Pic of the Week

These are some of the daily data I get from my new toy. A Whoop. (See more about it below.) As I have got more mature (older) I’ve noticed my recovery from some big days or intense workouts hasn’t been as good. I’ve soldiered on but been left somewhat exhausted over time, but more than that I’ve noticed an increased number of injuries from my training. I got sick of it, so I went looking for answers about how I can continue to train, grow, get stronger, faster, and more flexible. What I discovered was it wasn’t so much the amount of strain I put into my body, but instead it was about how well I recovered afterward. I now track daily the amount of strain I am generating and how recovered I am the next day. This helps determine how hard I train that day to minimize the amount of chronic damage.

Here are the top three things that have made a difference in my week.
They might also be useful for you, or not.

1) My new Toy...

WHOOP. I’m loving it. WHOOP calculates your recovery based on 4 physiological markers: Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Resting Heart Rate (RHR), sleep, and respiratory rate. These metrics are calibrated to your baseline, which means your recovery is personalized each day. HRV measures the variation in time between each heartbeat. Leading exercise physiologists agree that HRV is one of the most useful tools for determining optimal training loads. It in fact measures your autonomic nervous system balance and is the closest we can get to seeing the health of your Vagus nerve. (See my top YouTubes below).

WHOOP measures your RHR during your deepest sleep each night for consistent, controlled readings. Over time, you can monitor changes in RHR as you navigate training cycles. Importantly get unprecedented insight into your sleep, including sleep cycles, disturbances, respiratory rate, circadian rhythm, and more. Every night WHOOP tells you exactly how much sleep you need, so you can function at your best the next day.



Importantly it measures respiratory rate. Studies show a clear link between changes in respiratory rate and symptoms of illness and health complications. WHOOP monitors respiratory rate each night and notifies you of significant changes. If you are wanting to track your health 24/7 this band will do it. It charges in situ; therefore, you never have to take it off. All the data (250KB/d) syncs whenever you are in Wi-Fi. Get a free WHOOP strap and your first month free when you join with my link: https://join.whoop.com/#/42B890.

2) 4 great YouTubes explaining HRV and Health...

Everything You Should Know About Heart Rate Variability (HRV). This animated explains the concept of heart rate variability (HRV) and what it means for your health and willpower. HRV Training and its Importance - Richard Gevirtz, Ph.D., Pioneer in HRV Research & Training. A bit Science packed but for the nerds amongst us, you’ll like this one. Everything You Need to Know About Heart Rate Variability (HRV) | WHOOP Podcast A deep dive into heart rate variability (HRV), including what it is, why it's a measure of fitness, what affects it, how to improve it, and what it means for recovery and optimizing performance, on the WHOOP Podcast The Ultimate WHOOP Band 3.0 Review of 2020 (1.5 Years of Use) In this ultimate review by athlete Michael Kummer of the WHOOP Strap 3.0, he walks you through everything he has learned from this advanced fitness and sleep tracker.

3) Something I did…

A 5 Day Fast. Powerful in so many ways. I know you have heard me talk about this before, but I wanted to raise it again with you. Something I do 4-5 times a year, and I love the feeling at the end. The benefits are massive, from destroying cancer cells, stimulating stem cells, improving insulin sensitivity, weight loss, clearing brain fog, and much, much more. This guy Valter Longo knows a bit about it. Here is a great article about 5-day fasting.

P.s. Quote of the week is...

“Whatever you do, apply yourself” Arthur Carvosso

I would love your feedback on what had an impact on you and the lesson in it, moral of the story, or learning you would share.

Have a ripper finish to your week.