The InsideTracker panel measures 36 biomarkers for performance, recovery and hormones in a single blood draw. It is built for lifters, amateur and semi-pro athletes and data-driven biohackers who want to optimise their training. Every result is reviewed by a BIG-registered doctor.
You do not get a single number, but a set of data points you can act on. Testosterone, ferritin, CK and glucose together tell you more than any value alone.
I think this is one of the smartest panels for anyone who trains seriously. It looks at your hormones and your recovery, not just your cholesterol.
Below I walk through all 36 biomarkers, how to read them and what is deliberately left out.
Most athletes track their weight, their laps and their PRs. Few athletes track what is happening in their blood meanwhile. That is often exactly where the explanation for slow recovery sits.
A six-month plateau can come from low ferritin, raised cortisol or a vitamin D shortfall. Without a measurement that stays guesswork. With 36 data points you shrink that blind spot a lot.
The nice thing is you do not have to convince a doctor to be allowed to measure. You book yourself and then get a professional assessment.
What is the InsideTracker panel?
The InsideTracker panel is a broad blood test of 36 biomarkers, modelled on the well-known InsideTracker Ultimate panel. The draw runs through a Dutch lab at 750+ locations. You do not need a GP referral and can pick your own moment.
The focus is on performance, recovery and hormones. That makes it a strong fit for strength and endurance sport.
Enhanced Health is independent and not affiliated with InsideTracker: we offer a comparable, broad panel drawn in the Netherlands.
The panel costs €399. For that you get 36 values in one draw, plus an assessment by a doctor.
The draw takes a few minutes. The result usually follows within a few working days, depending on the lab.
You do not have to attend a consultation first. That saves time and keeps the threshold low for anyone who just wants to know their baseline.
The broad setup is the big difference with a single prick. You measure not one system, but seven systems at once in one appointment.
That lets you see connections you would otherwise miss. Low testosterone next to high cortisol points more to overload than to a hormone problem on its own.
See the full InsideTracker blood test if you want to book straight away.
The 36 biomarkers, grouped by system
The 36 biomarkers are spread across seven systems: hormones, blood sugar, heart, muscles, iron, vitamins and liver. Together they show how your body responds to training. Below you see, per system, what each value signals.
The power sits in the combination. Low free testosterone next to raised cortisol tells a different story than each value alone.
By reading the markers per system, you spot a pattern faster. You move from loose numbers to a working story about your recovery.
Hormones and performance
This group touches your recovery, strength and motivation directly. Low values often go together with slow recovery and low energy. Eight markers map your hormonal balance.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Total testosterone | General hormone status linked to muscle building and energy |
| Free testosterone | The directly available fraction of testosterone as a normal blood value |
| SHBG | Protein that binds testosterone and shapes the available fraction |
| Estradiol (E2) | Important for libido, bones and recovery in men and women |
| Progesterone | Hormone linked to cycle and recovery in women |
| DHEA-S | Precursor hormone that can fall with ageing |
| Cortisol | Stress hormone that, when chronically high, slows your recovery |
| TSH | Signal from your thyroid, which drives energy and metabolism |
Testosterone rarely stands alone. SHBG binds part of your testosterone, so your total value can look normal while your free fraction is low.
That is why you read total testosterone, free testosterone and SHBG together. Only then do you see the full picture of your available hormone.
Low testosterone values are, in some men, associated with complaints like fatigue and low motivation (Wu, 2010). Treatment decisions always belong with a doctor (Bhasin, 2018).
Cortisol is the counterpart of that build-up. Chronically high cortisol can slow your recovery and work against your fat loss.
Estradiol gets little attention in men, but it counts. Too low goes together with stiff joints and loss of libido, too high with fluid retention.
DHEA-S is a precursor hormone that can fall over the years. It gives context to your broader hormone picture.
TSH, finally, drives your thyroid. A slow thyroid can unexpectedly hold back your energy and metabolism.
Want to go deeper into these values? Read how free testosterone and SHBG together show your real testosterone status.
