Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin

In this episode, my guest is Dan Garner, a renowned human performance coach behind UFC champions, Olympic medalists, and CEOs. We discuss how he bridges the gap between sports science and real-world coaching. Dan explains constraint theory — finding the single bottleneck holding someone back — and walks through the blood markers he uses to find it, including why a 20% testosterone swing can be pure noise, why vitamin D has no usable reference change value, and why the omega-3 index is the most honest marker he tracks. We cover his three-step approach to fat loss, diet breaks, low energy availability, hypertrophy clusters, deload strategy, and an evidence-first framework for evaluating peptides. This episode is for anyone who wants to measure what they're doing and adjust it intelligently rather than guessing.

Show notes: https://www.performpodcast.com/episodes/dan-garner-how-to-reach-your-fitness-goals

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

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

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) White House UFC & Ronda Rousey's Return

(00:06:14) Dan Garner's Coaching Career & Health as a Performance Constraint

(00:11:19) Build a Better Schedule: Daily Review, Preparation & Consistency

(00:23:22) Results vs. Activity: Measurement, Progression & Deep Work

(00:35:29) Evidence-Based Coaching: Science, Context & Critical Thinking

(00:41:32) Prescribe, Measure & Adjust: Adherence Before Physiology

(00:47:15) Real-Life Constraints, Goal Alignment & Extreme Balance

(00:56:36) Protein, Fiber, Sunlight & Constraint Theory

(01:00:03) Biomarker Noise: Testosterone, Vitamin D & Omega-3

(01:09:42) Testosterone: Optimal Ranges, Performance & Low Levels

(01:15:31) Low Energy Availability, Diet Breaks & Metabolic Health

(01:21:09) Fat-Loss Blueprint: Calories, Macros & Nutrient Timing

(01:27:27) Diet Readiness: Symptoms, Blood Work & Removing Constraints

(01:31:30) Testosterone Testing: Meaningful Change, Free T & Lab Variability

(01:36:31) Omega-3 Index: Targets, Dosing & Measuring Your Response

(01:45:46) Vitamin D: Targets, Dosing & Misleading Results

(01:54:41) Building a Better Physique: Timing, Meal Frequency & Adherence

(02:03:26) Combining Cardio & Lifting; Training Splits for Aesthetics

(02:08:35) Flexible Programming, Recovery Days & Smarter Deloads

(02:14:39) Lagging Muscles, Calf Training & Hypertrophy Clusters

(02:24:20) Training to Failure & the "One Bad Rep" Rule

(02:27:31) Sleep Supplements, Pre-Workouts & Recovery Strategies

(02:40:50) Peptides: Evidence, Risk, Monitoring & SS-31

(02:51:33) MOTS-c: Mitochondria, AMPK & Response Variability

(02:56:20) Retatrutide: Triple-Agonist Therapy, Benefits & Unknown Risks

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, I answer your questions on nutrition, hydration, and recovery in our second audience Q&A. I start with what I call the 90%: the principles nearly every effective nutrition plan shares, from food quality and caloric balance to fiber targets, vegetable volume, color variety, and liquid calories. I then cover the four elements of fueling around training, glucose, amino acid availability, hydration, and GI distress, including the Galpin Equation for fluid intake during exercise. I walk through the three-step process I use to coach nutrition, which begins by adding nutrients rather than restricting them, and I explain when body recomposition is possible, what the protein data actually support, and why strength training is a bigger signal for muscle growth than protein. I close with what separates high performers from everyone else: energy management. This episode is for anyone who wants the fundamentals before the fine-tuning.

Show notes: https://www.performpodcast.com/episodes/fundamentals-of-nutrition-hydration-performance-fueling

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Core Tenets of Nutrition

(00:00:09) Audience Q&A, 5 Question Categories

(00:03:57) The 90%; Food Quality & Whole Foods

(00:07:12) Caloric Balance, Under- vs Over-Fueling

(00:08:53) Protein Priority; Carbohydrate & Fat Balance

(00:10:46) Fiber, Soluble vs Insoluble; Daily Target

(00:12:10) Tool: Half Your Plate Vegetables; Color Variety

(00:14:35) Raw vs Cooked, Antioxidants vs Minerals

(00:17:00) Liquid Calories, Hidden & Intentional Use

(00:19:48) Sustainability, Meal Frequency & Timing

(00:21:13) Food Safety, Allergies & Environmental Pollutants

(00:23:15) Refueling & Hydration, 4 Elements; Carbs During Training

(00:26:13) Muscle as a Carbon Sink; Glucose Storage

(00:29:27) Amino Acids; Does Protein Timing Matter?

(00:30:54) Hydration, Tool: Half Body Weight in Ounces

(00:32:14) Tool: Galpin Equation; Electrolytes

(00:33:28) Tool: Post-Workout Rehydration, 125% Rule

(00:35:18) GI Distress, Carbs Per Hour; Training Your Gut

(00:39:17) Coaching Nutrition, Tool: Add Before Subtracting

(00:40:04) Reframing "Bad" Foods; Crowding Out

(00:44:19) Tool: 3 Steps, Deficiencies, Amounts, Fine-Tuning

(00:45:49) Body Recomposition, Muscle Gain in a Deficit

(00:47:49) Body Fat Thresholds; 5-10% Surplus or Deficit

(00:48:50) 3,500 Calories Per Pound of Fat, Small Deficits

(00:50:39) Energetics of Muscle vs Fat, High Investment

(00:52:49) Protein for Muscle Gain, 1.6 vs 2.2 g/kg

(00:54:07) Is vs Ought; Protein in a Caloric Deficit

(00:58:08) Strength Training as the Biggest Signal; 30-Gram Myth

(01:01:27) What Separates High Performers?

