Habits and Hustle
Episode 430: Kris Gethin: Why Squats Are Overrated and How to Lose the Last 5 Pounds
Fri, 07 Mar 2025
Have you ever wondered if squats are really the holy grail exercise that everyone makes them out to be? In this Fitness Friday bonus episode, I talk with Kris Gethin as he reveals why he thinks squats are actually the most overrated exercise. We dive into powerful tips for pushing through a weight loss plateau and shedding those stubborn last 5 pounds. We even get into more of Kris' contrarian training wisdom and expert insights on everything from cardio and hunger to the most underrated exercises you should be doing. Kris Gethin, a renowned transformation expert and entrepreneur, has revolutionized the fitness industry with his no-nonsense, results-driven approach to bodybuilding and coaching. As the founder of Unmatched Supps and former CEO of Kaged Muscle, he has established himself as a pioneering force in the supplement industry while developing the innovative DTP (Dramatic Transformation Principle) training method. Through his podcast, he shares evidence-based fitness insights with a global audience, drawing from his extensive experience coaching elite athletes and celebrities. What we discuss: Kris' strategies for losing the last 5 pounds, including refeed days with healthy carbs Why Kris believes squats are overrated and not essential for building leg size How body mechanics influence which exercises are optimal for an individual Tips to curb hunger after cardio The mental aspects of dieting, such as distraction techniques and mindful eating The broader mental and physical health benefits of resistance training Thank you to our sponsor: AquaTru: Get 20% off any purifier at aquatru.com with code HUSTLE Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. BiOptimizers: Want to try Magnesium Breakthrough? Go to https://bioptimizers.com/jennifercohen and use promo code JC10 at checkout to save 10% off your purchase. Timeline Nutrition: Get 10% off your first order at timeline.com/cohen Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off To learn more about Kris Gethin: Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisgethin/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
Chapter 1: How can you lose the last 5 pounds?
So it all depends on the individual, but I'd have to look at their program. So are they potentially overtraining? A lot of people think more is going to, you know, more activity is going to lead to less body fat. It isn't always the case because especially with females, the thyroid can downregulate very, very quickly. So maybe what we do is throw in some refeed days.
Healthy foods, like a lot of people think a refeed day is a cheat meal that turns into a cheat day, but it'd be like higher glycemic foods. It could be breads. It could be pastas. It could be sushi, for instance. Just to really upregulate the thyroid, speed the metabolism up a little bit through having extra calories and then bring it back down. You're kind of shocking the system a little bit.
Chapter 2: What are refeed days and how do they help?
I'll usually do that on a non-training day so there's no inflammation there. you do no cardio on that day. It's very difficult for some people to think like that, but that generally works. When I've had a male and female, let's say their husband and wife, and they're both at the same sort of stage, I'd usually get a guy to do a refeed every 12 to 14 days. A female could be every six to seven days.
I just find the metabolism tends to slow down a lot quicker.
Chapter 3: How to manage hunger after cardio workouts?
I also find that when you're doing too much cardio, you end up getting so much hungrier. So therefore you're eating more calories, right? Cause you're like when I'm doing, when I run, I get ravenous afterwards and I end up eating double the amount of food that I would have had if I just didn't do any cardio at all. So that's like the delicate balance, right?
Like strength training doesn't make me hungry. It's the cardio that makes you hungry. And that's how, when you're eating too much, like the whole calories in, like you're now I'm consuming calories. so many more because I did this intense cardio session, you know, like how do you delicately balance that?
So you don't end up eating like a monster, but still feel you get that like release of the cardio, like to get that mental, you know, endorphin rush and that, that all those dopamine, like the dopamine hit without like overeating basically.
Yeah, for sure. Good question. So one thing that I do suggest is what I suggested earlier is having essential amino acids. Having essential amino acids that's going to feed you. Of course, it's not going to be filling, but it will help feed you and stabilize your blood sugar levels from dropping too much. And then when it does come to your food,
then make sure that you're eating as much volume as possible without having a density of the calories. So it could be a vegetables, it could be a salad, you could throw, you know, some fruits in there if you want, mix it up and make sure that you eat that first before you consume anything else.
The one thing that I found has been very, very helpful for me is there's a book called The Slow Down Diet.
phenomenal book there's a lot of science that is associated when you're eating the meal that you are in contact with your senses your smell your taste the sight the feel the texture being grateful for the food of where it came from to get in front of your plate because a lot of people look at a meal and go god boring bland chicken and rice again i'm bored of it
Well, you have to be very thankful because there's a lot of people in this world that don't even have that opportunity to choose what they can eat. But make sure that you're putting the fork down between bites. You're not distracted. You're not scrolling on your phone. You're not in that sympathetic state.
you're in your parasympathetic rest and digest, and the chances are people get more fulfilled than they would if they were distracted or just wolfing down that food and without the fiber first. The other thing I was going to add is having carbonated water. Had some electrolytes in a carbonated water That is filling. You know, usually when I go to bed, I'm really, really hungry.
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Chapter 4: Why are squats considered overrated by Kris Gethin?
Yeah. Yeah. It's that carbonation. It just keeps, it keeps you fulfilled. And to a certain extent, it keeps you distracted as well. So I was watching a TV show last night. I was like, God, I feel like chewing on something. I just went and got myself an apple. Would that be fulfilling or attracted to a lot of people? No, but that distraction can help you go, okay, I've even forgotten about it now.
That's a lot of the things that we require is just distraction.
I totally agree with you. I think we eat out of boredom a lot of times or out of thirst. Like if we're thirsty, we think it's hunger. So then we end up eating.
Yeah. Yeah. Like I have that typical meathead jug with me right now. Yeah. I got to keep up appearances, you know?
Yeah, of course you do, Chris. I see that. I see that. What would you say is the most overrated exercise and the most underrated exercise?
Overrated, I'd say squats, you know, because, you know, typical for men, they'll say you've got to do your bread and butter lifts, your bench press, your deadlift. And of course, the squats come in there. You know, am I saying it's bad? No, it's not bad, but it is overrated. Everybody says you must get... squat to get big legs. It's not the case.
When you are squatting, you are using a lot of stability muscles. Of course, you're going to be exerting a lot of energy just to hold it with stability because you're using your core, you're using pretty much all your upper body as well, where you could potentially get a lot more out of those leg workouts, those glute workouts, et cetera, just doing a leg press, like a 45 degree leg press.
There are obviously a lot of other exercises, but I'd say that is the one that is probably most overrated. A lot of people don't have the structure for it. Maybe you've got narrow hips or maybe you've got really, really tight Achilles tendons. So you tend to bend forward when you get to the bottom when your hamstrings are parallel. Well, that's obviously not going to be good for you.
You know, I've got very tight Achilles tendons, so it's not good for me. I'll stick to leg press and, you know, my legs are probably my largest muscle group, you know. I'd say that that's probably one. Did you have something that is really funny?
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