Episode 334: Don Saladino: Building Muscle As We Age and Defying Genetics with Hard Work.

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins.

You're listening to Habits and Hustle, Gresham.

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I think there's a big difference, and we're going to get into this after, after we talk about the superhero part, but being a true strength and conditioning coach, a fitness coach, and like a social media fitness influencer, there is a big, big difference between the two.

And I think the knowledge and education that you bring to the table is so vast.

And I think a lot of times people get very confused.

They don't know what they don't know, right?

So, especially in today's culture and time, people go on Instagram and they are seeing people who have 10 million followers because they look good aesthetically, but they know nothing and we don't know what they're doing behind the scenes, right?

So, I want to get into that.

I think it's super interesting.

I mean, I think we listen, we know what we know in life, right?

Like, there's things that you're exceptional at, and there's things that like I have an accountant, like there's like there's certain people that I hire that I'm like, I just, this is not my wheelhouse.

Absolutely.

And um, I don't, I mean, I don't blame the consumer because what do they know?

Like, they're they see an attractive guy or an attractive woman who looks a certain way, who's putting up content that looks fun,

but they're just putting up what works for them.

So there's a difference between a coach and there's a difference between a fitness influencer.

I think a coach, you got to get your hands dirty.

Like I was something I'm proud of is, yeah, I've trained over 40,000 one-hour sessions.

Like that's 25 years of me training and for years where it was 50, 60 sessions a week to help keep my lights on.

Like I grind.

I had Con Edge shut my power down.

Like I had an Amex shut my cards down.

I almost missed 37 consecutive payrolls.

Like doing it in New York, like my

overhead a year was 2 million bucks just to keep the lights on.

Like you go through some tough things when Lehman Brothers craps out, when Bear Stearns goes under, when Goldman is literally sinking and

half your business is corporate events because I have a golf space upstairs.

Like you got to reinvent yourself and it's tough.

Like, so I, I, you know, I had to go through hell, but it's it's still some of the best moments of my life.

I mean, the most creative I've ever got in business.

I mean, I got a PhD in business from being in that place.

It's given me a lot of stuff.

Absolutely.

But I don't, I don't, I wouldn't change.

I would maybe change a couple of things, but you know, not, not, not everything.

Some of the pain I had to go through.

I love what you said because I, I say this a lot, that the life skills that you get.

from fitness take when you from a young age is a microcosm for life in general.

Like you learn so much, like you said, like the confidence that you got, the

goal setting, discipline, all these things, like how like you have to be resilient.

You know what I mean?

Like there's so many things that set you up for success.

Right.

And if when you take fitness seriously, like you were talking about.

Okay, so you said with the nutrition versus exercise.

Do you think it is that dominant on the nutrition side?

Nutrition is very important, but I know some genetic freaks that can eat what they want and they just have this perfect physique.

And I see that happen.

But I think it's really understanding macronutrients and the power of calories where I've changed body composition and gotten people leaner from not putting them in a deficit.

And that's always what I strive to do.

I do not want to put an actor who's preparing for a role into a deficit unless they've earned it.

Right.

Like I like an earning it means like, have you been living at your maintenance calories?

You know, how's your digestion?

How's your sleep?

Like, how much weight do we have to lose?

What do we have to do with our body composition?

I've changed body composition by just getting people to maintenance calories and cleaning up their nutrition.

And then their body becomes this energetic, fat-burning furnace.

So let's talk about a couple of things.

So then do you believe that you don't believe this whole thing about like, oh, we all have genetics and we all have a baseline that we can manipulate?

I think we all do have genetics.

We all do have a baseline, but I think that's not sleeping on hard work.

Like I've like, I've, I mean, even

thank you.

But like, even talking about myself, like I don't know too many people who work harder than me in the weight room and doing what I do.

What do you do?

What's your routine?

I mean it depends on the time of year.

But I mean I'm training five, six days a week.

