Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth
2123: How to Activate the Glutes During an Exercise, the Truth About Processed Foods, How Hand Position Changes Exercises & More
Fri Jul 21 2023Testosterone LevelsHormonesManipulationSocietal IssuesLeadershipEpigeneticsVegan Protein PowdersSocial MediaChinaExerciseNutrition
Description
The episode covers a wide range of topics including the decline in testosterone levels, the impact of chemicals and lifestyle on hormone levels, manipulation of public opinion, societal issues related to belief systems, leadership and manipulation, epigenetics and vegan protein powders, comparison culture on social media, manipulation and facades in China, improving squat depth and form, optimizing exercise and nutrition, and glute activation and whole food diet.
Insights
Declining Testosterone Levels
Testosterone levels have been declining for the past five decades due to environmental chemicals, diet, and lack of movement. This has led to various health issues and fertility problems.
Manipulation of Public Opinion
Fear-mongering and manipulation tactics are used during elections to sway public opinion. News outlets and social media platforms are incentivized to gain more clicks and views rather than tell the truth.
Societal Issues and Belief Systems
The removal of important cultural elements and belief systems has led to chaos and negative consequences in society. People need a unifying belief system to work together and move in the right direction.
Leadership and Manipulation
The current way we elect leaders allows for manipulation and corporate influence. Finding a better leader for the country is challenging due to the flawed system.
Epigenetics and Vegan Protein Powders
Exercise can induce protective epigenetic changes in genes, reducing the risk of metabolic diseases. Popular vegan protein powders often contain heavy metal contaminants.
Comparison Culture on Social Media
Social media platforms showcase curated images and experiences, leading to comparison and self-esteem issues. Our behavior today is not fundamentally different from what we did years ago; it has just been amplified by technology.
Manipulation and Facades in China
Car manufacturers in China artificially inflate their sales numbers by buying their own cars and leaving them unused. Similar facades, such as ghost towns, contribute to China's economic success.
Improving Squat Depth and Form
Working on ankle and hip mobility can help improve squat depth and form. Different squat stances can be used based on individual limitations, but a narrow stance with good mobility is beneficial.
Optimizing Exercise and Nutrition
Focusing on the big five movements is sufficient for building a great physique. Novelty exercises targeting specific areas are often irrelevant for most people.
Glute Activation and Whole Food Diet
Using the squat as a test to gauge glute activation and progress in other exercises. Eating whole foods and avoiding heavily processed foods is recommended for a healthy diet.
Chapters
- Declining Testosterone Levels and Health
- Optimizing Testosterone Levels
- Testosterone and Political Views
- Manipulation of Public Opinion
- Influence of News Outlets and Social Media
- Societal Issues and Belief Systems
- Leadership and Manipulation
- Epigenetics and Vegan Protein Powders
- Social Media and Comparison Culture
- Manipulation and Facades in China
- Improving Squat Depth and Form
- Optimizing Exercise and Nutrition
- Glute Activation and Whole Food Diet
Summary
Transcript
Declining Testosterone Levels and Health
00:00 - 06:54
- Testosterone levels have been declining for the past five decades, leading to various health issues.
- Chemicals in the environment, such as estrogenic compounds, are a major factor in reducing testosterone levels.
- Diet and lack of movement also contribute to declining testosterone levels.
- Athletes' testosterone levels have also been affected by these factors.
- Fertility is another area impacted by declining testosterone levels, with current generations producing half the sperm compared to previous generations.
- It is important to get testosterone levels checked and aim for the upper range of the common range for optimal health and well-being.
Optimizing Testosterone Levels
06:25 - 13:21
- Optimizing testosterone levels can have a big impact on behaviors and overall well-being.
- Chemicals in our environment, such as those found in personal care products, can potentially affect hormone levels.
- External factors like diet, exercise, and sleep can also influence testosterone levels.
- Strength training is the most impactful form of exercise for raising testosterone and increasing muscle mass.
- Improving sleep quality, eating a healthy diet, and strength training can lead to better testosterone levels.
