Physio Reacts to Jeff Cavaliere on Huberman Lab Podcast
Key insights: 60-second read
- Strengthening weak muscles can fix pain, but that doesn't mean you've solved the root cause - why were those muscles weak in the first place? The answer often lies higher up the chain.
- Lower back dysfunction can inhibit hip strength - the nerves that tell your glutes to fire come from your spine. A stiff back can "sedate" your hip muscles.
- Pain going away does not mean everything is perfect - being below the painful threshold is not the same as functioning optimally. Hidden issues may be bubbling away underneath.
- Your sedentary habits matter more than your workouts - the shapes you put your spine into most of the day (sitting, phone use) often explain why specific areas become vulnerable.
- Elbow pain from grip weakness often traces back to the neck - the nerves that supply your forearm muscles originate in your lower neck. Hidden neck stiffness can reduce neural drive.
I have enormous respect for Andrew Huberman and Jeff Cavalier. They are pioneers in their fields, and their podcast episode is full of excellent, practical advice. This is not a critique. It is a clinical perspective - an extra layer I want to add as a physiotherapist with over 20 years of experience.
The core question I keep coming back to is this: why did the weakness or tightness develop in the first place? Strengthening weak muscles can absolutely resolve pain. I do that every day. But if you do not ask why they became weak, you may be treating the symptom, not the cause.
"No shade on any of these gentlemen - nothing but love, nothing but respect. But please keep an open mind if I have a slightly different perspective."
On this page
Repetition doesn't cause injury - it exposes hidden dysfunction
Jeff mentions that in his younger days, he did "all the dumb stuff" and suffered from knee, back, and shoulder pain. This resonates. But here is the key perspective: repetition is not bad for you. It is normal. It is how we learn and improve.
Repetition is really good at exposing hidden underlying dysfunction that you took into that activity. If you have a stiff segment in your spine, doing 100 squats will not make it less stiff - it will load the structures around it until something gives. The squat didn't cause the problem. It exposed it.
Glute weakness: why is it weak in the first place?
Jeff talks about how glute medius weakness can cause back pain. I agree. But my brain goes to a different question: why is that muscle weak?
Clinically, the leading cause of hip muscles not firing correctly is lower back dysfunction. The nerves that tell your glutes to be strong come from your lower spine (T10-L3).
Try this test: Test someone's glute strength (side-lying hip abduction). Then lie them on a lacrosse ball and release stiff spots in their lower back. Re-test the same glute strength. Quite often, it improves immediately - without doing a single glute exercise. The hip was being "sedated" by stiffness higher up.
If you strengthen your glutes without addressing why they were weak, you may always have to keep doing those exercises. Look higher up the chain.
The missing piece
"If you test glute strength, free up the lower back, and strength returns without any hip exercises, that tells you something important. The weakness was never a hip problem. It was a communication problem from the spine."
The last straw: why pain going away doesn't mean you are fixed
Andrew shares that strengthening his glutes erased his back pain. I do not doubt it. But here is the perspective: when you develop back pain, that is the last straw, not the start of something new.
If your pain is gone, you are below the painful threshold. But we do not know how far below. The less good things you do get you closer to that threshold. The good things get you further away. The pain started when your tissues and nervous system could no longer tolerate what had come before.
I would want to make sure other things are also being addressed - so the pain does not come back ever again.
"When you develop back pain, that is the last straw, not the start. The pain going away does not mean everything is perfect. It just means you are below the threshold where your nervous system feels threatened."
Tight muscles are providing artificial stability
Jeff asks: why do we get spasm? Often, because we are providing artificial stability to an area of weakness. This is a crucial concept.
If a muscle is tighter than it should be, that tightness is there for a reason. Your body is compensating for a lack of something somewhere else. A tight muscle gives more support than a weak one.
If you stretch tight muscles or strengthen weak ones without exploring why they got that way - looking back to the spinal levels that may be inhibiting function - you may forever be chasing symptoms, not solving the root problem.
Rotational strength in push-ups and squats
Jeff discusses how even strong athletes cannot resist hip rotation. I wholeheartedly agree. And the same principle applies to push-ups and squats.
Push-ups: If you screw your hands into the ground without letting your fingers move, you create rotation through the shoulder that engages the rotator cuff. Your elbows will track closer to your trunk - a more stable position.
