Hydration & Recovery
Andy Galpin's hydration equation tells you exactly how much fluid and sodium to drink during hard exercise. Even mild dehydration measurably degrades strength, endurance and focus, and Galpin treats sleep, down-regulation and clean bedroom air as equally non-negotiable parts of recovery.
Hydrate with the Galpin Equation Every 15 min of hard exercise, drink (bodyweight in lbs / 30) ounces
A simple systematic rule that removes the guesswork. Start sessions already hydrated, with electrolytes in the fluid, not just plain water.
Get your sodium right ~500mg sodium around training; more if you're a salty sweater
Aim for roughly a 2:1 sodium-to-potassium ratio. If your kit dries with white salt residue, you're a heavy-salt sweater and need more.
Fuel and carb-load intelligently Carbs in long sessions; build glycogen over 3 to 4 days pre-event
For long or intense work, carbohydrate sustains performance. Carb-loading means raising intake over several days, not one giant pasta dinner.
Treat sleep as recovery #1 Consistent, sufficient sleep, non-negotiable
Sleep is where training adaptation is consolidated. No supplement or modality outperforms simply sleeping enough, consistently.
Fix your bedroom air Ventilate; watch CO2 build-up
High CO2 in a closed bedroom worsens sleep onset, causes wakeups and dents next-day cognition. Cracking a door/window or monitoring CO2 helps.
Deliberately shift into recovery mode 5 to 30 min nasal breathing / slow breathwork
Slow nasal breathing activates the parasympathetic system. Galpin notes a short down-regulation session can do the job of an afternoon nap.
This protocol works from your actual levels. Testing partner coming soon.
- Bedroom CO2 / air-quality monitor
We may earn a referral fee if you book testing through a future partner link; it will never affect which tests are listed here. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis.
Even mild dehydration measurably degrades strength, endurance and focus, and most people manage it by guessing.
View sources
Huberman Lab Guest Series: Maximize Recovery to Achieve Fitness & Performance Goals
Maximize Recovery to Achieve Fitness & Performance Goals
Huberman Lab + Galpin: training, hydration, recovery & the Galpin Equation
Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Andy Galpin and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Andy Galpin or Exercise scientist.
Is this for you
- Anyone who under-hydrates or only drinks plain water
- Hard trainers who recover poorly between sessions
- People with restless or unrefreshing sleep
- Athletes who want a simple, systematic hydration rule
Cautions
- If you have kidney disease, heart failure or are on sodium- or fluid-restricted medical advice, do not raise sodium or fluid intake without your doctor.
- Very high water intake without electrolytes can dangerously dilute blood sodium (hyponatremia); replace electrolytes, don't just drink more water.
- Persistent unrefreshing sleep or loud snoring can signal a disorder worth investigating with a doctor.
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