2902: How 311 Has Stayed Together for 35 Years — Nick Hexum on Sobriety, Fitness and Creativity

2902: How 311 Has Stayed Together for 35 Years — Nick Hexum on Sobriety, Fitness and Creativity

In this episode the guys sit down with Nick Hexum, lead singer and co-founder of 311, just hours before a live show. Nick opens up about how the band has stayed together for 35 years, his path to sobriety in 2005-06 and how the band stuck by him through it, bringing weights on the road since 1993 and having a full gym dressing room on every tour, and why exercise was his earliest tool for managing anxiety and depression. He covers the study showing dance and exercise outperform SSRIs for depression by one and a half times, how he syncs his workouts to BPM-specific playlists, working with a vocal coach who saved his career, losing his youngest brother to an overdose and finally writing a song about it, Shaq showing up to their music video during the NBA playoffs with two left shoes and a siren on his SUV, meeting Joe Strummer of The Clash and finding a 311 sticker on his boom box, the Rick Rubin creativity principle of audience coming last, and his new Americana solo project with mandolin and fiddle. He also shares his thoughts on AI in the music industry, how the Grateful Dead touring model saved them from the Napster collapse, and why he surfed ten-foot Santa Cruz waves the day before this interview. MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.com [http://mapsupperlower.com]Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes male and female programs, workout videos, exercise demos, coaching videos and live coaching with Cole. SPONSORS Seed Daily Synbiotic: https://seed.com/mindpump [https://seed.com/mindpump]Code: 25MINDPUMP for 25% off your first month. GUEST LINKS Nick Hexum: https://www.instagram.com/nickhexum [https://www.instagram.com/nickhexum] 311 Official: https://www.311.com [https://www.311.com]Water Tower Band: https://www.watertowerband.com [https://www.watertowerband.com] LINKS Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com [https://mindpumpstore.com]Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com [https://mapsfitnessproducts.com] Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 1:59 - How 311 has stayed together for 35 years — democracy, gratitude and knowing you're better together 9:06 - Nick's sobriety journey in 2005-06 and how the band helped him get there 11:17 - Bringing weights on the road since 1993 — gym dressing room on every 311 tour 13:09 - Why outliers and creative people are more drawn to self-medicating 16:32 - How the music industry changed through CDs, Napster, Spotify and now AI 20:57 - Why the Grateful Dead live touring model protected 311 from the Napster collapse 25:47 - The inspiration behind Amber and how it was written in one hour on a Saturday morning 29:58 - Writing a song about losing his youngest brother to an overdose 36:41 - Exercise 1.5x more effective than SSRIs for depression — the meta-analysis 43:16 - How Nick syncs his workouts to BPM-specific playlists for different exercises 47:17 - Breaking through fear as the key to growth — busking and surfing ten-foot waves before this interview 51:21 - How Nick warms up before a show and why working out 90 minutes before performs better 54:05 - Working with a vocal coach who saved his voice 57:42 - Three teenage daughters and the 90s resurgence making him the cool dad again 59:27 - First big purchase after getting signed: a 1969 Lincoln Continental with suicide doors that caught fire 1:01:23 - The Shaq story — two left shoes, an illegal siren through LA traffic and the NBA playoffs secret 1:04:36 - Nick's current fitness routine — F45, trail running in Topanga Canyon and tour prep

