The Whoop panel is a blood test with 44 biomarkers that maps your recovery, longevity and heart and kidney health. It suits athletes, lifters and anyone who wants to steer load and recovery with data. A BIG-registered doctor reviews every result for you. I think this is the most complete starting point for anyone serious about longevity.
You do not have to guess how your body responds to your training. You measure it.
Your wearable tells you how you slept and how much you recovered. But it does not look under the hood, at your cholesterol, your hormones and your iron stores. This panel does, and ties 44 values to eight systems in your body.
In the rest of this piece I walk through each group, explain how to read your values and tell you honestly what is not included. You find the full panel on the page of the Whoop blood test.
What is the Whoop panel?
The Whoop panel is a broad blood test with 44 biomarkers, grouped around recovery, heart, kidneys, hormones and metabolism. You have your blood drawn at a Dutch lab with more than 750 locations. You do not need a referral from your GP.
This panel is modelled on the well-known WHOOP Advanced Labs setup. Enhanced Health is independent and not affiliated with WHOOP, but offers a comparable broad panel drawn in the Netherlands.
The idea behind it is simple. A wearable measures your recovery from the outside, a blood test measures the systems that make that recovery possible. By combining both, you see not only that you recover poorly, but also where it might come from.
The price of the panel is €499. That includes the blood draw, the 44 biomarkers and the doctor review. For anyone who wants to tie recovery to hard numbers, this is a logical starting point.
You do not get a loose report to decode yourself. Every result is placed in context, with a reference range and a professional eye.
The draw itself is quick. You pick a location near you, plan an appointment and have blood taken in a few minutes. After that the lab does the work and you see your results back in your account.
The name Whoop points to the world of recovery and wearables. The panel is tuned exactly to that, with markers that give your training data deeper context. That way a recovery score becomes more than a number.
The 44 biomarkers, grouped by system
The 44 biomarkers are spread across eight systems. That way you see a connected picture, not loose numbers. Below you find each group with a short explanation and a table.
For each group I briefly explain why the markers matter for your recovery and your longevity. The tables show, per biomarker, what the value signals, without you needing medical knowledge.
The eight groups are heart and cholesterol, blood sugar, hormones, kidneys, iron, inflammation, liver and protein. Together they cover the systems that carry your performance and your long-term health. No single marker stands alone, it is the combination that counts.
Heart, vessels and cholesterol
This group of eight markers shapes a large part of your long-term risk. Sniderman, 2019 shows that ApoB counts the harmful particles, not just the cholesterol inside them. The omega-3 index and ApoB deserve extra attention.
A standard cholesterol test at the GP often stops at total, LDL and HDL. This panel goes further with ApoB, Lp(a) and homocysteine, three values you rarely get by default. Ference, 2017 describes how LDL particles directly contribute to atherosclerosis.
Lp(a) is largely inherited and stays fairly stable your whole life. Kamstrup, 2009 links high Lp(a) to a greater risk of heart attack, even in healthy people. You only need to measure it once to know where you stand.
The omega-3 index is extra interesting for athletes. It is one of the few heart markers you can firmly steer through diet. Harris, 2017 links a higher omega-3 index to a lower risk of death from heart disease.
Your lipid profile is not a static fact. With diet, exercise and sometimes medication you can push LDL and triglycerides the right way. By including ApoB you know whether the number of particles really drops, not just the cholesterol inside them.
Triglycerides respond quickly to your diet over the past few days. An evening with a lot of alcohol or sugar can lift the value sharply. So plan this measurement during a calm, normal week.
The Dutch Heart Foundation names cholesterol and blood pressure two of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This panel covers the cholesterol part thoroughly, with more markers than a standard test.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Total cholesterol | A general overview of your blood fats. |
| LDL | The cholesterol that can build up in your artery wall. |
| HDL | Carries cholesterol away from your vessels. |
| Triglycerides | Fats tied to diet and metabolism. |
| ApoB | Counts the number of cholesterol-carrying particles. |
| Lp(a) | A largely inherited risk factor for your heart. |
| Homocysteine | Amino acid that can rise with B-vitamin shortages. |
| Omega 3 index | The share of omega-3 in your red blood cells. |
Blood sugar and metabolism
Four markers show how well your body handles sugar. Selvin, 2010 links HbA1c to risk, even in people without diabetes. HOMA-IR combines glucose and insulin into an estimate of your insulin sensitivity.
