On this week’s episode, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by ultramarathoner and data scientist John Kelly. John is fresh off his completion of one of the most grueling endurance races in the world, the Barkley Marathons. He has won numerous endurance races, competed in multiple Ironmans and triathlons, holds a Guinness World Record, and a PhD from Carnegie Mellon focused on brain-computer interfaces. Will and John discuss how John got into ultramarathons and endurance competitions (3:52), what John gets out of running ultras (9:10), running the Barkley Marathons (12:00), how to fuel before and during an ultra (16:40), how to navigate while running the Barkley Marathons (18:33), John’s WHOOP data before and after the races (20:05), recovering from an ultramarathon (25:08), the mental and physical fatigue when running ultras (28:07), how John developed mental toughness (34:45), what it was like going back to the Barkley Marathons after winning (40:05), people who John has learned from over the years (47:44), what John has learned while being on WHOOP (50:00).

Resources:
John’s Website
John's Twitter
John's Instagram

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On this week’s podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by WHOOP Chief Technology Officer Jaime Waydo to dive deep into the new Stress Monitor feature. Stress Monitor measures your stress levels in real time and helps you manage them with scientifically-backed breathing interventions developed in partnership with Dr. Andrew Huberman.  Jaime is a product and technology executive with over 20 years of experience leading companies including Alphabet, Apple, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among many others. Will and Jaime discuss the new Stress Monitor feature (4:58), the Stress Score scale (7:05), how to use the breathing interventions developed in partnership with Dr. Andrew Huberman (10:30), monitoring your recovery and how it impacts your stress levels (15:50), using the Stress Monitor before going to sleep and waking up in the morning (20:20), how the Stress Score is calculated and showing up in everyday events (27:05), Jaime’s background in the tech industry (31:35), a behind-the-scenes look at the building of Stress Monitor (35:00), and how the feature will continue to be developed and integrated throughout the WHOOP platform (40:25).

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On this week’s podcast, WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes is joined by sports medicine expert Dr. Kate Ackerman. Dr. Ackerman is the Founder and Director of the Wu Tsai Female Athlete Program Boston Children’s Hospital and Biennial International Female Athlete Conference and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The sports medicine expert focuses her research on female athlete health and is currently the chair of the US Rowing medical committee and a member of the World Rowing medical commission. Dr. Ackerman and Kristen will discuss Kate’s time as a student-athlete at Cornell (3:50), the Female Athlete resilience study at Boston College (11:00), questions to ask to learn more about someone’s health (13:47), people being more open to discussing their mental health (16:37), the factors behind injuries and setbacks (18:50), the importance of young athletes being active and a part of a team (24:00), behaviors that can lead to energy deficiencies (27:23), the Wu Tsai Female Athlete Program (32:30), recovering from an injury and the path back to peak performance (42:00), the process of seeking help (45:40), mantras that inspire Kate (47:35), and the lifestyle tips and things outside of training that set athletes up for success (50:50).

Resources:
Female Athlete Program
The Female Athlete Conference
Dr. Ackerman on Twitter

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This week WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes is joined by Dr. Allison Brager. She is a neurobiologist with expertise in sleep and circadian rhythms who works to examine the mind and body’s resilience to extreme environmental stress. She serves as a member of the WHOOP Scientific Advisory Council and wrote a popular science book entitled Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain. Kristen and Dr. Brager will discuss the NCAA handbook and sleep trends for NCAA student-athletes (3:07), WHOOP member sleep statistics (8:35), the proper framework to maximize sleep performance (12:33), what happens when sleep performance is poor (16:05), how to effectively lower sleep debt (19:10), behaviors to advance and delay your sleep onset (21:35), the impact of light before bed (27:00), myths about sleep (32:55), how to get a good night’s sleep and how to prep during the day (35:47), taking the perfect nap (40:30), practicing yoga nidra (44:00), sharing a bed with a partner or pet (47:05), and sleep tourism (48:50).

Resources:
Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain
Dr. Brager on Instagram

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This week WHOOP VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes is joined by exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr. Stacy Sims. Dr. Sims is a leader in the women’s health space who has directed research programs at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance and is pushing the dogma to improve research on all women. Kristen and Dr. Sims will discuss the differences in strength between men and women (5:10), how coaches and parents should talk to young girls about puberty (7:10), training through the menstrual cycle (12:15), maintaining fuel and energy during the luteal phase (15:38), the psychological impact of the menstrual cycle (18:40), behaviors people can adopt to stay balanced (21:50), what training modalities you should focus on during each menstrual cycle phase (26:11), reprioritizing how we train when women reach perimenopause and post-menopause (28:52), various training techniques and when to implement them (31:51), protein need and intake (36:53), training during the different stages of menopause (38:30), how to stay active during a chaotic travel schedule (42:25), and certain health risks and factors that come with aging and menopause (46:13).

