August 5, 2021

Keith Rabois is the General Partner at Founders Fund. He has a unique background as an entrepreneurial executive and investor. Since 2000, Keith has been instrumental in driving five startups from their early stages to successful IPOs. He has provided seed capital to another ten companies that are currently valued at over $1B, including Airbnb, Lyft, YouTube, Wish, and Yammer.

Since March 2013, Keith has served as a senior partner at Khosla Ventures (KV), a technology venture capital fund founded by Vinod Khosla. He specializes in funding early-stage companies with a primary focus on consumer, financial services, and health care innovation. At the same time, Keith co-founded Opendoor, a startup that transforms the painful process of selling a home into a delightful and immediate experience. At KV, Rabois has led investments in a broad array of startups including, DoorDash, Stripe, Thoughtspot, Affirm, Even Financial, and Piazza.

Over the prior decade, Keith Rabois forged several of the most important new social and commerce platforms. Keith began his career in the industry as Executive Vice President of Business Development & Public Policy at PayPal and subsequently served in influential roles at LinkedIn and as a chief operating officer of Square.

But Keith is also a bit of a fitness and optimization nerd, often heard championing the value of fitness, sleep, and heart rate tracking, and recently leading ‘big tech' scions in Miami fitness bubble, as a recent news article cited “The former PayPal exec, who has invested in LinkedIn, Square and Yelp, is teaching a Barry’s Bootcamp class in Miami with tech industry insiders,” where Keith was quoted as saying that he believes the future of fitness in a post-pandemic world will be a combination of at-home meets in-person workouts.

“I think the future will be a hybrid. Resistance training is a critical ingredient for everybody’s workout and it’s very difficult for people to do strength training at home. People need both guidance and form correction. I think some people will allocate some time to training at home just for convenience, then people like to get inspired with in-person classes — running next to someone on a treadmill urges you to run faster; seeing other people lifting dumbbells encourages you to lift heavier weights, plus you’re in a community meeting new people and engaging with new people. Some people will take one or two classes a week and then exercise on their own,” Keith Rabois said.

During this discussion, you'll discover:

-How Keith measures his health through his heart rate…08:30

• Measure 3 things for heart rate:
  • Resting heart rate
  • 2-minute recovery heart rate
  • Heart rate variability (HRV)
• Training is focused on improving the 2-minute recovery rate
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), hill-incline running
• Barry's Boot Camp
• Airdyne bike Ben mentions
• VASPER machine

-A typical workout for Keith Rabois…12:20

• 50 minutes
• Half cardio, half resistance training, typically with weights
• Cardio is a mix of jog, run, sprint; vary the incline
• Music is highly efficacious in improving performance and emotional tolerance
• The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal
• High-Intensity Repeat Training (HIRT)
• Pavel Tsatsouline
  • The Resurgence Of The Kettlebell: How An Old-School Tool For Strongmen Became A Must-Have Piece Of Equipment For Athletes And The Average Person.
• Article in Journal of Applied Physiology: Short-term intensified training temporarily impairs mitochondrial respiratory capacity in elite endurance athletes
• Calcium scan score
• The Goldilocks Zone for Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much by  James O'Keefe
• HIIT may be more difficult than it sounds
• Zones For Training app

-How Ben and Keith track and manage their sleep…22:55

• Accurate sleep stage discrimination
• Zeo devices (now bankrupt)
• Eight Sleep mattress
• ChiliPad mattress cover
• Oura ring
• BGF podcasts with building biologist Brian Hoyer
  • Hunting Down EMF In Your Office, Bedroom, Gym & Beyond: Is Your Home’s “Dirty Electricity” Wrecking Your Sleep, Your Recovery, Your Health & More? The Official Ben Greenfield & Brian Hoyer Low-EMF Home How-To.
  • The Intriguing Science Of Building Biology (Along With A Complete Analysis & Surprising Results From Ben Greenfield’s So-Called “Biohacked Home”).
• Find devices you can put in “airplane mode” to reduce EMF exposure
• Supplement with magnesium to offset calcium influx
• Ketone salts and esters
• NAD supplement

