Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.

GRIP STRENGTH & LONGEVITY: “LIVE HANGS” Congratulations Ann Crile Esselstyn, who at *90 years and 231 days* old (title card says 93), did a continual bar grip hang for 2 minutes and 52 seconds. (And set a @guinnessworldrecords WR) Grip strength and grip endurance (not exactly the same thing) are correlates of longevity. They are great to train for but grip strength alone does not extend life. So what do they reflect? We often think about the muscle aspect of grip. To me,the really interesting data = the relationship between grip and longevity of *cognitive functioning*. Why would there be a relationship there? In neuroscience, we refer to the upper and the lower motor neurons. Upper motor neurons are in the brain and are involved in deliberate action (among other things); lower motor neurons are in the spinal cord and directly connect to the muscles by extending out of the central nervous system into the peripheral nervous system. They directly cause muscles to contract. We also think about proximal muscles, which are the muscle muscles near the midline and distal muscles like those tips of your calves, forearms, fingers and toes. Early but compelling evidence suggest that distal strength— the motor neuron control of the parts of your body furthest from your midline, is one of the first things to atrophy as you age. You can offset this with strong, gripping, keeping your feet, strong, calves, etc. So while it’s important to train your core and the muscles of your legs, chest back and arms, don’t forget about feet yes feet! And hands and forearms. It’s not just about aesthetics. It’s very likely about maintaining those upper motor brain neurons. Once specific sets of neurons in the brain start to die off they often take others with them, the so-called bystander effect. More on this in a Huberman Lab podcast to come but meanwhile, wherever you’re at in your fitness in longevity training the whole body and keep going! And congrats to Ann. That’s a super impressive timing at any age! Please put any questions you have below and thank you for your interest in science! @stanford @stanford.med #neuroscience #science #ciencia #longevity #grip

Comment FERTILITY & I’ll DM you a link to the episode. CANNABIS USE IS DETRIMENTAL TO SPERM • Dr. Natalie Crawford, MD, @nataliecrawfordmd is a double board-certified OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist. She is my guest on the Huberman Lab podcast out now. We discuss how to improve hormone health at any age and the importance of fertility markers not just for pregnancy, but as a powerful window into overall health, vitality and longevity. We discuss hormone replacement therapy, egg freezing, IVF, and what biomarkers like AMH really indicate. Plus, how anti-inflammatory diets and specific supplements can be beneficial and the impact of microplastics and certain fragrances on hormones. We also discuss lesser-known factors that deplete male and female fertility, vitality and health. The conversation highlights how better understanding of hormones and your reproductive markers can empower better informed choices at every stage of life. I highly recommend it for women of all ages and also for men. There’s important information in there for you too. About women, but# A bit more context for the excerpt: Even if they can fertilize, cannabis can negatively impact sperm by causing DNA damage. Many miscarriages and (in the case of IVF) “day 3 crashes” which is when paternal DNA normally kicks in, are cannabis related. Keep in mind that spermatogenesis takes about 90 days so halting use should allow things to improve. It’s unclear if they are permanent effects from cannabis use. I’m sure many people will say that they conceived healthy children while using. That’s not the point. The point is for people who might be struggling this is an actionable lever. And of course anyone wishing to have the healthiest possible offspring… that’s for your consideration. You can also find the episode by going to hubermanlab.com. Please put any questions or comments below and thank you for your interest in science! @stanford @stanford.med #neuroscience #science #ciencia #neurociencia health

MOST DOGS NEED FAR MORE EXERCISE THAN THEY CURRENTLY ARE GETTING TO BE HAPPY & HEALTHY • - Cesar Milan aka the Dog Whisperer was my guest on the recent Huberman Lab podcast. Most people do not walk their dogs enough and it causes their dogs to be anxious and unhealthy much of the time. Most dogs need at least 30 min brisk walks (and up to 60 min or more) twice per day every day. Some breeds need far more. Tiring out your dog is so crucial to their wellbeing. The daily walks are of course also good for you. People often ask me if the morning sunlight viewing I always talk about for humans pertains to animals too and the short answer is yes: absolutely — same neurons in the eyes and brain govern the improved mood and sleep that morning sun viewing triggers. I raised both my bulldog-mastiffs (and pit) mutts using Cesar’s methods and they worked terrifically well both times… and that is a stubborn (and in the case of Strummer, my second dog also super energetic) breed. The 2, 45-60 min structured walks per day were/are what is needed and often a good 4mike hike on the weekend and mid week too. People debate dog training methods but to my knowledge, everyone agrees that dogs need exercise. Also, the vets I consulted (I have one in my family!) confirmed most people just don’t exercise their dogs nearly enough. The episode with Cesar covers: selecting the right dog, setting your energy to lead your dog, knowing how much to exercise your dog, fixing behavioral issues, and much more. You can find it at Hubermanlab.com Please put questions below and thank you for your interest in science! @stanford.med @stanford @cesarsway #neuroscience #science #ciencia #neurociencia

