Essentials: How to Exercise for Strength Gains & Hormone Optimization | Dr. Duncan French from Huberman Lab

Essentials: How to Exercise for Strength Gains & Hormone Optimization | Dr. Duncan French

40 minutes Posted Sep 18, 2025 at 8:00 am.

) Duncan French

) Resistance Training & Hormones, Testosterone, Men vs Women

) Increase Testosterone & Resistance Intensity, Tool: 6 x 10 Protocol

) Rest Periods & Metabolic Stimulus

) Sponsor: Function

) Weekly Training Sessions, Varied Intensity & Volume, Recovery

) Short-Term Stress, Testosterone & Performance, Mindset

) Deliberate Cold Exposure, Mindset & Recovery

) Tool: Cold Periodization, Recovery & Goals

) Sponsor: Eight Sleep

) Sport, Skill Training & Quality Movement, Fatigue; Mental Fatigue

) High-Intensity Training & Carbohydrates; Exogenous Ketones; Ketogenic Diet

) Metabolic Efficiency, Carbohydrates & Fat Stores, Tool: Nutrition Periodization

) Sponsor: AGZ by AG1

) Heat Adaptation, Sauna, Sweating

) Training, Nutrition & Adaptations, Tool: 12 Week Program

) Acknowledgements

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Show notes

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Duncan French, PhD, the vice president of performance at the UFC Performance Institute and a world-class performance specialist.

We explain how resistance training and acute stress impact hormones and outline specific weight training protocols to increase testosterone to support strength and hypertrophy. We also discuss how to use cold and heat exposure to enhance recovery and performance. Finally, we explain how to match nutrition to training goals and improve metabolic flexibility.

Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AGZ by AG1: https://drinkagz.com/huberman

Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman

Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman

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