What's the best way to achieve hypertrophy with pull ups?

To achieve hypertrophy with pull-ups, Andy Galpin suggests focusing on the repetition range that you want to improve on and practicing it repeatedly. Pull-ups with lighter loads that are just above your desired repetition maximum can ensure you stay in the muscular endurance range, which is beneficial for hypertrophy as well 1.

For instance, if you're striving to increase the number of pull-ups, you should work on a specific repetition range that pushes your muscles to adapt and grow. Additionally, pulling movements don't count much towards bicep hypertrophy; differentiating between primary and secondary movers in exercises is important in designing your workout regimen 2.

Here are key points to consider for pull-up hypertrophy:

1. Regular Practice: Train in your target repetition range, like 3 sets of 17 pull-ups, 3 times a week, to build endurance and encourage hypertrophy.
2. Load Management: Use a load that is just slightly above what you want to move, avoiding going too heavy and losing repetition count.
3. Frequency: Because you're using a lower load, you can practice these exercises more frequently, up to 3-4 times a week, without causing excessive soreness 1.
4. Volume: Aim for a sufficient volume of work, like 15-20 sets per week, for hypertrophy gains. This can be split across multiple workouts 2.
5. Eccentric Training: Incorporate eccentric (lowering) phases in your pull-ups to further stimulate muscle growth and control, recognizing that this may increase muscle soreness 3.

   Muscular Endurance Training

   Andy Galpin

   Andrew Huberman

   Andy and Andrew discuss how to train for muscular endurance by focusing on load and repetition range. They recommend training 3-4 times a week with a low load and high repetition range, such as doing sets of 17 push-ups 3 times a week. The goal is to stay around the number you want to work on, without going too high and losing the repetition count.

   

   Huberman Lab

   Dr. Andy Galpin: How to Build Physical Endurance & Lose Fat | Huberman Lab Guest Series

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Always remember to allow for adequate rest and recovery, and to listen to your body to prevent overtraining.

The Huberman Lab delves into the topic of time-restricted eating and the best practices for integrating it into daily life, with specific consideration for One Meal A Day (OMAD) approaches. Andrew Huberman discusses that while there isn't a universally ideal feeding window for OMAD due to individual differences and lack of robust studies exclusively focused on OMAD, there are a few guidelines that can optimize the practice:

• Start Your Feeding Window at Least One Hour After Waking: This helps your body maintain a more stable circadian rhythm and could benefit health parameters related to fasting 1.
• Ensure Your Feeding Window Ends Well Before Sleep: Ending at least two, and ideally three, hours before bedtime assists with digestion and transitioning to the fasted state 1.
• Maintain Consistency in Your Feeding Time Day-to-Day: The feeding window should fall at roughly the same time each day to support circadian rhythm and maximize the benefits of fasting without causing disruptions to your system 2.

In the podcast, there is a discussion regarding shorter feeding windows, such as four to six hours, which can lead to overeating and potentially even weight gain 3. While the OMAD approach might align with a very short feeding window and may be suitable for some people's schedules, it's often less socially compatible and not always as easy to adhere to regularly 4.

The seven to nine hour feeding window has been highlighted as beneficial and a practical approach for most people to adhere to 3. If someone is interested in tightening their feeding window with OMAD, they should do so in a way that doesn't lead to overeating and is compatible with their lifestyle, social schedules, and overall health goals 4.

When choosing an OMAD approach, maintaining regular placement of the feeding window every 24 hours is significant, without allowing it to slide around on weekends, as consistency is key in time-restricted feeding 4.

Given these considerations, the best feeding window for OMAD would be the one that a person can maintain consistently, aligns with their daily routine, and does not lead to unhealthy patterns of overeating. It is recommended to tailor the OMAD practice to individual circumstances and, if possible, consult with a healthcare provider to ensure that it supports one's overall health objectives.

The hormonal effects of a 72-hour fast could potentially include an increase in growth hormone release. In general, fasting can potentiate the secretion of growth hormone, although the sensitivity at the growth hormone receptor might be less during fasting, meaning the typical downstream gene transcription activity might not be significantly higher despite increased growth hormone levels 1.

