Build Muscle, Great Posture & Resilience to Injury | Jeff Cavaliere

Andrew Huberman

May 25, 2026

Episode description

Jeff Cavaliere, MSPT, CSCS, is a physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist and one of the world's leading public educators on resistance training to build muscle size and strength, avoiding and overcoming injuries, and improving your posture and movement patterns (biomechanics). We discuss often-overlooked muscles and exercises that support decades of pain-free training and long-term progress. Jeff explains the best and most efficient ways to strengthen glutes, rotator cuff, neck, and foot muscles and connective tissues, and how to resolve back, hip, and other pain. We also cover the essentials of cardio, fat loss, and nutrition and how to make excellent and ongoing progress despite real-life training constraints. This episode is crucial for men and women as young as their teens, 20s, and 30s, all the way up to their 70s, 80s (and beyond) to be strong, mobile, and pain-free.

Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/DFp36sN

Andrew Huberman trains with Jeff Cavaliere
Biceps and forearms: https://youtu.be/k-saqncIRUM
The face pull: https://youtu.be/UMGpxwhsy_k
Triceps: https://youtu.be/I15CbBVsErY

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Jeff Cavaliere
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Jeff Cavaliere
00:02:43 Lower Back, Back Pain
00:10:06 Tool: Exercises for Lower Back Pain & Strengthen Glutes
00:15:29 Sponsors: David & Our Place
00:18:05 Walking Exercises to Strengthen Glutes
00:23:23 Small Focused Exercises & Timing; Workout Soreness & Pain
00:27:08 Tools: “Old Man” Test, Functional Strength Tests
00:35:08 Sports, Movement Imbalance
00:40:57 Tool: Training Like An Athlete
00:46:44 Sponsor: AG1
00:48:28 Inner Elbow Pain, Tool: Grip Modification
00:54:21 Shoulder, Rotator Cuff Training, Tool: External Rotation Exercise
01:06:50 Tool: Neck Training; Women, Posture
01:15:20 Longevity, Strength & Agility; Pain & Construction Zone Analogy
01:19:50 Sponsor: Joovv
01:21:12 Cardio, Bike, Jumping Rope; Fat Loss: Zone 2 or HIIT?
01:29:27 Nutrition, Tools: Calorie Counting; Plate Method
01:40:18 Foot Stability, Tool: Foot Strength Test; Longevity
01:48:15 Sponsor: Function
01:49:53 Warm-Up Sets; Reps in Reserve or Train to Failure?; Work Sets
02:00:30 Training Frequency; Tool: Real-Life Constraints, Split the Splits
02:13:58 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#hubermanlab #jeffcavaliere #athleanx

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Strengthen weak muscles to prevent spasms

Releasing a muscle spasm is a temporary fix; the long-term solution is to strengthen the underlying weak muscles that caused the spasm in the first place.

#muscle

Perform daily balance test to enhance longevity

A simple daily longevity test is to put on your socks and shoes while standing on one leg, which challenges your balance, hip strength, and mobility.

#balance

#longevity

Center shoulder joint with rotator cuff during arm elevation

The primary function of the rotator cuff is to keep the ball of the shoulder joint centered in its socket during arm elevation, preventing impingement.

#muscle

Strengthen glute medius to alleviate back pain

Most non-surgical back pain is not a structural issue in the back itself, but rather a symptom of weakness or spasm in the glute medius muscle.

#back-pain

#muscle

Perform reverse hypers on your bed for glute strength

You can perform reverse hypers at home without equipment by lying on your bed with your legs hanging off and lifting them while squeezing your glutes.

#exercise

#muscle

Isolate small muscles after fatiguing larger ones

Performing corrective exercises after your main workout is effective because the larger, compensating muscles are pre-fatigued, allowing smaller muscles to be better isolated.

#exercise

#muscle

Split workouts into two sessions to manage fatigue

If life gets in the way, splitting a single workout into two smaller sessions on consecutive days is a practical strategy for managing fatigue and maintaining intensity.

#exercise

#routine

Focus on bilateral strength training for balanced athletic performance

Athletes in unilateral sports should focus on general, bilateral strength training in the gym to build a balanced body, rather than replicating sport-specific movements.

#exercise

#strength

Maintain grip to alleviate inner elbow pain during pulling exercises

Inner elbow pain during pulling exercises is often caused by letting the bar slip towards the fingertips; the solution is to keep the bar deep in the palm.