WHOOP Podcast - Cristiano Ronaldo's Secrets to Longevity and Peak Performance

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

What does it take to be at the top of your game – and how long can you stay there? On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder & CEO, Will Ahmed, sits down with the world's most prolific footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, to discuss the important role of recovery, sleep, and discipline in Cristiano’s life. Cristiano reveals his impressive WHOOP Age – the newest feature available on WHOOP Peak and WHOOP Life. Will and Cristiano discuss the various ways Cristiano uses WHOOP to fuel greatness and stay at the top of his game. (00:12) Cristiano Ronaldo x WHOOP MG Unboxing(00:45) Cristiano’s Impressive WHOOP Age(01:37) How Steps Impact Cristiano's Lifestyle(02:15) Cristiano’s Top Sleep Habits(04:00) International Travel’s Impact On Sleep(04:52) Career Perspectives At Age 40 vs Age 25(05:54) How WHOOP Has Aided Cristiano’s Recovery(06:42) Top Recovery Behaviors For Healthspan(08:44) Cristiano’s Secrets to Low Stress(10:18) The Impact of Time Spent in Heart Rate Zones (12:03) Tips to Slow Your Pace of Aging(12:53) Cristiano’s Wake Up call(18:55) What WHOOP Means to Cristiano’s LifestyleHealthspan is not available for users under the age of 18.Follow Cristiano Ronaldo:InstagramYoutubeXFacebookSupport the showFollow WHOOP: www.whoop.com Trial WHOOP for Free Instagram TikTok YouTube X Facebook LinkedIn Follow Will Ahmed: Instagram X LinkedIn Follow Kristen Holmes: Instagram LinkedIn Follow Emily Capodilupo: LinkedIn

You have to take care of your body. If you start today, you're going to have benefits in the future. It doesn't matter the time. What is important, it's what you want to achieve. Let's go. Okay, Christiana. Great to be with you, brother. Thank you.

Thank you. Today we're going to reveal to you the Woop MG, which is technology I've been building for 13 years. Wow. But is our newest launch. It's our Woop Medical Grade product. Top. It's about 7% smaller.

7% smaller, yeah. And it also has a 14-day battery life. Wow. Three times the battery life is before. We've come out with a number of new features. Health span, which is your Woop age. Woop did all this work to essentially assess based on your behaviors, your performance, your physiology.

What is your actual physiological age versus your biological age? I'll let you reveal it. At that here? Yeah. I don't believe it's so good, eh? 28.9. So it says you're 28.9. Yes.

That's amazing. 12 years younger. Your OOP age is lower than your chronologic age. Continue your health behaviors. So this means that I'm going to play 10 years more football. We'll go through the different behaviors within your WUP age. If you scroll up, you can see each of the different statistics and how those are affecting your whoop age. I really want to get into some of your

habits that drive your whoop age. So let's start with your steps. Your steps are making you almost a year younger. Okay. So you're getting on average 17,000 steps a day. This is very good. Does that sound consistent with your behavior and your training? It's the way I live my life, you know, I'm always move, not only for football, but my daily life too, you know, spend time with my kids to play with them, to have another activity aside of football. Don't surprise me because I'm, I move a lot too. And your hours of sleep, you've got 70% sleep consistency, which is pretty much the recommended level.

You're getting seven hours and 15 minutes of sleep. Talk a little bit about your sleep routine. Now, for me, probably sleep is the most important tool that I have because it's the only moment at the day that you can recover and settle everything. So for me, a great night of sleep, it's the most important thing that probably we have in a life in terms of health spend. To be consistent in the time that I go to the beds and the time that I wake up. Right. I mean, like, example, I go bed around 11, 12, and wake up 8.30. 8.30, 8.45.

It's my routine. I don't like when we travel or when we have games at the night. So the body is like shaking a lot at the night. So the quality of sleeping is not the same. But you have to balance that to don't. make too much difference in my sleeping time. For example, now I try to do it the same, but maybe I'll go one hour late to the bed and I wake up one hour late as well. So I think the balance is not too different. For example, for you coming from US, the time zone is completely

different. You are here in Saudi. For you is more difficult, you know. But I think it's the most important thing, it's the consistency. If your consistency is good, nothing going to have big influence in your health, in my opinion. And when you travel internationally or you go over, you know, five, six, eight hours of a different time zone, what do you like to do to adjust? Usually I'm not doing that. Yeah. But if I have to do it, it's a small amount of time. You know, it's, I'm not going to spend, for example, in US or, you know, I'm not going to spend, for example, big tours, of course, the time zone is different, but at least sleep seven hours. It's the way that you can adjust, you know, but when I'm traveling, I do it to long journeys.

I'm never being there more than four or five days. So for me, it's not a big deal. I have an opportunity to be and work in the zone that I feel comfortable. But if that happened, I know the way. so don't shake too much the body christiano age 40 versus age 25 did you know that sleep was that important when you were younger so you've always been when you are younger you think you're going to live forever you're going to have power forever you think you are breakable but by the age i have a great example in the football because it's the football it's the demands physically and body it's a lot

to manage that you have to be smart do with things in a different way so I learn with the time I learn with my experience and I adjust year by year the demand of the body to answer your question when you have 25 is not the same when you have 30s especially in the football but I'm still feeling good and I prioritize recovery and the sleeping much more than before. What have you noticed from using WOOP to improve your recovery? As I told you, not just because we are a partner

of this great company and great tool, in my opinion. It's like a doctor you have in your OEC. Doctor on your wrist. Yes. And for me, it's amazing because you can control a little bit better. But sometimes it's funny because the people that surround me all the time and physios And our physiology, they say, I don't need sometimes to look the hoop to know how I feel.

Yeah. Because it's many years of experience, many years of playing high level. I know how I feel. If I sleep good, if my recovery is good or not. And for me, it's very helpful that I have this device. The new one looks good, too. You know, you have a few behaviors that seem to really improve your recovery. You track these in the whoop journal.

So compression therapy, when you log doing that, it actually has up to an 11% increase in your recovery. What do you do with compression therapy? I think it's another tool that you can help me my recover. And you saw, because you've been in my house two times, and you saw that I take care of my recovery. Because I think the way you're training, if you're training two hours, you have to recover two hours. If you're training three hours, you have to recover three hours. I have a company that we have a few tools as well, recovery tools that help me a lot, not only that way, but we have creosport, for example, that they pressure your muscles

and in the same time make you joints and muscles colds and helps a lot. I felt that it's a great tool to recover your legs is great. I have many tools that help me to be in a good recovery every day. To be top. To be in the top level. Cryotherapy increases your recovery by 7%. Cold shower increases it by 4.5%. So clearly doing cold therapy is helpful for you.

It's a great tool that people should understand that many people in the world, they have misunderstanding that cold is not good. If you take cold showers, if you do an ice bath, that you're going to be with a fever, which is completely wrong. It's the opposite.

More often you do, that, less sick you will be. Totally. So, but I understand that people have this misunderstanding because even my, my wife and my kids, that when the kids go around the house without shoes, be careful, they're going to be sick. No, it's not. It's the opposite.

But I understand step by step with a good example. I think people start to change the mentality that cold is a great tool. So back to you being 28 years old on WOOP, your resting heart rate is 44 beats per minute. And in fact, in the last 30 days, it's been closer to 40. So this is giving you essentially two years reduction in your age. I'm curious, are there things that you find that help you calm your nervous system or lower your heart rate? Yes. It's another way of recover.

And especially, it's curious that I say, to do my teammates yesterday, that I feel in peace when I arrive in home, every time. When I go away of home, I don't going to say that I feel nervous because not. But I feel that my low stress is not the same. Not I or down, but it's average. But when I arrive in home, my day is completely different. My heart is different. And a part of that, I am with the people.

who I like and then I can recover and be in my world with peace to do with my sauna alone my call therapy my machines to be with the family I think it's moments that make my stress very low and I think part of that is the heart they show that I'm completely low stress that means a lot because it means that you make your body in your mind, calm. I think it helps to the heart a lot. Obviously, exercise is a big part of your life. You spend close to 10 hours a week training and then an additional, and that's in heart rate zones one to three. And then in four to five, you're spending another hour. So all of this from a whoop age standpoint is bringing

your age down. How do you balance sort of cardio training or sprint training with endurance training? Part of that, it's my routine relate with football, of course. But a part of that, I have hobbies, as I mentioned before. You have to manage and to find the balance to don't overstress your body too, because too much sport is not good too. So you have to find the balance for that. And I think I have one of the things that the people don't. take too much attention, it's your mental cognition. It's very important, in my opinion.

And if you do it your job, and at the same time you enjoy to do it other sports with your friends, socialize, I think it's a good part to make your balance right. So I try to find with my experience to don't push too much my body when they need to recover, but to find the balance, which is sometimes it's difficult. I take care of my body since I start to play football. You treat the same way that you treat 20 years ago? No, but I was there. Like, take care a little bit of my body.

But by the time, by the age, I increase a little bit more because all of us get old. I start every year, do it something more, something more, something more. So one other aspect of health span is that we have what's called pace of aging. So what this shows you is at any given period, how much younger or for some people older, are you trending? Now, for you, you're always pretty much below the trend line. So you're pretty much always getting younger, according to whoop.

But what's interesting is it went really low in January and February of this year. Is there anything you can think of about your January and February that was more restorative or even healthier? Probably it's the moment that we have probably more vacation. A little more of rest. I don't have a specific thing to tell you. This is this coincidence, in my opinion, because the way I live my life is always very similar. Well, we have a big theme with this new technology launch, which is people can now take control of their health. Right.

