In a recent episode of Huberman Lab Essentials, neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman sat down with Dr. Andy Galpin, an exercise physiology expert, to break down exactly how fit you really are.
Most people think they know their fitness level, but they’re probably wrong.
Dr. Galpin revealed a comprehensive nine-part assessment system that exposes weaknesses you didn’t know existed.
Here’s everything you need to know about measuring your true fitness—and why it matters more than you think.
Jump to:
- The Two Goals Everyone Has (Whether They Admit It Or Not)
- The Nine Pillars of Physical Fitness
- How to Test Movement Quality (Without Spending a Dime)
- The Power Test Everyone Should Pass
- Grip Strength: The Surprising Health Predictor
- The Lower Body Strength Test You Can Actually Do
- How Much Muscle Do You Actually Need?
- The Push-Up Test (And Why You’re Probably Failing)
- Testing Your Cardiovascular Limits
- VO2 Max: Your Body’s Horsepower Rating
- The 30-Minute Nasal Breathing Test
- How Often Should You Actually Test?
The Two Goals Everyone Has (Whether They Admit It Or Not)
According to Dr. Galpin, exercise goals typically fall into two categories: aesthetics and functionality.
When it comes to exercise, people generally have two major goals in mind. Goal number one is achieving some sort of appearance. The other one is functionality. So I want to be able to perform a certain way.
Whether you want to look better in a swimsuit or simply have energy throughout the day, understanding where you stand across multiple fitness domains is essential. The key is identifying which areas need the most attention and why you’re not hitting your goals as efficiently as possible.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The Nine Pillars of Physical Fitness
Dr. Galpin outlined nine distinct physiological adaptations that cover the entire spectrum of human performance. These aren’t arbitrary categories—they represent every major way your body can adapt to exercise.
1. Skill or Technique
This involves practicing specific movements like running mechanics, swinging a golf club, or shooting a basketball. It’s the foundation that keeps you injury-free and allows continued training.
2. Speed
Simply moving at higher velocity or with better rate of acceleration. Think sprinting or rapid directional changes.
3. Power
Power equals speed multiplied by force. It’s your ability to generate maximum force quickly—essential for explosive movements.
4. Force or Strength
The maximum load you can move or maximum force you can produce one time. This is often confused with muscular endurance, but they’re distinctly different.
5. Muscle Hypertrophy
This is the first purely aesthetic adaptation—simply how big your muscles are. Unlike strength, hypertrophy focuses on muscle size rather than functional output.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
6. Muscular Endurance
How many repetitions you can perform of a movement, typically in the 5-50 rep range. Push-ups, sit-ups, and similar tests measure this quality.
A push-up test is really how many reps that your triceps and pecs and deltoids can do. It is not a cardiovascular endurance. It is not a global physiological endurance.
7. Anaerobic Capacity
Maximum work output you can sustain for 30-120 seconds of all-out effort. This is your classic high-intensity interval training zone where you reach tremendous global fatigue.
8. Maximum Aerobic Capacity (VO2 Max)
The maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise, typically reached in 8-15 minutes of maximum effort. This differs from anaerobic capacity because it requires several minutes to fully challenge.
9. Long Duration Endurance
Your ability to sustain submaximal work for extended periods (20-60+ minutes) without breaks or intensity drops. This is traditional “cardio” or steady-state training.
How to Test Movement Quality (Without Spending a Dime)
Dr. Galpin recommends a simple four-part self-assessment that anyone can perform at home. While working with a qualified physical therapist is ideal, you can get tremendous value from recording yourself.
Choose four representative movements: an upper body press (push-up), an upper body pull (pull-up or row), a lower body press (squat), and a lower body pull (deadlift).
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Record 3-10 slow, controlled repetitions from front and side angles. Then analyze four critical factors:
- Symmetry: Do both sides move identically? Check front-to-back, left-to-right, and limb-to-limb.
- Stability: Can you control the movement without shaking, especially at the bottom position? Try pausing for 3-10 seconds.
- Awareness: Many technique flaws are simply lack of knowledge—once corrected, they disappear.
- Range of Motion: Each joint should move through full range without compromising other joints.
Dr. Galpin uses a simple 0-1-3 scoring system. Zero means high acute injury risk. One indicates minor flaws requiring caution with load and volume. Three means you’re cleared to proceed with reasonable protocols.
The Power Test Everyone Should Pass
The broad jump provides a quick snapshot of your power output. Stand still, then jump forward as far as possible without a running approach.
The standard: You should be able to jump your height. If you’re 5’10”, you should reach 5’10”. Women should aim for approximately 15% less than their height.
Measure from your toe line to the back of your rear heel where it lands. High-performance NFL players routinely jump 9-11 feet, but that’s not necessary for health—matching your height indicates sufficient power.
Grip Strength: The Surprising Health Predictor
Grip strength has emerged as one of the most reliable predictors of overall health and longevity. Testing requires either a hand grip dynamometer (now available for $20-25) or a simple dead hang test.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Hand grip dynamometer standards:
- Men: Minimum 40 kg, ideal above 60 kg
- Women: Minimum 35 kg
- Less than 10% variation between dominant and non-dominant hands
Dead hang standards:
- Minimum: 30 seconds
- Good: 30-50 seconds
- Excellent: 60+ seconds
These numbers don’t scale perfectly for very heavy or light individuals, but they provide valuable baseline targets.
The Lower Body Strength Test You Can Actually Do
While barbell back squats represent the gold standard for lower body strength, they’re technically demanding and require spotters. Dr. Galpin recommends the leg extension as a more accessible alternative.
Target: Body weight for one repetition maximum. For those over 40, reduce by approximately 10% per decade.
You don’t need to perform a true one-rep max. Instead, load a weight you can lift for fewer than five repetitions, then use online one-rep max calculators to estimate your maximum strength. Accuracy decreases significantly beyond five reps.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
An alternative: The front squat or goblet squat hold. Hold half your body weight at the bottom of a squat for 45 seconds. For beginners, aim for one-third body weight for 30 seconds.
How Much Muscle Do You Actually Need?
Muscle mass isn’t just about aesthetics—insufficient muscle mass creates serious health risks regardless of your goals. The best measurement is Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), calculated from DEXA scans or bioelectrical impedance tests.
FFMI targets:
- Men: 20 or higher (24-25 indicates substantial muscle mass)
- Women: 18 or higher
These standards assume you’re below 30% body fat for men and 35% for women. If you’re a man below 17 or a woman below 15, you’re in dangerous territory for insufficient muscle mass.
Online FFMI calculators only require three inputs: total body weight, body fat percentage, and height. Most will provide grading rubrics showing where you stand.
The Push-Up Test (And Why You’re Probably Failing)
Muscular endurance tests reveal how long your muscles can sustain repeated contractions. The push-up test remains one of the most practical assessments.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Standards for consecutive push-ups:
- Men: 25+ (full lockout at top, chest touches or nearly touches ground)
- Women: 15+ minimum, 5-15 acceptable, below 5 indicates problems
Additional endurance tests include 60-second front planks and 45-second side planks. For a strength-based endurance test, load any strength exercise to 75% of your one-rep max and perform as many reps as possible—you should complete more than eight repetitions.
Testing Your Cardiovascular Limits
Anaerobic capacity testing pushes you to tremendous fatigue in 30-60 seconds. Laboratory tests like the Wingate protocol (30-second maximum effort) or Bosco protocol (60 seconds of continuous vertical jumps) provide gold standards, but you can approximate these with any maximum-effort activity.
The most accessible metric is heart rate recovery. After reaching maximum heart rate (roughly 220 minus your age), your heart rate should drop approximately:
- 30 beats per minute within 60 seconds
- 60 beats per minute within 2 minutes
- 90 beats per minute within 3 minutes
Poor recovery rates indicate cardiovascular capacity problems that need addressing.
VO2 Max: Your Body’s Horsepower Rating
Maximum aerobic capacity represents your body’s ability to utilize oxygen during intense exercise. Laboratory testing with gas collection provides the gold standard, but field tests offer reasonable approximations.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The 12-Minute Cooper Test: Run as far as possible in 12 minutes (typically 1-2+ miles depending on fitness). Enter your distance into online calculators to estimate VO2 max.
The Rockport One-Mile Walk Test: Walk one mile, record your time and heart rate at completion, then calculate your estimated VO2 max.
VO2 max targets:
- Men: Minimum 35 ml/kg/min, good above 50, excellent above 55
- Women: Minimum 30 ml/kg/min, excellent above 50
The 30-Minute Nasal Breathing Test
Long duration endurance measures your ability to sustain continuous work for 20+ minutes without stopping. Dr. Galpin adds an interesting twist: Can you maintain the pace while breathing only through your nose?
Choose any activity—cycling, rowing, running—and maintain consistent output without breaks or intensity drops. Walking doesn’t count unless you’re extremely deconditioned. Successfully completing 30 minutes of nasal-only breathing at a working pace indicates solid aerobic capacity.
How Often Should You Actually Test?
Dr. Galpin recommends completing the full battery once yearly, ideally spread across three days. This “testing week” provides a comprehensive snapshot of your fitness landscape.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Optimal testing schedule:
Day 1: Body composition (FFMI), movement assessment, power test (broad jump), strength tests, muscular endurance tests
Day 2: Long duration endurance test, possibly anaerobic capacity test
Day 3: VO2 max test (Cooper 12-minute test or Rockport walk test)
Avoid hard exercise 48 hours before body composition testing, as inflammation and water storage skew results. Always perform maximum strength and power tests when fresh, saving fatiguing protocols for later in sessions or separate days.
We don’t want any severe performance anchors. You just want to make sure there’s no severe constraints because you’re going to get limited by that thing.
The goal isn’t perfection across all nine domains. Instead, identify severe weaknesses—what Dr. Galpin calls “performance anchors”—that limit your overall fitness and longevity. Address those first, bringing them from dangerous to sufficient, then pursue optimization in areas you’re passionate about.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Testing week won’t feel like a deload—you’ll finish feeling accomplished with clear direction for the next training cycle. Just like annual blood work reveals internal health markers, annual fitness testing exposes physical capabilities and limitations you can’t see in the mirror.
