The 5-Minute Biohack that Changes Everything!

Ever wish you could hack your fitness the way tech nerds hack their computers? What if I told you that five minutes—yes, less time than it takes to find matching socks—could slash your diabetes risk, lower your blood pressure, and rewind your cardio health by a decade? Meet Ulrich Dempfle, the brainiac behind the Carol Bike, a game-changing AI-powered exercise bike that delivers maximum fitness benefits in 90% less time. In this episode, we geek out over the science, bust fitness myths, and even tackle how this futuristic tech can help busy professionals, first responders, and, yes, even couch potatoes.

If you've ever rolled your eyes at "too good to be true" fitness claims, this one's for you. Tune in, and prepare to have your mind—and your workout—transformed.

💥 Use code PREPPRO for $100 off!

Join us at Preparedness Pro in our Facebook Group or on our blog where you'll find peaceful, practical preparedness advice every day of the week!

Transcript

The 5-Minute Biohack That Changes Everything
Kellene: [00:00:00] Welcome to Preparedness Pro, where being prepared isn't about fear, it's about freedom. I'm your host, Kellene, and every episode we explore the peaceful principles of preparedness and self reliance. No gloom, no doom, just practical solutions for everyday living that help you become more independent and prepared for whatever life brings your way.
From kitchen skills to financial wisdom, emergency planning to sustainable living. We're building a community of capable, confident people who understand that preparedness isn't about preparing for the worst. It's about being free to live your best life regardless of what comes your way. So whether you're starting your preparedness journey or you're a seasoned pro, you're in the right place.
Welcome.
Hey everyone, Kellene with the Preparedness Pro. Hey, I have got a fantastic show for you today. It's, it's going to blow your mind. It's fascinating, the information that I have to share with you. And I'm really, really [00:01:00] looking forward to doing it. So today we're going to talk about something known as the Carol bike.
And Yeah, it's just another piece of exercise equipment, you might think, but it's not. It is amazing. It is the future, the future that the movies talk about. It is a biohack. Carol Bike gives you the shortest, most effective workouts proven. proven scientifically proven to deliver superior health and fitness benefits in 90 percent less time compared to regular cardio.
I do a five minute workout. , at the end of an eight week Study that they did participants risk of type two diabetes was reduced by 62%. Just so you know, that's the same statistic of people who take metformin, their risk of diabetes is reduced 62%. So you want to be on metformin, which has all of its complications, [00:02:00] not to mention the expense or you want to go for a ride on the carol bike, you decide.
How about blood pressure? Blood pressure was lowered by 5%. Triglycerides, which is that fat that's found in the blood that was decreased by 10% and your good cholesterol increased by 6%, and blood sugar was down by 2%. I mean. That's huge. A five minute workout can do that. Yeah, it's true. The future is here, folks.
With Carol Workouts, you can improve your VO2 max. Now your VO2 max is your oxygen in your body, and you can improve it by 12 percent in just eight weeks. That's That's like to where it was 10 years ago because your VO2 max declines by about 10 percent every decade after the age of 30. So the Carol Bike can literally turn back the clock on your fitness by 10 years in just [00:03:00] eight weeks.
And that's three workouts a week at five minutes a pop. So I'm going to introduce to you the brainiac behind this. His story is very, very interesting. He's the CEO and co founder of Carol Bike bike. He graduated in mechanical engineering from a leading tech university in Germany. His name is Ulrich Dempfle.
He worked with Europe's top automobile manufacturers. And then from there he moved to London where he pioneered the use of AI for operational efficiency within the UK health services. And one day he was watching a BBC documentary on reduced hit or re hit, re hit as it can be called as well. And he realized that it's potential as the most effective cardio workout.
So the problem though was that it was only possible in a lab setting. So not to be outdone by his curiosity, he [00:04:00] came up with a solution. He co founded Carol and worked with the world's leading exercise researchers to take re hit out of the lab. He went through 40 prototypes later, and these bikes are, are very hefty.
