Public transcript

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

By: Huberman Lab
Length: 35 min
Published: 17 September 2026
Language: English
Text from: the audio
Transcribed: 27 September 2026

Read the full transcript Open on Apple Podcasts

Notes in English.

Summary

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, Dr. Andy Galpin explains how to assess and improve nine major physiological adaptations from exercise: skill, speed, power, strength, hypertrophy, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max), and long-duration endurance. He provides low-cost or free tests for each category, including broad jumps, grip strength, leg extensions, push-ups, heart rate recovery, Cooper's 12-minute run, and steady-state work. He recommends running the full battery about once a year, ideally over three days, to identify weak areas and remove 'performance anchors' rather than optimize everything.

Key points

Dr. Galpin buckets exercise adaptations into nine areas: skill/technique, speed, power, strength, hypertrophy, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, maximal aerobic capacity, and long duration.
Movement skill can be self-assessed by filming upper and lower body push and pull movements and checking for symmetry, stability, awareness, and range of motion, scoring 0, 1, or 3.
A broad jump equal to your height (about 15% less for females) is a crude but useful power benchmark.
Grip strength targets are 40 kg for men and 35 kg for women on a hand dynamometer, with less than 10% variation between hands, plus a minimum 30-second dead hang.
For hypertrophy, men should target an FFMI of 20 or higher and women 18 or higher, with sub-17 (men) and sub-15 (women) indicating severe physiological detriment.
Muscular endurance benchmarks include a 60-second front plank, 45-second side plank, 25+ push-ups for men and 15+ for women, or 8+ reps at 75% of your strength test load.
Heart rate recovery of about 30 beats per minute in the first 60 seconds after maximal effort is a better metric than predicted max heart rate (220 minus age).
VO2 max minimums are 35 ml/kg/min for men and 30 for women, though Dr. Galpin prefers to see men above 55 and women above 50.

Questions it answers

00:00Why assess fitness

Why should I assess my fitness across multiple areas?

Dr. Galpin explains that fitness combines aesthetic and functional goals with the desire to stay fit over a long wellness span. Assessing each component shows you which area to prioritize so weaknesses don't limit your goals.

Fitness has aesthetic and functional components.
Assessment reveals where to focus training.
The goal is a long wellness span, not just immediate performance.

02:10The nine adaptations

What are the nine major physiological adaptations from exercise?

They are skill/technique, speed, power, strength, muscle hypertrophy, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max), and long-duration endurance. Each requires different tests to assess.

Power is speed multiplied by force.
Muscular endurance is local to specific muscles, not cardiovascular.
Long duration means sustaining submaximal work for roughly 20 to 60 minutes.

06:54Movement skill testing

How can I assess my movement technique without a specialist?

Film frontal and side views of an upper-body press, upper-body pull, lower-body press, and lower-body pull, doing 3–10 slow reps. Check for symmetry, stability, awareness, and full range of motion, and score each 0, 1, or 3.

A qualified physical therapist is the gold standard.
Score 0 means high acute injury risk; don't do that exercise.
Many technique flaws are simply awareness problems.

11:00Power and strength tests

What are simple benchmarks for power and strength?

For power, a standing broad jump equal to your height (about 15% less for females) is the crude standard. For strength, test grip with a dynamometer (40 kg men, 35 kg women minimum) or dead hang (30+ seconds), and legs with a bodyweight leg extension or a goblet squat hold of half bodyweight for 45 seconds.

Rep-max estimator equations are accurate only under about 5 reps.
Reduce strength expectations about 10% per decade after age 40.
Never test maximums without solid technique.

19:55Hypertrophy and muscular endurance

How much muscle and muscular endurance do I need?

Use FFMI from a body composition test: men should be 20 or higher, women 18 or higher, with severe detriment below 17 (men) and 15 (women). For muscular endurance, aim for a 60-second front plank, 45-second side plank, 25+ push-ups (men) or 15+ (women), or 8+ reps at 75% of your strength test load.

