2888: The 6 Best Lifts for Athletic Fitness (That Actually Transfer to Real Life)

June 26, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Six Lifts That Actually Make You More Athletic

The hosts of Mind Pump open with a crucial caveat: "If you're an athlete, the best thing you can do to get more athletic is to play your sport." General strength training supports athletic performance, but it's a foundation, not a replacement for sport-specific practice. With that in mind, they walk through six categories of lifts that transfer to real-world movement and sport.

Why Sled Work and Lunges Come First

Sled driving earns its place because it forces triple extension through the foot and ankle—something most leg exercises miss. "A lot of leg exercises, your feet are planted and they're flat. You'll almost never be in a position in any athletic endeavor where that's the case," one host notes. Sled work has no eccentric phase, meaning you can produce high force output without the muscle damage that leaves you sore for days. It's also low-skill: "I can have an old lady, I can have a 60-year-old push a sled. I can have a 16-year-old push a sled. I can have someone push a sled with 500 pounds on it." Lunges, grouped in the same category, reinforce split-stance positions and allow movement in multiple planes. The hosts note that you can get very strong at bilateral exercises like squats and still discover major deficiencies when you try lunging.

The Overhead Press and Trap Bar Deadlift

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (03:42) **The 6 Best Lifts for Athletic Fitness (Intro)** - The hosts introduce the concept: lifts that build real-world, transferable athletic fitness, not just gym muscle.
2 (04:35) **Lower Body: Lunges & Sled Work** - The first category covers two foundational lower-body movements.
3 (09:19) **Standing Overhead Press** - A key upper-body lift that requires full-body stability and strength.
4 (11:44) **Trap Bar Deadlift** - A lower-skill, lower-risk alternative to the conventional deadlift with high athletic carryover.
5 (15:49) **One Arm Row & Pull-Ups** - Upper body pulling movements that emphasize strength-to-weight ratio and rotation.
6 (17:33) **Hanging Leg Raises** - A core exercise that builds functional strength for the entire hip and pelvic complex.
7 (19:22) **Band Chops (Rotational Work)** - The final category covers rotational power and anti-rotation stability.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In this episode the guys break down the six best lifts for athletic fitness — the movements that translate directly to real world performance, sport and everyday life. They cover lunges and sled work, the standing overhead press, trap bar deadlift, one arm rows with rotation and pull ups, hanging leg raises done correctly, and band and cable chops for rotational power. They also reminisce about their worst business failures — Sal's second studio location that cost him 75K to break the lease, Adam's mobile car detailing hustle, Justin's app build, and Doug's story of losing his entire Japan savings to a fraudulent investment group that got raided by the IRS mid-call. Then they answer questions from Instagram on Bulgarian split squat imbalances, swapping exercises in MAPS 15 Powerlift, which program fixes imbalances and unlocks squat depth, and how to pair sprint intervals with strength training.

No BS 6-Pack Formula: https://nobs6pack.com
Code: 6PACK for 50% off. Full ab building system with two phase blueprints and video demos by Sal. $28.50 after discount.

SPONSORS

Rho Nutrition (liposomal creatine, NAD+ and Glutathione): https://www.rhonutrition.com/discount/MINDPUMP
Code: MINDPUMP for 20% off everything. Liposomal creatine discussed on air as the fix for people who experience bloating from regular creatine.

Paleo Valley (grass-fed fermented meat sticks): https://paleovalley.com/mindpump
15% off automatically applied at checkout, no code needed.

Our Place (non-toxic cookware): https://fromourplace.com
Code: MINDPUMP for 10% off sitewide. Always Pan replaces eight pieces of cookware, forever chemical free, 100 day trial with free returns.

LINKS

Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com
Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com
Instagram: @mindpumpmedia

0:00 - Intro
2:28 - 6 best lifts for athletic fitness
3:25 - Lunges and sled work — triple extension, split stance and why sled is the most accessible power exercise
8:09 - Standing overhead press — the squat of the upper body and how it reveals your whole body strength
10:22 - Trap bar deadlift — why athletic coaches prefer it over conventional for most sports
14:38 - One arm rows with rotation and pull ups — pulling strength and the rotational component most programs miss
16:31 - Hanging leg raises — how to do them correctly and why they matter for every athletic movement
18:25 - Band and cable chops — rotational and anti-rotational power for sport
21:15 - Worst business failures — studios