Dr. Andy Galpin: How to Build Strength, Muscle Size & Endurance | Huberman Lab Podcast #65

My guest is Dr. Andy Galpin, Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, and one of the foremost experts in the world on the science and application of methods to increase strength, hypertrophy and endurance performance. We discuss fundamental principles of strength and hypertrophy training and building endurance, the mechanisms underlying them and we review specific protocols to optimize training and recovery. We also discuss hydration, sleep, nutrition, supplements, and mental tools that can be leveraged to accelerate adaptations leading to enhanced strength, muscle growth and/or endurance.

#HubermanLab #Strength #Fitness

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Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Andy Galpin, Strength & Endurance Training
00:03:08 The Brain-Body Contract
00:03:55 AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, InsideTracker
00:08:20 Adaptations of Exercise, Progressive Overload
00:14:40 Modifiable Variables, One-Rep Max, Muscle Soreness
00:27:30 Modifiable Variables of Strength Training, Supersets
00:43:50 How to Select Training Frequency: Strength vs. Hypertrophy
00:58:45 Hypertrophy Training, Repetition Ranges, Blood Flow Restriction
01:08:50 Tools: Protocols for Strength Training, the 3 by 5 Concept
01:10:48 Mind-Muscle Connection
01:16:16 Mental Awareness
01:27:57 Breathing Tools for Resistance Training & Post-Training
01:37:25 Endurance Training & Combining with Strength
01:51:20 Tools: Protocols for Endurance Training
02:08:15 Muscular Endurance, Fast vs. Slow Twitch Muscle
02:16:35 Hydration & the Galpin Equation, Sodium, Fasting
02:35:57 Cold Exposure & Training
02:43:15 Heat Exposure & Training
02:53:47 Recovery
03:04:02 Tool: Sodium Bicarbonate
03:17:26 Tool: Creatine Monohydrate
03:20:08 Absolute Rest
03:29:08 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify, Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Thorne, Instagram, Twitter

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Audio Engineering: Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media

[hubermanlab]

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Thank you for your interest in science! -- Andrew

[wanteddeadoralive]