Many people only measure glucose. But a fasting glucose can look fine while your insulin has been quietly too high for years. By measuring insulin and glucose together you spot that hidden pattern sooner.
For athletes, stable insulin sensitivity is the foundation under energy and recovery. If you want to dig deeper here, read our guide on measuring metabolic health.
HbA1c shows your average blood sugar over two to three months. It is less sensitive to one bad evening than a single glucose. That makes it a calm, reliable marker to keep an eye on.
A healthy metabolism does not only help you long term. Short term, you notice it in steadier energy during your training and better quality sleep.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Glucose (fasting) | Your blood sugar after a night without food. |
| Insulin (fasting) | How hard your pancreas works to manage sugar. |
| HOMA-IR | An estimate of your insulin resistance. |
| HbA1c | Your average blood sugar over two to three months. |
Hormones
Ten hormone markers give insight into recovery, libido and stress. Free testosterone is the fraction actively available to your tissues. Cortisol says something about your stress load and recovery.
Total testosterone and SHBG together tell a fuller story than either alone. A high SHBG can bind a lot of testosterone, leaving less freely available for your muscles.
The ratio between testosterone and estradiol is relevant for lifters. TSH belongs here too, because your thyroid helps set your energy and your recovery time.
Hormones swing strongly by time of day and situation. So always read them as a trend, not as one hard number.
Cortisol is your best-known stress hormone and normally peaks in the morning. A chronically high cortisol can undermine your recovery and disturb your sleep. So plan your draw at a fixed time, so your measurements stay comparable.
LH and FSH drive the production of your sex hormones. They give context if your testosterone is off, because they show where in the chain something shifts. A doctor uses that context in the review.
For women, the hormone picture changes with the cycle. So it is smart to match your measuring moment to your situation.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Total testosterone | Your total amount of testosterone in the blood. |
| Free testosterone | The freely available fraction of testosterone. |
| SHBG | The protein that binds testosterone and sets availability. |
| Estradiol (E2) | An important estrogen, relevant in men too. |
| DHEA-S | A precursor hormone that declines with age. |
| LH | Drives the production of sex hormones. |
| FSH | Plays a role in fertility and hormone regulation. |
| Cortisol | A stress hormone that can affect recovery. |
| TSH | Controls your thyroid and energy balance. |
| Estradiol balance | The ratio of estradiol to testosterone. |
Kidneys and fluid
Eight markers show how your kidneys and fluid balance work. eGFR estimates how well your kidneys filter. For athletes with a high protein intake this is useful context.
Creatinine rises with muscle mass, so a muscular athlete can have a higher value without the kidneys working worse. That is why eGFR together with creatinine is more useful than creatinine alone. A doctor weighs that difference for you.
Sodium, potassium and chloride say something about your fluid balance and your electrolytes. For endurance athletes who sweat a lot, that is no luxury.
Calcium belongs to this group too and plays a role in muscles, nerves and bones. Urea complements creatinine as a picture of your protein breakdown. Together they give a balanced view of your kidneys.
Anyone who eats a lot of protein to build muscle sometimes wonders whether that strains the kidneys. With eGFR and creatinine you get a sober answer to this, instead of bro-science.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Creatinine | Waste product that reflects your kidney function. |
| eGFR | An estimate of your kidney filtration rate. |
| Urea | Waste product from protein breakdown. |
| Sodium | Important for your fluid and salt balance. |
| Potassium | Crucial for muscle and heart function. |
| Chloride | Works with sodium on your fluid balance. |
| Bicarbonate | Helps guard your acid-base balance. |
| Calcium | Important for bones, muscles and nerves. |
Iron and blood count
Six markers show your oxygen transport and iron stores. Low ferritin can explain fatigue and poorer recovery. For endurance athletes this group is especially valuable.
Ferritin can already be low before your blood count shows a shortage. So this panel measures ferritin, iron, transferrin and the saturation together, so you see the whole picture.
An empty iron store feels like flat legs and a heart rate that will not move with you. It is one of the first things I would check with unexplained fatigue.
The white cell differential also gives a fine-grained picture of your white blood cells.
A complete blood count shows your haemoglobin and haematocrit among others. For endurance athletes that says something about your oxygen capacity. Too high can point to thickening, too low to a shortage or blood loss.