There's so much broken about the health system. And now people can have data themselves to take control. And in some ways, that's a wake-up call, right? What for you in your life was a wake-up call where you said, you know what, I have this opportunity to be great? The moment, it's difficult to tell you. But I think the wake-up call is important,

but it's not the key. I think you have to take care a little bit of your body, but without obsession. The timing doesn't matter. The timing, if you start today, you're going to have benefits in the future. It doesn't matter the time.

What is important, it's what you want to achieve. What you want. You want to live a good life? Yes, I like to drink. I like to eat a burger. Okay, you're going to pay the bill in the future. Right. I think the most important is to find the balance.

Sometimes I can eat an burger or chips. It doesn't matter. It's important, too, for your mind too. Sometimes I sleep 2 o'clock in the morning because last night I was in UFC. here in Saudi and the main event, it's 2 o'clock. Yes, it's quality of life too. But the most important thing is the consistency. If you have consistency, you're going to be good in the future

or you're going to be better than the other ones in the future. This is my opinion. I think and tell me what you think, that the consistency and the discipline is what takes someone who's high talent and makes them truly great. What do you think? Any sports. Yeah.

Any job. I think it's part of the life. It's like that. It's all the opposite. They are not part of this world, in my opinion. If you want to achieve successful, it's the only way. You've probably seen a lot of footballers, athletes. I see everything.

Everything, everything. Not only sports. Any job. Any job. It's the same way. The same. If you are not consistent more than other ones, if you don't do it at something more than another.

other ones, you're never going to be number one like me. I'm joking. So you're never going to be, you're never going to be an higher level so many years. You can be one, two years, okay. 20 years, 13 years is impossible. Forget it. If someone tell you the opposite, in my opinion, they're like. And if someone is having trouble with consistency or discipline,

What do you think are techniques or what kind of encouragement would you give them? Do they need a vision for what they can become? Yesterday I see one thing that make me wake up call. Like sometimes we give so much energy for situations who don't go well in your life. But you just stop when you have a problem, healthy problem. And your priority, the cure, to resolve the sickness that you problem. The other things is not important. We make everything in the same package to solve so many problems.

What sometimes is, this is not a problem. This is situations of the life, daily things. And we focus so many things. And we forgot to focus the main thing. And I give you the bad example is like, when you are sick, you only focus the cure of this problem. You can have 100 problems, but if you have a health problem, you have one problem. Exactly. Exactly. So this is what I want to say with that. Focus, new priorities. You understand? Don't focus so many things. And this is what I learn by the time. And I'm going well with my life. To be honest, I mean, enjoy so much, so much more that you start to see the life in a different way. You know, and people, they will find out better soon than late, you know, to try to make the life more in trade.

It's interesting. I mean, being fit is hard. You know, the discipline that you do is it takes so much work. But also being out of shape and being sick is hard. Of course. And so there's a concept of like choose your hard, right? But everything is hard. Yeah. The both ways is hard, right? Yeah. So why without obsession, and I'm going to mention, you say to be like me, maybe in your opinion or the opinion of the old people, even my friend. and say that I'm sick to live that life, I say, no, no. For me, it's not a big deal. I do it in a comfortable way, in a happy way. For me, it's not sacrifice, you say, yeah. Sometimes you don't want to go to the gym. Of course, no. Sometimes I don't go to do it.

But I go because I have a compromise with myself. But I'm not going happy every day. You think I'm wake up off the bed every day, happy, or with my wife or with my wife. Sometimes I'm not, but it's part of our time. We are both the same. We feel this every time. To mention again, the most important thing is to have a routine,

consistency, not obsession. Good, don't be like Cristiano, because Christiana is crazy, okay. But 20%, 25% is so much. Yeah, be more consistent. Yeah, it's a little bit. Come on, make effort in your health. Make sense. Well, look, all of us at Whoop are inspired by

you and I think you have an incredibly important message not just for the world's best athletes but for the masses which is be more consistent in your life take control of your life and prioritize your help do that because it's not it's quality of life for your body for your mental strength and it's worth it my opinion this has been a pleasure as always and we're honored that you use whoop as part of this routine I use it every day every single day and as I told you before it is a good tool to help your health and congratulations for your company because helps me even more but the society as well want to enjoy in this world of to take care of his health I think it's a great tool to start it the wake up call.

Thank you brother. Thank you. I appreciate it. If you enjoyed this episode of the Wooop podcast, please leave a rating or review. Check us out on social at Whoop at Will Ahmed. If you have a question to us answered on the podcast, email us podcast at Whoop.com. Call us 508-443-9552. If you think about joining Whoop, you can visit Whoop.com. Sign up for a free 30-day trial membership. New members can use the code Will, W-I-L, to get a $60 credit on Whoop accessories when you enter the code at checkout. That's a wrap, folks. Thank you all for listening. We'll catch you next week on the Whoop podcast. as always, stay healthy and stay in the green.