shoutout to autoplay for bringing me to this every single night somehow. Day 220

[vvolis]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

16:31 💪 Exercise choice alone does not determine the adaptation; it's the application of the exercise (sets, reps, rest ranges) that primarily influences the outcome.
20:54 📊 You don't necessarily need to assess your one-repetition maximum; conversion charts can estimate it based on your repetitions and weight lifted.
22:22 🏋️ For strength and hypertrophy, modifiable variables include choice of exercise, intensity, volume (reps and sets), rest intervals, and progression.
25:51 📆 Training frequency is essential; how often you perform an exercise affects your progress.
35:08 💪 To develop strength, you need to impose a high-intensity demand, typically above 85% of your one-rep max, with low repetitions (5 or less) per set.
38:29 💪 For strength training, rest periods of 2 to 4 minutes between sets are recommended to maximize outcomes.
39:29 ⏳ Limiting strength and hypertrophy training sessions to around 60 minutes can help manage recovery and prevent overtraining.
40:29 🔄 Super setting push-pull exercises can be an effective way to maintain intensity and cardiovascular effort during a workout.
41:28 🩸 Different types of exercise adaptations lead to various physiological responses, and you can strategically choose your training approach based on your goals.
42:27 🏋️‍♂️ Hypertrophy training and anaerobic conditioning can offer the most comprehensive physiological adaptations across multiple categories.
44:24 🧠 Early adaptations to exercise are primarily neural, but sustained hypertrophy takes weeks and involves changes at the muscle fiber level.
45:21 💡 Training frequency is crucial, and waiting too long between workouts may miss the window for inducing further hypertrophy.
46:21 🔄 The gene cascade and protein synthesis process play a role in hypertrophy, with a recovery window of 24 to 48 hours between workouts.
47:48 💪 Strength development involves changes in the nervous system, muscle contraction, and connective tissue, making daily training feasible.
49:45 🤔 Strength and hypertrophy have a relationship, but more muscle doesn't guarantee proportionate strength gains.
58:10 💪 Repetition ranges for strength training are typically five or less, with the frequency being as often as every day. Rest intervals can range from two to four minutes, or longer for one-repetition maximum attempts.
59:12 💪 For hypertrophy training, effective repetition ranges can vary from five to 30 reps per set. A minimum of two times per week per muscle group is recommended for hypertrophy.
01:00:10 💪 Training for strength can follow the "three to five concept, " which involves selecting three to five exercises, doing three to five reps, three to five sets, resting for three to five minutes, and training three to five times a week.
01:13:32 💡 The "mind-muscle connection" or being intentional about contracting specific muscles during exercises may contribute to greater muscle growth.
01:18:01 🧠 Proper muscle activation during exercises is key for muscle development, and compensatory movements can hinder progress.
01:19:23 💡 Visualization, tactile feedback, and touch can help improve muscle group activation during exercises.
01:23:20 🔑 Separating breath from brace is essential for effective core stabilization during exercises.
01:35:07 💪 Adrenaline ramp-up during workouts can lead to energy crashes later. Down-regulations after workouts can help avoid this issue, even with just a few minutes.
01:36:08 🕒 Taking short breaks, as short as one minute, between intense activities can help conserve neural energy and enhance performance.
01:38:05 🏃‍♂️ When focusing on endurance training, choose exercises with minimal eccentric landing to reduce muscle damage and soreness.
01:39:59 🚴‍♂️ Activities like cycling, swimming, and rowing are good options for endurance training with minimal eccentric loading.
01:41:57 🔄 Mixing strength training and endurance training in the same workout or within the same week is generally not detrimental to overall progress.
01:47:18 💪 Interference between endurance and muscle growth is less significant than previously believed, especially if energy intake is controlled.
01:52:15 🚶 Incorporating more movement into your daily routine, like walking during phone calls or pacing, is essential for overall physical health.
01:53:46 🏃‍♂️ Dr. Andy Galpin recommends doing something once a week to reach a maximum heart rate (close to max intensity), lasting at least 30 seconds, for optimal cardiovascular health.
01:54:46 💓 Maximum heart rate (approximated as 220 minus age) is a rough measure and may vary significantly among individuals; focus on reaching a challenging heart rate during exercise.