So I can only imagine the chunk of pile of metal stacking up, but he launched the world's only re hit exercise bike. Carol bike improved all works. Own health. His cardio by 50%. He lost 10 kilograms and dropped his elevated blood pressure. He continues to lead all aspects of Carol Bike. He's not deficient in any way, shape or form.
And he's using this latest science to drive innovation and to help others optimize their health. Ulrich, thank you so much for being with me today and sharing your expertise with us. 
Ulrich: Thank you so much for having me and thank you so much for the kind and very comprehensive and on the point introduction.
That was great. so much. It was so 
Kellene: fascinating to me. [00:05:00] I geek out about the science aspects and I'll just be forthright here. I wasn't sure how much of this I was going to share, but I struggle with depression. And depression and exercise don't get along well because the last thing you want to do when you're struggling with about a depression is to work out.
But I knew that working out would benefit the depression. And so I thought five minutes, if it's really five minutes. And I was really convinced it was after listening to a podcast of yours. I was really convinced of the science. I looked into it and I'm like, okay, I can do anything for five minutes.
Surely I can do anything for five minutes. And it's actually really engaging the music the voice the various cycles that you can set. It was just fascinating and it's making a difference in my life. I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll help me. Went through a big bunch of stress last year for about nine months and I gained 30 pounds.
So I'm looking forward to seeing how much of that it'll take off and it's, it's really exciting. [00:06:00] 
Ulrich: Yeah, that's great to hear and I, I wish you obviously really all the success you can have and you're, you're entirely right exercise. So exercise in general, exercise in general is a superpower and, and something that really has so many such a long list of benefits.
And it's, it's not just like your physical health. It's also. It's your mental health. It's your brain. And it's, it's right. That exercise especially high intensity exercise has been shown to be as effective or more effective in treating anxiety and depression as psychotherapy or medication. And so that is, that's just wonderful.
And it's, it's empowering because it's something you can do. Something about it and do something about it by yourself. You're not reliant on taking medication every day. And yeah, so I hope it works really well for you. 
Kellene: Yeah, I'm, I'm just so looking forward to it. Now, here's the interesting [00:07:00] thing. You say high intensity workout.
You're going to have some people go, Oh my gosh, how intense is this got to be for five minutes, but it's actually, , one of the basic programs is just two 20 minutes or 20 seconds sprints. It's really fun. You think you're being chased by a tiger or, I mean, it's really exciting. And that 20 seconds goes by like that.
Ulrich: Yeah, that's right. So the Carol bike is built around a workout that's called re hit and you introduced that already. , and hit most people will have heard about it. High intensity interval training. , has been around for a long time, has been proven to be very effective. , but the problem with HIT was that, it's actually quite hard.
So, , there's a high level of exertion. , once you do it, you do like, I don't know, like 8, 10, 12 intervals. They, they can take up to a minute. So it'll quickly be [00:08:00] 20, 30 minutes one, by the time you're done. You're all sweaty, you need a shower, , and the perceived level of exertion is high. And so what scientists did, so that's, that's not us, , what academic researchers did, was systematically search for how little do you have to do, to still get the benefits.
And they found, That two 20 second sprints, but then at your maximum intensity. So you go, , all out for two 22nd sprints that that is enough to create this really powerful training stimulus and, create. Very substantial physical adaptations and, and get the, all these benefits you've introduced, in the beginning.
And because it's so short, that's why it's called reduced exertion because two 22nd sprints is really is short [00:09:00] enough. , to not overly stress you, to not, , you recover quickly from it. And you can get it done in as little as five minutes. So a rehab workout would be a very light warmup. Then the first 20 seconds sprint where you push all out, , a very light recovery, second 20 seconds sprint, and then a three minute cool down.
So it's, it can be done in as little as five minutes. And, , it's. So short that it's, it's doable. , it's doable for many, many people. Most people I would argue. , and it's super effective. In fact, it's to increase and improve your VO two max. We are confident that there's nothing more. efficient, yeah, in terms of how much you put into it and what you get out of it.