(01:02:37) Energy Management, Calories, Recovery & Emotion

(01:04:50) Energy in Sport, Veterans & Strategy

(01:05:45) Tool: Run Your Own Energy Inventory

(01:07:31) Recap & Closing

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, I answer your questions in the first-ever open Q&A on Perform, working through the five themes that came up most. I start with how I think about training for longevity—why being well-rounded and resilient matters more than chasing any single marker like grip strength or VO2 max. From there, I break down the basics of training for muscle, strength, and fat loss, including the simple rules I use for each: the 72-hour rule for hypertrophy, the 3-to-5 rule for strength, and the 5-4-3-2-1 rule for fat loss. I then walk through my exact process for program design, what "functional" training really means, and where AI is actually useful—and where it falls short—for your health and performance. This one is for anyone who wants a clear, practical foundation for building their own training.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction: The First-Ever Perform Q&A

(00:02:48) Training for Longevity & Resilience

(00:05:52) Grip Strength & VO2 Max: Proxies vs. Real Targets

(00:12:51) Muscle vs. Strength vs. Fat Loss

(00:14:10) Building Muscle: Mechanical Tension & the 72-Hour Rule

(00:19:54) Progressive Overload

(00:22:39) Training Strength as a Skill

(00:26:45) The 3-to-5 Rule for Strength & Power

(00:30:10) Fat Loss & the 5-4-3-2-1 Rule

(00:36:48) Program Design: The Modifiable Variables

(00:38:07) Frequency, Exercise Choice & Order

(00:45:24) Intensity, Volume & Rest Intervals

(00:48:52) Predicting Problems in Your Program

(00:50:24) Functional Training & Movement Quality

(00:59:12) Stretching, Flexibility & Lengthened Partials

(01:03:26) AI in Health & Performance

(01:09:10) Recap & Closing Thoughts

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mike Roberts, Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University, and one of the most respected muscle physiologists, to explain how muscle actually grows. Mike shares that mechanical tension—not hormones, metabolic byproducts, or muscle damage—is the primary driver of hypertrophy. We cover why testosterone and androgen receptors don't necessarily predict muscle growth, what separates high responders from low responders, and how these “low responders” should train to best get results. We also work through training volume, load versus reps, lengthened partials, aging and anabolic resistance, and the interference effect between strength and endurance training. If you want to understand the real science of building muscle, this conversation is for you.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/galpin

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

Trumed: https://truemed.com/perform

Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:03:15) How Muscle Grows

(00:17:39) What Drives Growth: Tension, Stress & Damage

(00:24:08) Responders vs. Non-Responders

(00:29:54) Hormones, Receptors & Genetics

(00:48:01) Cell Signaling, mTOR & Myostatin

(00:56:32) Can Some People Not Grow Muscle?

(01:01:34) Training Volume for Hypertrophy

(01:08:34) Loads, Reps & Stretch Under Load

(01:17:13) Range of Motion, Partials & Hyperplasia

(01:31:31) Injury, Unloading & Muscle Banking

(01:39:32) Muscle Memory: Detraining & Retraining

(01:47:42) Aging, Menopause & Anabolic Resistance

(02:01:21) Concurrent Training & the Interference Effect

(02:08:54) How to Combine Strength & Cardio

(02:24:03) Strength Training & Mitochondria

(02:25:21) Closing Thoughts

Disclaimer & Disclosures
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In this episode, I tackle muscle asymmetries and imbalances — when the differences between your two sides help you, when they hurt you, and what to actually do about them. I move past the popular "10% rule" and walk through my three I's framework: how to investigate asymmetries across morphology (muscle size and shape), quality (fat infiltration inside the muscle), and functionality (strength, power, and movement); how to interpret the data using context rather than blanket numbers; and how to intervene with a practical five-step correction program built around unilateral training and plyometrics. I cover testing tools from tape measures to MRI, the research on grip-strength asymmetry and aging, and why lower-body asymmetries warrant more attention than upper-body ones. This is for athletes, coaches, and anyone who moves and wants to reduce injury risk or perform at their best.

Sponsors

Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/perform

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/perform

David: https://davidprotein.com/perform

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:02:30) The Three Types: Morphology, Quality, Function

(00:09:09) Laterality: Skill vs. Force Dominance

(00:13:21) Why Asymmetries Develop

(00:19:47) The Bilateral Force Deficit

(00:24:43) Investigate: How to Measure Asymmetries

(00:29:27) Morphology: Tape Measures to MRI

(00:30:41) Tissue Quality & Fat Infiltration

(00:36:21) Functionality: The Unlimited Field of Tests

(00:42:30) Interpret: When Do Asymmetries Matter?

(00:43:25) Muscle Size: Is the Asymmetry Even Real?

(00:51:02) Push vs. Pull & the Limb-Length Myth

(00:58:44) Movement Screens & the FMS

(01:01:30) Strength, Power & Injury Risk

(01:04:25) Grip Strength Asymmetry & Aging

(01:09:46) Symmetrical Sports & the Energy Leak

(01:15:53) Red, Yellow, Green: The Real Thresholds

(01:19:35) Intervene: Correcting Asymmetries

(01:20:46) Why Plyometrics Work Best

(01:23:50) The Five-Step Correction Program

(01:31:59) The Volume Game

(01:33:50) Resources & Final Takeaways

Disclaimer & Disclosures
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices