WHOOP Podcast

This week’s episode is all about unlocking the exercises to improve long-term cognitive function and brain health. WHOOP VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes is joined by neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood to discuss his background in neuroscience and pediatrics (2:50), the mind-body connection (4:38), the framework for optimal brain health (6:40), the importance of committing to sleep (10:58), how nutrients affect overall brain health (16:00), the effect of creatine and creatinine (20:15), how general movement influences the brain (22:05), the amount of exercise needed to see a positive change in cognitive function (25:33), how reducing stress can lead to better brain health (28:13), the best ways to recover to improve cognitive function (31:40), how to start exercising to optimize brain health (34:19), developing a strength training program (37:45), training to avoid dementia and improve long-term health (41:27), the ideology of Movement Snacks (46:06), and how to find Tommy’s research (49:10).Resources:Dr. Tommy Wood on InstagramDr. Tommy Wood on TwitterEllen J. Langer Study on Sleep Duration and Cognitive PerformanceMarc Hamilton Study on Seated Calf RaisesSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

This week, we are diving deep into the science behind circadian rhythms and shift work. WHOOP VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes is joined by sleep expert Dr. Greg Potter. Dr. Potter is here to shed light on the secrets of regulating circadian rhythms and his research around sleep, nutrition, and metabolism. Kristen and Dr. Potter discuss the risks of shift work on the body (3:50), the optimal timing for employers to schedule shift work employees (8:55), the process of sleep homeostasis (13:55), the circadian process (14:53), what zeitgebers are and how they influence circadian rhythms (17:51), how to shift your biological clock (23:56), how to schedule your meals (27:29), the positive and negative effects of caffeine consumption (31:18), developing a pre-bed relaxation routine (36:46), melatonin and other supplements for sleep (38:42), the best ways to restrict light exposure (42:36), the L-Glycine and L-Theanine proteins (45:36), how exercise can aid metabolic health (47:09), and how to manipulate zeitgebers to adapt to a new time zone and dealing with jet lag (51:38).Resources:Dr. Greg PotterCheri Mah's Study on Sleep and Athlete PerformanceClaudio Moreno's Study on Melatonin Support the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

This week Kristen Holmes, VP of Performance Science at WHOOP, is joined by author and nutritionist Dr. Hazel Wallace for a conversation around a holistic approach to nutrition and women’s health. The two discuss Dr. Wallace’s latest book The Female Factor (1:43), nutrition’s impact on health (4:09), the biggest misconception around nutrition (6:42), how to start creating better nutritional habits (8:44), the potential risks of disease and poor nutrition habits (10:59), how to manage cholesterol through nutrition and what it means for the body (13:28), metabolism during sleep and eating during shift work (17:31), eating meals late in the evening before bed (23:21), the link between food and mood (25:03), the nutritional differences between men and women (29:28), the act of sequencing foods (33:40), the difference between insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance (34:38), explaining what PCOS is (36:55), intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding for women (41:14), understanding the body during the menstrual cycle (45:33), training and strain during the menstrual cycle (47:04), and the difference between probiotics and prebiotics (48:53).Resources:The Food MedicThe Female FactorSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

In this episode, we discuss groundbreaking research around pregnancy that could pave the way in improving the lives and health outcomes of premature infants worldwide New research from WHOOP has uncovered a first-of-its-kind digital biomarker that can be a potential indicator of preterm delivery, all by using HRV patterns. VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo joins the show to discuss what we found in our pregnancy data (3:55), how she looked at her own data as a pregnant member (5:25), a pregnancy study conducted at West Virginia University by Dr. Shon Rowan (7:16), the HRV inflection point (9:19), how Dr. Rowan used WHOOP in his study (10:26), how WHOOP conducted a pregnancy research study with members (11:43), what you can learn from the inflection point (13:35), the impact of preterm births (16:25), the options and preventative measures regarding preterm births (18:10), and how we will incorporate this research into the WHOOP app (20:36). WHOOP Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrick Carroll joins the show to talk about how wearables are impacting health care (27:52), providing WHOOP data to your medical provider (30:29), the power of non-invasive studies (32:52), the exclusion criteria for the study (34:00), and the overall impact on the medical field (34:49).Resources:The Locker: Understanding Every Stage of PregnancyDr. Shon Rowan's Research Study from WVUSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