2901: Chronic Pain Causes | 5 Common Habits That Make Pain Worse

In this episode the guys break down five weird and common things people do that cause or worsen chronic pain — poor sleep, inflammatory diet, macro and micro deficiencies, dehydration, and shallow breathing. They cover the difference between acute pain and chronic pain, how movement pattern issues are almost always the root cause, and why the experience of pain can be just as real as the physiological signal. They also get into Arthur Saxon pressing 370 pounds overhead with one arm in 1905, eating 24 eggs and 10 pounds of meat a day, the genetics study showing hyper responders gain three times as much muscle as average responders, Sal going back to jiu jitsu and the whole family trying the Organifi parasite cleanse, Manukora honey on mat burns, and how poor sleep is the number one injury predictor — worse than skipping a warmup. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com. MAPS Upper Lower:⁠ https://mapsupperlower.com⁠ [http://mapsupperlower.com]Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes male and female programs, workout videos, exercise demos, coaching videos and live coaching with Cole. Mind Pump Fitness Coaching:⁠ https://mindpumpfitnesscoaching.com⁠ [https://mindpumpfitnesscoaching.com]1.9 NASM CEUs SPONSORS Organifi (natural parasite cleanse):⁠ https://organifi.com/mindpump⁠ [http://organifi.com/mindpump]Code: MINDPUMP for 20% off. Run two cycles 15 days apart. Discussed on air — Sal's whole family has started doing it. Manukora Manuka Honey:⁠ https://manukora.com/MINDPUMP⁠ [http://manukora.com/MINDPUMP]Code: MINDPUMP for up to 31% off plus $25 in free gifts with the Starter Kit. Discussed on air for wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties. Eight Sleep (Pod 5 Ultra) : ⁠https://eightsleep.com/mindpump⁠ [http://eightsleep.com/mindpump]Code: MINDPUMP for up to $350 off. HSA/FSA may qualify — qualified customers save about 30% on average through Truemed. Truemed is for qualified customers. HSA/FSA tax savings vary. LINKS Submit a live caller question:⁠ https://mplivecaller.com⁠ [https://mplivecaller.com] Mind Pump Store:⁠ https://mindpumpstore.com⁠ [https://mindpumpstore.com] Maps Fitness Products:⁠ https://mapsfitnessproducts.com⁠ [https://mapsfitnessproducts.com] Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 2:20 - 5 weird things you do that make chronic pain worse 5:45 - Acute pain vs. chronic pain and why movement pattern issues are almost always the root cause 12:32 - Weird cause #1: Poor sleep — why it's worse for injury risk than skipping your warmup 16:00 - Weird cause #2: Diet and inflammation — Sal's gluten reaction and how to test for food intolerances 19:31 - Weird cause #3: Macro and micro deficiencies — protein, fat, magnesium and vitamin D 22:53 - Weird cause #4: Water intake — why hydration directly changes pain perception 26:52 - Weird cause #5: Shallow breathing — how breathing patterns keep muscles chronically tight 34:12 - Arthur Saxon — 370lb one-arm press in 1905, 24 eggs for breakfast and 10 pounds of meat at dinner 43:01 - Genetics study: hyper responders gain three times more muscle than average in six months 47:17 - Sal back at jiu jitsu, Manukora honey on mat burns and the whole family on parasite cleanses 1:00:32 - Caller: Candy (California) — went from 34 to 28% body fat eating more, freaked out and cut calories, gets a coach 1:16:26 - Caller: Jessica (Massachusetts) — 9 months postpartum, eating disorder history, 1742 calories, redlining 1:32:36 - Caller: Ruth (New Jersey) — 55 years old, chronic dieting history, gut issues derailing reverse diet 1:45:14 - Caller: Angela (Washington) — trainer and business owner, 20% body fat, chasing goals and needs a new direction

