
Today I’m talking with Dr. Andy Galpin, researcher, and professor of Kinesiology at California State University in Fullerton. He’s an expert on all things muscle, strength, and human performance related and has worked with some of the world’s top athletes. I’ve followed his work for a long time and have found his protocols to be really helpful in my own fitness journey.
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to benefit from today’s chat though! Dr. Galpin covers how women (especially moms!) can maximize their health with strength training for a healthier, longer life. In fact, how strong we are has a direct relationship with how long we live. We also talk about getting the kids involved and the importance of learning to love movement. And we cover why BMI doesn’t mean much, and how to actually evaluate your health.
We cover a ton of practical advice and how to realistically implement it into our daily lives. As a dad of two little ones, Dr. Galpin understands just how busy parent life can be. I learned a lot from my chat with Dr. Galpin and I’m sure you will too!
Episode Highlights With Andy Galpin
- How he got into working with high level athletes all over the world and teaching at a graduate level about these topics
- Why strength and performance is about much more than aesthetics or fat loss and why it should be a focus for all of us
- Why on average, the people who die fastest are the weakest and have the least muscle mass
- The reason strength outweighs even cardiovascular fitness, smoking, and other risk factors for predicting life span
- Reasons it is important to build strength right now
- How glucose regulation is controlled partially by muscle
- Metrics for knowing if your skeletal muscle is in a good range as you age
- How grip strength is correlated to strength and longevity
- What a DEXA scan is and what the data means
- FFMI calculations and what they can tell us
- Why muscle matters potentially more than fat for health
- Actual differences between men and women when it comes to training
- Why women tend to recover better and handle more volume
- What the 3-5 protocol is and how to use it for building strength most effectively
- Protocol for strength, hypertrophy, and fat loss
- What actually works for fat loss
- Water is the only macronutrient that every single living being needs to consume
- Hydration tests you can do on yourself to know if your hydration is good
Resources We Mention
- Andy Galpin
- Andy Galpin – Instagram
- Hand grip strength tester
- FFMI Calculator
- WHR Calculator
- Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
More From Wellness Mama
- 304: Ninja Warrior Travis Brewer on Movement, Gratitude, and Play
- 273: Aaron Alexander on The Power of Movement for Mind and Body
- 093: Meredith Vieceli on Avoiding Common Fitness Mistakes
- 556: Kristin Weitzel on Women’s Health, Fitness, Recovery, Ice Baths, and Supplements
- 8 Ways to Make Fitness a Habit
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