I mean I probably do a little too much because I play hockey three days a week and I run one day a week and then I get all my lifting in.

I love a powerbuilding approach, but I work a lot on mobility.

So yeah, do you work out like how many hours a day?

A couple.

Two hours a day?

Yeah, probably.

Do you take a rest day?

Yeah.

I have to.

Normally Sundays I like shutting down.

You do?

Just because I'm with the family and it makes sense.

I like training during the week because I'm on and I'm working.

And like Sunday is kind of the day where I try and disconnect a little bit.

Is it hard for you not to work out?

Because some of them, yeah.

Yeah.

Like it's, because for me, I have to work out every day because then it's like it's a my frenetic energy has nowhere to go.

Yeah, it is hard.

I mean, Sundays are kind of easy because I'm training myself, or maybe it's a Saturday if the day flops.

But

when I, when I'm going seven days a week, I do notice performance starts dropping and quality starts dropping.

And

time off is important for someone like you or someone like me who's really, it's easy for us to get in there and do it.

It's part of who we are.

But most people out there aren't like that.

And those people, I try and get coming in with this minimalistic approach.

We've seen some incredible progress by taking a minimalistic approach with people.

Right.

I think because like to your point, not everyone's fanatical, right?

So it's about what can you do?

Because what I find also,

people do what they like to do, not necessarily.

What's the one there?

Right.

So, if you're, people always say, what's the best thing to do?

The thing that you're actually going to do, right?

Oh, 100%.

I mean, I have a friend of mine who helps me.

Like, I'll turn to my buddy, the muscle doc, Jordan Shallow.

I'll turn to him a couple of times a year.

I'll be like, write me a program.

I can't.

I'm too, I'm too close to this right now.

He's like, I got you.

And he'll put some stuff together to me.

And I'll be like, oh, that's interesting.

That's interesting.

It gets you out of your comfort zone.

I write so many programs that, like, even for myself, I'm too connected to my own emotions and myself.

So I like getting people to put things together that I trust and that'll challenge me, not just from a like a strength standpoint or a cardio standpoint, but how about the way that we move?

Right.

The movement patterns, again, so important.

So important.

People don't talk about that.

You know, you said something also that was interesting because normally

coaches like you are not proposed, like they're not people who like cardio.

They don't believe in cardio.

They think cardio would burn muscle mass.

It can, right?

It can.

But you're doing cardio.

You're writing.

I do enjoy it, but I enjoy it.

Right.

So for me, like I, in the wintertime, I belong to this great hockey club three minutes from my house.

And I have a group of guys that we play.

It's like a league.

Three times a week, you play?

I play Tuesday mornings at 6.30.

I play Friday mornings at 7 a.m.

And I play Saturday mornings at 7 a.m.

It's awesome.

It's so much fun.

And then Mondays, I've been doing like some tempo work on the, on the motorless treadmill that my buddy Derek Hanson, who's a world-renowned running mechanics coach, put together for me.

That's hard to do that one.

Yeah, but it's more like it's quick verse.

so it's not like so taxing.

I mean, we're doing like 10 seconds, eight seconds, six seconds.

Oh, wow.

Doing some tempo runs.

It's more about the elasticity and getting the body to fire.

And that makes me feel good.

If I was going out and I was doing like long runs, I think that's.

So you don't do that?

I do, but not during hockey season.

So do you not think that those long runs, like what's your opinion?

Like as you age, right?

Like for like 40 and over or 30, whatever, that that's not breaking down a lot of lead muscle mass.

It can.

Look at the bodies of a runner versus the bodies of someone who is resistant training.

There's no arguing that, right?

There's no arguing that.

But I also understand that people enjoy what they enjoy.

Do what they do, like what they like to do.

So if you want to go out for a three-mile run once or twice a week, like do the resistance training.

Like make sure your protein's high enough to where you're not going to have that muscle breakdown.

Start paying more attention to nutrition.

