Everyone finds themselves with a stretch of days or a week or two where life simply fills up your calendar. Regardless of how frequently you exercise, lift weights, go to the gym or do any type of workout, there’s bound to be stretches that leave you with less free time than normal. This is just one of the reasons why neuroscientist and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, Andrew Huberman, doubled down on a point previously made on his podcast about “exercise snacks.”
The topic was recommended by Dr. Andy Galpin, who appeared on the Huberman Lab podcast previously. However, even if you aren’t necessarily strapped for time, and just want a quick way to raise your heart rate, Huberman explains how these tools are a perfect approach for that as well.
What Are Exercise Snacks?
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Huberman dove deeper into the topic of exercise snacks by highlighting a few benefits and ways they can be utilized. For starters, it’s worth noting that these are quick, don’t require a warmup and can essentially be done anywhere.
During the breakdown, which was posted by Huberman Lab Clips, the neuroscientist even mentions that he’s done them in the airport while waiting to catch a plane. Huberman breaks down two types of exercise snacks, with the first focusing on cardio and the second on muscular endurance.
“The first category are exercise snacks that are going to improve or maintain your cardiovascular fitness,” Huberman said.
Dr. Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab) discusses the concept of “exercise snacks,” a fitness strategy recommended by @DrAndyGalpin to enhance or maintain fitness:
“The first category are exercise snacks that are going to improve or maintain your cardiovascular fitness.”
“The second… pic.twitter.com/CR1ZGUcOi6
— Huberman Lab Clips (@HLPClips) September 16, 2025
This is one where you can easily hop up from your desk and do them or basically find any 30-90 second span of free time in order to do quick cardio. The aspect of maintaining or improving your cardio depends on what stage/shape you’re currently in, but they’re beneficial regardless.
Huberman highlights the second category which is focused on “muscular endurance.” So, instead of a typical gym session in which you may be lifting weight to gain strength, you’ll do something that focuses on the endurance aspect of muscle building.
Andrew Huberman’s Approach to Exercise Snacks
There were several suggestions made by Huberman for approaches that can be taken on both the cardiovascular fitness side of exercise snacks, and also options focused on muscular endurance.
Below are a few options for those looking to improve or maintain cardiovascular fitness, which Huberman notes he’s used if feeling lethargic or in an instance where he won’t get to train on a specific day:
- 50-100 jumping jacks
- Find a stairwell, go up stairwell as fast as you (safely) can for 20-40 seconds
- Run to your car in the parking lot (20-30 seconds), not all-out sprinting
A few options focused on muscular endurance can include the following:
- Maintain a wall set for a specific amount of time
- Maintain a plank
- Maximum number of push-ups you can do in one session
- Maximum number of sit-ups in one session
Huberman goes on to note that you can essentially swap in any type of quick cardio or muscular endurance-centric option for these above. The key, though, is not do anything too intense or risk injury, as these are intended to help raise your heart rate and can be done at virtually any point in the day.
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