How many of us remember the old slogan “No pain, no gain”? The implication being, if you’re not spending hours sweating and grunting in the gym, you won’t see results. The modern man (and woman) is offered a new option - AI-assisted biohacking that personalizes your workout and recovery, optimizing results and ensuring your time is used efficiently. Upgrade Labs is the creation of Bulletproof Coffee founder Dave Asprey, “to help people get better results in less time and keep them.”
Bellevue Lifestyle connected with the owners of the Bellevue Upgrade Labs to see what Asprey was talking about. Debra Arend and Kevin DeLashmutt have long enjoyed the use of home wellness devices; “25 years ago, a chiropractor told me about red light therapy. It was one beam of light in this device, going into my knee which had been bothering me. I ended up buying it - I've been a device junkie for years - and that's how Kevin and I began learning about biohacking,” says Arend. Seeing the value of that opportunity for others as well, they opened an Upgrade Labs, “Where we now have the most therapeutic Photobiomodulation Bed available.”
When a member joins Upgrade Labs, an interview process determines their goals and the frequency they can come into the center. Each client gets a cell health analysis: A two-minute process yielding 68 reference points to show what's going on in their body: Body fat, skeletal muscle mass, visceral fat, extracellular water, and more. A score is given based on the client’s age and sex, then the center creates a protocol to help them reach their goals, utilizing the equipment that best fits the individual.
The client chooses whether to use available AI features. “For example,” DeLashmutt explains, “We have an AI bike that'll increase your VO2 max 12.5% if you use it twice a week for two months.” (The Cleveland Clinic defines VO2 max as how much oxygen the body can absorb and use while expending maximum effort in a workout). “That’s an eight-minute ride where you’re mostly pedaling slowly, with two 10-20 second sprints when you give your all, replicating how the body is designed to operate - foraging in the woods and running from tigers. Your workout is done in eight minutes, replacing a 50-minute spin class you do five times a week.” The AI component learns your performance metrics during three rides and customizes each ride thereafter.
An AI Movement Trainer mimics the benefits of classes like yoga and Pilates. On-screen instructors run through the exercises, and it's gamified: You can race, swim, or kayak. The AI Strength Trainer measures movement, strength, and more. A typical workout after that is a 15 to 20 minute full-body routine replacing 90 minutes in a gym, without breaking a sweat. Adds Arend, “Members come in in their work clothes - they'll come in between meetings in a button-down shirt and get their strength training in and go back to the office.”
In addition to strength and endurance, many clients join Upgrade Labs for recovery or to counteract the aging process. They utilize devices like The Big Squeeze, a lymphatic drainage system similar to manual lymphatic massage, but all mechanical and highly precise. For post-hike soreness, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy introduces an electromagnetic field to boost recovery at the cellular level. “The technology for this treatment originated with thoroughbred race horses,” Arend mentions, “Many medical and performance modalities began in veterinary care for high-performance animals.”
The Metabolic Trainer is the go-to device for stopping the clock. It’s a CPAP-like mask worn on the face, with a heart rate monitor on the finger that measures blood oxygen. By alternating hypoxic and normoxic states for four cycles over thirty minutes, it helps your body use oxygen more efficiently.
Many more devices at Upgrade Labs help the modern gentleman optimize his health and wellness, and the technology tracks progress and helps members adjust as needed. Says Arend, “We have white glove service in providing support every step of the way, including retesting. We ask all our members to retest on the cell health analysis monthly to see the changes happening in their bodies.” Bellevue Lifestyle readers are invited to visit Upgrade Labs and learn about their own bodies’ metrics.
Each client gets a cell health analysis: A two-minute process yielding 68 reference points to show what's going on in their body.
Members utilize devices like The Big Squeeze, a lymphatic drainage system similar to manual lymphatic massage, but all mechanical and highly precise.