Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• Endurance exercise enhances the ability of the brain and body to work for longer periods of time
• High intensity and long duration endurance training improves brain function by oxygenating the brain and delivering more nutrients to neurons
• “The reason we quit is rarely because our body quits; our mind quits.” – Dr. Andrew Huberman
• Five main drivers of effort in the body: neurons, muscle, heart, blood, and lungs
• The source of energy in the body depends on the duration of activity – if you hit a wall, try increasing the pace to tap into other fuel sources
• Endurance training seems to improve brain function more than strength or hypertrophy training
• Muscular endurance training protocol: 3-5 sets of 12-100 repetitions (but 12-25 is reasonable for most people) with a rest period between 30-180 seconds
• For muscular endurance, try isometric holds, compound exercise, kettlebell swings – but no eccentric loading
• Long duration endurance training protocol: one set of anything longer than 12 minutes
• Anaerobic HIIT endurance protocol: 3-12 sets with a ratio of work to rest at 3:1 (e.g., 30 seconds work: 10 seconds rest) – or – a ratio of 1:5 (e.g., 20 seconds hard work: 100 seconds rest)
• Aerobic HIIT endurance protocol: 3-12 sets with 3:1 ratio (e.g., 30 seconds work: 10 seconds rest) – or 1:1 ratio (e.g., 30 seconds work: 30 seconds rest)

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

This episode I discuss endurance: our ability to perform effort over extended amounts of time. I describe the four kinds of endurance: muscular endurance, long-duration (single-set) efforts, and the two kinds of high-intensity interval training that can benefit our brain and various systems of our body. I discuss the fuel systems they each rely on and how to build up your capillary beds in muscle, and in the brain to increase oxygen utilization or improve postural endurance. I discuss efficiency of effort and maximizing quality of effort, as well as the simplest hydration formula. I review how our heart literally gets stronger (as a muscle) when we oxygenate muscles properly and ways to warm up with and improve respiration/breathing. I also discuss motivation for long bouts of work and the visual physiological basis of the "extra gear" we all can leverage for effort. Finally, I review how accelerating as we fatigue can allow us to access untapped energetic resources. As always, both science, mechanism and tools are discussed throughout

 

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Mechanistic review of training adaptations: https://bit.ly/3wyejPK 

Example Protocols: https://hubermanlab.com/how-to-build-endurance-in-your-brain-and-body/

 

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:45 Why Everyone Should Train Endurance
00:09:49 All Episodes Now Searchable at hubermanlab.com & The Neural Network
00:11:28 How To Maintain Muscle
00:12:56 Endurance: It’s Not What You Think, Crossover With Brain Function
00:14:38 Energy; Many Paths To ATP: Creatine, Glucose, Glycogen, Fat; Ketones
00:18:00 The Vital Need For Oxygen: But Why?
00:19:00 What Allows Us To Endure (Anything)?
00:20:46 The 5 Things That Allow Us To Persist/Endure & What Causes Quitting
00:22:50 Why You Quit: It IS All In Your Mind
00:27:19 The “90% Mental” Myth
00:28:10 The Critical Need For Carbohydrates & Electrolytes (& Sometimes Ketones)
00:30:10 Phospho-Creatine, Glycogen, pH, Temperature Is Key
00:31:36 Using Your Blood, Heart, & Lungs To Go Longer, Further, With More Intensity
00:35:40 An Excellent Review on the Science of Training Adaptations (See Caption On YouTube)
00:37:15 The 4 Kinds of Endurance
00:38:53 Muscular Endurance: Powerful for Everyone: Posture, Performance, Resilience
00:41:50 Protocol For Building Muscular Endurance. No Major Eccentric Component
00:48:40 How to Make Muscles More Resilient: Mitochondrial Respiration, Neuronal Firing
00:51:31 Long Duration Endurance: 12 minutes or More, One “Set”, Efficiency of Movement
00:57:00 Why Everyone Should Train Long Duration Endurance: Capillaries In Muscle & Brain
01:01:00 Two Distinct Types of High-Intensity Interval Training: Anaerobic & Aerobic
01:02:20 Anaerobic HIIT: 3-12 Sets, Work:Rest Ratio of 3:1 or 1:3; Quality of Repetitions is Key
01:07:00 Maximizing Oxygen Utilization, Heart Rate & Nerve-Muscle Energy Utilization
01:10:59 Aerobic HIIT; 1:1 Work:Rest Ratio, Tapping Into All Energy Utilization Systems
01:15:20 Building A Stronger Heart & Better Brain: Eccentric Loading the Heart: Stroke Volume
01:20:10 Resistance & Weight Training: Useless for the Brain? What Is Good For the Brain?
01:23:25 The Strength-Endurance Tradeoff; How Long to Wait Between Workouts
01:25:45 Breathing During Endurance, Explosive and Weight Training: Nose, Mouth, Gears
01:29:50 Intercostals & Diaphragmatic Breathing: Warming Up Intercostals Is Useful
01:31:00 Increasing Motivation & Adrenaline
01:32:10 Eliminating the “Side Cramp” With Physiological Sighs
01:34:45 Accelerating Through “The Wall”: Accessing Alternative Fuel Sources; Ketone Use
01:37:50 Hydration: Why Hydrate, How To Hydrate, & How Much Fluid To Drink
01:41:35 “The Galpin Equation”; Gastric Emptying Time, Adapting Hydration Mid-Training
01:44:20 Boosting Mitochondrial Density With Cold; Wait 6 Hours Before Cold/Between Training
01:46:00 Accelerating Recovery with 5 Minute Parasympathetic Down-Shift After Training
01:48:00 Leveraging The Visual System During Effort, Milestones; Dilation & Contraction; Pacing
01:53:10 The Physiological Basis of Your “Extra Gear”, Accessing Your “Kick”, Steve Prefontaine
01:56:00 Programming Examples; Concurrent Training
01:57:57 Caffeine, Magnesium Malate to Reduce Soreness, Nitric Oxide, Beta-Alanine
02:00:00 Synthesis; Next Episodes, Zero-Cost Ways to Support, Sponsors, Sources

 

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.

 

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com