WHOOP Podcast

What if the key to living longer isn't just adding years to your life, but adding more healthy years? In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed sits down with Dr. Eric Verdin, President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, to explore the science of longevity and how everyday habits can shape the way we age. Dr. Verdin shares why healthspan matters more than lifespan, the lifestyle factors that have the greatest impact on long-term health, and how the partnership between WHOOP and the Buck Institute is helping turn decades of longevity research into actionable insights through WHOOP Age and Pace of Aging. The conversation dives into the importance of sleep consistency, intermittent fasting, movement, stress management, and human connection. Dr. Verdin also reveals his personal experience with undiagnosed sleep apnea, the surprising discovery that helped him dramatically improve his heart rate variability (HRV), and what it taught him about the power of continuous health monitoring. Together, Will and Dr. Verdin discuss how wearable technology could transform the future of medicine, shifting healthcare from treating disease to identifying risks earlier and helping people live healthier, longer lives.

(00:50) Meet Dr. Eric Verdin, Longevity Expert
(02:42) Innovation From The Buck Institute for Research on Aging
(04:55) Knowing The Difference Between Healthspan vs. Lifespan 
(07:22) Centenarians: How Genetics Play A Role
(09:00) Inside The WHOOP Healthspan Metrics
(10:30) Creating Control Over How You Age
(13:22) Secret to Sleep Consistency
(19:43) Stress Management's Impact on Aging
(23:32) Daily Movement Habits For Longevity
(24:50) Habit Stacking For Your Health
(26:45) Understanding HRV and Its Impact on Aging
(34:44) Role of Wearables in Medicine
(40:12) Focus Shift to Preventative Health
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This week on the WHOOP Podcast, we’re celebrating 400 episodes! Co-hosts, Founder and CEO Will Ahmed, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes, and WHOOP SVP of Research Algorithms and Data  Emily Capodilupo sit down to discuss their favorite moments throughout the last 8 years of podcasting at WHOOP. From welcoming guests like Mike White, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, and Nelly Korda, to unpacking some of the groundbreaking science being studied here at WHOOP, like the physiological effects of VO₂ Max, GLP-1s and Alcohol, the WHOOP podcast expanding the pursuits of high performance and health. The more we come together, the more we learn from each other. Here’s to the next 400!

(00:00) “Let’s do 10 Episodes and see how it goes”
(00:40) Reflecting on some of our favorite guests 
(01:26) Secrets of WHOOP Athletes
(03:21) Understanding the WHOOP research studies
(04:55) Breathwork as a throughline for performance
(06:47) Lessons shared in early episodes
(08:11) Similarities between athletes and creatives
(11:23) “It’s okay to be obsessed, it's not okay to burn out” 
(13:41) A healthy lifestyle is about the fundamentals
(15:26) Learning from our listeners
(17:57) The future of the WHOOP Podcast

For more WHOOP Podcast content, check out new episodes every Wednesday on
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This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with  five-time Olympian and 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres. While most athletes experience a relatively short window at the top of their sport, Dara Torres proved that you can redefine your position in sport past 40. Across five Olympic games, Dara continually reinvented herself and her longevity in the sport by embracing the changes she needed to make to perform at her best. As her body evolved so did her training, recovery, mindset, and even her definition of success, allowing her excellence for decades of her career. Dara gives an exclusive insight on the lessons she learned during her career and starting a new career at 57 as Head Coach of Boston College Swimming & Diving. This episode explores what longevity is ultimately about in all areas of life, from elite sport to leadership, coaching, and everyday life. 

(00:49) Dara Torres, 12-time Olympic Medalist
(03:11) Dara’s Journey to 5 Olympic Games
(03:30) 1984 Olympic Debut 
(05:01) Feeling Pressure During Career Highs
(06:45) Going For More: 1992 and 2000 Olympic Games
(09:12) Motherhood and Medals: Inside Dara’s 2008 Comeback 
(12:12) Training For An Olympic Games at 41 Years Old
(16:25) A Different Look At Recovery
(22:13) Competing in Your Own Lane
(24:51) Maintaining Resilience in a High Pressure Sport
(26:18) From Athlete to Head Coach
(29:26) Challenges of Collegiate Coaching 
(32:19) Dara’s Coaching Philosophy to Build Confidence and Prioritize Recovery
(38:47) Are Individualized Training Programs Worth It?
(40:42) Life After Sport: Maintaining Identity and Purpose
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Welcome back to the Science of Human Performance Series. This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki unpack what really happens physiologically when you’re under stress. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki explore the physical, mental, and emotional ways stress can manifest, and how not all stress is actually bad. This episode helps you to understand the way stress can be perceived, and the habits that can help you manage it better. From building in small moments of rest to breath work to intentional wind-down time, this conversation will help you improve sleep and overall recovery by improving how your body responds to stress.

(01:51) Stress vs. Strain: What Are The Differences
(02:35) WHOOP Stress Monitor: How It Works
(04:05) Defining Good Stress and Bad Stress
(06:09) Anxiety and Worry: Defining Threats In Daily Life
(09:21) Understanding The Stress Scale
(10:59) Workouts, Workdays, and Stress Load
(12:34) Does High Stress Mean Low Recovery?
(14:32) Understanding Stress as an Opportunity
(20:05) Winding Down From High Stress Activities
(22:53) Alcohol’s Impact on Stress Levels
(24:11) Breathwork for Deep Sleep and Higher Recovery
(29:08) Finding Challenges for Stress Profile
(32:21) Finding Moments for Rest
(36:09) The Best Buffer for Stress

HRV: Heart Rate Variability
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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr, Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki unpack the latest WHOOP study about alcohol’s impact on the body. The two unpack why the effects of alcohol extend beyond what you feel on a hangover. Drawing from research spanning millions of nights of data, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki how exactly alcohol impacts WHOOP metrics like HRV, heart rate, sleep, recovery, and overall performance. Alcohol not only impacts you based on how much you drink, but is variable based on age, sex, exercise levels, and sleep performance. Alcohol carries numerous physiological costs even when you don’t notice the symptoms, this episode will give you greater visibility to make informed decisions of how much and often you choose to drink.

Check out the WHOOP Research Publications Below:

Real-world effects of alcohol on heart rate, sleep, and physical activity by age and sex

Alcohol Use Trajectories During the First 72 Weeks of WHOOP Wearable Platform Membership: Observational Cohort Study

(00:51) WHOOP Research: What Millions of Nights Reveal About Alcohol
(01:58) Alcohol’s Impact on Your Brain
(03:39) What Happens Physiologically When People Drink
(07:56) The Hidden Costs of Alcohol
(10:14) What Happens During Sleep 
(16:41) Impact of Age on Recovery
(21:19) You Can’t “Work Off” A Night of Drinking
(24:51) Impact of Drinking on Women’s Health
(29:57) Alcohol Tolerance and WHOOP Metrics
(30:27) Can You “Sleep Off” A Hangover
(36:01) 3 Tips To Reduce The Effects of Alcohol
(37:41) The WHOOP Effect: WHOOP Users’ Relationship to Alcohol
(52:26) Focus on Moderation 
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