Science & Tools For Muscle Growth, Increasing Strength & Muscular Recovery | Episode 22

Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways The ability to isolate and contract muscle hard will tell you about the ability to grow that muscleWeight training and resistance training is used for two distinct purposes: (1) systemic effects or (2) isolating muscleTo increase muscle growth something needs to happen to trigger muscle tissue to change: either stress, tension, or damageOne of the most predictive markers of aging is the ability to jump and the ability to stand up quicklyThe better you are at contracting and isolating muscles, the faster you will get desired effects to those musclesResistance training 5x per week at 30-80% (depending on the goal) of 1 rep max is required to maintain muscle To increase explosiveness and speed, work at a lower percentage of 1RM and move weights as fast as you can To get stronger, slow down and increase time under tension to isolate the muscle and encourage hypertrophyChange up regime: the nervous system adapts quickly at the beginning but slows with timeIdeal training protocol to stimulate testosterone release: 6 sets of 10 repetitions with 120-sec rest between repsThree tests to assess systemic recovery: (1) heart rate variability; (2) test grip strength in the morning; (3) test carbon dioxide tolerance first thing in the morningTo improve strength training performance and muscle growth: (1) stay hydrated with adequate salt and electrolytes; (2) consume creatine daily; (3) consume beta-alanine; (4) ingest sufficient leucine from high-quality protein

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In this episode I describe how our brain and nervous system control muscle tissue and how to leverage that for muscle maintenance, growth (hypertrophy) and recovery. I explain how neurons control muscle contractions and limb movements. I explain muscle metabolism and muscle fiber recruitment. I detail protocols for increasing muscular growth and for neuro-muscular recovery. I explain the effects of deliberate cold, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-histamines on training progress. I describe science-supported protocols using certain weight load ranges, total sets per week, training intensity, frequency, and in-between set activities if one's goal is to increase muscle growth, strength or endurance. I review three foundational compounds and nutrients and three optimization compounds and nutrients that have been shown to improve neuro-muscular performance. Finally, I explain how to leverage exercise and weight training to enhance cognitive function.

 

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction 00:10:58 Protocol For Fat Loss: (Zero-Cost) PDF Available At: thecoldplunge.com 00:12:45 Muscle Is A Slave To the Nervous System 00:16:22 Why We Have A Brain 00:17:38 Flexors, Extensors, & Mutual Inhibition 00:20:00 How Muscles Move, Making & Using Muscle Energy: Making ATP 00:23:29 The “Burn” Is Not Lactic Acid. Lactate: A Buffer (Prevents Acidity), Fuel, & Hormone 00:26:11 Feeling the Burn For 10% of Workouts Is Good For Brain, Heart, Liver 00:27:30 Leveraging Lactate To Enhance Brain Function 00:29:40 Breathing Properly Through “The Burn”— For Sake of Performance & Brain Function 00:30:47 Neurogenesis (New Neurons) & Exercise: Not Much, In Humans… Which Is Good. 00:33:39 How To Contract Muscles, Make Them Bigger and/or Stronger: Henneman’s Principle 00:36:58 A Large Range of Weight (30-80% of One Repetition Maximum) Can Be Used 00:38:58 What Makes Muscles To Grow? Stress, Tension, & Damage; Myosin Balloons 00:45:22 Figuring Out Which of Your Muscles Will Grow & Get Stronger Easily (Or Not) 00:48:11 Getting Stronger Versus Muscle Growth: Distributed Versus Local Effort 00:50:47 How Much Resistance Should (Most) People Use? (30-80% Range) & Specific Goal 00:54:25 How Many Sets Per Week To Maintain Or To Grow Muscle & Get Stronger 00:56:43 10% Of Resistance Training Should Be To “Failure”, the Rest Should End “Near” Failure 00:58:23 Number of Sets: Inversely Related To the Ability to Generate High Force Contractions 01:00:09 How Long Should Weight Training Sessions Last 01:01:35 Training Duration & Volume 01:03:51 Range of Motion & Speed of Movement; The Key Role of (Upper Motor) Neurons 01:08:10 Customizing Training; 1-6 Month Experiments; Key Elements Summarized 01:09:28 Focal Contractions Between Sets To Enhance Hypertrophy, Not Performance 01:11:26 The Optimal Resistance Training Protocol To Optimize Testosterone Release 01:16:00 How Quickly To Complete Repetitions; Interset Rest Times & Activities; Pre-Exhaustion 01:20:43 Tools To Determine If You Have Recovered From Previous Training: Local & Systemic 01:26:33 Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test For Assessing Recovery 01:32:43 The Way To End Every Training Session. How To Breath Between Sets For Performance 01:34:46 How & When To Use Cold Exposure To Enhance Recovery; When To Avoid Cold 01:36:37 Antihistamines & Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Can Be Problematic/Prevent Progress 01:38:42 Foundational Supplements For Recovery: EPA, Vitamin D3, Magnesium Malate 01:41:08 Ensuring Proper Nerve-Muscle Firing: Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium 01:45:00 Creatine: Good? How Much? Cognitive Effects. Hormonal Considerations: DHT 01:50:12 Beta-Alanine, Beet Juice; Note About Arginine & Citrulline & Cold Sores 01:52:00 Nutrition: Protein Density: Leucine Thresholds; Meal Frequency 01:55:54 Why Hard Workouts Can Make It Hard To Think/Do Mental Work 01:57:25 Leveraging Weight Training & Rest Days To Optimize Cognitive Work 01:58:58 What Time Of Day Is Best To Resistance Train? 01:59:40 More Information Resources, Subscribing (Zero-Cost) To Support

 

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