After wrapping up Sober October, we’ve brought back a fan favorite to dive deep into the effects of alcohol on the body, sleep, and recovery. VP of Performance Science Kristen Holmes and SVP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo break down all things alcohol by discussing what we know about alcohol’s impact on the body (2:45), how alcohol leads to poor sleep (4:05), how alcohol deters muscle development and hinders the results of a workout (6:40), what you can expect to see in your WHOOP metrics after drinking (8:22), the story of a collegiate athletics team that won a championship after going sober for a season (9:50), collegiate athletes and recovering from drinking (11:45), healthy behaviors to offset hangovers and alcohol consumption (15:35), tricks to improve recovery if you know you will be drinking (16:50), a case study with military soldiers and the impact of alcohol (18:40), the potential benefits of consuming small amounts of alcohol (21:36), experimenting with your own WHOOP data (25:55). Then tune in to a couple of soundbites from experts including Andy Blow on hydrating while drinking and the power of non-alcoholic beer (27:20), and Dr. Kelly Starrett on using alcohol to self-soothe (29:44).Resources:Andy Blow on the WHOOP PodcastDr. Kelly Starrett on the WHOOP PodcastSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

This week we revisit an all-time classic episode all about Heart Rate Variability (HRV). VP of Performance Kristen Holmes  and SVP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo dive deep into everything there is to know about HRV – and why it’s such a critical metric for evaluating your body’s readiness to perform. Learn what HRV is (3:00), why it’s so valuable to measure (6:35), and how it is a sign of fitness (9:40). Find out why WHOOP collects HRV data during sleep (17:05) and how it can impact your recovery score (22:27). Emily and Kristen explain how HRV can fluctuate on a daily basis (25:58) and how there is no true “normal” HRV (29:23). Hear some simple lifestyle choices that can improve your HRV (36:15) as well as how hydration (36:15), nutrition (38:43), and sleep (41:55) relate to HRV.Support the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

This week, we sit down with NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller to discuss his 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers, including all of the mental and physical focus that went into becoming one of the best in the league. Since hanging up his professional hat, he's gone all-in on a sport that would surprise many: cycling. Reggie sits down with CEO Will Ahmed to discuss falling love with basketball (2:39), how he actually got a late start in basketball after exploring other sports (4:40), his journey to UCLA (8:15), how he started to build his confidence as a player (10:57), being drafted into the NBA (12:59), the differences in the game then to now (19:09), his approach to mindset (25:39), practice vs. game day (29:17), how he uses WHOOP  now that he's transitioned to cycling(30:30), what he's learned about his sleep (33:18), and what his typical day looks like (34:30).Support the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

On this week’s episode, Dr. Maya Shankar – a cognitive neuroscientist and creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans – sits down with VP of Performance Kristen to how to change our patterns of behavior when it comes to our health. Maya shares the secrets of staying motivated, what the fresh start effect is, and how we can handle setbacks when we're not making the progress we want towards our goals. Maya shares her story of studying violin under Itzhak Perlman (2:22), how a hand injury spurred what she calls identity foreclosure (5:41), her transition to neuroscience (8:48), how she changed her plans and found herself on her career path (10:31), what the endowment effect is (17:14), the benefits of the fresh start effect (18:22), how to think about restarting after your goals have been derailed (23:44), the best ways to cement new habits (25:29), the power of data and behavioral science (29:43), how to make good decisions (31:11), and the illusion of control (34:15).Resources:Maya's podcast, A Slight Change of PlansSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

We’re back in the inbox answering questions from our listeners this week. Emily Capodilupo, SVP of Data Science & Research, joins the podcast to tackle everything from the best ways to improve recovery what it means to miss your period. Emily breaks down menstrual cycles and what they mean for your training (1:51), what missing your period is actually signaling (4:02), training on biweekly cycles (10:44), how working from how can affect your sleep (12:57), the difference between skin temperature and basal body temperature (17:30) and the top 5 ways to improve recovery based on member data (21:29).Resources:Training and Sleeping Based on Your Menstrual CycleSupport the showFollow WHOOP:Sign up for WHOOP Advanced LabsTrial WHOOP for Freewww.whoop.comInstagramTikTokYouTubeXFacebookLinkedInFollow Will Ahmed:InstagramXLinkedInFollow Kristen Holmes:InstagramLinkedInFollow Emily Capodilupo:LinkedIn 

Paralympic track athlete, Scout Bassett, shares her story of resilience, overcoming challenges, and pursuing passions. Topics include growing up in China, prioritizing mental health, transitioning to track and field, using WHOOP for performance optimization, and the importance of sleep and self-care.