Huberman Lab
Huberman Lab
#health&fitness #science

The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.

How to Learn Skills Faster | Episode 20

May 17, 2021 1:52:14 0.0 MB Downloads: 0

This episode I discuss the science and practice of learning physical skills: what it involves at a biological level, and what to focus on during skill learning at each stage to maximize learning speed and depth. I also describe what to do immediately after a training session (note: this is different than the optimal protocol for cognitive skill training) and as you progress to more advanced levels of performance. I also cover the science of skill-based visualization which does have benefits, but only if done correctly and at the correct times. I discuss auto-replay of skill learning in the brain during sleep and the value of adding in post-training ‘deliberately idle’ sessions. I cover how to immediately improve limb-range-of-motion by leveraging cerebellum function, error generation, optimal repetition numbers for learning and more. As always, scientific mechanism, peer-reviewed studies and science-based protocols are discussed.

 

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Timestamps:

  • 00:00:00 Introduction
  • 00:06:28 Skill Acquisition: Mental & Physical
  • 00:08:40 Clarification About Cold, Heat & Caffeine
  • 00:12:45 Tool: How To Quickly Eliminate the Side-Stitch ‘Cramp’ & BoostHRV Entrainment
  • 00:16:08 Physical Skills: Open-Loop Versus Closed-Loop
  • 00:18:50 Three Key Components To Any Skill
  • 00:21:00 Sources of Control for Movement: 1) CPGs Govern Rhythmic Learned Behavior
  • 00:23:30 Upper Motor Neurons for Deliberate Movement & Learning
  • 00:25:00 Lower Motor Neurons Control Action Execution
  • 00:25:26 What To Focus On While Learning
  • 00:27:10 The Reality of Skill Learning & the 10,000 Hours Myth
  • 00:28:30 Repetitions & The Super Mario Effect: Error Signals vs. Error Signals + Punishment
  • 00:34:00 Learning To Win, Every Time
  • 00:39:26 Errors Solve the Problem of What Focus On While Trying to Learn Skills
  • 00:43:00 Why Increasing Baseline Levels of Dopamine Prior To Learning Is Bad
  • 00:44:40 The Framing Effect (& Protocol Defined)
  • 00:46:10 A Note & Warning To Coaches
  • 00:48:30 What To Do Immediately After Your Physical Skill Learning Practice
  • 00:53:48 Leveraging Uncertainty
  • 00:56:59 What to Pay Attention To While Striving To Improve
  • 01:04:45 Protocol Synthesis Part One
  • 01:07:10 Super-Slow-Motion Learning Training: Only Useful After Some Proficiency Is Attained
  • 01:11:06 How To Move From Intermediate To Advanced Skill Execution faster: Metronomes
  • 01:16:44 Increasing Speed Even If It Means More Errors: Training Central Pattern Generators
  • 01:19:12 Integrated Learning: Leveraging Your Cerebellum (“Mini-Brain”)
  • 01:22:02 Protocol For Increasing Limb Range of Motion, Immediately
  • 01:28:30 Visualization/ Mental Rehearsal: How To Do It Correctly
  • 01:33:50 Results From 15 Minutes Per Day, 5 Days Per Week Visualization (vs. Actual Training)
  • 01:35:34 Imagining Something Is Very Different Than Actually Experiencing It
  • 01:37:58 Cadence Training & Learning “Carryover”
  • 01:39:00 Ingestible Compounds That Support Skill Learning: Motivation, Repetitions, Alpha-GPC
  • 01:43:39 Summary & Sequencing Tools: Reps, Fails, Idle Time, Sleep, Metronome, Visualization
  • 01:46:20 Density Training: Comparing Ultradian- & Non-Ultradian Training Sessions
  • 01:49:24 Cost-Free Ways to Support Us, Sponsors & Alternate Channels, Closing Remarks