Biohackers use AI to lose weight, build muscle — with less work

This biohacking center is taking “work smarter, not harder” to a whole new level.

At Upgrade Labs, members trade dumbbells for data, using cutting-edge technology and AI to tailor every rep, sprint and recovery period to their unique biology — delivering huge gains with half the grind.

“Our goal is to have people come in for a half hour, 40 minutes, and get 10 times the results that they would from going to the gym in the same amount of time,” Dave Asprey, the man widely credited with launching the biohacking movement, told The Post. 

Asprey launched the first Upgrade Labs, a venue he describes as “the first AI-powered longevity center,” in 2017.

“We’ll give you the recipe for feeling better, performing better and getting younger,” he said.

He speaks from experience. At 28, Asprey was 300 pounds and struggling with brain fog, arthritis and pre-diabetes. Now 52, he’s ripped and raring to live until at least 180 — but the road wasn’t easy.

When he first started hitting the gym, Asprey worked out 90 minutes a day, six days a week, for 18 months and didn’t lose an inch from his 46-inch waist.

“If you’re substantially overweight and you’re relying on willpower and effort to lose the weight, the odds are very high that you’ll fail,” Asprey said. 

The problem? Overtraining, neglecting recovery and ignoring diet and sleep. But AI has helped him figure out which practices and technologies are most compatible with his own body.

Last month, The Post got a firsthand look at the future of fitness at the Upgrade Labs in Austin, Texas, with Asprey himself leading the VIP tour.

In addition to high-tech workout gear, the facility, which starts at $189 a month, offers advanced recovery tools designed to speed healing, boost energy, and help you look and feel your best.

“People report profound loss of fat, increase in muscle and they just feel so much better over time. And they look better.”

Dave Asprey

Step one: Know your body

Guests start with a sit-down with an Upgrade Labs technician to map out their goals — whether it’s losing weight, building muscle, easing chronic pain or even boosting IQ.

Next comes the Cell Health Analysis, a noninvasive scan that gives a detailed snapshot of the body at the cellular level. In two minutes, it captures more than 4,000 biomarkers, including body fat percentage, muscle mass, water balance and basal metabolic rate.

Then it’s on to a mobility assessment with the AI Movement Trainer. Cameras capture a 360-degree view of your body as you perform a series of exercises. An algorithm analyzes every move, producing a detailed report on your range of motion and any imbalances or restrictions you have.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it,” Griff Long, the president of Upgrade Labs and a longtime professional endurance athlete, told The Post. 

The assessment tracks even the smallest details, from squat depth to whether your left shoulder rotates better than your right. 

“We’re going to measure all of that on you and give you a report on where your body is holding weaknesses that you don’t even know about so we can fix it,” Long explained. 

Technicians then feed the data into an AI-powered program that creates a personalized plan using Upgrade Labs’ workout and recovery tools.

“People report profound loss of fat, increase in muscle and they just feel so much better over time,” he added. “And they look better.”

Members are encouraged to repeat the tests at every visit to track their progress — since you won’t see it in your reflection on the premises.

“There are no mirrors in the facility. The mirror is your data,” Asprey said. “We’re going to tell you what works and we’re going to show you that it’s working, so there’s never any guessing.”

Step two: Break a sweat 

After mapping their bodies, members turn science into sweat on the gym floor at Upgrade Labs. One of Asprey’s favorite pieces of tech there is the AI Adaptive Bike.

It looks like a regular stationary bike but uses biometric data — like heart rate and power output — to adjust the resistance automatically during your ride, delivering a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session in a fraction of the time.

“My idea of hell would be a spin class with music I don’t like and someone is shaming me into standing up and pedaling and not even getting results at the end of the day,” Asprey said. 

“We’ve shown in three studies that five minutes of cardio three or four times a week using our AI [bike] gives you six times better results than doing an hour a day sweating in a spin class,” he continued. 

In just a single nine-minute ride with two 20-second sprints, Upgrade Labs claims you can burn the same amount of glycogen, or “muscle fuel,” as a 40-minute jog.

“You’re not going to feel exhausted after a HIIT workout,” Long said. “Here, with the protocols we use, you’re going to walk out feeling alive.”

Members also have access to a Metabolic Trainer, which mimics altitude training by cycling between high and low oxygen levels — promoting oxygen-rich blood flow without intense physical effort.

In other words, it gives you an aerobic workout just by breathing.

By enhancing metabolism and oxygen consumption, the device can help burn more calories during and after each session, aiding in weight management and fat loss.

Research also suggests it can boost endurance, improve performance and reduce muscle soreness and inflammation.

They also have a PowerPlate, which Asprey says can supercharge any workout. As you squat, lunge or move on the platform, the machine uses controlled vibrations to stimulate your muscles, causing them to contract and relax at a high frequency.

This, he explained, accelerates training benefits by burning fat and improving flexibility, circulation, muscle and bone strength in a shorter amount of time compared to traditional workouts.

Step Three: Feel the burn

Once their heart rates are up, members put their bodies to the test by pumping some high-tech iron.

Unlike traditional weights, the facility’s AI Strength Trainer uses adaptive digital resistance, automatically adjusting to your strength, tempo and movement patterns during every rep with smart sensors.

“The computer will change what happens when I’m doing resistance so that I always maximize the stimulation of my muscles, that way I can put on muscle much more quickly,” Asprey explained.

Members can customize workouts across a full range of exercises — from barbell rows to leg and chest presses — for a complete full-body session.

If a lift starts to get tough, the machine responds instantly. The Virtual Spotter reduces resistance just enough to let you finish the rep, or takes the weight off entirely if needed.

In a time crunch, the AI Strength Trainer packs a 45- to 60-minute lifting session into just 10 or 15 minutes.

“This really matters, because we could all spend eight hours a day trying to live longer. The problem is, you’d have to live 50% longer just to break even,” Asprey said.

Step four: Recover

After all that heavy lifting, recovery takes center stage.

“The biggest secret in biohacking is how quickly you recover after a workout determines whether your body will adapt or just get stressed,” Asprey revealed.

Most people, he explained, overtrain and skip recovery — triggering inflammation, brain fog, weight gain and even premature aging.

“We use our tech to turn off that inflammation and tell the body it’s safe to put on muscle or start burning fat,” Asprey said.

That means tapping into recovery tools like the RED Charger, Cell Amplifier and Cryotherapy Chamber.

“What happens is you feel better, and then you have more energy for your next workout,” Asprey added.