2900: 6 Mistakes Women Make When They Start Lifting

You're putting in the work at the gym, eating what you think is enough, and still not seeing the body you're training for. Sound familiar? In this episode of Mind Pump Show, Sal, Adam, and Justin break down the six most common mistakes women make when they start lifting — pulled straight from over two decades of training real clients, not from theory. These mistakes are still showing up everywhere, and they're the exact reason your strength training isn't delivering the results you were promised. From stacking too much cardio on top of your lifting sessions to underestimating how much weight your lower body can actually handle, the guys walk through every mistake with the kind of blunt, experience-tested clarity you only get from coaches who've seen it all. The biggest surprise? A full 60% of the time when a woman calls in saying she's not seeing results, the fix is simply to eat more. Your body cannot build what you refuse to feed it. They also make the case for ditching the scale entirely as your primary progress metric, and explain why strength, not body composition scans, is the single most reliable indicator that your training is working. If you've been chasing the scale while your PRs sit flat, this episode will completely reframe how you measure success. Plus, Adam shares exactly what happened when he started training Corinne with proper rest periods and a calorie surplus, and the PRs she started hitting speak for themselves. In this episode: • Cardio and strength training compete for the same adaptive resources: doing too much of both simultaneously means you get less of each, and the fix is often as simple as removing the cardio entirely and watching the muscle finally come. • Women chronically underestimate how much they can lift, especially in lower body movements like squats, hip thrusts, and deadlifts, where female clients often match or exceed male clients' numbers once coached to load properly. • Singles, doubles, and triples (1 to 3 rep sets) are not about hypertrophy directly but about recalibrating how much weight a lifter should actually be using for their working sets of 5 reps. • Roughly 60% of the time a female caller asks why she isn't seeing results, the answer is undereating: bumping calories by 600 to 700 per day consistently produces leaner, stronger bodies within 60 to 90 days. • Programming specifics, including exercise selection, order, sets, reps, and how the week and month are structured, can dramatically alter progress, and following a well-designed program from a credible strength background almost always outperforms winging favorite exercises. • Progressive strength gain is the most objective and reliable proxy for muscle growth: adding weight to the bar removes all the noise of lighting, bloat, and daily mirror perception, giving you an undeniable directional signal. • Three to five minute rest periods between heavy compound sets feel like 'not working out' but produce consistent week-over-week strength gains that shorter rest periods simply cannot, because you return to each set fully recovered and able to apply maximum effort. • The scale frequently goes UP in the early stages of correct strength training as muscle is built before fat comes off, making body composition testing a far better metric than body weight, and even then, at least two tests are needed to identify a real trend. Chapters: 0:25 MAPS Upper Lower Intro 0:51 Sponsor: Legion 1:52 Episode Intro: Six Mistakes Overview 5:46 Mistake 1: Too Much Cardio 10:44 Mistake 2: Lifting Too Light 12:35 Using Low-Rep Sets to Recalibrate Weight 14:41 Mistake 3: Not Eating Enough 16:47 Mistake 4: No Structured Program 18:24 Mistake 5: Not Tracking Strength Progress 21:52 The Long Rest Period Challenge 22:33 Mistake 6: Chasing the Scale 24:32 MAPS Upper Lower Outro Plug Products: MAPS Upper Lower — https://mapsupperlower.com (code: launch) Sponsors: Legion (code: MPB2G1) Mentioned: Corinne — Adam shares Corinne's training journey as an example of how proper rest periods and eating in a calorie surplus produced consistent PRs and visible progress.

2899: How to Lose 15 Pounds in 90 Days | The 5-Step Fat Loss Formula

In this episode the guys break down the exact five-step formula to lose 15 pounds of pure body fat in 90 days — lifting 1-2 compound movements daily, walking after every meal, eating only whole foods, hitting 1g of protein per pound of body weight first, and perfecting sleep every single night. They also get into Joovv red light therapy and how Sal is using it on his jiu jitsu mat burns, red light improving eyesight and macular degeneration, the guys turning into old men (AC wars, slip-on shoes, grunting when they stand up), Doug's Butcher Box chuck roast stew recipe, the viral booty-was-medicinal post that was actually about pirate treasure, ancient civilizations and medicinal booty (not what you think), a Mexican vigilante duct-taping motorcycle thieves to street lights, Lorena Bobbitt revisited, and Sal getting duct tape stuck in his little brother's hair as a kid. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com. MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.com [http://mapsupperlower.com] Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes male and female programs, workout videos, exercise demos, coaching videos and live coaching with Cole. Mind Pump Fitness Coaching: https://mindpumpfitnesscoaching.com [https://mindpumpfitnesscoaching.com] 1.9 NASM CEUs SPONSORS Joovv (red light therapy): https://joovv.com/mindpump [http://joovv.com/mindpump] Code: MINDPUMP for $50 off first purchase. Sal using it on jiu jitsu mat burns and discussing its benefits for eyesight and macular degeneration. Butcher Box: https://butcherbox.com/mindpump [http://butcherbox.com/mindpump] No code needed. Fourth of July special: free ribeyes for a year, or free ground beef or chicken breasts in every order for life, plus $20 off first box. Hiya (kids' multivitamin): https://hiyahealth.com/MINDPUMP [http://hiyahealth.com/MINDPUMP] 50% off first order. Zero sugar, non-GMO, vegan, allergy-free. The only kids multivitamin the guys recommend for their own kids. LINKS Submit a live caller question: https://mplivecaller.com [https://mplivecaller.com] Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com [https://mindpumpstore.com] Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com [https://mapsfitnessproducts.com] Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 2:28 - Lose 15 pounds in 90 days — the exact 5-step formula 10:16 - Step 1: Lift 1-2 compound movements every single day 12:19 - Step 2: Walk for 10-15 minutes after every meal 14:29 - Step 3: Only eat whole foods — how this naturally cuts 400-700 calories 18:15 - Step 4: 1g protein per pound of body weight, eat it first 18:36 - Step 5: Perfect sleep every night — the study showing twice the muscle loss with poor sleep 21:46 - Sal using Joovv red light on jiu jitsu mat burns and its eyesight benefits 24:03 - The guys admit they're turning into old men — AC wars, slip-on shoes and naked in the locker room 47:03 - Doug's Butcher Box chuck roast stew recipe 49:25 - Ancient civilizations and the medicinal booty post — pirate treasure explained 53:40 - Mexican vigilante duct-tapes motorcycle thieves to street lights 1:03:35 - Caller: Kyle (California) — 10.5% body fat, slow gains, not sure if eating enough to bulk 1:10:49 - Caller: Heather (Minnesota) — 50-year-old ultramarathon runner training for a 100-miler, gets MAPS 15 Performance 1:21:07 - Caller: Jake (New Jersey) — 16 month check-in, 18 pounds of lean mass, baby on the way, needs lower volume plan 1:29:14 - Caller: Alex (Mississippi) — check-in update, nutrient deficiencies resolved, gets MAPS 15 Strong plus parasite cleanse recommendation

