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Sal DeStefano
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Sal DeStefano
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Adam Schafer
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, another Maps 15 program. Maps 15 Powerlift. If you want to get super strong, hit PRS and your bench press, your squat, your deadlift and your overhead press. We threw that one in there. This is a brand new program and again it's maps 15 format. So it's 15 minutes a day and it's half off because it's a brand new program. So if you're interested, you go to 15powerlift.com. That's 15powerlift.com. The code for the 50% off is December 50th. Also, this episode is brought to you by a sponsor, Legion Supplements. These are phenomenal supplements for fat loss, muscle gain, athletic performance and health. They have protein powders, creatine and much more. Go through our link. Get yourself a discount. Go to buylegion.com that's B Y L E G-I-O-N.com mindpump. Use the code mindpump. Buy one, get one 50% off if you're a new customer or get 20% cash back for returning customers. All right, here comes the show.
Unknown Female Host
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Sal DeStefano
All right, so this is the third installment of our series of our 15 versions of popular MAPS programs. Here it is, MAPS 15 Power Lift. We're going to talk about Power Lift.
Unknown Female Host
Power Lift.
Sal DeStefano
And we have a 15 minute version of it. Let's break it down. Talk about why this is so awesome.
Justin Andrews
This one, this one, to me the, the uniqueness of this, aside from I think how, how well it was programmed is also like when I think back like if I was starting young, me with limited time and, and I was like this is the like least I can get to the gym. Like these are the things to just do you know what I'm saying? Like to lay a solid foundation. So I know that this is going after people that are interested in, in powerlifting type of lifts. But I also think that this is such a great place to start as far as like just to building a solid foundation, like learning these core lifts. And so I think of like 17 year old me with that was kind of dabbling in the gym. Like I actually love this protocol well.
Sal DeStefano
The most as a kid, when I was a kid I had Just, I was so blessed to have been lifting weights next to these power lifters. They were older guys, they're probably in their 30s, but to a kid, they were older guys and they were powerlifting. And I learned at 15, maybe 16, I think it's 15, how the importance of the big three. And I made crazy gains from that. The power lifts are squat bench and deadlift, by the way, in Maps 15 power lift. We added a fourth one, which is an overhead press. So those four lifts, if you get strong at those four lifts, your whole body is getting developed. Well, you're building great muscle, great strength. For people who want fat loss, you're boosting metabolism in big ways. These lifts cover every muscle of the entire body. And you get good at these, you get strong overall, you get strong and you develop an incredible physique. And so I agree with you, Adam. I think powerlifting in general is a great place for people to start with strength training. Yeah, it's a great place for people to go when it comes to strength training. And when you add the overhead press, you've got all your bases covered, essentially.
Unknown Female Host
Well, what I always loved about powerlifting is the simplicity of it and really the hyper focus of the, the biggest movers, like the biggest bang for your buck of a type of an exercise that's gonna be able to produce the most strength and really express that. And now, you know, in this format, it really helps you to hyper focus on that one lift and really, you know, fine tuning the mechanics and really like, you know, digging into building up the ultimate amount of strength output that you can with these lifts.
Justin Andrews
I wonder how many people were our fooled today as I was fooled. I didn't have that same experience as you did. I wish I did.
Sal DeStefano
Yeah.
Justin Andrews
I always looked at the way power lifters looked, especially back then, the heavyweights. Yeah.
Sal DeStefano
Yes.
Justin Andrews
You know what I'm saying? Kind of a belly with the big belt around, you know, strongest, you know, but that was, I was not into that. And so I fell for this idea that, oh, if I wanted to look like that, that's how I train. And so I was more drawn to the aesthetics. Exercises keep the body moving, muscle confusion. And I can't tell you how much that didn't serve me. And I wish I knew that. And so I, I wonder how many people listening and I wonder how many people today still fall for that same trap as I did. Where you look at the, the athlete that tends to do power lift and go, oh, that way of training creates just like a lot of people do. CrossFit people go, oh, CrossFit makes these top athlete, therefore.
