Colleen Quigley says she never dreamed of being an Olympian, but when she started running in high school, she found herself on a path that would make her one of America’s top track and field athletes. Colleen joins the WHOOP Podcast to share her journey to the top of her sport, and what she’s learned about herself along the way. She also details her struggles with injuries and how mindset is an important tool in overcoming physical setbacks. She discusses getting into running late (2:50), overtraining (9:39), how her parents set her on a path to success (13:48), dealing with setbacks (17:43), injuries (20:20), meditation (25:33), tracking habits (34:17), using WHOOP (36:18), sleep consistency (39:09), body image in running (44:37), weight and nutrition (46:14), who inspires her (48:25).Support the show

Dr. Kelly Starrett, a world-renowned performance and mobility expert, explains how mobility is so much more than just technique for injury prevention – it’s one of the fundamental keys to unlocking your best performance. Kelly sits down with Mike Lombardi for a wide-ranging discussion on how to improve your range of motion and what he believes are the benchmarks to good human functioning. He details why he uses WHOOP (2:20), the importance of movement (6:30), avoiding the "training until you break" mentality (12:35), dealing with injuries (13:45), different types of movement (19:11), how the pandemic affected our bodies (23:55), sleep and long-term health (28:31), movement minimums (30:18), defining mobility (34:53), Becoming a Supple Leopard (36:31), fitness and quality of life(48:46), and why you should raise your own performance expectations (49:38). Support the show

Christian Harris, one of the most recognizable names in CrossFit, shares how sport is so much more than just your individual performance--it comes down to the team you build. Christian sat down with Mike Lombardi at the CrossFit Games for a deep dive on coaching, culture building, and leadership. Christian talks candidly about his team’s disqualification from the Games this year after one member tested positive for a banned substance, and says his squad, Move Fast Lift Heavy, will come back stronger for next year’s Games. Christian discusses getting into CrossFit (3:53), balancing business, performance, and family (7:00), sticking to schedules (8:27), managing strain (9:23), CrossFit Games disqualification (11:18),  building a winning culture (15:53), his coaching philosophy (17:09), power vs. endurance (23:20), sleep and heart rate variability (23:53), and the role fitness plays in mental well being (26:40). Support the show

One of the best metrics to determine your physical fitness and your body’s readiness to perform is heart rate variability.  We’re bringing you some of our top WHOOP Podcast conversations on HRV to date, detailing everything you need to know about HRV, what it signals about your body, and what you can do to optimize it. Kristen Holmes and Emily Capodilupo explain the basics about HRV (2:17), the factors that increase or decrease your HRV (5:42), and why HRV is a highly personalized metric (9:34). Dr. Bob Arnot shares how monitoring his age is helping him turn back the clock (12:54). World-renowned HRV research Dr. Daniel Plews details what you need to know about HRV patterns and why training based on your HRV is an effective strategy (16:16). Golf great Rory McIlroy and world champion surfer John John Florence talk about how tracking their HRV helps give them an edge (22:37). Jackass star Steve-O explains how mindfulness and meditation keeps his HRV higher than most (29:38), and Kernel CEO Bryan Johnson has a simple and unexpected technique that consistently increases his HRV (32:23).Support the show

Dr. Stacy Sims – a leading researcher and author who specializes in female physiology – joins the WHOOP Podcast to discuss the role food has in performance and how women should think about nutrition differently than men.  Dr. Sims sits down with WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes and VP of Data Science Emily Capodilupo to discuss why women are not small men (4:32), fueling for the stress (7:25), the underfueled female athlete (9:17), signs your missing the mark with your nutrition (10:41), intermittent fasting and meal timing (12:20), why men and women need to eat differently (16:54), managing sugar (20:33), sports drinks and gels (25:12), gaining a better understanding of female performance (28:11). Support the show

Learn about groundbreaking WHOOP research on stress, rest, and recovery. Discover the correlation between sleep debt and decreased mental control, and how gaining slow-wave sleep can improve cognitive abilities. Explore the impact of stress, breathing techniques, light exposure, and nutrition on achieving high performance. Hear about studies on leaders' decision making under stress and workplace stress. Understand the importance of prioritizing sleep and the mind-body connection for optimum performance.

Fewer than a dozen people have broken 5:40 in rowing. Olympian Tom George is one of them. Tom accomplished the feat during lockdown, while training on a rowing machine in his parents shed. A year later, he has his sights firmly set on winning gold for Great Britain in Tokyo. He joins Mike Lombardi to discuss making rowing history (2:36), staying calm in the moment (9:59), being accountable to teammates (14:50), strain and sleep (19:50), nutrition (25:56), managing red recoveries (31:49), how he increases recovery (36:33), the upcoming Olympics (43:53), and training for Tokyo (48:06).Support the show

Last year, WHOOP collaborated with leading scientists at Harvard, Austin Health, and Australia’s Monash University on a major research effort to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our members’ physical and mental health. That study, known as the COVID Resilience Project, has now revealed an eye-opening connection between sleep duration, sleep consistency, and mental health resilience. WHOOP VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo sits down with researcher Mark Czeisler to discuss these findings, including the background of the COVID Resilience Project (4:07), COVID-19 and mental health (5:35), why researchers chose WHOOP for the study (7:44), changing behaviors during the pandemic (8:10), evaluating sleep and resilience (10:00), getting more sleep during lockdown (11:01), shifting bedtimes in the early days of COVID (14:09), why sleep consistency means better sleep quality (17:15), mental health and sleep (18:16), the prevalence of mental health conditions (20:39), and what The COPE Initiative is and their mission to understand emotional health during COVID-19 (24:25).Support the show

Marston Sawyers and Heber Cannon, better known as The Buttery Bros, are some of the kings of content in the CrossFit space. They are documentary filmmakers who travel the world to capture the fittest people on the planet in action. That work has resulted in a massive social media following and has made them two of the most recognizable people in CrossFit. They sit down with our resident CrossFit expert Mike Lombardi to discuss how they use WHOOP in their lives (2:26), the next generation of CrossFit (5:34), tracking respiratory rate while traveling during the pandemic (7:25), their favorite destinations on the CrossFit map (14:35), becoming the Buttery Bros (19:00), nutrition (20:55), workout philosophies (23:26), Mat Fraser and Rich Froning (27:40), studying elite athletes (31:10), the new era of CrossFit (32:42), finding creative inspiration (36:34). Support the show

Actress Lina Esco, the co-star of the CBS drama SWAT, joins the WHOOP Podcast to talk about mindfulness, meditation, and finding success in Hollywood. Lina shares why learning those skills have made a tremendous difference in her life, and also explains why connecting with your subconscious is critical for everyone. She candidly details how she overcame a tough childhood and drug addiction to get where she is today. Lina discusses becoming an actress (2:15), her early struggles (3:26), dealing with rejection (5:54), meditation (11:31), breathing techniques and HRV (15:36), using WHOOP (23:56), exercise and memorization (28:17), channeling nerves (35:41), doing her own stunts (37:52), Netflix's impact on entertainment (45:23). Support the show