08/30/2025
Call it stress, I call it foreplay for heat shock proteins, BDNF, HGH, and FOXO3.
There’s something irresistible about controlled stress—the kind that makes you sweat, tests your limits, and leaves your body stronger for it. Heat exposure (think sauna sessions) triggers heat shock proteins, which help protect your cells, repair muscle tissue, boost BDNF (your brain’s growth fertilizer), and improve recovery.
In other words… the hotter it gets, the better your body adapts. And yes, I like it hot—science-approved, muscle-healing, mind-melting hot.
My favorite controlled stress protocol is the HGH booster (described by Andrew Huberman):
4 x 30 minute intervals in a dry sauna, with 5-10 minute breaks.
Boosts human growth hormone up to 16x when performed no more than once every 7-11 days. I add this protocol to my rest day for optimal muscle growth.