Squats: With feet straight and external rotation through your knees, the arch of your feet lifts and the rotational muscles of your hip engage. This creates stable platforms for your joints to bend through in a linear plane.
Your sedentary habits matter more than your workouts
Training is normal. Lifting is normal. Becoming injured is not normal. So if you get sore, we need to look at your whole day, not just your workout.
Even if you train for 90 minutes, that leaves 13-15 waking hours unaccounted for. The overwhelming reason behind why someone's back becomes stiff - that I see clinically, is just the basic shapes and positions they put their spine into the most throughout their day. How you sit, how you use your phone, how you drive.
Elbow pain from grip weakness: the neck connection
Andrew shares that his inner elbow pain was actually a grip problem. Strengthening his grip fixed it. Again, I do not doubt it. But here is the broader perspective.
The nerves that supply your forearm muscles originate in your lower neck. If you trace them back, you often find hidden stiffness or restriction at the base of the neck. Not a disc bulge - just overloaded joints and tight muscles.
I would hazard a guess that Andrew also has some hidden stiffness in his neck or upper back. Why would a person have that? Because they are getting into a position where they look down or hinge through that part of their neck for long enough to ask that tissue to become dysfunctional. The elbow pain is just the expression lower down the chain.
The common thread
Everything happens for a reason, musculoskeletally. If a muscle is weak or tight, there is a reason. If you have pain, that is the last straw - not the beginning of the story.
Strengthening weak muscles and releasing tight ones can resolve pain. I do that every day. But if you do not ask why they became weak or tight in the first place - if you do not look higher up the chain at your spine, your daily postural habits, the shapes you put your body into most throughout the day - you may be treating the symptom, not the cause.
The goal is not just to get out of pain. It is to understand why you got into pain, so you can address the root cause and stay pain-free for the long term.
One key insight from this clinical perspective
"Strengthening weak muscles can help with pain. But if you do not ask why those muscles became weak in the first place - looking higher up the chain at your spine, your daily postural habits, the shapes you put your body into most throughout the day - you may be treating the symptom, not the cause. Pain is the last straw, not the beginning of the story."
Frequently asked questions
Does this mean strengthening my glutes won't help my back pain?
No. Strengthening your glutes can absolutely help. I am saying that if your glutes are weak, there is a reason - often higher up the chain. Strengthen them, but also look for the root cause.
Is Jeff Cavalier wrong about glute medius and back pain?
Not at all. Jeff is correct that glute weakness contributes to back pain. I am adding a layer: why is the glute weak? Often because the nerves supplying it are inhibited by lower back stiffness. Both perspectives are complementary.
How do I know if my weakness is coming from my spine?
Test strength. Release stiff spots in your spine with a lacrosse ball. Re-test. If strength improves without direct strengthening, your spine was inhibiting the muscle. A physiotherapist can help you assess this.
Should I stop doing the exercises Jeff recommends?
Absolutely not. The exercises are excellent and effective. Use them for relief and strength. But also investigate the root cause for long-term resolution.
The Huberman Lab podcast with Jeff Cavalier is a great watch. The exercises and principles they discuss are effective and have helped countless people. My goal is to add a layer of clinical perspective, not to diminish their work.
If you take the time to strengthen your weak muscles, that is excellent. But if you also take the time to ask why those muscles became weak - and look higher up the chain at your spine and daily postural habits - you may find that you need to do those strengthening exercises less and less over time.
Because you are not just treating the symptom. You are addressing the root cause.
If you are dealing with persistent pain and want to understand not just what to do, but why your body is responding the way it is, I am here to help. I see patients in Port Macquarie and via telehealth for comprehensive assessment and treatment.
- Grant
Living With Persistent Pain?
If your pain has lasted longer than expected, feels disproportionate to injury, or hasn't responded to standard treatment, you may benefit from a more nervous-system-focused approach. Learn more about our physiotherapy services in Port Macquarie.
Want personalised guidance?
If you would like help making sense of your aches, pains, or ongoing symptoms, you can book with Grant either in Port Macquarie or via telehealth.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes and does not replace individualised medical advice. This blog post represents a clinical perspective reacting to the Huberman Lab podcast with Jeff Cavalier; the original podcast should be consulted for full context. Individual responses to exercise and rehabilitation vary.
