Huberman Lab- Dr. Andy Galpin: How to Build Physical Endurance & Lose Fat

In episode 3 of my 6-part guest series on the Huberman Lab podcast, I explain how to build each type of physical endurance including muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, maximum aerobic output, and long duration endurance, and the protocols that drive improvement in each.

I also cover how the body uses carbohydrates, proteins, and fats during rest and exercise, how fat loss actually works at a mechanistic level, and why exercise speeds it up. From there I get into the supporting concepts: metabolic flexibility, breathwork for performance and recovery, lactate production and regulation, blood flow to working muscles, anaerobic versus aerobic metabolism, exercise fatigue, low-carbohydrate diets, and how to combine different workout types to build endurance across the board. This episode is built for everyone from beginners to competitive athletes. If improving your health, body composition, or performance is on your list, there is something here for you.

Articles

• Exercise Snacks: A Novel Strategy to Improve Cardiometabolic Health
• The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review

Other Resources

• Exercise Snacks
• SHIFT Breathing Gears
• SHIFT Breathing Assessment

Timestamps
[00:00:00] Endurance: Benefits, Mechanics & Breathing

[00:07:30] Tool: "Exercise Snacks"

[00:14:21] Sponsors: Momentous, Levels & LMNT

[00:18:01] Endurance Categories

[00:22:16] Fat Loss & Respiration: Carbon Cycles, Storage & Metabolism

[00:33:08] Exhalation Rates, Exercise & Fat Loss; Calories

[00:41:47] Cardiovascular Adaptations, Cardiac Output & Maximum Heart Rate

[00:47:03] Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)

[00:47:55] EPOC: Exercise Intensity & Fat vs. Carbohydrate Energy Utilization

[00:59:35] Tool: Training for Fat Loss, Carbohydrate Stores & Liver Glycogen

[01:08:01] Metabolic Flexibility & Flexible Fuel Utilization

[01:16:07] Muscle & Basal Metabolic Rate

[01:19:40] Sponsor: InsideTracker

[01:20:43] Assessing Metabolic Flexibility, Blood Glucose & Carbohydrates

[01:27:48] Caffeine, High-Carbohydrate Meals & Managing Daily Energy

[01:36:42] ATP Production from Carbs, Lactate: Anaerobic vs. Aerobic

[01:50:45] Lactate as an Energy Production Buffer

[01:53:14] Fuel Sources, Mitochondria, Oxygen Availability & Lactate

[02:02:50] Lactate for Exercise & Cognitive Performance

[02:04:33] Energy Production, Waste Management & Endurance Exercise

[02:12:49] Protein & Fat Utilization for Energy

[02:21:20] Protein as a Fuel Source

[02:26:39] Low-Carbohydrate Diet & Performance

[02:29:40] Muscular Endurance: Fuel Sources, Training & Capillarization

[02:37:30] Tool: Muscular Endurance & Modifiable Variables

[02:45:07] Anaerobic Capacity: Fuel Sources, Training & Oxygen Utilization

[02:49:23] Tool: Cardiac Output, Heart Rate Zones & Breathing "Gear System"

[02:58:10] Tool: Anaerobic Capacity & Modifiable Variables; Nasal Recovery

[03:11:45] Tool: "Sugarcane" Endurance Protocol

[03:14:02] Anaerobic Capacity & Training Progression

[03:16:40] Tool: Maximum Aerobic Output & Modifiable Variables

[03:21:58] Tool: Long Duration Endurance, Training & Circuits

[03:25:13] Long Duration Endurance, Capillarization & Breathwork

[03:29:10] Weekly Combination Training, Metabolic Flexibility & Longevity

[03:37:23] Tool: Mixed Endurance Training & Half Marathon Example

[03:47:33] Closing & Resources