WHOOP Podcast

WHOOP is unveiling a major research effort with the U.S. Army in Alaska to better understand how soldiers are adapting to the harsh winter conditions in the Arctic. This study examines how circadian alignment impacts physiological metrics, heart rate variability, and self-reported measures of resilience. WHOOP Director of Military Teams Robert Moeller sits down with WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes and Army Chief Warrant Officer Phil Ranck to discuss helping those who serve (2:59), measuring stress in soldiers (5:45), sleep deprivation (13:06), the goals of the study (17:24), HRV and sleep quality (18:38), understanding stress (19:39), extreme Alaskan conditions (21:47), darkness and the human body (23:28), optimizing for shift work (29:12), the design of the study (35:33), keeping soldiers safe (37:55), rest and preparedness (41:21), the core principle of HRV (49:13), and the purpose of this partnership (55:31).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

This week’s episode is a deep dive on nutrition and how eating disorders can negatively affect your body and your performance. Allison Lynch, our Senior Marketing Manager of Running and Women’s Performance, details her powerful personal battle with anorexia and bulimia and shares how she overcame her eating disorders. Allison sits down with WHOOP VP of Performance Kristen Holmes to talk about her journey and just how important proper nutrition is for all athletes. They discuss the serious consequences of eating disorders (5:25), how many suffer in silence (6:43), anorexia and bulimia (7:47), the prevalence of eating disorders in track and field (11:55), addiction (16:02), the root cause of eating disorders (19:07), getting healthy (30:57), thinking about food positively (32:55), intuitive eating (36:19), increasing education on nutrition and well-being (45:43).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Michael Chernow, a celebrated chef and entrepreneur, opens up about his inspiring journey to sobriety and prioritizing gratitude. He shares how fitness became a vital part of his recovery and discusses the importance of balance in his roles as a businessman and family man. Michael talks about his success in bodybuilding, using the WHOOP device to enhance his routines, and the lessons learned from failures. He also previews an exciting new digital wellness venture, shedding light on his passion for nutrition and wellness.

WHOOP is researching how COVID-19 vaccines could affect your body. VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo breaks down our latest study, which found that the majority of 1,200 vaccinated WHOOP members did not show a significant difference in recovery, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability after getting the first shot. This study also found that those who did see a change in physiological metrics did not experience a diminished recovery for more than a day or two. Emily and Will Ahmed discuss how this research began (2:39), how vaccines work (4:18), why two shots are needed (7:07), WHOOP data post-vaccine (9:43), the quick data rebound for those who do feel the effects of the shot (11:06), why feeling sick after being vaccinated isn't a bad sign (11:56), studying the differences between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (13:26), how sleep can help your body build antibodies (14:41), our next research steps (16:34), and how WHOOP protects your privacy (18:00).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Dr. Daniel Plews has been at the forefront of some of the most groundbreaking heart rate variability research over the last 10-plus years. He sits down with WHOOP VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo and VP of Performance Kristen Holmes to discuss how you can apply your HRV data to your training. They dive deep on how HRV can guide your training (4:08), why HRV is foundational to the WHOOP recovery metric (6:19), keys to excellent recovery (13:57), avoiding overtraining (14:56), looking at HRV over multiple days instead of one day (16:51), adapting to a training stimulus (20:11), working out based on recovery (25:33), understanding nutrition and eating for your performance goals (33:22), and why fasting and training don't always go hand-in-hand (39:22).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

On this week’s episode, we cover the results of Project PR, a study in the value of using the WHOOP recovery metric to guide your training. This study showed that runners who used the recovery score to help determine their daily training load over an 8-week period improved their times significantly and sustained fewer injuries than those who used a static training program. WHOOP VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo and WHOOP Marketing Manager of Women’s Performance and Running Allison Lynch talk with Mary Cain, who served as one of the coaches for the program. Mary is a world-class runner in her own right and was the youngest person to ever represent the United States at the World Championships. They discuss Mary’s New York Times op-ed on culture issues in the running world (3:38), body image in sports (7:05), optimizing performance for women (9:57), avoiding overtraining with WHOOP (12:27) , balancing green, yellow, and red recoveries (15:18), Project PR (16:28), structuring the study (18:52), key takeaways (24:04), training to HRV (30:40), becoming an elite athlete (33:50),  and sleep and performance (37:52).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Our guest this week is legendary stuntman and star of MTV’s Jackass, Steve-O. This is a story about self reflection, change, and growth. Steve-O talks about his remarkable transformation from a drug and alcohol addict to a man who has been sober for over a decade and practices mindfulness and meditation on a daily basis.  He discusses surviving his younger years (3:42), getting in to drugs and alcohol (11:37), getting injured (13:40), dropping out of college (18:39), becoming a stuntman (24:18), dealing with criticism (28:05), his sobriety journey (31:39), the instant success of Jackass (32:39), being homeless when he became a star (34:22), why fame and celebrity is unhealthy (40:35), finding recovery (43:39), WHOOP insights (45:58), meditation (47:29), and gratitude and serotonin (50:25). Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Tampa Bay Lightning forward and Stanley Cup champion Alex Killorn discusses why patience was a virtue on his way to the NHL, how meditation is one of his keys to success on the ice, and what he’s learned about nerves and how to channel them in a positive way. He also shares how he and his teammates overcame the adversity of the COVID-19 playoff bubble on the way to their Stanley Cup victory. Alex dives deep on becoming a hockey player (2:28), finding confidence in sports (6:04), his NHL call-up (11:21), recovery in hockey and his WHOOP insights (14:49), the COVID shutdown (18:43), being upset by Columbus in the 2019 playoffs (22:46), the 5-overtime game (24:49), meditation (28:57), staying calm when the pressure is on (30:56), the challenges of the bubble (36:19), dealing with nerves, (40:48), winning the Cup (42:03), and how he's been such a durable player (46:01).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Kristen Holmes discusses our groundbreaking research with Barbells for Boobs, a non-profit working to improve the quality of life and overall outcomes associated with breast cancer. We are examining what WHOOP data looks like in women battling breast cancer. The goal of this study is to gain additional insights into how breast cancer impacts things like strain, sleep, recovery, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and more. Dr. Oliver Glass, the Director of Research for Duke University Health and Well Being and Zionna Hanson, the founder of Barbells for Boobs, join Kristen for this episode. They discuss supporting women going through breast cancer (2:31), improving quality of life (5:26), early detection (6:52), optimizing exercise during breast cancer (10:02), dealing with trauma (14:43), initial study impressions (19:16), sleep and stress (24:02), listening to your body (27:00), being proactive about your health (28:08).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

Drew Manning, the founder of Fit2Fat2Fit,  garnered international attention 10 years ago when he deliberately gained 75 pounds just to lose it in a few short months. Now, he's doing it again, gaining 60 pounds in four months before starting a massive weight loss effort in January. His goal, he says, is to better understand the struggles many go through trying when to lose weight. Drew discusses how the idea came to him (3:25), how he's going about his weight gain (8:30), the shock to his system as he doubled his food intake (10:08), seeing his HRV tank (16:22), gaining weight, losing sleep (17:34), respiratory rate and body changes (21:04), finding empathy for those who struggle with weight (22:19), the emotional toll the process has taken on him (29:20), staying in shape as you age (30:47), how his mental state has changed (35:08), finding your willpower (40:15), and using data to better understand your body (46:19).Support the showFollow WHOOP: Sign up for WHOOP Advanced Labs Trial WHOOP for Free www.whoop.com Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn