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Andrew Huberman
Mar 20, 2025
22 protocols
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Supercharge Exercise Performance & Recovery with Cooling | Huberman Lab Essentials
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Behaviors
Good Night's Sleep
“So things like getting a good night's sleep. Things like being properly hydrated.”
1:03 ·
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In this episode
22 protocols
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1:03
Good Night's Sleep
Behaviors
“So things like getting a good night's sleep. Things like being properly hydrated.”
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1:06
Being Well Nourished
Behaviors
“Things like being properly hydrated. Things like being well nourished.”
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11:33
Palmar Cooling
Behaviors
“What they essentially found was that cooling the palms, palmar cooling, allowed people, athletes, and recreational athletes to run much further, to lift more weight, and to do more sets and reps to a absolutely staggering degree.”
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13:17
Cold Tube
Tools
“And I'll talk about what you can do at home, but a device where they had people hold on to what was essentially a cold tube. Now this is crucial.”
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19:36
Cooling the Face
Behaviors
“Cooling the hands or the bottoms of your feet, or the face would be the ideal way to dump heat in order to be able to generate more output.”
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19:36
Cooling the Bottoms of the Feet
Behaviors
“Cooling the hands or the bottoms of your feet, or the face would be the ideal way to dump heat in order to be able to generate more output.”
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19:51
Warm the Face
Behaviors
“So if you are somebody who tends to get cold when you are outside, say in the winter or even in the fall you tend to run cold, warming your face is going to be the most important thing that you can do.”
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20:16
Very Cold Can of Soda
Tools
“And he said, well, you could take a frozen juice can, if you have one of those, or a very cold can of soda, and you would want to pass it back and forth between your two hands.”
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20:16
Frozen Juice Can
Tools
“And he said, well, you could take a frozen juice can, if you have one of those, or a very cold can of soda, and you would want to pass it back and forth between your two hands.”
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20:55
Avoid Pre-Workout Ice Bath for Cooling Performance
Behaviors
“If it's a very hot day and you're going to train, getting into an ice bath first, sure, it will cool you down, but that's not going to be as effective as cooling the palms, the bottoms of the feet, and the face.”
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20:55
Ice Bath
Tools
“If it's a very hot day and you're going to train, getting into an ice bath first, sure, it will cool you down, but that's not going to be as effective as cooling the palms, the bottoms of the feet, and the face.”
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21:20
Bucket of Water
Tools
“So no shoes or socks on. Put my feet into-- the bottoms of my feet, just kind of hovering about a centimeter or two below the surface of a bucket of water that was just slightly-- it felt cool.”
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23:01
Cryotherapy
Tools
“And many people are now relying on things like cryotherapy, which requires a lot of expensive equipment, big liquid nitrogen-driven machine.”
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23:11
Cold Shower
Tools
“But a lot of people are using cold baths or ice baths or cold showers. And again, that's not going to optimize recovery.”
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23:11
Cold Bath
Tools
“But a lot of people are using cold baths or ice baths or cold showers. And again, that's not going to optimize recovery.”
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23:43
Avoid Full-Body Cold Immersion After Training
Behaviors
“Put simply, covering the body in cold or immersing the body in cold after training can short circuit or prevent the hypertrophy or muscle growth response.”
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25:04
Use Glabrous Skin Cooling for Recovery
Behaviors
“You really want to rely on one of these three glaborous skin portals of the palms, the bottoms of the feet, or the face.”
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25:17
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers (Tylenol, Advil, Naproxen Sodium)
Supplements
“So things like Tylenol and Advil, and other trade names. And naproxen sodium things of that sort.”
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26:10
Proper Hydration
Behaviors
“And they can also have effects on the kidneys and during long bouts of exercise, or even short bouts of exercise. Water balance and salt balance are also going to be vital to maintain in order to perform well, generate the best muscle contraction, stay mentally alert, and also to stay alive.”
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26:10
Maintain Salt Balance During Exercise
Behaviors
“And they can also have effects on the kidneys and during long bouts of exercise, or even short bouts of exercise. Water balance and salt balance are also going to be vital to maintain in order to perform well, generate the best muscle contraction, stay mentally alert, and also to stay alive.”
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26:28
Avoid NSAIDs Before Training for Performance
Behaviors
“You probably want to think carefully about whether or not you want to use non-steroid anti-inflammatories before any training session, just for the performance augmentation effect, unless you're working carefully with a coach.”
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26:40
Cool Bath
Tools
“I personally am more a fan of cooling of the palms, cooling of the bottoms of my feet by placing them into a bucket or into a cool bath after training.”