There's nothing more efficient than doing these rehab workouts and carobike is the best tool you can use to do [00:10:00] those. 
Kellene: Yeah, it's really interesting when you say low intensity. I mean, it's The voice is telling you, take it nice and easy. And I'm not, I'm, this isn't verbatim, but it's telling you slower, slower, take it nice and easy.
And then you start getting, okay, you hear something in the distance. It's a lion. Come on, here you go. Here you go. Yeah, exactly. It's great. 
Ulrich: And that's the secret of why it is so effective because, , and so efficient is, It's just something different, and we can go into great detail on that. You create a different training stimulus, , if you go, if you really push to your limits, even if it's just for a very, very short period of time, than if you do longer endurance exercises and longer endurance training.
, and the end point Is is actually the same. So there's the same signaling molecules [00:11:00] that get triggered and activated. , but in long endurance exercise, you need 45 to 60 minutes to activate those signaling molecules. Whereas if you sprint, if you push to your limits, you can activate, you can release and activate those signaling molecules in two, 20 seconds.
And that just makes it. Yeah, incredibly efficient and something that, people can actually stick to it. If it can fit into your life. 
Kellene: Yeah, it stacks up against an hour of jogging, , which is fascinating. I used to be a long distance runner in my much younger days, but I would get shin splits.
I don't have. Any physical, negative ramifications after doing the carol bike workout. In fact, sometimes I don't even need to shower, which I love because that takes another hour for crying out loud. And that makes my workout that much more. [00:12:00] convenient. , so I, I love that. There's a lot of skepticism around too good to be true fitness claims, of course.
So what would you say to someone who hears about Carol and immediately thinks, nah, there's no way that works. 
Ulrich: I mean, yes, we, we get confronted with that a lot and we have to, Our biggest task is to, to educate and to explain, , how such a short workout can be so effective. Now, if somebody has the patience to listen to that and, and has the interest to listen to that, then I think they'll open their mind and understand.
And then once somebody's tried it. , there's usually a light bulb moment and, oh yeah, I get it. This is how it works. And that is, because it, it goes against a lot, of conventional wisdoms , and kind of long held beliefs that we all have that somehow more is better and, and no pain, no gain and all of that.[00:13:00] 
Mm-hmm . That goes with exercise, but it's, , RHI is really very special. In the sense that, it works in several ways like no other workout, and creates, yeah, behaves just differently compared to other workouts. And so, yes, it's. Explaining, education and then letting people try it and then usually they come around.
Kellene: Now, Carol uses AI, which you, you used early on in the process of, you know, AI is a big deal now, but you were a pioneer in that. It uses AI to personalize the workouts. Can you share with us how that works? 
Ulrich: Yeah, sure. So, maybe a little bit about how we got to this and then it'll all becomes clear. So, , we, we saw it, this is 2012.
So this is like 12 years ago. A program on the BBC where they showcased the science of rehead and they interviewed the researchers who led [00:14:00] that, research , at universities. And it was wonderful because they've, similar as you did in the beginning, listed all the advantages , and , like how really substantially you can improve your physical health, your mental health, your metabolic health, and so on.
 It was portrayed, , it's really almost like easy, yeah? And so I saw that, and, , initially I just wanted to do it for myself, yeah? And I went out. The very next day to buy a conventional exercise bike because I thought I paid good attention. I'm an engineer. So I thought, yeah, I know what to buy.
And then I'll just replicate that at home. But my experience at home was just nothing like what they've portrayed on the program. And so what we did was we called So that was Professor Jamie Vollard, and just asked, what are we doing wrong? And the very first thing they said is, well, you need a special bike.
[00:15:00] And. Which, which they hadn't said on the show, which was a bit silly really. But, but they invited us to their labs and we did it on their equipment. And so they had, expensive research equipment. It was like 10, 15, 000 for their bikes. And then the critical thing was. There you had a lab technician control the machine while you do the workout and you get coached through it and the experience was wonderful.
