Unlocking Persistent Motivation & Extreme Resilience | Ross Edgley
Andrew Huberman talks with ultra endurance swimmer Ross Edgley, who swam around Great Britain and Iceland, about the many sources of motivation behind doing hard things and how to switch between them.
The gist
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They map motivation as spokes on a wheel, like keeping your word, fear of shame, proving doubters wrong; Edgley rotates between them as each fades.
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Edgley says stoicism helped him more than sports psychology when injured, and that coconut oil protected his tongue from salt water damage.
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Huberman says safe deliberate cold exposure teaches you to manage adrenaline, but toughness from one kind of training does not always carry over.
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Edgley strength trains about five days a week in 45-minute sessions, using Bulgarian-inspired pull-up work and 3-second supramaximal holds before heavy lifts.
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Edgley took 400 mg caffeine doses on the Yukon swim; Huberman takes 10 grams of creatine daily and keeps nicotine and alpha-GPC for occasional use.
"I talk a lot about stoicism because I found on my swim, sports psychology can only take you so far. But when I started reading about Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, I was like, well, this is more applicable — control the controllables, accept the uncontrollables... stoicis..."
▶ Play at 1:32:565 creators recommend it, including Ryan Holiday, Andrew Rosen, and Arthur Brooks.
See all on the Stoicism page"But coconut oil, for anyone listening, if you find yourself in a similar situation, coconut oil acts as a barrier, maintains the moisture, and it grows back. It did grow back as well."
▶ Play at 1:34:162 creators recommend it, including Whitney Cummings.
See all on the Coconut oil page
Andrew Huberman recommends it
"Deliberate cold exposure with a shower or a cold plunge done safely — people can get familiar with the experience of being flooded with adrenaline... then they can slow their breathing and grab hold of their mind... This is stress inoculation training... I think cold water is ..."
▶ Play at 1:43:032 creators recommend it, including Rhonda Patrick.
See all on the Deliberate Cold Exposure page"I'm almost trying to do like the Bulgarian training method, but for swimming, with one rep max on pull-ups... I'm very aware that the Bulgarian training method, they broke more champions than they made... I just respond really well to just being flogged with volume."
▶ Play at 2:16:09"One of the biggest things I found recently is supramaximal isometric holds. Before my heavier lifts, let's take pull-ups — I'm doing about 60 kilos clean. I'll put 80, 90, 100 kilos on, hold in an active hang only 3 seconds. You're not trying to fatigue yourself, you're trying..."
▶ Play at 2:17:47"Even playing with caffeine on the Yukon swim, we were getting into the grams towards the end of the swim. And that again, it just enabled me to be so much happier doing such a mundane task... My shoulders are hurting. 400 milligrams of caffeine, 15 minutes later, life's not so..."
▶ Play at 2:02:37
Andrew Huberman uses it
"I love caffeine. I have a high caffeine tolerance... Caffeine is an everyday thing, unless I'm carrying some sort of respiratory infection... Caffeine is a beautiful thing. I back it and it backs me."
▶ Play at 2:03:125 creators recommend it, including Darren Candow, Marc Andreessen, and The Game w/ Alex Hormozi.
See all on the Caffeine page
Andrew Huberman recommends it
"I've been taking it since I was like 17... back on it 10 grams a day for so many years now... if you're mildly or severely sleep deprived, you can partially rescue some cognitive function by taking 10 or even 20 grams of creatine the next morning... I think creatine is great....."
▶ Play at 2:05:2531 creators recommend it, including Joe Rogan, Mark Hyman, MD, and Rhonda Patrick.
See all on the Creatine monohydrate page
Andrew Huberman uses it
"Things like nicotine, which I've experimented with. The problem I have is that it really sets up a very quick dependence... Occasionally I'll take a milligram or two in a workout, but then I notice I get very tired post-workout... So I prefer to keep nicotine, as oral nicotine..."
▶ Play at 2:03:164 creators recommend it, including Bill Thompson, Joe Rogan, and The Game w/ Alex Hormozi.
See all on the Nicotine page
Andrew Huberman uses it
"As a milder alternative to nicotine. The one advantage of alpha GPC is if you're going to work out late in the day and you need to sleep a few hours later, it does have a sort of stimulant effect, but it actually can increase the amount of REM sleep you get as opposed to messi..."
▶ Play at 2:04:20"I think alpha GPC, Cognizin as well, acetylcholine — I get on really well with that. I find it's a nicer focus, not just kind of getting all jittery."
▶ Play at 2:06:555 creators recommend it, including Dominic D'Agostino, Rhonda Patrick, and Togi.
See all on the Alpha-GPC pageWhat they recommend · 17 picks
Supplements
9 picks · Ross Edgley and Andrew Huberman
"Even playing with caffeine on the Yukon swim, we were getting into the grams towards the end of the swim. And that again, it just enabled me to be so much happier doing such a m..."
"As a milder alternative to nicotine. The one advantage of alpha GPC is if you're going to work out late in the day and you need to sleep a few hours later, it does have a sort o..."
"I've been taking it since I was like 17... back on it 10 grams a day for so many years now... if you're mildly or severely sleep deprived, you can partially rescue some cognitiv..."
Andrew, Joe, Tim and Mark agree on 43 things
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See what they all swear by Or pick your own peopleHealth & fitness
5 picks · Andrew Huberman and Ross Edgley
"Deliberate cold exposure with a shower or a cold plunge done safely — people can get familiar with the experience of being flooded with adrenaline... then they can slow their br..."
"I'm almost trying to do like the Bulgarian training method, but for swimming, with one rep max on pull-ups... I'm very aware that the Bulgarian training method, they broke more ..."
"One of the biggest things I found recently is supramaximal isometric holds. Before my heavier lifts, let's take pull-ups — I'm doing about 60 kilos clean. I'll put 80, 90, 100 k..."
Other picks
3 picks · Ross Edgley and Andrew Huberman
"I talk a lot about stoicism because I found on my swim, sports psychology can only take you so far. But when I started reading about Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, I was li..."
"We did a hike up Clouds Rest, which is one of my favorite hikes in Yosemite, about 14 miles up and back, and most anyone can do it... at the top it's just majestic. You're above..."
"I heard this in this wonderful documentary that everyone should see, which is The Defiant Ones, which is about Dre and Jimmy Iovine and development of Beats and the story of hip..."
Ross Edgley
9 picks · guest
"I talk a lot about stoicism because I found on my swim, sports psychology can only take you so far. But when I started reading about Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, I was li..."
"Even playing with caffeine on the Yukon swim, we were getting into the grams towards the end of the swim. And that again, it just enabled me to be so much happier doing such a m..."
"I'm almost trying to do like the Bulgarian training method, but for swimming, with one rep max on pull-ups... I'm very aware that the Bulgarian training method, they broke more ..."
Andrew Huberman
8 picks · host
"Deliberate cold exposure with a shower or a cold plunge done safely — people can get familiar with the experience of being flooded with adrenaline... then they can slow their br..."
"We did a hike up Clouds Rest, which is one of my favorite hikes in Yosemite, about 14 miles up and back, and most anyone can do it... at the top it's just majestic. You're above..."
"As a milder alternative to nicotine. The one advantage of alpha GPC is if you're going to work out late in the day and you need to sleep a few hours later, it does have a sort o..."
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