Sal DeStefano
Yeah, yeah.
Justin Andrews
And, and so I, I want to make sure that we communicate that because I know there's got to be people. I thought that way, even as a trainer, I thought that way.
Sal DeStefano
That's a great, it's a great way direction to go. So first off, when you look at the best of the best in any sport, what you're looking at are people who train hard, for sure, people are consistent, for sure. But you're also looking at, you know, bodies that were genetically made to do well at that particular sport because we're now at the top, right? So at the very, very top, you have genetically gifted people for that sport, plus the training, discipline and structure. And so to give you an example, if you look at the best swimmers in the world, what you're going to find are people with short legs, long torsos and flat rib cages and long arms. Okay? Now that doesn't mean if you go swim a lot, your legs are going to shrink, your torso is going to grow longer, your back's going to get really wide in terms of rib cage and your arm is going to get longer. That's not going to happen. But at that level, people who have those, just, those genetic differences are gifted at swimming and then on top of it, the training. So when you look at top, top level powerlifters, like you look at a top level bench presser, okay, Somebody who has the highest bench press, short arm, you have short arms and a really barrel, barrel chest, right. Round body, right. You know, the top deadlifters, you look long and leaky typically, right. So that's, that's what you're looking at. Now for the average person, if you follow powerlifting style training, you're just going to develop a great physique and your genetics probably aren't going to allow you to have the best bench press in the world, but you're going to get really strong at bench press. You're probably not going to have the genetics for the top deadlift in the world, but you're going to get really good at your deadlift and all the muscles associated with that are going to get really well developed. So that's the problem with looking at top athletes is we look at that and think, that's what I'm going to look like. But what you're looking at are, you know, again, genetic differences that made them good at that sport, plus all the training and the consistency.
Justin Andrews
I just want to cover that because I really think that this is one of the best ways for the average person to really get started in train. Especially when you talk about the, the entry level amount of time. Right. So it's not a lot like, it's not committing to a lot of time in the gym. And if I were getting started and I'm wanting to build the best foundation, these are the type of movements that if I could go back over again or this is what I tell my nephew who's like, hey, you know, I want to start getting it. This is like, here's the list.
Unknown Female Host
Perfect protocol. Yeah.
Justin Andrews
Yes.
Unknown Female Host
Entry level or even somebody that's been so hyper focused on hypertrophy.
Justin Andrews
Yes.
Unknown Female Host
And machine based. And it's like. But I, you know, I know it's good for me to do these compound lifts, but to be able to, to, you know, set aside time and adequate amount of effort in the actual technique of it and learn it, I feel like this is perfect for that.
Sal DeStefano
No, you're, you're going to get, if you train, if you train, if you've never trained like a powerlifter and you, you've been lifting weights for a while, you're in for a treat. So that's number one. Number two, the programming in Maps 15 format for Powerlift. Most people are going to hit PRs in many of these lifts. In fact, when I look at the programming, if right now I've, I've toyed with the idea of chasing a 700 pound deadlift. Okay? So the most I've ever done is 605. Deadlifting is my strength. I'm decent, I'm pretty good at it. I'm not the world's best, but I'm pretty good at it. But if I wanted to get a 700 pound deadlift, this is what I would do. Yeah, I would not do hour and a half workouts four days a week. I would literally be in the gym 20 minutes a day practicing many of these lifts and there would be a whole section which would be focused on deadlifts.
Unknown Female Host
This is what I learned in my series doing the overhead press.
Sal DeStefano
Yes.
Unknown Female Host
It was very similar to this protocol once I narrowed it down and got rid of junk volume.
Sal DeStefano
This is exactly how I would train if I wanted to hit PRs in my bench squat, overhead press and deadlift. This is the programming.
Justin Andrews
So, so talk about how different this is because this, this program is very unique the way it's been phased. So talk about that.
