Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman Unveils Tips to Become the Strongest Lifter: “Think About Challenging Muscles”

While many go to the gym to build muscle and look aesthetic, some prioritize strength. If you’re someone who trains to get strong, renowned neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has some tips for you. Although the Stanford University School of Medicine professor spoke about how you should train to get stronger without gaining much size.

Huberman discussed how many reps one should engage in and how heavy one should lift, in a resurfaced clip. During his conversation with The Skinny Confidential podcast hosts, the behavioral science specialist spoke about women who are afraid of gaining too much muscle. “One way to get really strong without getting big is to train very heavy with low repetitions,” said Andrew Huberman.

The 48-year-old explained that while prioritizing strength, you should stick to three to five repetitions. Fortunately, the neuroscientist’s advice isn’t just applicable to women but to everyone. In the YouTube video, Andrew Huberman also explained that instead of thinking about moving weights or looking in the mirror, you should “think about challenging the muscle.”

While Andrew Huberman became popular for his behavioral and productivity hacking advice, people do appreciate his insight on functional training as well. Unlike other bodybuilding enthusiasts, Huberman prioritized training for strength and longevity. The 48-year-old had elaborated further on the heavy-weight, low-rep workout protocol in an April 12 video.

Andrew Huberman spoke about the “3 to 5 concept” of training on the Respire YouTube channel. The professor espoused a protocol with three to five exercises. He recommended doing three to five reps per set and staying within the same number of sets. The PhD holder also recommended resting three to five minutes between sets and repeating the protocol three to five times a week. However, this isn’t the only training protocol Huberman recommends.

Andrew Huberman’s Foundational Fitness Protocol

The Foundational Fitness Protocol is a holistic approach to fitness that the professor designed to train every aspect of fitness. The workout prioritizes cardiovascular fitness over standard bodybuilding training. A seven-day training protocol, it starts with a long endurance session focused on improving VO2 max, followed by a heavy leg day. Day three is dedicated to recovery through cold and heat exposure.

Day four is dedicated to neck and torso training, which indirectly trains arms. This is followed by two days of cardio-focused sessions, including high-intensity interval training on day six. The final day involves arms, neck, and calves. While this may sound like a lot, bordering on over-training, none of the sessions exceed 75 minutes in total.

Andrew Huberman’s training recommendations may be easily tweaked to prioritize muscle building. However, strength, longevity, and cardiovascular fitness are the cornerstones of his training protocols.