Transferrin saturation shows how much of your iron transport is actually loaded. Together with ferritin it tells a real shortage from a temporary dip. That difference decides whether supplementation makes sense or not.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Complete blood count (CBC) | An overview of your red and white blood cells. |
| White cell differential | The breakdown of your white blood cells. |
| Ferritin | Your stored iron reserve. |
| Iron | The iron currently in your blood. |
| Transferrin | The protein that carries iron through your body. |
| Transferrin saturation | How much of your transferrin is loaded with iron. |
Inflammation
CRP is your marker for silent inflammation. A raised value can point to infection, overload or prolonged stress. Read more about spotting overtraining through your blood markers.
In athletes, CRP can rise temporarily after a hard session or race. A chronically raised value is a different story and can point to lasting load. So do not plan your measurement right after an exhausting workout.
Silent inflammation is tied to your recovery capacity and your longevity. It is a value you can keep an eye on alongside your training volume. If it rises with a busy period, that is a signal to bring load and recovery into better balance.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| CRP | A marker for inflammation and possible overload. |
Liver and protein
Eight markers show your liver function, protein status and a few essential nutrients. Magnesium and vitamin D are often worth watching in athletes. ALT and AST give insight into your liver load.
AST also sits in muscle tissue, so after heavy training the value can rise temporarily. That need not have anything to do with your liver. Alkaline phosphatase comes from liver and bone, so a doctor always weighs that value in context.
Vitamin D plays a role in bones, muscle strength and your immune system. Many people in the Netherlands sit on the low side during the winter months.
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of processes, from muscle contraction to energy. A shortage often goes unnoticed until you measure it.
Albumin and total protein say something about your protein status and your fluid balance. For anyone who trains hard and eats a lot of protein, this is a useful check. Bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase round off the liver picture.
The strength of this group lies in the combination. One off liver enzyme says little, but the pattern of several markers together says much more. So a doctor looks at the whole, not at a single number.
| Biomarker | What it signals |
|---|---|
| Albumin | The most important protein in your blood. |
| Total protein | The sum of all proteins in your blood. |
| ALT | A liver enzyme that flags liver load. |
| AST | An enzyme that reflects liver and muscle. |
| Alkaline phosphatase | An enzyme from liver and bone. |
| Total bilirubin | A breakdown product of red blood cells. |
| Magnesium | A mineral for muscles, nerves and energy. |
| Vitamin D | Important for bones, muscles and immunity. |
Whoop or InsideTracker: which fits you?
The Whoop panel goes for breadth with 44 biomarkers and strong heart and kidney coverage. The InsideTracker panel goes for depth with 36 biomarkers and more hormone focus. If you want longevity mapped broadly, Whoop fits better. If you want to deepen performance and hormones, look at the InsideTracker panel.
The real difference lies in where the two panels go further. Whoop adds Lp(a), homocysteine, the omega-3 index, HOMA-IR and eGFR, all markers for heart, vessels and metabolism. InsideTracker instead emphasises DHEA-S, progesterone and intracellular magnesium.
| Focus | Number of biomarkers | For whom | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whoop: broad longevity, heart, kidneys and recovery; adds Lp(a), homocysteine, omega-3 index, HOMA-IR and eGFR | 44 | Those who want broad longevity and heart insight | €499 |
| InsideTracker: deeper hormones and performance; adds DHEA-S, progesterone and intracellular magnesium | 36 | Those who want to deepen hormones and performance | €399 |
There is no objectively best choice, only a best choice for your goal. If you doubt, start with the question of what you want to improve this year. Anyone who wants to get to know their longevity and heart risk is in the right place with this Whoop blood test.
How do you read your results?
One single measurement is a snapshot, not a story. The value lies in the trend over time and in retesting after a targeted change. Compare your new values with your own baseline, not only with the reference ranges.
Say you want to raise your omega-3 index. Then you measure now, adjust your diet and measure again later.
Change one thing at a time, so you know what caused the effect.
The tempting thing about a lot of data is that you want to tweak everything at once. But then you do not know afterwards what worked. So pick one or two values to focus on and give your change enough time.
Some markers respond within weeks, others only after months. The omega-3 index, for example, shifts slowly, because it reflects the make-up of your red blood cells. Patience is part of the game.
Always read your values together with your own context, such as training, sleep and diet. A BIG-registered doctor reviews your results and gives you direction. For the broader background, our guide on measuring metabolic health is a good starting point.
