Global fitness icon and golf legend Gary Player joins the WHOOP Podcast for a wide-ranging discussion about health, life, and happiness. At 85 years old, Gary still works out harder than most people half his age. He shares his philosophies on exercise, nutrition, sleep, and the four factors he believes are key to a long and healthy life. Gary discusses how he got into fitness (3:01), his diet (6:09), sleep and training (10:50), the importance of breathwork (12:58), Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer (17:21), his 4 keys to a long and healthy life (18:10), enjoying adversity (20:05), visualization (22:32), Phil Mickelson's win at the PGA Championship (27:19), mindset (32:05), traveling more than any other athlete in history (37:13), and breaking his age on the golf course (41:21). Support the show

Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle sits down with WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes for a wide ranging discussion about his journey to the NHL, the importance of work ethic, and the connection between recovery and performance on the ice. They discuss why he always dreamed of playing pro hockey (2:37), putting in the work (5:36), making sacrifices for hockey (8:38), sleep consistency and naps (14:20), how sleep debt affects performance (17:07), why elevated WHOOP recovery means better play on the ice (18:58), psychological factors and recovery (24:28), playing for his hometown team (27:54), learning from failure (37:19), giving 100% (41:58).Support the show

NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes sits down for a wide ranging discussion on strain, recovery, and peak performance.  Patrick shares his WHOOP data with Will Ahmed and they examine just what kind of toll the NFL season takes on the human body.  Patrick also shares how his father's baseball career inspired him to become a professional athlete (3:01), why he almost picked other sports over football (5:21), how visualization and mindset play a key role in his success (10:04), the advice Tom Brady gave him (12:39), his WHOOP data (17:23), building strain throughout the season (21:47), overcoming red recoveries (23:11), and his Super Bowl data (24:48). Plus, Will and Patrick hit on a variety of topics and discuss if they're good for football or bad for football (26:50).Support the show

Haley Adams won CrossFit’s teen division in 2018, and said then that she would win the CrossFit Games within 5 years. Since moving up to the adult division two years ago, she has turned in 6th and 4th place finishes at the Games and is looking for an even stronger performance this year. She joins the WHOOP Podcast to detail her journey to the top of the sport, how she thinks about performance, and why she tries to help girls who are getting into CrossFit. Haley sits down with Mike Lombardi to talk about finding success in CrossFit at a young age (2:05), switching from gymnastics to CrossFit (3:12), how different workouts affect your recovery (6:17), being a role model for the next generation of athletes (10:16), overcoming low recoveries (14:52), eating before bed (16:33), training and sleep (19:02), where she finds her inspiration (20:25), competing against her idols (21:37), and the new era of CrossFit (24:25).Support the show

Steve Cook is one of the most recognizable people in the fitness space. He took a lifelong interest in working out and staying active and turned it into a successful bodybuilding career on stage and creating content online. This episode is about following your passions and finding your identity. Steve explains how he found solace in the gym after his football career stopped and his marriage ended. He says those trying times resulted in a change of direction in his life that allowed him to get to where he is today. Steve discusses charting a new path in life (2:47), pursuing your goals (6:56), getting into fitness at a young age (10:32), his bodybuilding career (11:57), how WHOOP warned him of COVID (20:27), recovery (22:37), HRV (24:44), the dark side of bodybuilding (33:00), practical vs. optimal in fitness (41:20), accountability (42:40), enjoying the journey (51:22).Support the show

Emily Capodilupo, WHOOP VP of Data Science and Research, returns to the WHOOP Podcast to detail our latest COVID-19 vaccine research. We've found that younger people are more likely to be affected by the vaccine than older people. Additionally,  you should expect to feel more rundown by the second dose than the first, but any vaccine aftereffects are short lived and only last a day or two. Emily and Will Ahmed detail our research (0:55), the difference between mRNA and viral vector vaccines (4:19),  key takeaways (6:30), the second Pfizer and Moderna doses (8:30),  the most common reported symptom (12:10), how the vaccines affect sleep (12:40), why the vaccines are hitting young people harder (13:41), how quickly people bounce back from symptoms (17:37),  why we might need additional COVID immunizations (20:54), and how to best prepare for your shot (24:30).Support the show

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan joins the WHOOP Podcast for a wide-ranging discussion about navigating the pandemic, optimal performance, and the PGA’s groundbreaking new partnership with WHOOP. Under Jay’s steady leadership, golf was the first pro sport to return from the coronavirus shutdown and paved the way for other sports leagues to get back to play. He details the bumps in the road, how WHOOP data helped keep golfers and staff safe as play resumed, and why he believes the last year has been a renaissance for the sport. Jay discusses Hideki Matsuyama’s Masters win (3:10), why he loves the values of golf and what the sport stands for (5:49), golf at the height of the pandemic (10:47), Nick Watney and respiratory rate as a COVID warning sign (13:22), health and performance in golf (18:58), data for athletes (22:45), how WHOOP Live data is coming to golf (27:11), the Tour’s commitment to charity (29:10), and sleep consistency (31:29)Support the show

John John Florence, two-time world champion surfer, joins the WHOOP Podcast for a discussion on mindfulness, visualization, and the mental skills needed to be successful in sports and in life.  He explains how his mindset helped him recover from a torn ACL in 5 months in order to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.  John John also discusses how the best surfers in the world inspired him (5:20), the mental side of surfing (7:57), controlling the controllables (10:09), mindfulness in sports and life (15:50), overcoming his ACL injury (22:31), qualifying for the Olympics (25:55), surfing strain on WHOOP (29:12), understanding HRV (32:15), managing red recoveries (44:25), sleep need (50:34), and where he finds inspiration (55:04).Support the show

Willy Walker turned his company, Walker & Dunlop, into a force in the commercial real estate world. When he took the family business over in 2003, it was valued at $25 million. Now, Walker & Dunlop is worth well over $3 billion and has been public for over a decade. He joins the WHOOP Podcast to share his thoughts on balance, gratitude, and mental well-being. Willy is candid about his experiences and what he’s learned along the way to become the best version of himself. Willy discusses, growing his business (2:44), separating your personal life from your professional life (7:34), using WHOOP (15:20), running marathons (17:21), injuries and the toll they take on your body (22:38), measuring the impact of alcohol (27:30), the importance of family (38:33), understanding anger (40:30), accountability (43:03).Support the show

Bryan Johnson is on a mission to unlock the secrets of the human brain. Using the money he made from the sale of Venmo in 2013, Bryan launched a groundbreaking company, Kernel, that builds hardware measuring the activity of your brain. The team at Kernel recently did a study with WHOOP that showed a direct correlation between sleep quality and impulse control. Bryan joins Will Ahmed to discuss his mission (2:47), finding your purpose (5:08), the success of Venmo (9:56), making his dream a reality (11:19), building a WHOOP for the brain (13:33), Kernel’s study with WHOOP (20:00), what we can learn from neural data (25:50), the future of brain measuring technology (29:43), fasting 13 hours before bed to optimize deep sleep (37:23), why singing is his secret to high HRV (37:53).Support the show