Blood sugar and metabolism
These three markers show how stable your blood sugar is and how sensitive to insulin you stay. That affects your energy and your fat loss. HbA1c gives an average over the past weeks.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Glucose (fasting) | Your blood sugar at a calm moment, without a recent meal |
| Insulin (fasting) | How hard your pancreas works to keep your sugar low |
| HbA1c | Average blood sugar over roughly three months |
For athletes, insulin sensitivity counts extra. A fasting insulin that stays low often goes together with a favourable metabolism. A high value can point to insulin resistance, sometimes before your glucose rises.
HbA1c adds time to that picture. It measures your average blood sugar over roughly three months, so single peaks fall away.
For a lifter in a bulk this is useful feedback. Many calories and carbs can let your values creep up gradually.
Glycaemic control is associated with long-term health, even in people without diabetes (Selvin, 2010). Read more in the pillar on measuring metabolic health.
Heart and cholesterol
Five markers map your fat profile and particle count. ApoB counts the harmful particles, not just the amount of cholesterol. That makes it a sharp addition to LDL.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | The total amount of cholesterol in your blood |
| LDL | The fraction associated with arterial plaque |
| HDL | The fraction often seen as protective |
| Triglycerides | Blood fats linked to metabolism and diet |
| ApoB | Count of harmful particles, a sharp risk measure |
Many athletes think their training automatically gives them a perfect fat profile. That is often true, but not always.
Genetic predisposition and diet play a role that training does not always offset. So measuring stays worthwhile, even when you are fit.
ApoB often predicts heart risk more accurately than cholesterol content alone (Sniderman, 2019). Dive into the ApoB blood value if you want to track your heart risk seriously.
Muscles and inflammation
These two markers show how hard your training loads you and whether you recover enough. CK peaks after intense sessions. CRP signals inflammatory activity in your body.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Creatine kinase (CK) | Muscle load and breakdown after heavy training |
| CRP | General inflammatory activity and possible overload |
A high CK after a heavy leg day is normal. A high CK at rest, without recent training, calls for context and possibly a retest.
CRP is broader. A mildly raised value can be linked to a cold, poor sleep or structural overload.
Together CK and CRP read like a recovery gauge. If both stay high while you rest, your body is telling you it needs more time.
For an athlete that is valuable feedback. The difference between training through and deloading becomes a choice based on data.
CK is used in sports medicine to monitor muscle load (Brancaccio, 2007). If you want to know how these values point to overload, read how to spot overtraining through cortisol, CK and CRP.
Iron and blood count
This group is crucial for your oxygen transport and therefore your endurance. Low ferritin often holds back your performance before you have anaemia. Six markers map your iron status and blood count.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Complete blood count (CBC) | Red and white blood cells, a broad baseline measurement |
| White cell differential | A breakdown of your white blood cells |
| Ferritin | Your iron store, often low in tired athletes |
| Iron | The amount of iron circulating at that moment |
| Transferrin | The transport protein that moves iron through your blood |
| Transferrin saturation | How saturated that transport protein is with iron |
Ferritin is the marker to watch here. Your store can be low while your haemoglobin still looks normal.
Endurance athletes often lose more iron through sweat and load. Women who menstruate also have a higher baseline need.
Transferrin saturation refines this picture. It shows how much of your transport protein is actually loaded with iron.
Low ferritin with a normal blood count is a classic early signal. You feel tired and flat, while a simple prick still shows nothing suspicious.
Iron deficiency in athletes is associated with reduced performance (Sim, 2019). Also read how to spot a smouldering shortfall early.
Vitamins and minerals
Eight markers in this group touch your energy, nerve function and muscle contraction. Low vitamin D is common in the Netherlands due to little sunlight. The Gezondheidsraad therefore advises supplementation for certain groups.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Vitamin D | Status linked to bones, muscles and immunity |
| Vitamin B12 | Important for energy and nerve function |
| Folate | Works with B12 in making blood cells |
| Magnesium | Involved in muscle contraction and recovery |
| Intracellular magnesium | The magnesium store inside your cells |
| Calcium | Mineral for bones and muscle function |
| Sodium | Electrolyte that helps steer your fluid balance |
| Potassium | Electrolyte linked to muscle and heart function |
Magnesium is the marker many athletes underrate. It is linked to muscle relaxation, sleep and recovery.