It was really, really good. It made immediately. It was immediately clear why this would work and how great it would be to do such a workout. Kind of every day, but there was just no solution. Yeah, so 10 15, 000 pounds lab equipment plus. A lab technician by your side who has that? Yeah, that's not standard equipment, 
Kellene: right?
Ulrich: And so we try to recreate that scientific workout in a package that people could use in their own homes and , So [00:16:00] there's, , one element is how the bike , is built and that it applies the resistance automatically and very rapidly and at the right time, but it also had to apply your personalized resistance.
So basically what the lab researcher did, they had like some reference tables and they looked you up and down and made a personal judgment that this is the right resistance for you. And we had to replicate that. And so, , that's where AI algorithms come in. come into play, which have evolved and also over the last 12 years, , that we and the machine and the algorithms can optimize the resistance.
Very accurately for each individual user and keep adjusting it as you get fitter and stronger making it harder or also backing off If you need less resistance say you had , you didn't train for a while or you had an injury or something [00:17:00] then it would also ease off and So we can do that because we have, by now, tens of thousands of riders and millions of rides.
, and that way, , we can run sophisticated algorithms over the data. To see what the optimal resistance is for somebody just like you. , it works basically, we're looking at your performance during the sprints. How fast you fatigue. So if you're really going to your maximum, you can only hold that peak power for a fraction of a second.
And then you fatigue throughout the sprint. That's normal and that's intended. And that's kind of an optimal shape of the curve. , and that's what the AI does. To find the optimal shape of that curve and the optimal resistance for somebody just like you And that's something very special that only we have because we have by far Oh by far the largest rehat database in the world and therefore can [00:18:00] do those things and we work with the leading academics in this field and that's just something that they wouldn't have because they don't have as much data as we have and data really gives that a lot of Possibilities to yeah create very helpful algorithms that help you Have a workout that's like super efficient That's, , as easy and as tolerable as possible and that keeps you just challenged to the right level so you keep improving and hit a plateau as late as possible.
Kellene: Well, what I like about it is the afterburn effect. I was really struck by a testimonial I read, or an experience that you emailed over, about a fitness instructor and you know, you could tell looking at him, this guy's very serious about fitness, but he decided to give Carol Bike a try, and he was saying how afterwards , he was tired.
 He felt like [00:19:00] he had a good workout share with people about the after effects. 
Ulrich: Yeah, sure. , and this is proper, , like all our claims, really. So , we try and we are committed to, solid scientific research and, having the design of the bike, of the workouts, of the algorithms led by scientific insight.
 And so we've worked with Western University, Colorado, Professor Dalek to assess. And it's called excess post exercise, oxygen consumption., And that is like colloquially afterburn. So if you do, this five minute workout with two 20 second sprints, you burn relatively little calories while you're on the bike.
So for somebody like me, I would burn in those five minutes, maybe 40 calories, 40, 45 calories. But then another, like 70 percent of the total [00:20:00] calorie consumption caused by that workout happens after you get off the bike for the next around two hours, like 90 to 150 minutes, where your metabolism is still elevated.
And, , you basically you, your body operates at a higher baseline, , higher than your baseline level. So therefore I get out of a rehab workout, maybe 210, 220 calories burnt, , which is meaningful for my weight and size. And I do it in five minutes. And yeah, as you say, , this is not true for everybody, but most people don't even break a sweat.
Because , you start sweating when you're, when your body temperature, , elevates and you get hot. And if you burn those relatively few calories during the workout, your body just doesn't get hot enough. But then you have a significant afterburn over the next two hours, where you're just, your metabolism [00:21:00] operates at an elevated level.
Kellene: Yeah, that's fascinating to me. . One of the things I wanted to ask you was to explain about the VO2 levels and why that's so significant in the workouts. 
Ulrich: Yeah, sure. So, VO2max, so that's your ability to metabolize, to burn oxygen, during exercise. And it is, I'll just say it like this, the most important health marker.
So, it's the strongest predictor for your life expectancy. And by some margin, so, there's excellent studies with like literally tens of thousands of participants, that has been proven beyond doubt just how important VO2 max is. One can like , one shocking little fact to, to illustrate that is that low cardiorespiratory fitness leads to more avoidable deaths.
