the, the barbell deadlift.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

I, I don't, I can't recall a client that I ever started that I couldn't start. I couldn't go right into a trap bar.

[Sal Destefano]

Trap bar does everybody can do.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah, it was just a great exercise that you know, even if I had to just start with the trap bar, its progress it to that. And so I mean I had 80 year old ladies that were trap bar definitely deadlifting right out the gate and so.

[Sal Destefano]

And you can get real strong.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah. And so it's similar like if, if someone's listening and you, you can train deadlifts and you could train squats. You absolutely could put those where we put bob putt. The idea of this is that anybody listening to this, no matter what level you're at, you should be able to start, right?

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, I said push ups and then we got rear flies. That's just for the back of the shoulders. So that's, you know, lean over, you can lean over a bench and do kind of a fly for the back of the shoulders. Then you got some arm exercises, curls, overhead tricep extension. I don't care what curls you pick. Really doesn't make a big difference. Overhead tricep extension for the triceps and then calf raises. And here's what you've done with these two workouts. You've hit your entire body. By the way, every Exercise is about three sets. Keep the reps again, 8 to 15. You have here a workout that will last you a long time. In fact, if you did this exact workout and stronger, it got stronger and stronger because you will. If you're getting started, you should see some nice progressions in strength. This workout will last you a year or two years and you'll be perfectly fine before you have to switch to anything else and get great, great progress. Yeah. Now let's talk about diet. Okay, now with diet for the average guy, really you want to aim for. And here's. This is the magic of what we're going to say. You want to hit about 45 grams of protein per meal. For most men, 45 grams of protein eaten first in the meal, number one, it's going to build great muscle. It's going to probably naturally control your calories. Protein is very satiety producing. It helps control insulin, helps control blood sugar. It's just a great general target for protein for most of us.

[Justin Andrews]

Best way to start.

[Sal Destefano]

Yes, yes. And I want to give examples now. So here's where it gets a little. Because I'll say 45 grams of protein and people are like, all right, yeah.

[Adam Schafer]

What does that look like?

[Sal Destefano]

What does that look like? So here's what I did. I put together two example breakfast, lunch and dinners. And what this will kind of look like. Okay, so now you could definitely just eat exactly what I'm going to say. But I'm going to tell you right now it's not going to work because if you eat the same thing every day, this will get old real fast. The idea behind what we're about to say is to give you an example of what it will look like.

[Adam Schafer]

I want to point out though, one of the things about that I think sometimes we overcomplicate. This is one of the neat parts about like structuring it the way you have where you have kind of the ounces of meat or that you can rotate through a ton of different meats, just like same amount of ounces replace the meat. And people. People are like, wait a second. But isn't a steak like way more. It's like, no, that what's so doesn't make a difference. It's not enough. Like we, we some. This is where we over complicate diet. Like the big things is getting the, the macros in place as far as like your, your proteins, fats and then carbs are kind of can go up or down. But as long as Your proteins and fats are right and you're eating it from whole foods. Then the difference of you having a juicy steak versus a chicken thigh versus a salmon fish versus like, is so minimally like, it's such a, it's so little of a difference. It's not that big of a deal to worry about. So it's like, if you want variety, then take exactly what you're about to go over right now and rotate through eight different types of meats.

[Sal Destefano]

And if you're consistent with this, most men, if you're otherwise active, you know you're getting 8, 000 steps a day doing the workout and you're gonna do the this diet. Over time you'll get stronger and you're probably going to fall anywhere between, I don't know, 14, 16% body fat over time. Nice, athletic and fit. You're not going to have a shredded six pack. But I think most guys don't care. They just want to look fit and that's what you'll probably get. So here's a couple examples of what breakfast would look like. Scrambled eggs in the morning. How many eggs do you need for 45 grams? This is where people mess up. They're like, oh, cool, I had three eggs. That's not enough. Eight scrambled eggs is going to give you about 45 grams of protein. So it's a nice big scramble. And then on top of that, you'll throw a cup of berries. Now, why did I pick berries? Fiber. Berries are a great source of fiber. Low glycemic index, carbohydrates. They taste good, they're easy. If you ate eight scrambled eggs and a couple berries, you have yourself a nice breakfast. Really nice breakfast. Here's another option, a little faster. If you're kind of on the go. Two cups of Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of honey. There you go. You've got your 45 grams of protein plus some carbohydrates from the honey. The honey tastes good. Throw it in the Greek yogurt. This is a fast, easy example of a breakfast. All right, let's get to lunch. What does 45 grams of protein look like for lunch? It's about two chicken thighs or seven ounces of meat. I put flank steak. So seven ounces of meat, two chicken thighs, give you a picture. And then what you'll add to that is about a cup of well cooked greens. Make them well cooked. That helps with digestion. And then for carbohydrates, a baked potato or a cup of white rice. And you have yourself a nice meal, a nice easy meal and then dinner again. Keep the meat right around the same, about 7 ounces or 2 chicken thighs. Add a salad if you want, or the well cooked greens. Again, a cup of white rice. Baked potato. Can you have other carbohydrates in there? You definitely can. If gluten is an issue, you can throw pasta in there if you want, you can throw bread. I'm going to say this right now, though. I have yet to work with a client where, where bread is the best option for carbohydrates.

[Adam Schafer]

Always I feel like eliminating. That's always for most.

[Sal Destefano]

Almost always it's better.

[Adam Schafer]

I agree. You want variety. Go sweet potato, go quinoa. Like you can rotate some things in there.

[Sal Destefano]

It's just easier to digest. People feel better.

[Adam Schafer]

A couple things for me to add in regards to the diet that so the. Because sometimes the, the eight scrambled eggs can be daunting for somebody. It is for me. I'm not a big egg person. So when you make dinner, I've always suggested this for clients and I find that this is the easiest way. When you're making your two chicken thighs or your seven ounces of salmon, double the amount or make some leftover extra.

[Sal Destefano]

Imagine 3 or 4 ounces of meat and eggs, right?

[Adam Schafer]

And all that's with, with rice and eggs and stuff in the morning. It's like, it's such a great way to. And that way you don't have to have eight eggs. You can have two or three eggs and then three or four ounces of meat.

[Sal Destefano]

Beautiful.

[Adam Schafer]

And you've got a nice mixture of scramble and you can even throw some of the, the, the rice in there with it too. It's just, it's a great. Easy. It's easy because you had. It's already prepared. You literally are just heating it up. And the time that it takes to scramble an egg up, which is really, really fast, I think that. And then the other thing I want to comment on that you said that I think is not true is you said you won't get, you will get shredded if you stick to this diet. What I think you're factoring in is that the reality is this guy's going to have a beer.

[Sal Destefano]

I'm not going to throw you out.

[Adam Schafer]

Yeah, he's going to have a beer in there every once in a while. He's not going to have a good.

[Sal Destefano]

Good day like this every day.

[Adam Schafer]

Yes. If you eat like this every day and you train two days a week, you will be shredded.

[Sal Destefano]

Well, great. Now what you did, Adam, is you just got a bunch of people write this down.

[Adam Schafer]

I'm just, I'm just saying, like I'm looking at this meal plan right now.

[Sal Destefano]

This is a bodybuilder diet.

[Adam Schafer]

Yes. This is so bodybuilder esque with. There, there's no beer in here. There's no cake and ice. There's no, there's no desserts in here.

[Sal Destefano]

I'm leaving room, Adam. So.

[Adam Schafer]

So you telling someone you're 14 to say no, you. This would get someone lifting two days a week following that type of training.

[Sal Destefano]

Normal activity throughout the day.

[Adam Schafer]

Yes. Yeah, exactly. Okay, let's.

[Sal Destefano]

We should. Yeah.

[Adam Schafer]

A good 8,000 steps a day, I think is, is plenty for this. This person is getting in incredible shape.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

Now you, you could also enjoy yourself with the occasional eating out and the occasional thing here and there and probably easily land between 12 and 14.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

So I just want to add that because I think that's. You're setting the bar low by saying four. I mean that's like, you follow that you're gonna be.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah, I just want. And again, I'm considering. Right. That this person's gonna have, you know, dinner with their wife, you know, one night a week and maybe they'll go out with their buddies, you know, for lunch or whatever. Flexibility, you got to have some flexibility for sure. And then lastly, throwing a protein shake. 45 grams of protein. You've just hit 185 grams of protein per day, which for most men is great. That's great. You combine that with strength training, you're doing great.

[Adam Schafer]

Now, just like. And I'm going to add just like the exercise portion that you said, the most important thing is consistency.

[Sal Destefano]

That's right.

[Adam Schafer]

The same thing goes with diet. I can't tell you how many people tell me they eat like this. And then I have them track food and it's like three days look like that.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah.

[Adam Schafer]

Then the other four.

[Sal Destefano]

Yeah. 80 grams of protein.

[Adam Schafer]

80 grams of protein, sugar, other crap like. And that's what kills people is that not only do they. Not only do they miss that protein consistently, but then they, they over consume the other stuff. And that's what, that's what gets people stuck here. It's like. But if you make it a goal to be consistent with hitting that protein.

[Sal Destefano]

Intake, that's the most important.

[Adam Schafer]

Just consistently first consistently eat that, then there's a lot of flexibility around the occasional extra 3, 400 calories of drinks or food or nice going out, whatever that we're talking about that will, you'll be fine. But the mistake people make is they claim they eat this way, they eat that way three days of the week. The other four days of the week, they're very inconsistent and inconsistently eating this way. Even with the training, you'll see some, so you'll see some results being consistent with the training. If you're, if you're consistent training and you have somewhat of attempt at this. But if you want to see really good results in this, you treat your, the eating portion just as important as the consistency around the training and watch what happens.

[Sal Destefano]

Now, let's talk about supplements. I pick the supplements that, number one, have the biggest bang for your buck. Number two, don't just help with muscle gain and fat loss, but also improve your health. And number three are the ones that the data shows that men benefit the most from. Okay, so we'll start with the first one. Creatine. Creatine is amazing. It's a longevity supplement. It's good for your brain, it's good for your heart, it helps build muscle indirectly, probably assists with fat loss. Five grams of creatine a day, you could take up to 10 grams a day. But 5 grams a day is what the data shows for when it comes to fitness for brain health. It's probably closer to 10 to 15 grams a day in, you know, divided doses. So we'll start with that. Next is fish oil. 1 gram of high EPA fish oil a day. It's got great health benefits. It's going to help with inflammation, it's going to help with lipid levels. It's going to help with a lot of things with health and longevity. There's also evidence that shows that fish oil helps with muscle building as well. 2000ius of vitamin D a day. Most guys don't get enough vitamin D. Most guys get great, get better health when they supplement with vitamin D, which is interesting, but that's what the data shows. And about 20 to 30 milligrams of zinc. What we see oftentimes in a majority of men is when they supplement with zinc, they see an elevation of testosterone. Not because zinc is this pro testosterone nutrient, but rather we just don't get enough from our diet. And that's it, fellas. That's it. That's your workout, your example, diet, your supplements. By the way, the supplements I mentioned are inexpensive. The diet, pretty basic also. Inexpensive, inexpensive. And I'm saying, I'm telling you guys this right now. If you do something around this with the diet and you're consistent. You follow this workout, you're going to get phenomenal results. Look, if you like the show, come find us on Instagram. It's Mind Pump Media. We'll see you there.

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[Chris Gethard]

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