Sal DeStefano
So the emphasis is on. Because it's Power lift, right? Because it's Maps 15 power lift. The emphasis is going to be on bench press, squat, overhead press and deadlift. So you're going to get really, really good and really strong at those lifts. And the vast majority of people that follow this program are going to hit PRs in each of those lifts. But not at the same time. That would be crappy programming. You're not going to pr, bench squat, overhead press and deadlift in the same, you know, block of time. It just doesn't work that way.
Justin Andrews
Especially when you're only doing 15, 20 minute workout.
Sal DeStefano
If you try to do that, you're going to hurt yourself. It just doesn't work that way. So here's how it's broken down. It's, this is, it's brilliant, brilliant programming. Phase one. So each phase, phase is a block of weeks. Phase one, the focus is bench press. Now you are doing other exercises because remember it's Maps 15 protocol, meaning every day you're doing a little bit of strength training. So you're spending about 15 to 20 minutes of strength training every single day. But the focus of phase one is bench press. Meaning the lifts in phase one are you're still training the whole body. So don't get me wrong, it's not like you're not doing your lower body, you're not doing your back. You start training the whole body. But the focus is hit a PR and bench. Phase two, hit a PR and squat. Phase three, hit a PR and overhead press, and then phase four, hit a PR and deadlift. That's how the focus is broken up. So over the course of each phase, the focus changes. You're still hitting the whole body, but the focus is on those big lifts. And you can expect, again, most people can expect to hit PRs in each of those lifts in each of those phases. And the muscles associated with those lifts, you can expect to develop them really, really well. So that's what you get out of.
Justin Andrews
Following something like, well, talk about the mistake. And I mean, Justin could share this too because I know that he kind of went through this, that when he was going after that overhead. The mistake that people make when they're chasing a PR with the rest of their volume and the rest of their training. Like, especially when you're like, oh, I want to get good at those four main lifts, they tend to focus on all four of those main lifts at the same time and then get a little bit or nothing from all four lifts versus hyper focusing on one.
Sal DeStefano
Yes, yes, it's a mistake because like when you follow a strength training program that's done well, you'll Generally get stronger, but if you want to get really strong at a particular movement pattern or a lift, that should be the focus. And everything else, again, don't neglect your body. You're still training your whole body, but everything else is geared towards that one lift. That's how you'll maximize that one lift.
Unknown Female Host
Exactly. There's general strength application. There's also, like, specificity. And the body responds best to specificity because now we're really teaching it to, to learn this at a higher level and degree because we keep reintroducing it. The key, though, is to introduce it enough time so you can recover adequately. And then in terms of the emphasis of the other exercises, complement it. So it actually keeps kind of building the body up, but really like overemphasizes that specific desired.
Sal DeStefano
In other words, just to kind of go through kind of what this would look like. Phase one of Maps 15 Powerlift. Remember, it's the 15 protocol, meaning every day you're doing about 15 to 20 minutes of exercise of strength training. Okay, so about six days a week, the emphasis is on the bench press. So the hardest, heaviest days are bench days. The other days, you're training the whole body, but you're also doing exercises that protect you from injuries that are going to occur. Should I say that the risk of shoulders? Yes, the risk of injuries that can happen when your bench press is going through the roof, because that's what will happen in phase one, your bench press is going to skyrocket. If you don't pay special attention to those particular areas of risk, like the shoulders, for example, then you can run into some problems. Not just the plateau, but potential injury. So in phase one, you're training the whole body. Emphasis is on bench, but you're also emphasizing on strengthening the areas that, that tend to get stressed when your bench goes through the roof. When you get to squats, it's the same thing. Can we strengthen the whole body, but emphasize the squat, but then work on the areas that are. That tend to get stressed? When your squat is going like you add 30 pounds to your squat, you got to be careful for your ankles, knees, and your hips. You got to be careful for your low back. And so in phase two, you've got some of those, those things in there. Overhead press, right. Shoulders and back, deadlift back. Right. So you're doing, when you're following each of these phases is you're focusing on those lifts, you're going to see skyrocketing numbers, but then you're going to bolster those areas that two Just to add.