Then, smoking, [00:22:00] diabetes, and obesity combined. So, it's really, it's a big deal. The good thing is, you can really do something about it. So you can improve with exercise. You can make large improvements in your VO2 max, , really quite rapidly. And, studies have shown that rehat, and rehat on car or bike improves.
your VO2 max on average by 12 percent in only eight weeks. So in those eight weeks, you do this three times a week, , three times a week, five minutes or 15 minutes, , you're definitely done with like 15 to 20, 25 minutes per week. And in only eight weeks to increase your VO2 max by 12%.
For most people, this would mean two years of additional life expectancy. And for all of us, it means. Reversing your fitness levels to where they were 10 years [00:23:00] ago, because you lose about 10 percent of VO2 max per decade of aging. So it's a really big deal. And, then obviously if you continue doing that, you'll see further increases.
 The scientific studies, they're usually a bit shorter. The longest that I'm aware of went up to 20 weeks and they saw an improvement of 20%, but if you do that over six months, over 12 months, you see further gains until you reach, let's call it your potential for me, over the first, , year of using the Carol bike, I've improved my VO2 max by 50%.
And that, that's a really, really big deal. Um, now 47, my, my VO2 max is easily in the highest, band, kind of , the top band. And that's where we're doing three times a week, , these Carol Bike bike re hit rides. So it's incredibly efficient and, , Allows me with a busy job and with three, three kids to, , do, yeah, to cover my cardio needs.[00:24:00] 
Kellene: Well, that's, that's impressive. I mean, your own experience with Carol, improving your cardio health, your VO2 max, losing the 10 kilograms, lowering your blood pressure. I mean, that's all impressive. What, other transformations have you seen from other users? Can you share some of that with us? 
Ulrich: Yeah, sure.
So, we get, nice and, and inspiring, user stories, and we share those every month, , in our newsletter. If you sign up to our newsletter, there's every month a, a rider featured. And so we have, some, like, one that I love to talk about because it's so close to me is my own mother.
 She's one of our most religiously, consistent users. So she's 81 now. So she's not the youngest anymore and she has some mobility issues. She like just walking hurts. She loved to do hiking. She went Every other weeks in the mountains hiking, , just a few years back, but sadly, Yeah, her hip joints [00:25:00] don't allow that Anymore because walking then became painful but riding a bike especially for these short periods is something that she can do and that she can do without pain.
And so, she uses the bike every other day and the rehab workouts, and then texts me after each ride her scores. And for her, it's really a transformational thing because it's something that allows her to keep her cardio fitness in good shape, even though some of the other things she enjoyed were sadly no longer possible.
And I think that's, , that's like one. This is really close to my heart, obviously, and, that's just very, very nice to see , how it, it did help her so much and, gave her something that she was able to do. And this is partly, so this is one. Because bike is , a very safe and, and low impact form of exercise.
So [00:26:00] it's, low stress on the joints. You don't have big hits. And on the other hand, because we have, these AI algorithms, we can really create workouts. that are suitable for any age and fitness level. And therefore the bike will adjust to your abilities. And obviously her workout is completely different to mine that I do on the bike, but it is something she can do.
And that really helps her a lot. 
Kellene: Yeah. Yeah. So it is safe for older generations, , that may have joint or other issues. My knees are not the best. I, for whatever reason, I have no idea why. , but they, they just have been a little ornery lately and it doesn't bother my knees. One, when I, I don't know.
Yeah. So, and the, , my back, the only thing that hurts afterwards is my tush.
Ulrich: Yeah. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for that. This is such a, , we have gone for, But you, you will hear that for every exercise bike, we've tracked it, monitored and we've, , so there's a, you know, some people tell us, oh, the saddle is not wide enough. Some people tell us the saddle [00:27:00] is too wide.
So we went through, we got a really well cushioned. Saddle that we felt was like the, the optimal difference because there's then the more athletic types and cyclists who want a really narrow side seat. And then there's others who prefer a little wider seat. We might add a couple of options there.
