Cavaliere Breaks Training Week Convention by Splitting Workouts Over Nine Days
"If I train, let's just say, biceps like we did, and I do them really hard, I still have to get through legs, I have to get through shoulders, I have to get through chest. So if I had to get it all done in one week, I would run out of time. First thing I do is I extend beyond the 7 days. So I break that rule because I realize that our body doesn't know the difference."
About this episode
On this episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, host Andrew Huberman welcomed back Jeff Cavaliere, a Master of Science in physical therapy and certified strength and conditioning specialist known for his ATHLEAN-X platform. The conversation centered on what Cavaliere calls the small things that make the big things possible—the often-neglected exercises and principles that allow people to train hard and pain-free for decades. Huberman, who credited Cavaliere with resolving his own severe back pain years ago, emphasized that these foundational movements are not actually small at all but rather the critical hinges that keep the entire training system functional. Cavaliere explained that most chronic back pain stems from glute medius weakness rather than structural spinal issues, demonstrating specific exercises including hip slides against a wall and reverse hyperextensions that have helped millions of viewers. The discussion expanded to shoulder health, where Cavaliere argued that weak external rotators failing to center the humeral head cause most rotator cuff problems, not internal rotation itself. He provided detailed guidance on neck training as injury prevention rather than just aesthetics, and advocated for direct foot strengthening work to prevent the compensatory issues that plague lifters. Cavaliere also revealed his personal training structure breaks the conventional 7-day week, instead cycling over 9 to 12 days and frequently splitting individual workouts across multiple sessions based on real-life constraints. The episode included practical programming advice on training to failure, volume recommendations per muscle group, and Cavaliere's clean omnivore nutrition approach that has sustained him for 30 years without ever using steroids or TRT despite maintaining an elite physique at age 50.
Key takeaways
- Cavaliere identified glute medius weakness as the primary cause of most chronic back pain rather than structural spinal issues requiring surgery.
- Weak external rotators failing to center the humeral head in the shoulder socket cause most rotator cuff problems, not internal rotation movements themselves.
- Direct neck strengthening using a simple four-direction protocol can be life-saving in accidents and improves posture for both men and women.
- Cavaliere structures his training cycles over 9 to 12 days rather than the standard 7-day week and frequently splits individual workouts across multiple sessions.
- Foot strength exercises can prevent compensatory movement patterns that lead to knee and back problems in lifters and athletes.
- Recommended training volumes are 6 to 10 work sets for smaller muscle groups like biceps and 10 to 15 for larger groups like quads and lats.
- Cavaliere has maintained an elite physique for 30 years at age 50 without steroids or TRT using a clean omnivore diet based on lean protein, fibrous carbs, and controlled starchy carbs.