The Tim Ferriss Show Ep 660: Dr. Andrew Huberman — The Foundations of Physical and Mental Performance, Core Supplements, Sexual Health and Fertility
Andrew Huberman, PhD (@hubermanlab), is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. He has made numerous important contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford Medicine has been consistently published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell.
Andrew is the host of the podcast Huberman Lab, which is often ranked as one of the top five podcasts in the world by both Apple and Spotify. The show aims to help viewers and listeners improve their health with science and science-based tools. New episodes air every Monday on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
Sleep, nutrients, exercise, light, relationships—those really establish the foundation of what I consider to be all of the elements that create our ability to move as seamlessly as possible between the states that we happen to be in and the states we desire to be in.
Holistic health
- Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University, joins Tim Ferriss to discuss the importance of re-upping on certain elements every 24 hours in order to maintain mental and physical health.
- These elements include sleep, nutrients, movement, light, and relationships.
- Huberman also recommends specific exercises and supplements to support physical and mental health, as well as the importance of play and avoiding recreational drug use.
- They also discuss the potential of psychedelics to help with mental health issues, the risks associated with using them, and the resources available to learn more about them.
Workout and diet
- Huberman recommends starting the training week with a slow jog or hike with a weighted vest or backpack, and nasal breathing.
- He recommends keeping workouts relatively short, as training for longer than 60 minutes can lead to increased cortisol levels and poor sleep.
- Professor Huberman recommends taking Omega-3 fatty acids and Tongkat Ali to support sperm and egg health.
- Ferriss and Huberman discuss the effects of heat and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on sperm quality, motility, and testosterone production.
The weekly schedule
- Dr. Huberman’s Monday leg workout consists of calf and hamstring exercises, leg extensions, and hack squats. He does this to build strength and maintain size, as well as to get the cognitive benefits of resistance training.
- Tuesday is a recovery day, where he does deliberate heat and cold exposure to amplify growth hormone and stimulate positive hormones.
- Wednesday is either a shorter duration cardiovascular workout or torso exercises such as overhead shoulder presses, ring dips, and chins with slow eccentric movements.
- He also emphasizes the importance of neck training for both men and women and recommends three exercises for the whole body: glute-ham raises (or Nordic curls), ring dips, and sprints.
Short workouts
Andrew Huberman recommends keeping workouts relatively short, as training for longer than 60 minutes can lead to increased cortisol levels and poor sleep.
He also emphasizes the importance of play, and suggests doing an hour of low-stakes, non-competitive movement each week. He also discusses the importance of tib work for shin splints, and the metabolic benefits of seated calf raises.
