Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple on Huberman Lab: How close to fail

Close-to-failure sets produce hypertrophy equally in women and men; the interference effect only matters when high cardio volume is placed too close to lifting.

Dr. Lauren Colenso-SempleguestAndrew Hubermanhost

Feb 16, 20262h 31mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: February 16, 2026
Duration: 2h 31m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, PhD, is an expert in the science of strength and muscle building and nutrition. She explains the most effective resistance and cardiovascular training programs for women and if and how those programs should differ from those followed by men. She explains program design options, exercise selection, sets, repetition ranges, rest periods, if you need to train to failure and much more. We discuss the relevance of menstrual cycles, (peri)menopause, birth control, body frame differences, as well as best practices for nutrition, hormone replacement and supplementation. Throughout the episode Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple dispels common myths about women's fitness and nutrition such as the impact of fasting, cortisol, weight vests and more. This episode provides a masterclass in the best science-supported fitness and nutrition programs for women and for men. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/97OwnrA *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Rorra: https://rorra.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman *Huberman Lab* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com *Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple* Website: https://www.drlaurencs.com Substack: https://drlaurencs.substack.com Fact Check Fridays: https://drlauren.kit.com/2080146628 Front Page Fitness: https://open.spotify.com/show/2fRLWTWDU6AQKZ5XJrJLGu Mass Research Review: https://massresearchreview.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlaurencs1 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@drlaurencs1 LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/drlaurencs *Timestamps* 00:00:00 Lauren Colenso-Semple 00:02:43 Muscle in Men vs Women; Testosterone; Individual Variation 00:08:07 Sponsors: Joovv & Eight Sleep 00:10:45 Testosterone & Women; Resistance Training; Young Girls 00:17:46 Tool: Beginner Resistance Training for Women; Frequency & Goals 00:20:58 Tools: Weekly Full-Body Workouts, Work Sets, Rest Intervals; Time Efficiency 00:28:43 Forced Reps, Drop Sets; Rate of Movement; Partial Reps 00:33:19 Tool: Repetition Ranges; Technique; Vary Rep Ranges? 00:39:37 Sponsor: AG1 00:40:28 High Reps & Injury, Technique & Warm-Ups 00:44:25 Cardiovascular Exercise, Interference Effect?; Walking, High Intensity 00:52:43 Menstrual Cycle, Hormones & Training; Overcoming Internal Resistance 00:56:54 Training & Body Composition; Tool: Slow Progression; Menstrual Cycle 01:02:45 Sponsor: Rorra 01:03:59 Hormone Contraception & Adaptations; Perimenopause, Menopause 01:09:01 Age-Related Muscle Loss, Nervous System, Tool: Machines & Group Fitness 01:14:57 Menstrual Cycle & Physical Activity; Nutrition 01:17:50 Pilates, Genes, Tool: Resistance Training to Offset Age-Related Muscle Loss 01:26:25 Ectomorph, Mesomorph or Endomorph? 01:28:55 Sponsor: Function 01:30:42 Train Fasted?, Caffeine, Preworkout & Postworkout Nutrition 01:38:29 Protein, Resistance Training & Timing 01:40:12 Creatine Supplements, Gummies, Dose, Brain Health Benefits? 01:45:44 Individual Experience; Skepticism & Science, Menopause & Body Composition 01:54:52 Cortisol & Women, Stress & Diet, Cushing Syndrome 02:00:17 Overtraining?, Sleep Disruptions, Energy & Training Time 02:04:07 Menopause Symptoms & Hormone Therapy, Testosterone 02:09:22 Women Differences in Diet & Training?; Exercise Science Studies 02:16:19 Lauren's Training Schedule, Mobility Work 02:19:35 Hormone Therapy & Long-Term Outcomes; Deliberate Cold Exposure 02:23:06 Zone 2 Cardio; Weighted Vest; Balance Training; Ab Exercises; Recovery 02:29:26 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Science #Health #Exercise Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple
guest
Andrew Huberman
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple and Andrew Huberman, Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple on Huberman Lab: How close to fail explores women’s training basics: progressive strength, smart cardio, ignore hype cycles Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple argues that skeletal muscle biology and training adaptations are largely similar in men and women; differences in baseline muscularity are mainly driven by puberty-related testosterone, not different “rules” for women’s training.

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