A reference range is an average of a large group, not your personal ideal. Someone with a low-normal ferritin can already recover noticeably worse. So your own line over time counts more than the lab boundary.
How often you retest depends on what you change and how fast that value responds. Cholesterol and HbA1c move slowly, iron and inflammation faster. There is no schedule that fits everyone, so match the rhythm to your goal and your doctor.
The difference between one measurement and a series is large. One value is a photo, a series is a film. Only in that film do you really see whether your changes work.
What is not included?
Staying honest helps your expectations line up. This panel does not measure genetics and no continuous glucose through a sensor. It also goes less deep on hormones like progesterone and DHEA context than the hormone focus of the InsideTracker panel.
A blood test stays a snapshot of your blood, not a permanent monitor. So combine the results with how you feel and with your training data.
That way you use the panel as a tool, not as a final verdict.
A blood test also does not replace your GP. With complaints, a family history or doubt, the conversation with a doctor belongs there. See the panel as a good starting point for that conversation, with data in hand.
Blood is also a snapshot. It shows how your systems stand at that moment, not how they move every day. That is why it works so well alongside a wearable that does measure daily.
If you really want depth on hormones, the InsideTracker panel is a better choice. This panel deliberately chooses breadth over that one specialisation. That is not a shortfall, but a design choice that fits longevity.
My conclusion
I see this panel as the blood version of your recovery score. Your wearable tells you how you feel, these 44 biomarkers tell you why. For anyone who wants to broadly measure longevity, heart and recovery, I find this the strongest starting point.
The nice thing is that you no longer have to guess. You measure, you adjust something and you measure again, with a doctor looking on. View the full Whoop blood test and pick your moment to get tested.
One measurement gives you a baseline, a second gives you direction. With that, a vague intention turns into a plan you can follow. For me, that is the biggest difference between hoping and steering.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral?
No, you do not need a referral from your GP. You book the panel yourself and have blood drawn at one of the more than 750 locations. Your results are reviewed by a BIG-registered doctor.
Do I need to fast?
For markers like glucose, insulin and triglycerides, fasting is recommended. Plan your appointment in the morning if you can and eat nothing beforehand. Drinking water is fine.
How often should I retest?
There is no fixed rule that fits everyone. Many people first set a baseline and then measure again after a targeted change. Discuss a rhythm that suits you with your GP.
Who is this panel not suitable for?
Anyone with acute complaints should see the GP first, not a blood test. With a known condition, treatment belongs with your doctor. This panel is meant for insight, not for diagnosis.
Can I combine this panel with a wearable?
Yes, blood values nicely complement your recovery and sleep data. Your wearable shows daily trends, your blood shows the underlying systems. Together they give you more grip than either alone.
Sources
- Sniderman AD, Thanassoulis G, Glavinovic T, et al. Apolipoprotein B particles and cardiovascular disease: a narrative review. JAMA Cardiology. 2019. PMID: 31642874.
- Ference BA, Ginsberg HN, Graham I, et al. Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. European Heart Journal. 2017. PMID: 28444290.
- Kamstrup PR, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Steffensen R, Nordestgaard BG. Genetically elevated lipoprotein(a) and increased risk of myocardial infarction. JAMA. 2009. PMID: 19509380.
- 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.
- Harris WS, Del Gobbo L, Tintle NL. The omega-3 index and relative risk for coronary heart disease mortality. Atherosclerosis. 2017. PMID: 28511049.
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 referral from your GP. You book the panel yourself and have blood drawn at one of the more than 750 locations. Your results are reviewed by a BIG-registered doctor.
Do I need to fast?
For markers like glucose, insulin and triglycerides, fasting is recommended. Plan your appointment in the morning if you can and eat nothing beforehand. Drinking water is fine.
How often should I retest?
There is no fixed rule that fits everyone. Many people first set a baseline and then measure again after a targeted change. Discuss a rhythm that suits you with your GP.
Who is this panel not suitable for?
Anyone with acute complaints should see the GP first, not a blood test. With a known condition, treatment belongs with your doctor. This panel is meant for insight, not for diagnosis.
Can I combine this panel with a wearable?
Yes, blood values nicely complement your recovery and sleep data. Your wearable shows daily trends, your blood shows the underlying systems. Together they give you more grip than either alone.
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