Invasion of the body hackers Words⁄Tom
Jenkins
Set
design
&
photography⁄Martina
Gyms are so 2018. In LA right now, it’s all about the biohacking lab, where treadmills and free weights have been replaced with cryotherapy, infra-red therapy and bone-density enhancers. Is this the workout of the future?
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n the past hour, I’ve pumped the equivalent weight of a small family car, been expertly massaged by a pair of inflatable trousers and withstood -120°C in my underpants. It’s not your average Thursday morning, but then I am in Los Angeles – the world capital of wellness – to experience the globe’s first dedicated biohacking facilities. You might already have heard of “biohacking” . It’s all about using science or technology to boost health, and can range from the drastic – DIY-ing your DNA or taking brain-enhancing drugs – to simply using a Fitbit to make health changes to your lifestyle. In LA there are now two dedicated facilities bringing biohacking to the mainstream, drawing together treatments that claim to boost health on a cellular level. The first, Bulletproof Labs, opened in Santa Monica in 2017; a second, Upgrade Labs, launched at The Beverly Hilton earlier this year. Plans are in place for a chain of these “gyms of the future” so, ahead of the Annual Biohacking Conference this month, I’ve flown to LA to find out what these facilities might mean for our fitness in the future. Will we all soon be lifting Ford Focuses, as well as driving them? I’m met by Amanda McVey, vice president of experience and programming at Upgrade Labs, who shows me around the Beverly Hills facility. It’s split into fitness and recovery centres, separated by the hotel’s outdoor pool. “We offer personalised cognitive and physical fitness plans using the technologies and secrets of the 1%,” she says, outlining the concept of the Labs. “These plans deliver measurable results and in less time [than the gym], so our members can more effectively pursue their journey to an unstoppable life.” With that enticing introduction, we start with a body composition and cellular health analysis, which involves passing a gentle current through the body via foot and hand sensors. The results are then fed back to the trainers and hacker techs for a holistic, rather than merely cosmetic, picture of an inductee’s health. »
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LIGHT THERAPY A number of stations at Upgrade Labs utilise red and infrared LED light to boost health and recovery. Exposure to these light frequencies is said to improve circulation and immunity, stimulate collagen production and decrease inflammation. It’s a non-invasive therapy that can slow down the skin’s ageing process. Chromatherapy, or colour therapy, is also used to enhance mood.
“With biohacking, it’s possible to improve more quickly than Mother Nature intended” 061
COLD HIIT Normal HIIT (or HighIntensity Interval Training) sessions involve short periods of very intense anaerobic exercise – proven to burn more calories than a conventional workout. In Cold HIIT, the addition of compression cuffs and cooling pads promotes massive lactic acid buildup and tricks the body into thinking it’s working much harder than it is. The technology is currently being trialled by NASA for Mars missions.
“So often in a fitness setting, success is measured on how a person looks or how much he or she weighs,” says McVey. “At Upgrade Labs we purposefully didn’t install mirrors throughout the facility so our members can reframe how they think about brain and body performance. We chose a medical-grade body composition device that refocuses the conversation on what matters – cell health and cellular water – and less on appearance.” Happily, apart from needing to lose around 2% of my body fat and cut down on salt, I’m in pretty good health. It’s time to check out the fitness hacks on offer. There’s a stationary bike that promises 40 minutes’ worth of cardio in 40 seconds. Then the super-intense Cold HIIT station, which uses cold pads and compression cuffs to replicate a three-hour workout in just 21 minutes, creating a hellish lactic acid build-up. My favourite is the Cheat Machine, which lets punters push hundreds of kilos over just three exercises, using adaptive resistance technology to essentially give a week’s worth of strength training in under 15 minutes. Afterwards I certainly feel like I’ve pushed some serious weight, but the glow of achievement soothes my aching muscles. On to the recovery centre, where McVey proposes a “stack” of treatments: two minutes of -120°C cryotherapy, a stint on a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) chair; 20 glorious minutes in compression trousers, which provide an ultra-relaxing detoxifying massage; and 40 minutes or so in an infrared sauna with chromatherapy. Stacks, she explains, are a way of layering or combining technologies to amplify their effects and save time. I leave feeling like a million dollars, as one would expect from a highest-possible-tech spa in Beverly Hills. Cut to the next morning and although I wake, fully alert, at 4am (it’s done nothing for my jet lag), I feel zero soreness from my exertions. »
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“They say biohacking can make me stronger, healthier, happier – even double my potential lifespan” 064
Above⁄ Biohacking machines at the Upgrade Labs fitness centre offer an “unstoppable” workout
CRYOTHERAPY The extreme cold endured during cryotherapy (anything up to -140°C) triggers the body’s fight or flight response, flooding it with oxygenated blood and mood-enhancing endorphins. On leaving the pod, users feel energised and uplifted. Long-term benefits are said to include improved immunity, collagen production and fat burning, and decreased inflammation.
It’s too soon to know what my session has done long-term, but those behind the project would have me believe it can make me a stronger, healthier and happier human – and might even double my potential lifespan. Dave Asprey, the tech entrepreneur behind Upgrade Labs – and Bulletproof Coffee, a coffee and butter concoction that promises to improve cognitive function – has stated publicly that he believes biohacking can help him live to 180. “[With biohacking], it’s possible to improve more quickly than Mother Nature intended,” says the zealot, who’s even had his own stem cells injected into his face in his quest for near-eternal youth. “I’ve maintained a 100lb [45kg] weight loss, improved my sleep, and transformed into a better version of myself, and it’s saved thousands of hours of my time.” Human performance consultant Ben Greenfield, another biohacking thought leader, supports Asprey’s claims to longevity – up to a point. “I think that in many cases we’ll be surprised by how long people actually can live… we are seeing humans, especially those in the blue zones [regions with high numbers of centenarians], near 120 years old,” he says. Considering how an emphasis on a healthy diet and lifestyle in the West has boosted life expectancy in the years since wellness became an aspiration in the 1980s, biohacking’s more extreme and targeted solutions may well, he says, be able to affect that health-boost on a more personalised scale – and adherents will reap the rewards of longevity. If that’s true then it’s no wonder that Upgrade Labs is just one of the ways biohacking is attracting a wider audience. Nootropics (smart drugs) and psychedelic microdosing are emerging out of the Silicon Valley tech community and into busy lives elsewhere. Dopamine fasting is being used to mitigate against the effects of social media. UV sun lamps, coloured sunglasses for circadian rhythms and ketosis diets are all on the up. »
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It’s not just about lifestyle: evangelists believe biohacking is set to disrupt the medical industry, too. Wearables that can detect a person’s full hormone profile and tell whether a woman is pregnant within five hours of conception are coming soon. Start-ups like Los Angeles-based Seed are looking at ways to hack the human microbiome to prevent diseases such as metabolic syndrome, UTIs and even acne. “Many diseases that we treat as inevitable have a bacterial element,” explains its co-founder and co-CEO Raja Dhir. At the Peak Brain Institute, Dr Andrew Hill and his team use auditory and visual feedback to condition brainwaves for peak performance, and to treat age-related and anxiety disorders, addiction and even autism. Tracking how you feel afterwards is critical, says Hill. “Side effects do show up – but they’re very subtle and then we just adjust the process.” In fact any health marker can now be controlled using trial and error, according to Wesley King, a CEO who came to biohacking five years ago to tackle a weight problem. “Light, sound, food, supplements, water, stem cells – even the thoughts in our heads. All of these things are inputs to our existence. Learning how to tweak is the essence of the biohacker.” The possibilities are exciting, but biohacking’s not without its detractors. Dave Asprey has been accused of cherry-picking research to boost claims about his products. One British newspaper came to the damning conclusion that his advice was “simplistic, invalid and unscientific”. Others point out that many of the techniques are hardly new. Scandinavians have appreciated the health benefits of plunging straight into icy water from a hot sauna and back again for centuries, for example. »
BUILD MUSCLE IN SECONDS Osteogenic loading machines can emulate high-impact exercise to improve bone density and strength, with huge potential for both body builders and for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. “About 10 seconds of effort can stimulate your brain to produce healthy bone and muscle tissue, with very low risk of injury,” says Sarah Glicken, coowner of Culver City’s OsteoStrong, which has franchises all over the world. “It’s foundational strengthening of your entire skeletal system, so everything else functions better.” osteostrong.com
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While you’re in… LA
Stay
Los Angeles Athletic Club
This 139-yearold Downtown hotel has a pool, basketball court, fully equipped gym and even an indoor running track, alongside 72 rooms. With dozens of fitness classes available per week, you might never leave. laac.com
Eat
Sqirl
upgradelabs.com, bulletproof.com
Norwegian flies to Los Angeles from eight destinations. Book flights, a hotel and a rental car at Norwegian.com
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Upgrade Labs’ REDcharger machine promises a full body boost inside and out, stimulating workhorse mitochondria cells and rejuvenating skin cells
sqirlla.com
Do
Shape House
Touted as an “urban sweat lodge”, Shape House offers the chance to catch up on Netflix while sweating profusely inside an infrared sleeping bag. Moist! shapehouse.com
P H O T O S : L O S A N G E L E S AT HL E T I C C L U B , S Q IR L
Even Ben Greenfield, one of the industry’s leaders, gives a note of caution. “What I do get concerned about is sometimes people tend to use [biohacking] as a replacement for a more natural life. I would be concerned about someone driving in their car to go indoors to have a light treatment, when they could just as easily go walk barefoot on the beach.” There are also risks. Gene-editing, cryo and even ketosis are controversial; overuse of supplements can be problematic. Outcomes are often uncertain as scientific trials of some methods are in their infancy so many biohackers track their success subjectively. As former Facebook strategist Sara Wilson wrote in an August 2018 post on Quartzy: “At some point, we decided to use ‘because it makes me feel good’ as a metric by which we determine truth.” But while biohacking might not be entirely safe, and it certainly isn’t cheap – prices at Upgrade Labs range from $600 to $3,500 for monthly memberships – its adherants defend their right to take a punt on something closer to eternal life. Just ask Elias Arjan, the brain behind LA’s Biohackers Collective, who claims to spend $15,000-$20,000 a year on organic food, memberships, tech and products. “I see people age and suffer miserable and preventable diseases,” he says. “It seems obvious to me to not subject myself to that.” So, despite the potential drawbacks, it seems biohacking is here to stay. And after a few days of being pumped, pummelled and primped by LA’s hacking community, it’s easy to see why. The seductive power of a week’s worth of gym work in under an hour, with the promise of youthful looks and a longer life is a no-brainer. As Arjan says, “Taking the steps to ensure my body and mind remain optimised is a proactive choice in a reactive world.”
Eat wholesome but tasty at one of LA’s coolest neighbourhood eateries, which also does a fine line in home-made jams. The sorrel pesto rice bowls are unmissable.