Fasting also leads to a reduction in insulin and blood glucose levels, as eating increases blood sugar and insulin while fasting decreases them. This corresponds with rises in other hormones associated with the fasted state 2.

Moreover, ghrelin, a hormone mainly known for stimulating hunger, can mimic growth hormone releasing hormone when you are fasting, thereby promoting the secretion of growth hormone 3. This increase in growth hormone could be about a doubling of the waking state levels.

Andrew Huberman and guest David Sinclair also discussed the benefits of longer fasts, including mechanisms such as increased autophagy—a cellular cleansing process—and the chaperone-mediated autophagy system, which kicks in after two to three days of fasting and helps clear misfolded proteins in mice, potentially increasing longevity 4.

However, while fasting may present benefits like enhanced growth hormone levels and autophagy, it should be approached with caution and awareness of the rise in epinephrine and cortisol, which are stress hormones that can create agitation and make one feel closer to the edge of stress 5.

It is important to note that the precise hormonal effects of a 72-hour fast can vary from person to person based on individual physiology and health status. Consulting with a healthcare provider before undertaking extended fasting periods is advisable to ensure safety and to tailor the approach to individual health needs and goals.

For time-restricted feeding (TRF), beginning the feeding window at least one hour after waking and ending it at least two, ideally three, hours before sleep is beneficial for weight loss, fat loss, organ health, quality sleep, and cognition. Keeping the feeding window at more or less the same period each day is also advised to maximize the impact on clock genes that regulate other bodily processes 1.

An eight-hour feeding window seems ideal for many people, offering a practical balance that aligns with social schedules and health benefits. For instance, starting to eat around 10:00 AM or noon and finishing by 6:00 or 8:00 PM can work well 2. However, actual practice often deviates slightly, with the real eating period extending beyond the intended window. Therefore, if aiming for a 10-hour window, setting it for eight or nine hours may be more realistic 3.

Some individuals may opt for shorter feeding windows of four to six hours, though this can sometimes lead to overeating within that time frame. Consistency is key, and the window should not shift significantly day to day 4.

These TRF schedules should be adjusted to individual needs and lifestyles, taking into account social obligations, personal preferences, and overall goals for health and well-being. It is always advisable to consider one's own body's response and to consult with a healthcare professional when implementing TRF or any significant dietary changes.

There is no specific mention of the best time-restricted feeding (TRF) schedule for maximum protein synthesis (MPS) in the available Huberman Lab data. MPS is an important consideration for those focusing on muscle growth and recovery, and various factors can influence its optimization, including total protein intake, protein distribution throughout the day, and the timing of protein ingestion relative to resistance exercise.

If you seek detailed advice on TRF and MPS, it may be beneficial to look into other research on the topic or consult a nutritionist or healthcare professional who can tailor recommendations to individual needs and goals.

Eating in the morning impacts muscle protein synthesis (MPS) positively, especially if quality proteins are ingested early in the day. Andrew Huberman explained in the Huberman Lab that muscle cells are primed to incorporate amino acids and synthesize muscle upon waking due to the expression of clock genes like BMAL1, which regulate protein synthesis within muscle cells. These genes are under circadian regulation, contributing to enhanced MPS early in the day. Therefore, for muscle maintenance or hypertrophy, it may be beneficial to eat quality proteins and amino acids early in the day, even if you train later on 1.

The concept is not to say that MPS cannot occur later in the day; it can, especially after resistance training, which is known to boost MPS. However, the early ingestion of amino acids tends to be more effectively utilized by the body for muscle growth. The suggestion is to ingest protein sometime before 10:00 AM for enhanced MPS 2.

Dr. Layne Norton, a guest on the Huberman Lab, also weighed in with his research findings, indicating the importance of eating frequency and timing for MPS. His studies show that MPS experiences a refractory period where, after being triggered, the system runs for a defined period and then requires time to reset 3.

In summary, if maintaining or increasing muscle mass is the goal, consuming protein early in the day should be considered. It aligns with the body's natural circadian rhythms and is likely to support better utilization of the ingested amino acids for MPS 4 5.