2898: How to Do Pull Ups in 30 Days (The Exact Method That Actually Works)

In this episode the guys break down exactly how to be able to do pull ups in 30 days — covering the daily low intensity practice method, why you need to drop all other back work, why eating more and sleeping consistently will accelerate your results, and how to set up your test day for maximum performance. They also discuss whether chemical sunscreens are actually causing more cancer than they prevent, a large UK Biobank study showing frequent sunscreen users had up to 292% higher melanoma rates, why Crisp Power protein pretzels are outperforming traditional protein snacks on satiety, and the guys' Father's Day stories — Sal's son giving him a blank trophy, Adam's perfect day including coffee in bed and a drive with Katrina, and Justin getting a violent massage from a big Chinese dude at the mall. Then they answer questions from Instagram on doing CrossFit and strength training simultaneously, progressive overload after 63, building a chest with chronic shoulder pain, and getting hired as an inexperienced new personal trainer. MAPS Upper Lower: https://mapsupperlower.com Code: LAUNCH for 40% off. Includes male and female programs, workout videos, exercise demos, coaching videos and live coaching with Cole. SPONSORS Paleo Valley (grass-fed fermented meat sticks): https://paleovalley.com/mindpump 15% off automatically applied at checkout, no code needed. Crisp Power (protein pretzels): https://www.crisppower.com/mindpump Code: MINDPUMP for 10% off. Up to 28g protein per bag, zero added sugar. Seed Daily Synbiotic: https://seed.com/mindpump Code: 25MINDPUMP for 25% off your first month. LINKS Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 1:43 - How to do pull ups in 30 days — the exact method 4:53 - Step 1: Practice daily at low intensity — why this beats training them hard 13:33 - Step 2: Avoid all other back work for 30 days 15:30 - Step 3: Eat more — why a deficit kills this protocol 16:08 - Step 4: Sleep consistently every night 16:48 - Step 5: Set up your test day — take 4 to 5 days off first 25:17 - Chemical sunscreen study — 292% higher melanoma risk in frequent users 43:10 - Father's Day stories — trophies, cheese shops, massages and minivans 52:23 - Crisp Power on set — why Adam eats them almost every day 56:07 - Q&A: CrossFit 4 to 5 times a week plus a MAPS program — will it work? 1:01:53 - Q&A: Is there a limit to progressive overload training at 63? 1:04:33 - Q&A: How to build a chest when both shoulders have chronic pain 1:09:06 - Q&A: How to get hired as a new inexperienced personal trainer at Mind Pump