You know, avoid this fasted runs in the morning because that'll, you know, potentially break down more muscle.

Get some amino acids in your body.

Like do things that are going to keep you.

Okay, well, you're saying a a lot of stuff.

So, fasted cardio.

I was going to say to you, what do you, what do you think?

I'm not a fan of fasted cardio.

If it's a bodybuilder that's doing low, steady state,

that I'm okay with it.

But most people out there, they're fasting and their performance is dropping.

So, I never want to have any, and it depends what type of cardio are we doing.

Are we doing cardio for just fat burning?

Are we doing cardio for performance?

They're two different things.

Like, I'm going for a VO2 test and it's telling me that my optimal fat burning range is at 127 beats a minute.

That doesn't mean I'm going to live at 127 beats a minute all the time.

Like, I got to get into the 160s.

Like I have to train in different zones.

Like I have to do that if I want to be a well-rounded athlete.

But I also have to understand that you can't keep throwing stress on stress on stress.

You keep throwing all these great things, all these great exercises, all these great modalities into a, into a a pot like it doesn't like you could take 20 of your favorite ingredients if you throw it in and it might all at once taste like shit like it's not gonna to, you know, excuse me for saying it, but like these are great ingredients.

They're great exercises.

At a certain point, like we're doing too much.

And that's what I find is a big problem with some of the type A's.

Well, well, hold on.

I want to be doing this and that.

I'm like, dude, you got to slow down.

It's too much.

Your body's going to just, it's going to tap out at a certain point.

So how do you know when that happens, right?

So like.

For someone who is a type A personality, I have a friend who is.

How do you, how do you, what do you say to them?

What's the best, what's the best way to train them?

I think we got to assess how are they responding to the training stimulus.

If you're turning around and you're doing what you're doing and you're waking up every day and you feel great and your energy level is high and you feel like you're getting stronger and you're in a good place, well, it ain't broken, right?

But if you're tired though.

If you're tired all the time, then I think we got to assess.

But that's life, right?

Life's tiring.

It could be.

Are you tired from the hour and a half that you're training?

Are you tired from the fact that you're going to bed and sleeping only five hours?

Or maybe your sleep quality is down or maybe your nutrition's not where it needs to be.

Maybe you're not getting enough calories in.

Like there's so many, I can't even give that advice because there's so many questions I'd have to ask.

And also, like, I think everything is very personal, right?

So, when people ask these questions, like, it's very hard to know with, without knowing the person, right?

Like, some, some body types, and I don't care what anybody says, I know if I don't do cardio, I, A, my, my, my brain doesn't turn off.

Is my, my brain doesn't turn on.

Like, that's really what gets me really focused and alert and gives me more energy.

Yep.

And I need, my body type does better with cardio.

Like, I keep.

I think, I, I love cardio.

I mean, I think I can maintain weight better, though.

Yeah, I think it's, I think it's fantastic.

I just think that when you also do resistance training, I do.

Right.

But that's, but I don't love it like I love cardio.

I don't get the same high from it as I do for as for cardio.

Cardio gives that high.

It really does.

I mean, when you're out there and you're sweating,

there is a feeling off of that that we love.

I mean, there's, there's something to be said about that.

And I don't, you know, I just that's why I do it.

Not because I love being on a treadmill for it.

I do it.

I do it because I need that.

That's what gets my endorphins going.

Weight training doesn't do it, even though I know intellectually that's what really helps build lean muscle mass, especially as you age, right?

Like,

uh,

do I find it hard?

I'm sure you get this question.

I'd like to ask you actually the most common questions that you get from people.

Yeah.

Because this is one question I think most people ask, and I'm curious.

How do you

build lean muscle mass as you age?

Because it gets harder and harder.

And then besides like this, don't give me the basic like, oh, resistant train, eat protein.

Okay, well, let's say we're doing those things.

No, I think it's mindset.

I think it's mindset.

I think people start giving up.

They start tapping out.

