Essentials: Build Muscle Size, Increase Strength & Improve Recovery

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Health & Fitness, Life Sciences

4.8 • 26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I discuss how to build muscle strength and size (hypertrophy) and cover key training principles to enhance athletic performance and offset age-related muscle decline. I explain how the nervous system drives muscle movement, the key differences between training for hypertrophy or strength, and resistance training protocols to build muscle for performance and healthy aging. Additionally, I discuss tools for assessing recovery and the role of key nutrients—such as creatine and electrolytes—in supporting muscle development and performance. This episode provides actionable, science-backed strategies to enhance movement, preserve strength with age, and boost energy levels. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Timestamps 00:00:00 Huberman Lab Essentials; Muscle 00:02:02 Muscle & Nervous System 00:03:24 Sponsors: Eight Sleep & LMNT 00:06:03 Strength & Aging, Henneman's Size Principle, Use Heavy Weights? 00:10:09 3 Stimuli, Muscle Strength vs Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy) 00:12:11 Tool: Resistance Training Protocol, Increase Muscle Strength 00:15:55 Sponsor: AG1 00:17:50 Tool: Advanced Resistance Training & Volume; Speed, Rest 00:21:12 Testing for Recovery, Heart Rate Variability, Grip Strength 00:24:29 Sponsor: Function 00:26:16 Testing for Recovery, Carbon Dioxide Tolerance 00:29:20 Ice Bath Timing; NSAIDs & Exercise 00:30:34 Salt & Electrolytes; Creatine; Leucine Disclaimer & Disclosures

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Huberman Lab Essentials, where we revisit past episodes for the most potent and actionable science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance.
0:11.3	I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
0:17.4	This podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford.
0:21.8	It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science
0:26.6	related tools to the general public. Today, I want to talk about something that is vitally
0:31.8	important for not just athletic performance, but for your entire life and indeed for your longevity.
0:38.8	And that's muscle.
0:40.5	And one of the things that's exquisite and fantastic
0:44.0	about the human brain is that it can direct
0:46.5	all sorts of different kinds of movement,
0:49.1	different speeds of movement,
0:51.1	movement of different durations.
0:53.5	All of that is governed by the relationship between
0:57.7	the nervous system, neurons, and their connections to muscle. So today, as always, we're going to
1:04.4	talk a little bit of mechanism. I'm going to explain how neurons control muscle. We will touch on
1:10.3	some nutritional themes
1:12.1	and how that relates to muscle, in particular,
1:14.0	a specific amino acid that if it's available in your bloodstream
1:17.8	frequently enough and at sufficient levels
1:21.0	can help you build and improve the quality of muscle.
1:25.4	We are also going to talk about recovery.
1:28.0	That's when muscle grows.
	...

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