Kellene: I just want more cushioning on it for my tush. I bought a cushion though for it. Okay, you've done well. I'm doing the best I can. Yeah, that's, that's the only thing that even remotely hurts. So talk to me, you know, busy professionals are going to use the carol bike because it's quick, busy moms, but what's the compliance rate?
Like, do people actually stick with it? Are you seeing that? Cause you're, you're recording every workout. 
Ulrich: Yes. Yes. , . And so people are sticking with it. Not everybody. That's kind of how the work world works, but we're very happy with our compliance and adherence rates. We benchmark ourselves [00:28:00] against Peloton.
 With the the numbers that are available and we're clearly ahead of them. So this is, you know, exercise if You must have heard that gyms live off the people that don't go. Yeah , and there's obviously an element of that that not everybody can exercise every time or you have people that are traveling and so on But the overall adherence rates, we're very happy to see those.
And, when we benchmark ourselves against Peloton, we have, for example, much lower churn rates and people stick with us. , and that's great to see. So we're very happy with that. 
Kellene: That's wonderful. So you've had a lot of striking, stories. Can you think of one where somebody was a bit skeptical, but tried it?
, like I remember reading of a triathlete that thought really is this gonna is this gonna work? So share with us a story of someone who maybe was a little skeptical at first 
Ulrich: Yeah, I need to think now and i've that I have one present but so this is a very common thing that I don't [00:29:00] remember the name now, but this is a customer I interviewed afterwards.
I met him at a show and he told me Well, I've heard about you and I was very skeptical. , so you heard a podcast, and you heard me speak there. Then I went to your website and I read all the science pages of the bike and I was very skeptical. And I went, and read all the primary, the original research papers.
, and I was still very skeptical, but then I had to book, buy a bike because I was still skeptical and I had to try it out and then trying is believing. And yes, he absolutely came around, but you see how that skepticism. Stayed with him all the way beyond having made the decision to buy a caravan. So that, that, that does happen.
And we're obviously aware of that. And, one thing we do to make it easier then for our customers to make that [00:30:00] decision. Is, , I think we have, , really an industry leading returns policy. We call it like risk free trial. And that is, , when you purchase a Carol Bike bike, you have 100 days to see whether you like it, whether.
you get the benefits and you see the improvements and whether you can stick to it. And 100 days is really, , more than enough time to make that, , assessment for yourself. So it's longer than most of the scientific trials. Because they're usually eight to ten weeks. So that's like 70 days. So you have a hundred days to see whether it's right for you.
And if it's not, yeah, if it's not right for you for whatever reason, , you'll, we'll get a full refund and we'll pick up the bike. So that's how we You know, we, we understand that we have to overcome, you know, some skepticism, some long held beliefs, some, [00:31:00] you know, conventional wisdom, and therefore we offer that, at the same time, we're really confident that people, , will like it, will see the improvement and are able to stick with it.
So that we, can offer that. 
Kellene: Yeah, I know, I was impressed by that as well. At first I thought, how in the heck am I going to get this packaged up again? But then I read that you guys would come pick up the bike and I'm like, well, wow, , that's a, that's a genuine guarantee. And I liked that. So I don't want to mislead people and making them think that.
The only thing they can use this bike for , is a rehit workout. They can use it leisurely too, like just a regular bike ride. In fact, I haven't used the feature, but can't you watch like videos or something on the bike too, while you're doing it? 
Ulrich: That's right. That's right. So, , we've made, and in fact, I would argue that our bike is one of the most versatile bikes out there because, unlike some of our competitors, where it's very much like a, how do you say like a walled garden or a [00:32:00] closed, box, , we allow, and we've enabled that customers can install Other third party apps.
So the carol bike at the moment, there's 24 workouts in our carol bike app. And the inclusion criteria for us is that 
 We include workouts if they are, , if they have good scientific backing and scientific data behind them. They're effective and hopefully short. Yeah, that's that's the inclusion criteria for we're adding new workouts. Periodically, that's our app and you can of course use the bike as a normal exercise bike.