FFMI assumes you're sub-30% body fat (men) or sub-35% (women).
Muscular endurance tests are local to specific muscle groups.
Keep push-up form standard between pre- and post-tests.

23:36Anaerobic capacity and VO2 max

How do I test anaerobic capacity and aerobic fitness?

Anaerobic capacity can be tested with 30–60 seconds of all-out work; the key metric is heart rate recovery of about 30 beats per minute in the first 60 seconds. VO2 max can be measured in a lab, or estimated with the 12-minute Cooper run or the Rockport one-mile walk test; minimums are 35 ml/kg/min for men and 30 for women.

220 minus age is a very generic max heart rate estimate.
Dr. Galpin prefers men above 55 and women above 50 for VO2 max.
Heart rate recovery should halve each additional minute.

29:49Long duration and testing schedule

How do I test endurance and how often should I test everything?

For long duration, sustain a non-walking pace for at least 20 minutes with no breaks, ideally with nasal breathing only. Run the full battery once a year over about three days: body composition first (after 48 hours of rest), then movement, then power and strength, with fatiguing tests last and VO2 max on its own day.

You don't need to optimize every area—just remove severe 'performance anchors'.
Warm-up protocol must be standardized for valid retests.
Testing week gives a barometer for prioritizing the next quarter or half year.

Notes

The Nine Adaptations

Dr. Andy Galpin buckets exercise adaptations into nine areas: skill/technique, speed, power (speed × force), strength/force, muscle hypertrophy, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max), and long duration (steady state).
Fitness goals blend aesthetics and functionality, plus the desire for a long wellness span.

Movement Skill Assessment

Gold standard: a qualified physical therapist or movement specialist. Self-test: film frontal and side views of an upper-body press, upper-body pull, lower-body press, and lower-body pull (e.g., push-up, row, squat, deadlift), 3–10 reps per angle.
Look for four things: symmetry (left/right, front/back), stability (e.g., knees shaking in a squat), awareness (many flaws are just not knowing), and full range of motion per joint.
Score 0 (high acute injury risk), 1 (minor flaw, be cautious with load/volume), or 3 (fine to train normally).

Power and Strength

Broad jump: stand still, jump as far as possible; target your own height (about 15% less for females). Measure from the line to the back of the heel.
Grip: hand dynamometer ($20–$100), minimum 40 kg men / 35 kg women, ideally 60+; under 10% left-right variation. Dead hang: minimum 30 seconds, 60+ is good.
Leg extension at body weight is a good standard; reduce ~10% per decade after age 40. Use rep-max estimator equations (accurate under 5 reps).
Goblet/front squat hold: half body weight at the bottom for 45 seconds (a third of body weight for 30 seconds as an intro).
Never test maximums without solid technique, and standardize your warm-up for retests.

Hypertrophy, Muscular Endurance, Anaerobic Capacity

FFMI from a DEXA or body composition test: men 20+, women 18+; men sub-17 and women sub-15 indicate severe detriment (assuming sub-30% body fat men, sub-35% women).
Muscular endurance: 60-second front plank, 45-second side plank, 25+ push-ups (men), 15+ (women); or 75% of strength-test load for 8+ reps.
Anaerobic capacity: 30–60 seconds of all-out work (Wingate, Bosco, air bike, sprinting); heart rate recovery of ~30 beats per minute in the first 60 seconds post-effort is the key metric.

VO2 Max and Long Duration

Lab VO2 max test is gold standard; alternatives are the 12-minute Cooper test or the Rockport one-mile walk test.
VO2 max minimums: 35 ml/kg/min men, 30 women; Dr. Galpin prefers men above 55 and women above 50.
Long duration: sustain non-walking-pace work for 20+ minutes with no breaks, ideally with nasal breathing only.

Testing Logistics

Run the full battery once a year, ideally over three days. Body composition first (after 48 hours without hard exercise), then movement, then power/strength, then fatiguing tests; VO2 max on its own day.
Goal is not to optimize everything—just remove severe 'performance anchors' so weaknesses don't limit you.

Transcribed automatically from the audio. Summary and notes written by AI from the transcript, so check anything important against the recording.

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