More of Andy’s Background

I’m a small-town country kid (Rochester, WA) and a ridiculous Seahawk, Husky, & Mariner fan (RIP Sonics & welcome Kraken!). I played football, basketball, baseball, and track & field and was reasonably good at them all. I worked at a grocery store, gas station, hayfields, the blueberry farm, and in road construction with my dad, brother, and occasionally grandfather. Around 14 y, I started lifting weights and immediately knew it would be a part of my life from then on.

I took my limited athletic talents to Linfield College to play football (2004 National Champions and 2x Captain of the "All-Ugly" Team) and earn a degree in Exercise Science. I got a prestigious internship as an S&C coach in Tempe, AZ, working with MLB & NFL players. It was awesome - I’d never met anyone famous before. But I quickly realized the life of a full-time coach wasn’t for me. So I went back to school and got my Master’s in Human Movement Sciences from The University of Memphis under lifetime achievement award-winning scientist Dr. Andy Fry. It was an incredible 2 years and my first true exposure to the science of human performance and traditional research. During this time, I started competing in Weightlifting (I even placed 7th at 2007 National Championships). I also picked up combat sports and loved every second of it - despite having no background or interest in it growing up.

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do professionally, but I knew I liked this science stuff and I wanted to know more about muscle, so I spent 4 years studying the structure and function of human skeletal muscle at the single-cell level, which earned me a Ph.D. in Human Bioenergetics. I was still training hard in weightlifting, mixed martial arts, and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu - and I competed a bunch. And unbeknownst to my academic advisors, I was coaching lots of athletes on the side (pro fighters, D1 basketball players, distance runners, etc.).

In 2011, I took a faculty job with another legend in the field and lifetime achievement award winner, Dr. Lee Brown, at CSUF. No lab on the planet was more productive at the time, his Center for Sport Performance was on fire. His vision was to blend my physiology and molecular background with his highly applied skills. It works wonderfully. I built a new lab (“Biochemistry and Molecular Exercise Physiology Laboratory”) and was the first to bring muscle biopsies to the California State University system. But much like I knew I couldn’t be a full-time coach, I also knew of traditional “scientist” career was never going to work for me. So while at CSUF, I dug hard into science, teaching, and coaching.

We added academic courses that were full every semester and covered topics I still have not seen replicated. I mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students, many of which won prestigious awards (e.g., Grad Student of the Year for our College, etc.), got great jobs, earned PhD’s and started their own labs, and did lots of other awesome things. I also founded and operated one of the most popular collegiate weightlifting clubs in the country. My coaching also completely exploded. Olympic gold medalists, All-Pro’s, All-Stars, Cy Young winners, MVPs, and record breakers across every sport you can imagine (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC, Wrestling, Powerlifting, Weightlifting, etc.). Juggernauts and icons. Veterans and emerging savants. Men and women.

I could not love it more.

In early 2024, the leadership at Parker University gave me the incredible opportunity to lead the development of their new 64,000 square feet Human Performance Center. The vision for this center is bold and I can’t wait to see you all there. It will likely open sometime in 2025 and will be open for academic (undergraduate and graduate degrees), scientific, and human performance services (open to the public!). My newsletter is the best way to make sure you don’t miss any critical announcements about HPC.

Scientist

I spent 13 years at CSUF before moving to Parker University. I was tenured in 2016 and promoted to Full Professor in 2020. My scientific interest is broad, and truly anything I feel is relevant to human performance. This ranges from nutrition to strength training to single muscle fiber physiology (I’ve performed hundreds of muscle biopsies) to breathwork and more. I’ve published innovative methodologies for measuring signaling proteins in individual human muscle fibers, how heavy resistance bands alter the deadlift, the muscle characteristics of elite male and female (Olympic) weightlifters, the influence of intermittent dieting on athletes, and more. Our current projects range from precision sleep to biomolecular aspects of athletes, to muscle quantification across the lifespan, to enhancing brain function. Work from my lab has been featured in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the New York Times, Forbes, the Journal of Applied Physiology, the Huberman Lab Podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, and numerous other top publications and media outlets. Go here for an updated list of peer-reviewed publications.

Teacher

Over my academic career, I’ve taught senior/Grad classes in Strength & Conditioning, Program Design, Muscle Physiology, Applied S&C, and Nutrition for Performance. It was my frustration with the standard university teaching model (HATED that it was always limited to a certain format, structure, class list, pre-requisites, etc.) that led to the creation of this website and my mega-famous YouTube page. I wanted EVERYONE to have a chance to learn the topics if they wanted, not just the 30-40 kids in Orange County, CA, who had priority class registration privileges that semester. That’s also why I agreed to step into the public space with social media and podcasts. What good is good science if the good people don’t know about it?

It’s also why, in late 2024, after pressure from my friend Dr. Andrew Huberman, I decided to start my own podcast. It’s different than most. It is not a weekly show with random guests to fill content. We spent nearly a year writing Season 1, and it’s 10 episodes with no guests. The podcast and newsletter are completely free and available across all normal podcast platforms. Topics in Season 1 ranged from how to use and interpret bloodwork and genetic testing, to how to recover from a concussion, to how to improve your VO2Max and endurance, how to perfect your sleep, more.

But some people wanted more than that. They wanted in-person seminars, academic courses, online learning, and more detailed instructions. So, I partnered with the incredible Dan Garner and Collin Castellaw to form our education company, BioMolecular Athlete. We are incredibly proud of the education and tools we’ve built at BioMo, and new stuff is constantly being released.

Coach

And what good is research & theory if they doesn’t stand up to application? I’ve been blessed to work with the best of the best, and still do. It’s actually open to anyone, not just athletes. We call it Arete. It is full immersion, comprehensive, highly personalized, and truly world-class. Advanced testing and diagnostics, a full team of industry experts focused on you, individualized solutions based on your unique physiology and goals. From the most recognizable athletes on the planet to longevity enthusiasts to regular fitness junkies, Arete provides an unrivaled opportunity to learn about your personal molecular signature and achieve your true potential.

Fancy Official Bio

Andy Galpin is a tenured full Professor at Parker University and is the Executive Director of the Human Performance Center. He is a Human Performance scientist with a PhD in Human Bioenergetics and over 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Dr. Galpin has worked with elite athletes (including All-Star, All-Pro, MVP, Cy Young, Olympic Gold medalists, Major winners, World champions, etc.) across the UFC, MLB, NBA, PGA, NFL, Boxing, Olympics, and Military/Special Forces, and more. He is also a Co-founder of Vitality Blueprint, Absolute Rest, BioMolecular Athlete, and RAPID Health & Performance.