While getting in the gym and clanking around heavy weights may be the most fun, your days as a lifter will be numbered unless you take the right steps. Things like stretching and mobility work may not be flashy, but they are building blocks for reaching your full potential as a lifter.
If you were like us and had no idea where to start with this aspect of fitness, MAPS Prime stands out as a mobility and injury prevention program. Running MAPS Prime will help you identify any issues you may have that will lead to problems down the road. Once you know where you stand, the programs help you build a custom warm-up and mobility routine that will address your specific needs.
In this MAPS Prime review, we will go over everything that is included in the program, our personal experience, and give some insight on whether or not we think MAPS Prime is worth it.
MAPS Prime is the recovery and mobility designed by the minds over at Mind Pump. The program will help with injury prevention and overall performance.
MAPS Prime Review: A Quick Overview
MAPS Prime is a recovery and mobility program released by Mind Pump. For those unaware, the Mind Pump Media team comprises former personal trainers, bodybuilders, and strength coaches that consistently produce some of the highest-quality fitness content on the internet.
The program itself is very flexible and meant to be designed around your individual needs. Do not worry if you have terrible mobility or are coming off an injury, MAPS Prime is suitable for people of all levels.
What’s Included In MAPS Prime
- Online Portal: Easy to use online portal where you can access all of your programs and exercises
- Lifetime Access: The programs are frequently updated with new information, so you can take advantage of updates as they come out.
- Instructional Videos: Each stretch or movement will have a detailed video that explains how to do it with proper form.
- Support: The programs included access to support teams and a ton of helpful FAQs that will guide you through most of the program.
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
Pros
- Affordable program given the quality and quantity of information
- Suitable for people of all levels
- Will prevent injuries down the line.
- Can help correct any imbalances.
- Provides tests to get a baseline for your level.
- Lots of very informative videos and guides.
Cons
- Does not come with a strength program such as MAPS Anabolic
- It can be hard to stay consistent.
Great For
- Those looking to prevent injuries
- Lifters trying to improve their mobility
- People of all fitness levels
Not Recommend For
- Those that do not have time the extra-time for mobility work
Using MAPS Prime: Our Experience
I myself have run MAPS Prime for more than a year now and have seen great results. Here is my experience with the program from start to finish:
Getting Started: The MAPS Online Portal
Once you purchase the program, you will gain access to the MAPS Prime online portal. It is the same portable used for all of the other MAPS programs. It has a great user interface and is easy to use.
When I first got the program, I spent a good chunk of time just looking around the portal, watching several informational videos, and reading all of the guides and FAQs. This is what I recommend you do at the beginning of the program as well, so you have a good idea of what to expect.
Even today, I still reference the portal from time to time for refreshers on any exercises.
Getting A Baseline
MAPS Prime begins with an assessment to get a good idea of where you stand from a mobility standpoint. It will be a series of movements that you will or will not be able to do.
The most important thing in this step is, to be honest with yourself. Do not cheat the movement, as you will only be throwing off your future progress. In my case, if I could not do a movement with what I considered perfect form, I marked it as a fail. I wanted to make sure that I was setting myself up for success later down the line.
Pre-Primers
Once you have taken the assessment and established a baseline level of mobility, the next step is to take your results along with the lifts you will be training that day and design a pre-workout priming session. As an example, if you are doing pressing movements, expect to do priming movements targeting your shoulders, scapula, and chest.
Unlike warm-ups that you see in other programs, the goal of these priming sessions is to prime your muscles to perform at their highest level. In my experience, these sessions made a large difference in my performance and comfort. I noticed the biggest difference in compound movements like the squat, bench, and deadlift which had lots of moving pieces.
These priming sessions only take around 10-15 minutes to complete and are fairly easy to do. What I really like about this style of training is that I felt great and prepared for my first working set.
Fortification Exercises
If you are like me, you will likely fail at a fair few of the assessments. Thankfully, MAPS Prime gives you a set list of fortification exercises that you can use to address your weaknesses and eventually pass the assessments.
Out of all the aspects of the program, the fortification exercises are what will really drive your results. Since these are low-impact and take minimal time, you can basically do your fortification exercises 2-3 times per day 6-7 days a week.
Of course, something is better than nothing, but I am speaking from experience when I tell you that I saw my most rapid progress when I was doing my fortification work as often as I could. They are not very exciting and get boring at times, but this is just part of the process if you care about your longevity as a lifter.
Mobility Work
MAPS Prime also includes some guides on foam rolling and static stretches. I would categorize this portion of the program as “nice to have.” I do not think that it will cause dramatic results but is nice to have in addition to some of the more core fortification exercises.
Prime Ignition
Assuming you stay on top of your MAPS Prime routine, you will eventually reach a point where you are able to pass all of the assessments. At this point, you can move on to what is called the Prime Ignition exercises.
These exercises are more dynamic and designed to maintain your mobility and prime your body for heavier lifts later in the day. Think of these exercises as part of the daily maintenance work you have to do to keep the mobility gains you worked so hard to obtain.
My Results With MAPS Prime
Personally, I have always struggled with mobility. In particular, my shoulders have been major issue. Any press or dipping motion would inevitably cause some level of discomfort. After running MAPS Prime, I suspect that this really was just poor shoulder mobility.
After just a few weeks of doing some basic fortification exercises, I noticed that my shoulders felt great even on heavy bench days. Even today, I still do primers before every workout. The only regret I have is that I did not incorporate MAPS Prime earlier into my routine. Who knows how many little aches and pains I could have avoided.
MAPS Prime Video Overview
Is MAPS Prime Worth It?
If you ask me, I think that MAPS Prime should go ahead and be included by default with all of the other MAPS Programs like MAPS Anabolic, MAPS Aestheic, MAPS Symmetry, and MAPS Performance. Something as fundamental as mobility should be included by default with any fitness program, in my opinion.
That being said, it is hard to argue with the value provided by MAPS Prime. You are essentially getting a custom mobility routine, no matter your starting point. For the relatively low price, you can essentially do this program alongside any other routine and still see great results.
Personally, I think you can really transform your health and overall physique by getting a MAPS Bundle that includes both MAPS Prime and a strength-based program such as MAPS Anabolic.
The MAPS Super Bundles combine all the MAPS programs for a massive discount. You could easily run just these programs for the rest of your lifting career.
Final Verdict
Overall, MAPS Prime is an amazing program that will go a long way in terms of injury prevention. The ability to self-diagnose weaknesses and assemble a program to target them will provide a ton of value to any level of lifter.
MAPS Prime Rating
Final Verdict
MAPS Prime is a great overall program that anyone can take and use alongside their current program. Anyone serious about extending their lifting career should consider getting MAPS Prime.
What does MAPS stand for?
Can I run MAPS Prime and MAPS Anabolic at the same time?
Daniel Mesa, CPT, is a trusted fitness expert and founder of FitDominium. With his extensive experience and commitment to helping others, Daniel is the go-to source for reliable fitness advice and recommendations.