Next-Level Workouts Can Start with Your Sleep — Thanks to the Pod

The Pod can measurably increase your muscular endurance and aerobic performance, thanks to improved sleep quality and more energy. 

We asked new Pod members to test their muscular endurance and aerobic fitness before and after sleeping on the Pod for 2 weeks. Participants (n=39) completed at least one of the following fitness tests: 1) push-ups, 2) curl-ups, or 3) the Cooper’s test at both time points. Lastly, a follow-up survey was sent to participants after they finished the study to better understand how they thought the Pod might be impacting their sleep and fitness. 

Key Takeaways

After 2 weeks of sleeping on the Pod:

1. Upper body muscular endurance increased by 23% on average.
2. Core muscular endurance increased by 16% on average.
3. Aerobic fitness (VO2max) improved by 8% on average.

Muscular Endurance Improved after 2 weeks on the Pod

Muscular endurance is a measure of how long your muscles can perform repeated movements before they fatigue. In the case of our study, we used push-up and curl-up tests to measure muscular endurance. For these tests, participants performed as many push-ups or curl-ups as they could to a set cadence until they could no longer maintain the cadence.

After sleeping on the Pod for 2 weeks, participants’ muscular endurance measured via push-ups improved by 23% (+3 push-ups) on average and up to 33% (+5 push-ups) in some participants. Muscular endurance measured via curl-ups improved by 16% (+5 curl-ups) on average and up to 40% (+10 curl-ups) in some participants. The improvements seen on the Pod in just 2 weeks are similar to 6 weeks of strength training. 

Aerobic Performance Improved after 2 weeks on the Pod

Aerobic fitness can be measured by the VO2max test. VO2max measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during aerobic exercise, like running and biking, and the higher the number, the better your aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health. To estimate VO2max, participants completed a test called the Cooper test, where they covered as much distance as they could (by running) for 12 minutes. 

We found that after 2 weeks of sleeping on the Pod, participants’ VO₂max improved by 8% on average, with some participants seeing up to a 14% improvement. This 8% improvement is equivalent to 2 weeks of consistent HIIT training.

Explaining the Improvements in Fitness after 2 weeks on the Pod

Participants in the study reported no changes to their workouts during the 2-3 weeks they were in the study. So how did their fitness improve? We sent a final survey out to participants once the study was completed, and found that 92% of participants reported improved sleep quality, 67% reported increased energy levels. As a result of better sleep on the Pod, participants likely had more energy for their workouts, which may have helped drive improvements in their overall fitness.

Appendix

Participants & Procedures

Thirty-nine participants completed at least one physical fitness test (push-up: n=35, curl-up: n=22 Cooper’s test: n=17) before sleeping on the Pod, and then 2 weeks after sleeping on the Pod.

The validated fitness tests from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) were:

• Muscular endurance (curl-up & push-up): Measures the maximum number of curl-ups and push-ups, respectively, can be completed consecutively at a specific cadence, without rest, until the cadence is unable to be maintained or their form breaks (i.e. failure).
• Aerobic fitness test: Measures the longest distance that can be run in 12 minutes; this distance can be used to estimate VO2max.

Statistical Analyses

Muscular endurance and aerobic fitness measurements were grouped into “before” and “after” Pod use and paired t-tests were used to evaluate differences between metrics, where an alpha of 0.05 defined significance. Participants with reported lifestyle changes that would significantly impact either measurement (e.g. began training for a marathon) were excluded from analysis. All findings reported above are statistically significant (P < 0.05). 39 participants provided fitness test data and responded to the follow-up survey.