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What if the fitness metrics you’re obsessing over aren’t telling you what you think they are? HRV. VO2 max. Resting heart rate. Zone 2. Wearables have given us more data than ever… but do you know how to use it to inform your training?

In this episode of the Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with renowned strength and conditioning coach Joel Jamieson to cut through the noise around cardiovascular fitness, recovery, and resilience. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience coaching UFC champions, Olympic athletes, special operators, and professional sports teams, Joel explains why a higher HRV isn’t always “better,” what Zone 2 training is really trying to accomplish, and why your aerobic engine matters even if endurance sports aren’t your thing.

They also explore how to balance low, moderate, and high-intensity training, practical ways to measure whether your conditioning is actually improving, and why stress outside the gym has to factor into how you train. The takeaway? Better fitness isn’t about chasing a perfect score – but about understanding what your body can handle, how well it recovers, and how to train accordingly.

• Why a higher HRV doesn’t always mean you’re better recovered
• What Zone 2 training is actually trying to accomplish
• Why cardiovascular fitness is important for improving resilience
• How to balance low, moderate, & high-intensity conditioning
• Why stress outside the gym should influence how you train

(00:00) Intro: Joel Jamieson on HRV & Conditioning

(03:33) The HRV Problem for Midlife Athletes

(05:13) What Is HRV?

(09:41) The Evolution of HRV Tracking

(13:32) What's a Good HRV?

(16:18) Morning vs Overnight HRV

(20:49) Why Higher HRV Isn't Always Better

(24:00) HRV, Resting Heart Rate, & Heart Rate Recovery

(26:50) Chest Strap vs Wrist-Based HRV

(29:33) How to Improve Your HRV

(34:10) How Fast Cardiovascular Fitness Declines

(37:53) Training Intensity Zones Explained

(43:30) Low, Moderate, & High Intensity Training

(45:59) Why Low-Intensity Training Builds VO2 Max

(48:33) Is VO2 Max Testing Worth It?

(51:04) The Cooper's Test

(55:09) How Fast Can Conditioning Improve?

(59:55) Team Athletes & Recovery

(1:01:46) Life Stress, HRV, & Training

(1:04:00) Lifestyle Sets Your Gym Limits

(1:05:21) Infinite Shelf

Huge thanks to our sponsors,Momentous, LMNT, and BEDGEAR.

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This one's a first: Juliet and I are recording from different states. I'm up in Evergreen, Colorado, fresh off the Farren Summit in Boulder, where Juliet and I ended up in the same room as Robb Wolf, John Welbourn, and Andy Stumpf. Felt like CrossFit 2.0.

The American Society of Hematology just raised the diagnostic floor for ferritin from 15 to 30 ng/mL, and if you've ever been told your iron levels are fine while running on empty, this is a massive deal. Juliet shares her 30-year story here, including what finally worked.

Two landmark CTE studies dropped the same week: one out of Australia showing 61% of examined rugby league brains had CTE, and one from the US putting it at 1 in 4 NFL players. We get into what that means for families and youth athletes thinking about contact sports.

Plus a real update on Outplay, our book on youth sports performance for parents, which we are nearly ready to turn in.

• Why the American Society of Hematology raised the ferritin diagnostic floor from 15 to 30 ng/mL, and what the thresholds are for different populations
• How to tell if iron deficiency may be affecting you, low ferritin symptoms, and which tests to ask your doctor about (ferritin, TIBC, CBC)
• Why standard iron treatments so often fail, and what finally worked for Juliet after three decades of trying
• How CTE differs from a concussion, and what two new studies on rugby league and NFL brains actually found
• How families and coaches should think about youth contact sports in light of the new CTE research
• What the Outplay book covers and where it stands in the writing process

(00:00) Intro: first time recording apart, Kelly in Colorado

(00:40) Farren Summit recap and the Boulder trip

(01:13) Kelly's CU Boulder days and the shared senior thesis story

(04:48) CrossFit reunion: Robb Wolf, John Welbourn, and Andy Stumpf

(06:59) Fall travel: YPO Vancouver and the Brett Bartholomew conference

(07:57) Eudemonia with Momentous and the Antarctica trip

(10:24) New ASH ferritin thresholds explained: from 15 to 30 ng/mL

(11:38) Low ferritin symptoms and why standard treatments kept failing: Juliet's 30-year story

(14:35) What finally worked: iron infusions and menopause

(17:26) Which tests to ask your doctor for

(18:24) Kelly's concussion history and CTE intro

(19:24) New CTE research: 61% of rugby brains and 1 in 4 NFL players

(20:02) CTE vs. concussion: what's the difference

(21:37) Youth contact sports and how families should think about risk

(24:27) Guardian caps and other interventions; Eric Freitag episode on concussions, (https://thereadystate.com/trs_podcast/eric-freitag-concussions/)

(26:27) Outplay book update and the Outplay Way card deck

(30:50) Skateboarding as free play, shoutout to Lisa's son Fox:(https://www.instagram.com/p/DdiCvqzp1HL/)

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What does it take to keep someone performing when their job leaves almost no room for downtime? In this episode of the Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with longtime friend Dr. Drew Contreras, a retired Army physical therapist who went from supporting soldiers in combat to becoming the first full-time physical therapist embedded in the White House Medical Unit.

Drew shares what he learned caring for everyone from White House staff to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden – and why the fundamentals of human performance matter even more when time is your most valuable resource. From encouraging naps during relentless work schedules to introducing walking meetings at the White House, Drew explains how small changes can help people stay functional under extraordinary pressure.

The conversation also explores the changing role of physical therapy, why PTs should be doing more than treating injuries one patient at a time, and how technology such as digital health and AI could reshape the profession.

• What working with two sitting U.S. presidents taught Drew about keeping people functional under extreme pressure
• Why naps, walking meetings, and other simple interventions can make a major difference during sustained periods of high-stress work
• How physical therapists became a “force multiplier” for keeping soldiers healthy and operational during deployment
• Why Drew believes physical therapists should play a bigger role in performance and musculoskeletal primary care
• Why embracing new technology such as digital health and AI will be essential for the future of physical therapy

(00:00) Intro to Dr. Drew Contreras

(02:55) How a Combat PT Got Handpicked for the White House

(07:00) The Birthday Basketball Game That Started It All

(12:05) Building a Wellness Culture in the White House

(19:15) What Actually Moved the Needle on Health

(22:05) Naps, Walking Meetings, & Reframing Work

(26:30) Deploying as One of the First Combat PTs

(31:00) PT as Human Performance, Not Just Rehab

(33:20) Treating Obama vs. Biden – Different Ages, Different Needs

(38:50) Leading the APTA & Scaling Physical Therapy

(43:45) The Money Problem in Physical Therapy

(53:30) PT as Musculoskeletal Primary Care

(1:00:30) AI, Digital Health, & the Future of PT

(1:04:21) What the Presidency Really Does to a Person

(1:11:30) Infinite Shelf: Legacy by James Kerr

Huge thanks to our sponsors, LMNT, BEDGEAR, and Momentous.