“FACE PULLS”: SET YOUR DEFAULT POSTURE UPRIGHT, MAKE YOUR SHOULDERS AND NECK STABLE • This week’s Huberman Lab podcast features Jeff Cavalier of @athleanx — he’s a licensed physical therapist, strength and conditioning coach known for helping people reach their fitness goals, overcoming pain and injury with specific movements and getting tremendous longevity from their fitness training. We sat down and talked about “the little things that allow you to do the big important things for your entire life” on the podcast. Yes it’s true: You need to do the basics. Men and women should do basic compound movements of pressing and pulling and for their legs …and do so with progressive resistance. Every week. But the issue people tend to run into is pain or injuries or challenges with imbalanced mechanics. Doing certain little things for just a few minutes per week can be the difference between lifelong pain-free training, great posture (at default— without having to think about it!) better breathing, better mobility, and on and on. One of the key movements that every man and woman should do a few times a week at least are “face pulls” which is where you pull a rope from slightly above high-level on a cable machine (or you could use bands if you don’t have access to a cable machine) starting from a position where your hands are almost touching directly in front of you (arms straight) to what sort of looks like a “double biceps flexed pose”, but with your thumbs pointed back and bit out & away from your ears. That’s the correct “external rotation” you want, which is essential… you can learn more about on the podcast. All the texting and sitting that we do nowadays has most people defaulting to internal rotation, chin down and C shaped… not good (for many reasons!). A video of how to do face pulls correctly as well as train your arms correctly are available at the “Huberman lab clips” channel on You Tube. There is a short excerpt of it here as well. Thank you, Jeff for being such a tremendous coach in public educator helping people get and stay super fit. We appreciate you! All relevant links at: hubermanlab.com Thank you for your interest in science!

STIMULATE MUSCLE GROWTH PROPERLY: BACK DAY WITH @thedorianyates (6 time Mr. Olympia) • Comment BACK & I’ll DM you a link to a video of the full workout @goldsgym.venice There are a lot of studies and examples of different ways to train with weights for muscle growth and strength. Which is best? Everyone has different opinions on that but what works best for me has been low volume high intensity training. (And when I say “best”, I mean getting the results of directed muscle growth and strength improvements and not having my nervous system feel so fried that I can’t do other things after training… after all, we have lives to live!) It involves training 3 days per week & each muscle directly 1X per week. Yes only once. You do 1 light set & 1 moderate set just to get the mechanics and blood flow going, then 1 (maybe 2) all out sets to failure *in excellent form* which means controlling the weight all the way up, contracting it hard and lowering it slowly. Depending on the muscle group, you do anywhere from 2 to 4 exercises per muscle group total. 6 time Mr. Olympia @thedorianyates is my guest on the Huberman Lab podcast out now and we discussed this style of training and the types of training that work best for the everyday person. That means men & women of all ages. He gives a wealth of info. Dorian was also kind enough to take me through his version of low volume high intensity training. I got to feel what it is to target the back and rear delt muscles properly with true high intensity. We did: 1) lat pullovers: one light set, one medium set, and then one all outset to failure (w/ a few assisted repetitions). 2) reverse grip cable pull downs (also one set to failure) 3) one arm dumbbell rows (one set to failure for each side) 4) seated wide grip cable rows (one set to failure with a couple of assisted reps) 5) rear delt bent over dumbbell raises (one warm-up and one works set to failure). Comment BACK and I’ll DM you a link to a video of the full workout. - Please put any questions or comments you have below and thank you for your interest in science! - @stanford @stanford.med @thedorianyates - #science #neuroscience #train