So Where you control the resistance or the target power? And then we allow our users to use third party apps with it so you can have all the usual streaming apps. So YouTube, Netflix, Disney Plus on it. You can use it with Peloton Digital if you [00:33:00] want. , and you can also use it with, so, , all the, , , there's cycling apps like Swift or Ruby and, there's really, it's a special community if you have , a carbon road bike and Lycra pants, then chances are in winter you want to, , train indoors with Swift or with Kinomap or Ruby or apps like that.
And our bike is also fully compatible with that. So yeah, it's a great person. 
Kellene: That's really impressive. Have you had feedback from first responders or military personnel or endurance athletes? How did the carol Bike fit into their training routines? 
Ulrich: Yeah, so, I mean, we're still a young company and we're growing and, , so we work with, Some, kind of really top athletes, who value Carol bike for kind of that additional, very special training stimulus, or also to give, to get a powerful training stimulus with little stress on their [00:34:00] body.
 That's one thing that, but the majority of our users, you know, normal people, either. Who, who may find themselves, too busy or, , yeah, just want the most efficient workout possible. , so it's a range, , with first responders. Absolutely. We'd love to, we have, we have a few bikes at an air force base.
We have, a few bikes , in police departments. We're not yet. So we'd love to be the prime contractor. And if anybody's listening, , we obviously think it would be a wonderful thing for, for. Police, firefighters, first responders, , also the military, do reach out to me. We'll for sure, then try to make that happen.
Kellene: Yeah, because it could be a game changer for them. I mean, they're functioning on so little time in their life because they dedicate so much of it to their jobs and something that can make a difference in their life with, you know, five. , and, but I suspect that if it's there, [00:35:00] you know, nobody's really exploring the science and really appreciating it, that education's got to go a long ways with that.
Ulrich: Absolutely. Yeah. 
Kellene: So I, I was reading about, , Insulin sensitivity and about how Carol can improve insulin sensitivity significantly. Can you share any, any situations from people who've seen improvements in their metabolic health? 
Ulrich: And there, , it's not just anecdotal evidence, but it's really, scientific evidence.
 So usually, and this is also more than one study. This is really, Well documented and repeated at multiple centers, multiple trials, but one that I can share. So we had, this was done in 2019, was commissioned by the American Council of Exercise to basically test a new and promising approach, but they wanted to see whether it worked.
So they, commissioned, Western University in Colorado. , to [00:36:00] do a head to head, carol bike versus moderate intensity, continuous training. , and so that's jogging and people on the carol bike did three reheat workouts per week. So that was in total, it took them, 25 minutes. They, they did the full with, with eight minutes per workout.
 You can do it in as little as five, they did it eight, but that's, doesn't really make a much big difference. And the control group was, five times a week, half an hour jogging. And they collected a basket of metabolic and health markers. So that's blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, that's the good cholesterol, triglycerides, waist circumference, and blood sugar levels.
And, and then, , you can calculate based on that a clinical risk score. It's called the METS Z score, , which expresses your risk of [00:37:00] developing metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. And, and here, just to be really open, the, the group that did the jogging five times a week, They also saw a good improvement.
So their risk reduction in eight weeks was 26. 8%. So that's a big improvement. And it just shows that any exercise is really good. And that, , exercise overall. So , we really want to stay away , from saying like, Oh, this is the wrong exercise or so no exercise is great. And if you have something you can do wonderful.
, so they saw a big. Good improvement, 26%, in eight weeks. Our group saw over twice the risk reduction, 62 percent in just eight weeks. And that, that is very substantial. And that, kind of the, the reduction in blood pressure, very marked 5 percent reduction in blood pressure, 2 percent reduction in [00:38:00] blood sugar.
, the, the improvement in HDL cholesterol, 6 percent reduction in triglycerides, 10 percent is really very marked. , and that is, , a, yeah, a function of kind of just how this workout works and why it is so effective. If you want, I can briefly go into that. You, you basically, when you push yourself.
