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. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/7sgI40w Huberman Lab Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Dr. Andy Galpin X: https://www.instagram.com/drandygalpin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drandygalpin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andy.galpin.1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-galpin-a90a2b262 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@drandygalpin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drandygalpin Timestamps 00:00:00 Andy Galpin 00:00:44 Fitness Goals, Appearance & Performance 00:02:32 Nine Components of Physical Fitness 00:06:03 Movement Skill, Tool: Assessing Movement Quality 00:09:53 Speed Testing 00:10:15 Power, Tool: Standing Broad Jump 00:11:36 Grip Strength, Dynamometers & Dead Hangs 00:13:35 Lower Body Strength, Leg Extensions & Squat Holds 00:16:10 Safe Testing, Technique & Consistent Warm-Ups 00:17:08 Muscle Mass, Body Composition & Fat-Free Mass Index 00:19:14 Muscular Endurance, Planks & Push-Ups 00:20:44 Anaerobic Capacity, Maximum Effort Tests 00:22:18 Maximum Heart Rate & Heart Rate Recovery 00:23:33 VO2 Max, Running & Walking Tests 00:25:19 Long-Duration Endurance, Steady-State Exercise & Nasal Breathing 00:26:20 Testing Frequency, Test Order & Training Priorities 00:30:38 Acknowledgements #hubermanlab #hubermanlabpodcast Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Andrew HubermanhostDr. Andy Galpinguest

Sep 17, 202631mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 17, 2026
Duration: 31m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/7sgI40w Huberman Lab Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Dr. Andy Galpin X: https://www.instagram.com/drandygalpin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drandygalpin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andy.galpin.1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-galpin-a90a2b262 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@drandygalpin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drandygalpin Timestamps 00:00:00 Andy Galpin 00:00:44 Fitness Goals, Appearance & Performance 00:02:32 Nine Components of Physical Fitness 00:06:03 Movement Skill, Tool: Assessing Movement Quality 00:09:53 Speed Testing 00:10:15 Power, Tool: Standing Broad Jump 00:11:36 Grip Strength, Dynamometers & Dead Hangs 00:13:35 Lower Body Strength, Leg Extensions & Squat Holds 00:16:10 Safe Testing, Technique & Consistent Warm-Ups 00:17:08 Muscle Mass, Body Composition & Fat-Free Mass Index 00:19:14 Muscular Endurance, Planks & Push-Ups 00:20:44 Anaerobic Capacity, Maximum Effort Tests 00:22:18 Maximum Heart Rate & Heart Rate Recovery 00:23:33 VO2 Max, Running & Walking Tests 00:25:19 Long-Duration Endurance, Steady-State Exercise & Nasal Breathing 00:26:20 Testing Frequency, Test Order & Training Priorities 00:30:38 Acknowledgements #hubermanlab #hubermanlabpodcast Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Dr. Andy Galpin
guest
Exercise physiologist and strength & conditioning expert specializing in fitness assessment and performance training.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Dr. Andy Galpin, Essentials: How to Assess & Improve All Aspects of Your Fitness | Dr. Andy Galpin explores a practical annual fitness test battery across nine key capacities Dr. Andy Galpin explains that most exercise goals fall into aesthetics (appearance) and functionality (performance), and that effective training should support both near-term targets and lifelong fitness.

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