September 17, 2026

Essentials: How to Assess & Improve All Aspects of Your Fitness | Dr. Andy Galpin

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Andy Galpin, PhD, an exercise physiologist. We revisit the first episode of his Huberman Lab Guest Series to discuss the nine major components of physical fitness and how to assess your abilities. We explain practical tests for movement quality, power, strength, muscle mass and endurance, including grip strength, push-ups and VO2 max. We also discuss how to organize fitness testing, track progress and identify which areas to prioritize in your training to support long-term health and performance. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Andy Galpin (00:00:44) Fitness Goals, Appearance & Performance (00:02:32) Nine Components of Physical Fitness (00:05:54) Sponsor: Eight Sleep (00:07:21) Movement Skill, Tool: Assessing Movement Quality (00:11:11) Speed Testing (00:11:34) Power, Tool: Standing Broad Jump (00:12:55) Grip Strength, Dynamometers & Dead Hangs (00:14:51) Sponsor: AG1 (00:16:12) Lower Body Strength, Leg Extensions & Squat Holds (00:18:47) Safe Testing, Technique & Consistent Warm-Ups (00:19:45) Muscle Mass, Body Composition & Fat-Free Mass Index (00:21:51) Muscular Endurance, Planks & Push-Ups (00:23:21) Anaerobic Capacity, Maximum Effort Tests (00:24:55) Maximum Heart Rate & Heart Rate Recovery (00:26:10) VO2 Max, Running & Walking Tests (00:27:52) Sponsor: David (00:29:15) Long-Duration Endurance, Steady-State Exercise & Nasal Breathing (00:30:16) Testing Frequency, Test Order & Training Priorities (00:34:34) Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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About this Show

Huberman Lab

The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. The podcast discusses neuroscience and science-based tools, including how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health, as well as existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Huberman has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills, and cognitive functioning. He is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell, and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.