Hello IgnyteFit fam, welcome back. Are you ready to supercharge your workout routine? I hope so because today we're diving into some amazing fitness tools and not just any tools, these are science supported tools straight from the brilliant mind of Dr. Andrew Huberman and guess what? They're all based on his six part guest series with the equally brilliant Dr. Andy Galpin. So, buckle up because we're about to take your fitness journey to the next level.

Alright, so let's kick things off with the basics, shall we? According to Dr. Huberman, a well rounded fitness program for lifelong health and performance includes progressive resistance and cardiovascular training. Sounds fancy, right? But don't sweat it. We're going to break it all down.

We're talking about a mix of strength training and aerobic cardio, all designed to keep you fit and healthy for life because that's the goal. We're looking at healthspan and longevity, being fitter for longer, healthier for longer. So whether you're a gym rat or a fitness newbie, there's something here for everyone.

First, let's talk about progressive resistance training. This is a type of strength training where you gradually increase the amount of weight you're lifting over time. This type of training is great for building muscle and strength. And the best part is, you can do it with just your own body weight or with simple, inexpensive equipment: dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands.

Next, let's talk about cardiovascular training. This is basically any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up and your blood flowing. So, cardiovascular training is great for improving your endurance, your cardiovascular health, and also your mental focus.

One of the most important tools we have for fitness is Zone 2 Cardio. This is where Dr. Peter Attia actually talks about spending 80% of your time in Zone 2 Cardio, and the other 20% in other zones. But essentially, what is Zone 2 Cardio? Well, it's a type of low intensity, steady state exercise that's performed at a heart rate of around 60- 70% of your maximum heart rate.

And this type of exercise is great for burning fat, improving your cardiovascular health, and also preventing injuries. Because you can sustain that pace for a really long time. So, it's not uncommon for people to do zone 2 exercise, let's say, for an hour or two a day, even.

Next up, we have strength training. So, let's flex those muscles with some strength training, one of my favorites, as you know. Dr. Huberman recommends low repetition strength training. So, think of it as lifting heavier weights. Think of, you know, barbell training. Things like that, where you're lifting a lot of weight.

Heavy weight, but fewer reps. This type of training is really great for building strength, but it's also great for building muscle. So hypertrophy is also in that. And remember, it's not about how many reps you can do, but how well you can do each rep.

So definitely focus on your form and not just the numbers. It's really about quality over quantity, especially when it comes to lifting heavy weight. We want to be cognizant of our form because we don't want to injure ourselves. So it definitely becomes. more important as you progress in weight. So as the load gets heavier, you want to make sure that you dial in on your form.

 Next up is the sugar cane protocol. And this is something that I actually had not heard of until I listened to the guest series with Dr. Andy Galpin on Huberman Lab. So, if you're feeling adventurous, let's kick things up a notch with the sugar cane protocol. So, this is a high intensity workout that's designed to build endurance and also burn fat.

It's tough, but Dr. Andy Galpin says that it's worth it. The sugar cane protocol involves 4 to 6 sets of 30 second all out efforts with 4 minutes of rest in between because that means you're going to need it.

Especially if you're exerting yourself with going all out. So it's like a sprinting session on steroids. So, if you're looking to really push your limits, get out of that comfort zone and take your fitness to the next level, this might be the type of workout that you need, the Sugar Cane Protocol. 

So maybe give it a try. And this is not something that you do multiple times a week. My understanding is that you want to do it maybe every week and then take some weeks in between where you're not doing that. You're just focusing maybe more on zone 2 cardio and maybe, zone 4, Zone 5 at times, but again that 80% of the time within your cardio training according to Dr. Peter Attia is that you want to be doing Zone 2 cardio for 80% of the time.

So of course rest is just as important as the workout itself. It's outside of our strength training periods that we're actually getting stronger, not necessarily in those sessions. So Dr. Huberman recommends taking rest periods and practicing physiological sighs. This is something that I actually really like doing.