This panel measures magnesium in your blood and intracellularly. That second value shows how much magnesium really sits inside your cells.
Sodium and potassium round off your electrolyte balance. That balance touches cramp, fluid management and heart function directly.
Vitamin B12 and folate belong together. Together they support your energy and the production of red blood cells.
A shortfall often creeps in unnoticed, certainly on a plant-based diet. A measurement makes visible what you would otherwise only notice once you are already tired.
For vitamin D, the Gezondheidsraad points to supplementation for groups at higher risk of a shortfall. A measurement shows whether that applies to you.
Liver
Four markers show how your liver functions and how it responds to training and supplements. ALT and AST can rise temporarily after heavy strength training. A retest lets you place that in context.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Albumin | A protein linked to nutrition and liver function |
| ALT | Liver enzyme that can rise temporarily after heavy training |
| AST | Enzyme from liver and muscle, sensitive to load |
| Gamma-GT | Liver enzyme linked, among other things, to alcohol |
Gamma-GT can rise from alcohol, but also from certain medication or supplements. One value says little without context.
An isolated mild rise after a heavy session is usually easy to interpret. You discuss abnormal values with your GP.
Who is this panel suitable for?
This panel suits athletes who want to steer their training with data. Think of lifters tracking their testosterone, endurance athletes guarding their iron and biohackers optimising their metabolism.
It is also useful if you want to explain a plateau. Low ferritin or raised cortisol can quietly hold back your progress.
Just started training seriously? Then a first measurement gives you a baseline to compare against later.
Been training for years? Then the panel helps you see whether your load and recovery are still in balance.
The panel is deliberately broad. That way you catch signals you would miss with a targeted prick on one marker.
For anyone who only wants to check one value, this is too extensive. But if you want a full picture of your recovery, the gain sits exactly in that breadth.
In doubt whether it fits you? Then start with the question of what exactly you want to know. If it is mainly about hormones and performance, you are in the right place.
InsideTracker or Whoop: which fits you?
Choose InsideTracker if you mainly want to track your hormones, performance and metabolism. Choose Whoop if you want a broader look at longevity, heart and kidneys. Whoop adds Lp(a), homocysteine, omega-3 index and HOMA-IR, among others.
| Feature | InsideTracker | Whoop |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Hormones, performance and metabolism | Longevity, heart and kidneys |
| Number of biomarkers | 36 | 44 |
| For whom | Lifters and athletes who track performance | Those taking a broad view of long-term health |
| Price | €399 | €499 |
The choice depends on your goal. If you want to steer your training and hormones, InsideTracker fits sharply.
If you think more in terms of lifespan and cardiovascular risk, Whoop with 44 markers offers extra depth. It adds homocysteine and the omega-3 index, among others.
Both panels are drawn in the Netherlands and reviewed by a doctor. So there is no wrong choice, only a choice that fits your question.
The difference of eight markers sits mostly in the longevity corner. Whoop adds HOMA-IR as a measure of insulin resistance and the omega-3 index for your fatty-acid balance.
InsideTracker keeps it tighter on performance and hormones. That makes the report clearer for an athlete who wants to steer fast.
Want to compare the broader alternative? Read about recovery and longevity with 44 biomarkers.
How do you read your results?
Read your results as a trend, not a snapshot. One measurement gives you a baseline, a second shows whether a change worked. A BIG-registered doctor reviews every result and puts deviations in context.
A reference value is a range, not a target number. Within that band you can move without anything being wrong.
What counts is the direction your values move in. If your ferritin falls three measurements in a row, that is a signal, even within the range.
Say your ferritin was low. You adjust your diet and test again after a while to see whether your store rises.
That is how every marker works as a feedback loop. You change something, you wait, and you measure whether it had effect.
That is exactly where a broad panel is strong. You see not only whether ferritin rises, but also whether your cortisol or CRP moves along meanwhile.
One value outside the range is not a diagnosis on its own. It can be linked to your training, your sleep or a chance peak.
That is why you look at the pattern across several measurements. You discuss structural deviations with your GP.
Timing helps with comparison. If you always measure at a similar moment, your values are easier to lay side by side.
A morning measurement after a rest day gives a different picture than one after a heavy week. Cortisol and CK respond to that clearly.
My advice: treat your first measurement as a zero point and build a line from there. A single outlier says less than a trend.
What is not included?
This panel looks at your blood, not at your genes or your glucose through the day. Genetics and continuous glucose monitoring are deliberately left out. Lp(a), the omega-3 index and homocysteine are also missing here, you do find those in the Whoop panel.
That is a choice, not a shortcoming. The panel is tuned to performance and recovery, not to every conceivable risk.
Lp(a), for example, is hereditary and barely changes. You measure it once and then know your predisposition, so for an athlete tracking recovery it adds less.
A blood test is a snapshot of a number of systems. A sensor that tracks your sugar day and night does something else.
If you want to measure your particle risk and omega-3 status, look at the broader 44-biomarker alternative. That way you know in advance what you do and do not measure.
Also, this panel does not automatically point you to the cause of a complaint. It shows patterns that you give meaning to together with a doctor.
So do not expect a ready-made diagnosis. Expect data points that make your conversation with your GP sharper.
For anyone who wants the whole picture, a combination with other measurements can make sense. Think of a continuous glucose monitor alongside your blood test.
That honesty matters. You choose the panel that fits your question.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral?
No, you do not need a GP referral. You book yourself and pick one of the 750+ draw locations in the Netherlands.
Do I need to fast?
For glucose, insulin and your fat values you ideally measure fasted. You get clear instructions in advance with your appointment.
How often can I repeat this?
There is no fixed rule, it depends on your goal and situation. It helps to know your baseline first and then retest in a targeted way. If in doubt, discuss the frequency with your GP.
Who is this panel not intended for?
It is not a replacement for medical care if you have symptoms or a known condition. If you have concerns, see your GP first.
My conclusion
The InsideTracker panel gives you 36 data points about your hormones, recovery and metabolism. For anyone who trains seriously, that is a sharp basis to base decisions on.
I would start with a zero point myself and then retest in a targeted way. One measurement opens the door, the trend does the real work.
The value sits not in a nice report, but in what you do with it. A low ferritin that you address saves months of frustrating recovery.
To me, measuring is not a goal in itself. It is the difference between guessing and working purposefully towards your next level.
See the InsideTracker blood test if you want to back your next level with data. Then discuss your results with your GP.
References
- Sniderman AD, Thanassoulis G, Glavinovic T, et al. Apolipoprotein B particles and cardiovascular disease: a narrative review. JAMA Cardiology. 2019. PMID: 31642874.
- Selvin E, Steffes MW, Zhu H, et al. Glycated hemoglobin, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk in nondiabetic adults. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010. PMID: 20200384.
- Brancaccio P, Maffulli N, Limongelli FM. Creatine kinase monitoring in sport medicine. British Medical Bulletin. 2007. PMID: 17569697.
- Sim M, Garvican-Lewis LA, Cox GR, et al. Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2019. PMID: 31055680.
- Wu FCW, Tajar A, Beynon JM, et al. Identification of late-onset hypogonadism in middle-aged and elderly men. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010. PMID: 20554979.
Disclaimer
Every blood test result includes a professional assessment by a BIG-registered doctor. This article gives general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. A blood test is a tool to walk into the conversation with your GP better informed, not a diagnosis in itself. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral?
No, you do not need a GP referral. You book yourself and pick one of the 750+ draw locations in the Netherlands.
Do I need to fast?
For glucose, insulin and your fat values you ideally measure fasted. You get clear instructions in advance with your appointment.
How often can I repeat this?
There is no fixed rule, it depends on your goal and situation. It helps to know your baseline first and then retest in a targeted way. If in doubt, discuss the frequency with your GP.
Who is this panel not intended for?
It is not a replacement for medical care if you have symptoms or a known condition. If you have concerns, see your GP first.
Tags
Author