01:56:12 🏋️‍♂️ Incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts that challenge maximum heart rate once a week can complement hypertrophy training and provide various cardiovascular benefits.
02:00:41 🩺 Identifying your point of physiological failure (e.g., legs vs. cardiovascular system) helps tailor your training to address specific weaknesses.
02:02:11 🏃‍♂️ To build well-rounded endurance, include three components: once-a-week high-intensity training, extended moderate-intensity cardiovascular work, and 2-6 minutes of high-intensity work followed by equal rest periods, repeated as needed.
02:15:04 🏋️‍♂️ Training just below the threshold of pain can help improve tissue tolerance and desensitize pain signals, especially for conditions like low back pain.
02:16:04 💧 Proper hydration is essential for health and performance. Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water per day and replenish fluids lost during exercise.
02:17:30 💧 Hydration needs vary based on individual factors like sweat rate. Sweat testing can help determine sodium loss and guide electrolyte supplementation.
02:31:01 💧 Pre and post-exercise hydration recommendation is around 500 milligrams of salt each time.
02:34:22 💧 If you're losing more than 1% of your body weight during exercise, it's essential to focus on hydration.
02:34:53 🍽️ Whether to train fasted or not depends on personal preference and the type of training, but it's generally okay for the average person.
02:36:54 🥶 Avoid immediate cold exposure like ice baths after strength or hypertrophy training, as it can interfere with muscle growth.
02:37:25 ❄️ It's best to wait at least a few hours before cold exposure after a workout to minimize interference with hypertrophy.
02:38:31 🥶 Cold showers are not as effective as ice baths for recovery and adaptation, and it's preferable to separate them from strength training.
02:40:59 🏋️‍♂️ Cold exposure may not be as detrimental to strength development as it is to hypertrophy, so it's less concerning in strength-focused training.
02:49:29 🏋️‍♂️ Sauna use after strength and hypertrophy training could have potential benefits, although there isn't official data yet. It might be beneficial after endurance training as well, assuming proper hydration.
02:49:57 🌡️ An ideal regimen might involve training, then sauna or heat exposure, followed by cold exposure on off days or several hours away from training, optimizing recovery and adaptation.
02:50:59 ❄️ Cold exposure in the morning can lead to improved overall relaxation and HRV (Heart Rate Variability) scores throughout the day, reducing the need for excessive caffeine.
02:51:28 🌊 Sitting still in cold water immersion creates a thermal layer around you, so it's more effective to move around a bit to break up this layer for better cold exposure results.
02:51:57 💪 Regular cold exposure can lead to enhanced adaptability and reduced fatigue, as seen consistently in athletes' HRV scores.
03:02:42 🔵 Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can improve training performance by helping to regulate pH levels in muscles, reducing fatigue, and enhancing endurance.
03:07:40 🫐 Inhaled oxygen is used by the body to create energy by breaking down carbohydrates or fats, with carbohydrates stored as glycogen in muscles.
03:08:08 🔬 Anaerobic glycolysis, which breaks down carbohydrates for fuel in low-oxygen conditions, produces acid as a byproduct, leading to fatigue buildup.
03:14:06 💡 Sodium bicarbonate can temporarily increase alkalinity in the body, delaying the onset of fatigue during intense exercise.
03:15:34 🥤 To use sodium bicarbonate, start with a small amount (e.g., half a teaspoon) dissolved in water, consumed around 45 minutes before exercise.
03:16:04 🤢 Gastric distress is a potential side effect of sodium bicarbonate, so use caution and experiment to find the right dosage.
03:24:57 🌙 Understanding and addressing environmental factors can significantly improve sleep quality, even when other aspects have been optimized.
03:25:26 🌬️ Monitoring environmental factors during sleep, such as temperature, humidity, and air quality, can impact sleep quality.
03:25:57 😴 Re-breathing CO2 around your face during sleep can lead to sleep problems; addressing this can improve sleep quality.
03:26:56 🛏️ Absolute Rest is a commercial sleep optimization device that can diagnose sleep-related issues and improve sleep quality.
03:28:19 🤝 Dr. Galpin's ability to distill complex information into practical protocols is highly valuable to many people.
03:29:17 📲 Connect with Dr. Andy Galpin on Instagram and Twitter for further information on exercise science and related topics.