 To your limits, , you simulate like an emergency situation, , and the energy demand in your legs, shoots up spikes and goes to a factor of, goes to a factor of 100 higher compared to rest. So you create a massive energy demand in your legs and your body responds by mobilizing lots of glycogen.
So glycogen is a storage form of sugar. You have it in your liver and your muscles and, your body can access the glycogen in your muscles very, very quickly. That's like your emergency energy reserve. And, that rapid spike to max. [00:39:00] forces your body to mobilize lots of glycogen, 25 to 30 percent of the glycogen stored in your thighs.
 And that with the glycogen, you, release certain molecules that are bound to the glycogen, they get activated. So that's AMP and then activated to AMPK and it, that downstream. Activates further signaling molecules that lead to that training effect. , it creates, it forces your, it tells your body, it signals your body that it has to build more and larger mitochondria that helps with VO two max.
But the other thing is, you're kind of taking, , sugar out of its stores and also replenishing, glycogen in its stores is something that's, controlled by insulin. And so your body, , in a way wants to. Because that's the emergency reserve. Once this always topped up and we'll try to replenish those glycogen [00:40:00] stores as quickly as possible, and that is something controlled by insulin and thereby you see a positive improvement in insulin sensitivity and thereby lowering your risk of developing kidney disease.
 Diseases like type two diabetes, which, , if you're insulin resistant, and then can't control , your blood sugar, , anymore that leads to it. So , that's, , broadly how the effect is and what it does to you and how you get such marked improvements with so little time investment.
Kellene: Yeah, well, , it's making a believer out of me. That's for sure it's pretty fascinating and i'm grateful that I found it , so how can people find out more about you and the carol bike? 
Ulrich: Yeah, 
Kellene: absolutely. 
Ulrich: So, You can follow us on Any of the social media platforms that our handle is at the carol bike You can go to our website, that's, carolbike.
com. , there's a lot [00:41:00] of further information, links to all the original research. So , if you need to overcome that skepticism, , that we have the receipts, we have the scientific evidence for it. If you want to talk to somebody, you're very welcome to schedule a call. We call it like a fitness consultations.
We have fitness advisors that have, , like MSC and exercise physiology who can have like a real good, , conversation with you, whether it's right for you. , and then, yes, , we sell the bikes, exclusively through our web store. , actually also quite a few, like of the not, not standard gyms, but leading biohacking studios, performance studios have it.
So if you have one, certainly we can advise on that, , if there's a gym, a facility that in your location that has those available, but , if you decide to purchase a carol bike, you will have that 100 day risk free trial period , where you can just see, is it right for you?
Do you like it? Does it [00:42:00] work for me? Can I stick to it? And then, you know, make up your mind yourself whether it's the right thing for you. 
Kellene: Yeah, and , you guys get 100 off just for knowing PrEP Pro. Use the code PREPPRO and you'll save 100 or you'll get the best seasonal price that they're offering at the time.
So, that's pretty wonderful. Well, I can't thank you enough, Ulrich, and I'm thankful for your pursuit of the science and your fascination with that and your dogged determined to, , to get re hit out of the laboratory and into the households. So thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you better and getting to know the Carole bike better.
Ulrich: Thank you. Thank you so much. It was been a real pleasure to be on your show. 
Kellene: Thank you.
Thanks for joining us today on Preparedness Pro. I hope you enjoyed yourself and learned something new. Want more preparedness inspiration? Join our live shows every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am Eastern on YouTube or Facebook at [00:43:00] Preparedness Pro, where we can answer your questions live. Looking for a community of like minded people who understand that preparedness is about freedom?
Come join our Facebook group and just search for Preparedness Pro under groups. It's a great way to connect with others. Have questions or want to connect? You can message me directly on Facebook or Instagram via our preparedness pro page. If you found value in today's episode, be sure to like share and subscribe to our podcast.
It helps us reach more people who want to embrace a peaceful, prepared lifestyle until next time. Remember preparation brings peace and peace brings freedom. See you soon.