Resources:
Stacy's Website
Stacy’s Books
TEDx Talk: Women are Not Small Men

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On this week’s episode, WHOOP VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes is joined by OB/GYN and women’s health expert Dr. Jessica Shepherd. She is the Chief Medical Officer for Verywell Health. She is the founder and CEO of Sanctum Med + Wellness, a wellness concierge practice. Dr. Shepherd is also a member of the WHOOP Scientific Advisory Council and is also the founder of Her Viewpoint, an online women's health forum that focuses on addressing taboo topics in a comfortable setting. Kristen and Dr. Shepherd discuss why men should learn about menopause (5:55), what is happening in the body during menopause (8:10), the timing of entering menopause (11:15), the hallmark symptoms of menopause (13:15), advice on getting good sleep when experiencing symptoms (17:00), hormone replacement therapy (22:25), how to detect whether you’re in perimenopause (28:05), nutritional tips and behavioral recommendations (33:15), understanding mindsets and habits (40:40), health risks associated with postmenopause (46:55), Don Lemon on women in their primes (54:25), and the women’s health space over the next 10 years (58:25).

Resources:
Verywell Health
Dr. Shepherd on Instagram
Sanctum Med + Wellness on Instagram
NY Times Article: Women Have Been Misled About Menopause

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On this week’s episode, our VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes is joined by health expert Dr. Kyle Gillett. Dr. Gillett is a dual board-certified physician in family medicine and obesity medicine and an expert in optimizing hormone levels to improve overall health. He leads the Gillett Health clinic where he preaches a holistic approach to health and believes each person requires precise attention to their body, mind, and soul to achieve optimal health. Kristen and Kyle will discuss Dr. Gillett’s path to medicine (2:40), what are hormones (5:21), conditions caused by hormonal imbalances (6:55), heart rate and homeostasis (9:32), how hormones impact exercise performance (12:30), the entry point into resistance training (15:13), the connection between sleep and body composition (17:55), exercise and metabolic function (20:50), Zone 2 and Zone 5 cardio work (24:00), fueling the body and staying balanced (26:40), protein and hormone optimization (30:05), hormone health and sleep (37:55), tips to get better restorative sleep (41:40), intentional stress vs. unintentional stress (44:10), creatine and supplements that impact strain (48:35), and melatonin, magnesium, and other supplements Kyle focuses on for health (52:15).

Resources:
Gillett Health
The Gillett Health Podcast

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On this week’s episode WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed is joined by Bryan Johnson, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, writer, author, and the Founder and CEO of Kernel. Through his research, Bryan has become obsessed with slowing down the pace of aging. He has personally been following a daily regimen to increase his endurance, optimize his heart health, and even improve his skin – all in an effort to reverse aging. Bryan and Will discuss why Bryan is passionate about health and wellness (4:25), Bryan’s body on the Blueprint Method (7:25), his sleep and recovery WHOOP data (9:25), variables that impact Bryan’s sleep (12:25), how Bryan tests his body for optimal performance (14:25), his outlook on life since starting Blueprint (17:02), summarizing the Blueprint method (20:20), how he has filtered his relationships and a look into his family life (26:50), society and self-destructive behaviors impacting aging (32:35), the media backlash Bryan receiver when starting Blueprint (38:10), his diet on Blueprint (44:40), society and the government’s role in education around health and wellness (49:00), understanding how to remove your autonomy (52:00), and how we can build the next version of humans (56:50).

Resources:
Kernel
Bryan Johnson Blueprint
Theta Waves
Rejuvenation Olympics
Bryan’s Twitter

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On this week’s episode, Founder and CEO of WHOOP Will Ahmed is joined by training expert Bobby Stroupe. Bobby is the CEO and Founder of Athlete Performance Enhancement Center (APEC) and is the trainer of Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes. Coach Stroupe and his team have worked with and supported over 300 professional athletes across 6 different sports including World Series Champions, Super Bowl Champions, and first-round picks in both the NFL and MLB. Ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl, Will and Bobby discuss how Bobby works virtually with Patrick throughout the season (4:37), Patrick playing hurt in the AFC Championship game (6:27), Patrick getting injured in the Divisional Round (7:37), Patrick’s strain and recovery data during the week (10:07), tips on how to overcome an injury (12:12), gamifying the offseason training regimen (15:02), different recovery and therapy methods (16:10), how Patrick and Bobby use WHOOP (17:27), Patrick’s WHOOP data on gamedays and getting stronger throughout the season (18:15), Patrick’s weekly training program (25:17), course correcting throughout the week (34:09), talking with other trainers to compare styles (40:37), Patrick’s unique ability to throw the football (45:45), navigating the extra-long halftime during the Super Bowl (49:47), Bobby’s thoughts on the Super Bowl (53:18), and Bobby’s relationship with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (55:17).

Resources:
Team APEC

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This week’s episode focuses on the recovery benefits of cold therapy and cold plunges. Winter swimming expert and best-selling author Dr. Susanna Søberg joins WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Kristen Holmes, for a discussion around one of the top growing recovery behaviors. She has a Ph.D. in metabolism, is the founder of the “Søberg Institute,” and is the leading mind behind the #SøbergPrinciple. Susanna and Kristen will discuss what happens to the skin during cold exposure (4:00), how to best adapt to cold shock (9:18), the difference between brown fat in men and women (13:14), the other ways to activate brown fat through cold exposure (16:10), how scientists first discovered brown fat (22:13), the best time in the day to do cold plunges (26:50), how cold exposure impacts sleep (31:20), how long people should be submerged in cold water (36:15), the #SøbergPrinciple (46:40), the optimal water temperature to benefit from cold therapy (49:30), combining cold therapy with your workout routine (55:32), and how to get over the mental barrier of the cold (1:01:14).

Resources:
Winter Swimming
The Søberg Institute

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