Unknown Female Host
To that, like, we've never programmed where that day we, we just have that one exercise that is our entire focus. And so, you know, this shows up so you can block out all the rest of the noise and hyper focus on just that compound lift. And we can get really good at that. And then we complement it throughout the week so you don't lose any strength overall. But really, like, this is the, the one time we've really focused on, okay, bench press. It's just bench press day, you know, and then it's going to come back in a few days. We're going to hit just bench again and just watch how that explodes with your strength.
Justin Andrews
Well, you guys talking about the protecting the shoulders and the hips and ankles and the things that, that bolster all these lifts, you know, it reminds me, if you've been listening long enough, I remember when you tell the story of having a plateau in your bench press and then ordering the, the, the collar, the shoulder collar or whatever you call.
Unknown Female Host
That the shoulder horn.
Sal DeStefano
Fifteen pounds, right.
Justin Andrews
And literally just getting better, getting, you know, strength in your rotator cuff and bulletproofing the shoulders, all of a sudden you see this and that. I think this happens a lot with really consistent lifters. Really consistent lifters that are chasing PR that have been lifting these lifts. They get really, really strong in that and they neglect to focus on all these. The hinges. Right. Or the suspension. Right. I mean, it's, it's very similar to building a horse horsepower in a car to go faster, but then not reinforcing the suspension and not reinforcing the chassis and wondering why you can't get any faster spinning out.
Sal DeStefano
You have a super intelligent central nervous system that will limit your strength based off of its risk of injury assessment. Okay. So oftentimes you plateau not because you're not strong enough to lift more, but because your body won't let you lift more because the risk of injury is there. Now a lot of us, what do we do? We just keep pushing past it and keep trying to get around it, which turns into what? Nagging pain injury. God. You know, I used to bench, but my shoulder hurts or. Yeah, if I squat too heavy, I start to hurt here. When I deadlift a lot, I feel a little bit of pain in my SI joint. Well, that's because there's a weak link in the chain. Once you strengthen that weak link, suddenly you have crazy strength gain. So this is all addressed of all the 15, and there's going to be four of them. This is the third one in the series of all of them that we're releasing, this one's the most exciting to me because looking at the programming, most people are going to hit PRs in each of these lifts. Yeah, most people are going to pr. In phase one, you're going to hit bench press more than you've bench press before. You're gonna phase two with squats, phase three overhead press and then phase I.
Unknown Female Host
Can't wait for those comments.
Sal DeStefano
It's gonna be really fun to see yourself PR in each phase with these exercises. And it's a great. And again, this is a program you could probably run back to back if you really wanna push those, those numbers. And again, for what we're discovering, by the way, I talked to Justin about this off air. I predict this to be a, I predict this to be a trend in our space. This, this daily short strength training, programming kind of workout style. I predict this to be the next big trend because it works. That's it. Really.
Justin Andrews
That was my point of bringing up like if I could go back again and tell 17 year old me that started touching weights, I would, I would push me in a direction like this. Just start here, just right here. Not, not a huge commitment of hour long gym sessions.
Unknown Female Host
Simple fact.
Justin Andrews
That's right. You're gonna focus on a couple things. Really hyper focus on one thing for a couple weeks, then you're gonna move the other, like get good at these lifts. Laying that foundation for some like, oh dude, this is, this is the way I wish I would have want went for sure.
Sal DeStefano
Yeah. By the way, in the time it took you to listen to this episode, you'd be done with a workout. Yeah, this, this, we literally, I think we've been going for just over 15 minutes. That's how long each of these workouts takes. It's about six days a week. So you're in, you're in and out. You're doing two lifts a day except for the special lifts of each week where you're just doing that lift by itself. So bench press day, you'll have a squat day, you'll have an overhead press and a deadlift day depending on the phase. And because we're releasing these brand new, we're doing a series. It's half off, it's 50% off. So if you want Maps 15 power lift, you go to 15powerlift.com, that's 15powerlift.com, use the code December50 and it's 50% off. Also, if you like the show, come find us on Instagram. We'll see what's at Mind Pump Media.