I've loved doing the physiological sighs throughout my day or if I'm really needing that kind of catharsis, but then I recently started adding them at the end of my workouts during my cool down and focusing on my physiological sighing then. So what is a physiological sigh? Physiological sighs are deep double inhales followed by a long exhale. So I'll demonstrate it. So you go.

So, it's a really, really nice way to immediately calm your body and your mind. I am a huge fan. It immediately puts me at ease. It makes me calmer. It makes me more focused. And I really enjoy it. So, these are very meditative too. And these double inhales followed by that exhale is a really great way to calm yourself after a workout.

So, Dr. Huberman suggests doing this for roughly 3 to 5 minutes at the end of your workout so that you can help your body wind down. Right? Because you've taxed your CNS, your central nervous system, in addition to the load or the cardio that you've been doing, right? If you're lifting a lot of weight or you're doing a lot of high repetitions, lower weight, still you're taxing not only your CNS, your central nervous system, but also your body.

So adding those three to five minutes at the end of your session is really, really nice. So the next time you're feeling winded or you just want to have that catharsis, like I really like doing in the middle of my day, you can try the physiological sigh. Right. Again, that's that deep breath followed by a quicker inhale and then an exhale, longer exhale.

And you can try that for once or twice or just do it a couple of times for three to five minutes. It's like a mini meditation session for not only your body but also your mind.

All right. Now let's talk a little bit about fueling your body. This is extremely important as we know, and Dr. Huberman actually talks about the benefits of omega three fatty acids, creatine, and rhodiola rosea, which I had actually never heard of before, the rhodiola rosea part. But these can actually help with everything from muscle recovery to mental focus.

And remember, it's not just about what you eat, but when you eat. So listening to your body and figuring out what works best for you is probably your best plan of action. Right? So maybe you're a breakfast person. Or perhaps you prefer to work out fasted. Some people like to do fasted cardio, but fuel before a strength training session.

And honestly, it's really all about finding what works for you, what works for your schedule, what works for your preferences. So I would recommend just following those inner cues and not worrying about, you know, what's the newest, hottest trend on Tik Tok or on Instagram or what your favorite fitness influencer is doing.

Just really think about what works for you. And how you can, you know, be consistent with your workouts and make sure you're getting enough fuel, right? And not just fuel but also hydration. We shouldn't forget about water because water is our best friend when it comes to fitness. We really want to make sure that we're drinking adequate amounts of H2O.

So there are a lot of key takeaways from the Dr. Huberman series with Dr. Andy Galpin. And again, it's a six part series, I highly recommend you check it out.

One of the key takeaways from Dr. Huberman's series with Dr. Galpin is the importance of being flexible with your training. So maybe you prefer to train fasted or maybe that's just training fasted with cardio. or maybe you perform better after a meal. Really, it's up to you and your preferences. So perhaps you're a morning person or maybe you're a night owl.

It doesn't really matter because the point is there is no one size fits all approach to fitness or to nutrition for that matter, right? We do have bio individuality. We all have our own lives. We have lives outside of what we do in the fitness space. Um, so yeah, we have to be aware of that. And it's really about finding what works best for you and then being consistent, sticking to it.

So don't be afraid to experiment with your own unique fitness routine. Maybe you try fasted workouts, maybe you try fueled workouts and you just see kind of how that works with you.

All right. And there you have it IgnyteFit fam, a treasure trove of science supported tools to accelerate your fitness goals. All thanks to Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Andy Galpin. Remember, and this is something that I tell myself as well, fitness is a journey, it's not a destination. So we've got to enjoy that journey, keep showing up, day in and day out, even on the days where we lack motivation, where we're not really feeling it, we know that at the end of that workout, we're going to feel much, much better.

So, enjoy that journey. Keep exploring, keep experimenting, keep pushing, and most importantly, keep having fun. That's probably the biggest takeaway, right? Enjoy what you're doing, enjoy your workouts, enjoy the fueling that you do afterwards. So that's it for me today. Until next time, stay fit, stay healthy, and I will see you right here on IgnyteFit.

Bye for now.

Thank you for reading!!