- Testosterone levels can be measured and influenced by changes in lifestyle habits.
Testosterone and Political Views
12:59 - 19:35
- Testosterone induces a red shift in Democrats.
- Hardcore Democrats and Republicans do not change their views when given testosterone.
- People in the middle who lean left tend to move towards the right with testosterone.
- Testosterone is a feel-good, empowering hormone that makes people want less control and smaller government.
- Articles demonizing fitness and promoting unhealthy body image are part of an agenda to weaken and control the population.
- Fear-mongering increases during elections to manipulate voters.
- Efforts are made to scare people into voting a particular way rather than getting them to love someone.
Manipulation of Public Opinion
19:06 - 25:46
- Fear and scare tactics are often used to sway people's votes.
- It is easier to get people to hate someone than it is to get them to love someone.
- Effort and money are put into swaying public opinion during presidential campaigns.
- The question of who is behind the manipulation of narratives is unclear.
- There is a systematic way of shaping culture and changing accepted concepts through information dissemination.
- Big Tobacco colluded with regulators and government to lie about the connection between cancer and tobacco.
- The motivation behind manipulation is often profit-driven.
- Disinformation, misinformation, lies, manipulation, and fraud have been used to sway public opinion in the past.
- An ideology promoting unhealthy behaviors and devaluing fitness is being promoted.
- Different groups may have their own agendas when it comes to health and fitness messaging.
- News outlets and social media platforms are not incentivized to tell the truth but rather to gain more clicks and views.
Influence of News Outlets and Social Media
25:22 - 31:49
- News outlets and social media platforms are incentivized to get eyeballs and clicks, not to tell the truth.
- Incentivizing clicks leads to exaggeration and lies in news reporting.
- Companies sometimes purposely tank themselves due to top-down influence from boards and investors.
- Pharmaceutical companies have a significant influence on media outlets through marketing share.
- Fitness is being targeted despite its lack of negative impact.
- Being fit and healthy makes individuals less likely to be manipulated or taken advantage of.
- Fit individuals are less irritable, more positive, and less likely to be aggressive.
Societal Issues and Belief Systems
31:26 - 37:59
- Low testosterone and inflammation can make a person irritable and feel bad.
- Being fit and healthy can make a person feel good and less likely to be aggressive.
- The movement to remove God from everything in our culture may be the cause of many societal issues.
- People need a unifying belief system to work together and move in the right direction.
- Dismantling traditional belief systems has led to chaos and negative consequences.
- Commonalities between widely practiced religions reveal spiritual truths about human behavior.
- When people remove a higher power, they often end up worshiping earthly things like money, power, and pleasure.
- Blaming isolated individuals or groups is a natural human tendency, but the issue is more systemic.
- The removal of important cultural elements is causing societal problems that are unfolding before our eyes.
- There may be spiritual warfare or a dark side of human behavior at play in these issues.
- Many elected leaders desire power for the wrong reasons, while the best leaders are often those who don't seek it.
Leadership and Manipulation
37:39 - 43:20
- The type of people that desire leadership positions are often the wrong ones.
- The best leaders are usually the ones who don't want it.
- The current way we elect leaders is flawed and allows for manipulation and corporate influence.
- The presidential election costs billions of dollars due to the influence and power at stake.
- Finding a better leader for the country may be as effective as blindly throwing a rock into a crowd.
- South Park creators went to an Academy Award show dressed in J. Lo's dress while tripping on acid.
- They have a kinship with Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant featured in an episode.
- The South Park creators acquired Casa Bonita for $40 million to refurbish it.
- Casa Bonita has real cliff divers and is like an amusement park.
- The soft launch of the refurbished Casa Bonita is happening now.
Epigenetics and Vegan Protein Powders
42:53 - 49:06
- Epigenetics study shows that exercise induces protective epigenetic changes in genes, reducing the risk of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes
- Exercise can change how genes behave and express themselves
- Epigenetic changes may occur over time and influence DNA expression in sperm
- Environmental factors during pregnancy can also affect gene expression in the womb
- Personality could be a result of generations of acquired genetic information
- Popular vegan protein powders like Whole Foods, Garden of Life, Quest, and Vega tested high for heavy metal contaminants
- Organifi is a clean vegan protein powder brand that tests for heavy metals and glyphosate residue
Social Media and Comparison Culture
48:45 - 54:28
- People often criticize others for only sharing highlight reels of their life on social media, but this is no different from flipping through someone's photo album and seeing their favorite pictures.