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[redpillnation]

What a time to be alive. You can literally learn anything and become anything with some motivation and time spent on YouTube.

[madalinsava]

Thank you again! Any chance we can have an episode on lung health (breathing, exercise for improving lung capacity, pollution, smoking, asthma) or spine health (preventing and dealing with spine issues, which don't get nearly enough attention and education)?

[aagm.]

Andrew's talks singlehandedly changed my life. The information on habit formation started me doing morning walks for photic exposure but left me wondering if I could do something more intensive during that time—picked up a bike and I've done 500km ever since and counting. Thanks for sharing these protocols and making these talks widely available.

[Building_Brian]

A quick summary of important points, imho:
9 Adaptations from exercise, concepts to hit within each one
The concepts are few, but the methods are many
1 skill - moving mechanically how you want to move
2 speed - moving as fast as possible
3 power - speed x strength
4 strength - force production 2-5 minuets of rest
5 hypertrophy - growing muscle mass (10 working sets a week, min)
globally based endurance localized in the muscle
6 muscular endurance - how many pushups in a minuet - important for slow twitch postural integrity
Leaving local muscle, now effecting the entire cardiovascular or energetic system(s)
7 anaerobic power - a lot of work in 30 sec - 1 to 2 mins
8 VO2 max - 3-12 mins at max heart rate
9 long duration endurance - how long can you sustain work? 30+ mins
progressive overload - system must be stressed for growth
-different variables for each type of adaptation
exercise choice - exercise don't determine adaptations, the execution of the exercise matters, the application matters: the sets, reps, etc
intensity - not perceived effort, but % or 1 rm, or % of VO2 max.
volume - sets and reps, total work
rest intervals
complexity
frequency
All joints through all ranges of motion across the week
Specific adaptation to imposed demand
Signs of good Hypertrophy training 1. feeling the muscle contract 2. soreness/burning afterward or during? (from 1-10 looking for a 3-5) 3. pump during the work?
Strength and power: 3-5 rule. 3-5 exercises, 3-5 reps, 3-5 sets, 3-5 minuets rest, 3-5 times a week
-differentiator is intensity: strength 85% 1rm, power 40% to 70%
Breathing and bracing is key, weather you are heavy exertion or very light, some kind of bracing and breathing
Breathing in between rounds, are we combating low oxygen or high CO2?
Once per week, warm up good to sweat, get to max heart rate, max effort for 30-90 seconds, at least once or for 4-8 rounds, this will help identify your point of cardiovascular failure.
Middle ground: Hard work for 4-12 minuets, 80% and hold. Min: 2 mins on, 2 mins rest, repeat. Mile repeats, or 800 meter, repeat as ability
Half your body weight in oz during the day
During exercise, 125% to 150% of the weight you lost in fluid

[michelemurphy]

Man, This Was Pure Gold. I am going to watch and re watch several times and am sharing it with the professionals who teach the Pilates reformer classes I take~one instructor in particular runs her classes with most, if not all of this information;connect to your body, BREATHE, pull your abs IN do not push them out, full core work-obliques, all three glute muscles *(not just one). Basically what you have discussed here. The other instructors are also outstanding and are highly conscientious of what they are building for their class-also making sure the classes receive the best instruction. It is straight up fantastic as I am in my mid 50’s, *so working out is imperative to good health but THIS information is THE key to making work outs work. Super grateful. Thank you Dr’s for the enjoyable and informative podcast, I appreciate it very much.

[keenan]

Good lord! A collab for the ages! This is such a gift. Thank you Dr. Huberman!

[bobgolden]

Andrew - possibly the most respectful, humble interviewer I've ever seen.

[AboodCohen]

3 hours and a half of Dr Huberman, I can't ask for more!!

[Atran]

Andrew, thank you for the chapters not only a podcast but a vital learning tool I can easily go back to and reference.

[pooanddoo]

The amount of information packed in this podcast is incomprehensible. Thank you Andrew and Dr Galpin.

[skrefurbishedinteriors]

When you like before even listening because you know, you are about to be schooled!!
Thank you Dr for continually nourishing my mind! X

[adaption]

I've been working out for 21 years and I've wanted this type of breakdown for 21 years. This has already been such an amazing well of information. Thank you guys

[britchie]

This is without doubt THE most interesting podcast I have ever heard. Pages of notes.
Thank you both. Very grateful to you both.

[StrengthScholar]

This is literally the greatest video on methodology of training across the board that has ever been made. The amount of specific actionable information contained within this podcast has been genuinely earth shattering to my perspective in regards to training.

[quneemaheshwari]

Hello sir
I am Ashita, 18 years old
Wanted to tell u that your podcasts on neuroplasticity have helped me immensely. There is a lot I am constantly changing about myself. I think I have become better at concentrating this past month.
Sir plzz make a dedicated podcast for 18 to 25 year old youngsters relating to how to be more productive. 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks a lot for all becoz i have had a really tough time in the past with phone addiction.
Love and Respect from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[mikesullivan]

If ever a podcast needed a well- organized summary, it’s this one.

[lobalv]

I don’t even know where to begin to explain how much this has changed me. It’s gotten me back into exercising, which I had stepped back from a little, due to never really knowing why certain things worked and others just left me tired with no visible results.

I didn’t trust the super popular info online these days, either because there was no scientific break down on the why I should do this thing vs another, or at least the info was not all compiled together like this.

I could have listened to a few more hours of this, so thank you so much to both of you for sharing this.