And I've seen some incredible things by very seasoned people.

Season is my way of saying it as they're older than they were.

Nice euphemism for

like they're very seasoned.

But but no, it's like you're getting older.

I'm like, okay, like my body comp, like I shot the cover of Muscle and Fitness last year.

Like, my body comps is good, if not better.

You did, yeah, it was my second one for them.

And I've done probably a dozen covers.

I did men's health, I think, three years ago.

Like, I've, I've been on a lot of, I've been on 12 covers at least.

So, oh, my God, for me to be able to keep hitting that as I'm in my, I'm 45 now.

Like, that's amazing.

Well, thanks.

So, you do look, I told you this.

Like, you do look amazing.

Thank you.

But it's, there is, what has changed for me?

Let me, let me, let me answer that because I think that's going to help.

The days of throwing in frivolous activity when I would just go for a 12-mile run because I just wanted to listen to an album or like something like that.

I was like, oh, I'm just going to run 12 miles.

I would just do that.

Or, you know, throwing in, you know, oh, I'm going to golf on this day.

Or hockey.

Now things got to be a little bit more planned.

And I think it's...

It's helpful for me when it's a little bit more planned because if you just keep throwing those ingredients in that pot at a certain time, like I said, it's going to start tasting funky.

And that's the human body.

And that's what I have to think about differently.

So it's understanding that, all right, if I squat, if I back squat this week, like, should I be doing heavy deadlifts three days later?

Well, if I'm playing hockey, my low back's going to be pounded.

So, how am I, how are my hips and my back going to respond to that?

You start thinking about things differently rather than 20 years ago, I was like, oh, yeah, I can handle it.

Like, it's fine.

Like, your body just doesn't recover when you make stupid decisions the way that used to recover.

But, okay.

But I'm finding I'm still able to put muscle on.

I'm still able to get stronger.

I'm still able to hit PRs.

I'm still able to do that.

Tell us how.

I'm still by.

You're doing a lot of cross-training too, which is good, right?

Yeah, but I'm also focusing a lot on strength and power, which a lot of people don't like doing because they get afraid of those words.

Right.

I heard that power, my friends, mind pump.

Do you know the mind pump guys?

I do know them.

Yeah.

That like you can use power lifting techniques to really increase your muscle mass for people, right?

Yeah.

I think neurologically it's going to help out.

I also think that we need to be strong as we age.

And it's even like, it's funny because like a lot of these young kids who are getting into this stuff, like I'm watching them, it's kind of ironic.

They're following 40-year-olds like, how did so-and-so train for the Olympia?

And they're doing 12 reps and 15 reps.

And I'm like, guys, stop with the high, like work on muscle endurance a little bit.

You got to get strong.

And strength is something that I think we start becoming afraid to focus on as we get older because we think we're going to get hurt.

And we can, if we're not, that's

making a good decision.

Like, if you can't touch your toes, like, am I going to have you conventional deadlift?

Like, the answer is probably no.

Like, right.

Probably no conventional deadlifts are going to happen, but I'm going to work on your hinge.

I might get you into some sumo deadlifting with the kettlebell.

I might then get you into a trap bar as we improve mobility and I'll get you stronger at those movements.

The mistake becomes that, like, I'm watching this guy here, Jim Smith, who can't even touch his kneecaps, is trying to get into a full deadlift deadlift position and his spine is flexed and he's loading dysfunction.

So I think it's also people out there understanding what exercises should you be and should you not be doing.

If you're so, if you can't externally rotate the arm past here, how the hell am I going to shoulder press standing?

I'm going to have to arch back and lean.

Now I'm in my spine.

Now I'm pressing from here.

All the tension is going on my lower back.

There's a cost of doing business.

So it's understanding this stuff is how we can train hard and heavy as we age.

And we can do this with some resiliency, most important word that I use, and

either some consistency or intensity.

Because if we're consistent,

that's fantastic.

But as we get consistent, we want to play with intensity.