- The difference now is that there are far more pictures available due to the abundance of social media platforms.
- When you go through a photo album, it typically contains pictures of family and special moments, not just a bunch of selfies.
- Social media is like a turbocharged version of photo albums, where people showcase their best-looking photos and memorable experiences.
- The problem arises when people compare themselves to others based on these curated images.
- Some content creators try to promote authenticity by showing vulnerability, but posting pictures or videos of oneself crying seems fake and attention-seeking.
- During personal moments of sadness or loss, most people would avoid social media rather than using it as an opportunity to display their emotions to the world.
- Shaming others for posting perfect pictures on social media is hypocritical because everyone does the same with their physical photo albums at home.
- Our behavior today is not fundamentally different from what we did years ago; it has just been amplified by technology.
- China attempted to show its competitiveness in the electric car market by buying up electric cars from various companies and placing them in car lots as a display. However, this resulted in thousands of unused cars sitting idle and wasting away.
Manipulation and Facades in China
54:09 - 1:00:11
- Car manufacturers in China are artificially inflating their sales numbers by buying their own cars and leaving them unused in car lots.
- China's economic success may be propped up by similar facades, such as ghost towns.
- The military also engages in similar practices, buying tanks and helicopters and parking them without using them.
- The hosts discuss a multivitamin for children that they have been consistently giving to one of their sons.
- They mention that the multivitamin does not taste like candy but still has enough flavor for their son to enjoy taking it.
- The hosts recommend starting the day with fiber and protein for stable blood sugar levels and muscle building.
- An audience member asks about squatting with a wider stance and toes pointed outwards, wondering if it's due to ankle or hip mobility issues or simply anatomy.
- The hosts explain that ankle mobility is more likely the reason for being able to squat deeper with a wide stance and turned-out toes.
- They suggest testing ankle mobility by elevating the heels and attempting a narrow stance squat.
Improving Squat Depth and Form
59:41 - 1:05:41
- Squatting is a resting position in human history and we should be able to do it easily with good mobility and strength.
- Working on ankle and hip mobility can help improve squat depth and form.
- Different squat stances can be used based on individual limitations, but working towards a more narrow stance with good mobility is beneficial.
- Supinated, pronated, and neutral grip can change bicep activation during pulling and curling movements.
- Grip in pressing movements influences elbow position and muscle activation.
- Bicep exercises are influenced by pronating or supinating the wrist, while tricep exercises are not affected by wrist position.
- Reverse grip bench press can target different muscles but carries higher risk compared to regular bench press.
Optimizing Exercise and Nutrition
1:05:12 - 1:10:59
- Reverse grip exercises are riskier as losing the bar can result in injury.
- Close grip bench press can be done with a neutral wrist position for safety.
- Supination and pronation have limited impact on most exercises.
- Focusing on the big five movements is sufficient for building a great physique.
- Novelty exercises targeting specific areas are often irrelevant for most people.
- Bending the wrist during curls does not significantly affect bicep size.
- Developing mind-to-muscle connection is important for glute development during squats.
- Adding weight may activate the glutes, but it can lead to imbalanced aesthetics.
- Hip thrusts can be emphasized over squats to improve glute activation and connection.
Glute Activation and Whole Food Diet
1:10:37 - 1:15:52
- Using the squat as a test to gauge glute activation and progress in other exercises
- Avoiding heavily processed foods with lots of ingredients and long shelf lives
- Goal is to eat as close to whole foods and all natural as possible
- Cheese can be part of a whole food diet if it has minimal processing and ingredients
- American cheese and processed cheese products have many added ingredients
- Dairy-based cheese is nutrient-dense and has been consumed for thousands of years