Adam Schafer
Thank you for listening to Mind Pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body, dramatically improve your health and energy, and maximize your overall performance, check out our discounted RGB super bundle@mindpumpmedia.com the RGB Super Bundle includes Maps, Anabolic Maps, Performance and Maps Aesthetic. Nine months of phased expert exercise programming designed by Sal, Adam and Justin to systematically transform the way your body looks, feels and performs. With detailed workout blueprints and over 200 videos, the RGB Super Bundle is like having Sal, Adam and Justin as your own personal trainers, but at a fraction of the price. The RGB Super Bundle has a full 30 day money back guarantee and you can get it now. Plus other valuable free resources@mindpumpmedia.com if you enjoy this show, please share the love by leaving us a five star rating and review on itunes and by introducing Mind Pump to your friends and family. We thank you for your support and until next time, this is Mind Pump. Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces.
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Episode 2755 – Hit New PRs in Your Squat, Bench, Deadlift & Overhead Press with This Program
Date: December 22, 2025
Hosts: Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge
In this episode, the Mind Pump crew dives deep into the launch and methodology of their new MAPS 15 Powerlift program. The focus is on helping listeners hit personal records (PRs) in the four foundational compound lifts—bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press—using a novel 15-minutes-a-day training format. The hosts challenge common misconceptions around powerlifting, dissect why this approach builds superior strength and physique, and share insider tips about optimizing each lift to boost performance while minimizing injury risk.
This episode is highly useful for beginners and seasoned lifters alike, especially those looking for time-efficient, targeted strength improvements.
Foundational Strength & Simplicity
“If you get strong at those four lifts, your whole body is getting developed. Well, you're building great muscle, great strength. For people who want fat loss, you're boosting metabolism in big ways. These lifts cover every muscle of the entire body.”
— Sal Di Stefano [04:30]
Breaking Myths About Powerlifting Physiques
“At the very, very top, you have genetically gifted people for that sport, plus the training, discipline and structure... For the average person, if you follow powerlifting style training, you're just going to develop a great physique.”
— Sal Di Stefano [07:20]
Phased, Time-Efficient Training
“Phase one, the focus is bench press... Phase two, hit a PR in squat. Phase three, hit a PR in overhead press, and then phase four, hit a PR in deadlift... You can expect... to hit PRs in each of those lifts in each of those phases.”
— Sal Di Stefano [11:04]
The Importance of Specificity
“If you want to get really strong at a particular movement pattern or a lift, that should be the focus. And everything else... is geared towards that one lift. That's how you'll maximize that one lift.”
— Sal Di Stefano [13:07]
Built-in Injury Prevention
“If you don't pay special attention to those particular areas of risk, like the shoulders, for example, then you can run into some problems. Not just plateau, but potential injury.”
— Sal Di Stefano [14:05]
“In the time it took you to listen to this episode, you'd be done with a workout.”
— Sal Di Stefano [19:01]
On Programming Philosophy:
“This is the program you could probably run back to back if you really wanna push those numbers…this daily short strength training, programming kind of workout style. I predict this to be the next big trend because it works.”
— Sal Di Stefano [18:05]
On Mistakes in Chasing PRs:
“When you're chasing a PR with the rest of your volume and the rest of your training...they tend to focus on all four of those main lifts at the same time and then get a little bit or nothing from all four lifts versus hyper focusing on one.”
— Adam Schafer [12:41]
On Injury Prevention:
“You have a super intelligent central nervous system that will limit your strength based off of its risk of injury assessment. So oftentimes you plateau not because you're not strong enough to lift more, but because your body won't let you lift more because the risk of injury is there.”
— Sal Di Stefano [17:02]
On What They Wish They Knew When Starting Out:
“If I could go back again and tell 17-year-old me that started touching weights, I would push me in a direction like this. Just start here, not a huge commitment of hour-long gym sessions.”
— Justin Andrews [18:36]
To learn more or join MAPS 15 Powerlift, visit 15powerlift.com and use code DECEMBER50 for 50% off.