-Keith and Ben's big wins in caring for the body and brain…28:55

• 8 hours of sleep is the foundation
• Alarm clocks cause artificial stress in the brain
• 30 minutes or so after wake up, do a workout (HIIT)
• Eat a protein bar to get some protein before working out
• Celsius drink and green tea for a caffeine spike
• Carbs the night prior aid in workouts in a fasted state
• Earthing sandals
• Natural sunlight and walking on the ground barefoot
• Cold shifts the body into a fat-burning state
• Morozko Forge (use BENFORGE to save $150 on the COLD and FILTERED Forge)
• 55°F or lower for best effects; Ben goes at 32°F for a bit of a time hack

-Supplements and biohacks Keith uses to enhance sleep…45:48

• Cool temperature in the bedroom, around 65°F
• Blackout shades
• Eye mask
• Eat dinner somewhat early (around 7 pm)
• Thorne Recovery Pro
• Rozerem (melatonin on steroids)
• 8-10 minutes of natural sunlight every morning

-What Keith Rabois has for breakfast…50:45

• Protein shake 4 days per week; traditional breakfast the other 3 days
• A lot of nutrition advice is trickled down from the pro athlete and bodybuilding industry

-Hacks in the workplace…54:45

• Standing desk
• Manual treadmill
• Walking is great for learning

-What a typical day looks like for both Keith Rabois and Ben…57:40

• HIIT session late afternoon
• Sometimes need to batch the two closer together; not ideal for the long term
• Nutrient replenishment space of 6-8 hours between workouts
• No lunch break per se, utilitarian meal
• MindFold sleep mask
• NuCalm
• Apollo wearable
• Hapbee

-What things in the fitness and biohacking industry excite Keith…1:04:20

• Improving quality of sleep is the best thing to invest in right now
• Areas to extend human lifespan
• Home fitness
• Peloton bike
• TEMPO strength training programs

-Flaws with the exciting, yet underachieving personalized health services and products industry…1:08:55

• Personalization of fitness and nutrition advice
  • Flaw of averages by which nutrition advice is disseminated
  • Biochemical individuality
  • Privacy and convenience issues with personalized products and services (blood draws)
• Thorne at-home test kits
  • Biological Age Test
  • Gut Health Test
  • Sleep Test
  • Stress Test
  • Weight Management Test
• Base
• Vessel (use code GREENFIELD50 to get you 50% off the first month, either a 6-month or a 12-month plan)
• Recommendations from current tests are very “niche”

-And much more…

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Keith Rabois:

• Founders Fund
• Barry's Boot Camp

– Podcasts And Articles:

• A Deep Dive Into HRV: How To Use Heart Rate Variability To Optimize Your Sleep, Stress, Recovery, Performance, Nervous System Balance & Much More!, With Dr. Jay T. Wiles.
• Hunting Down EMF In Your Office, Bedroom, Gym & Beyond: Is Your Home’s “Dirty Electricity” Wrecking Your Sleep, Your Recovery, Your Health & More? The Official Ben Greenfield & Brian Hoyer Low-EMF Home How-To, With Brian Hoyer.
• The Intriguing Science Of Building Biology (Along With A Complete Analysis & Surprising Results From Ben Greenfield’s So-Called “Biohacked Home”) With Brian Hoyer.
• Q&A 426: Does Being Overweight Help You Live Longer?, The Dark Side Of Fasting, The Latest On Caffeine & Exercise Performance, Boosting Nitric Oxide & Much More!
• The 19 Best Full-Body Workouts Ben Greenfield Uses For His Year-Round Exercise Routine.
• The Resurgence Of The Kettlebell: How An Old-School Tool For Strongmen Became A Must-Have Piece Of Equipment For Athletes And The Average Person.
• The Smoothie Super-Special: How To Make The Ultimate Fitness Drink That Doesn’t Taste Like The Foul Dung Of Godzilla.
• Sunlight Makes You Skinny & Blue Light Makes You Fat: 11 Ways To Biohack Light To Optimize Your Body & Brain.

– Books:

• The Joy of Movement By Kelly McGonigal

– Gear And Supplements:

• Airdyne Bike
• VASPER
• Zeo Personal Sleep Coach
• Eight Sleep Mattress
• ChiliPad
• Oura Ring
• Earthing Runners Sandals
• Morozko Forge (use BENFORGE to save $150 on the COLD and FILTERED Forge)
• Blackout Shades
• Sleep Mask
• Standing Desk
• Manual Treadmill
• MindFold Sleep Mask
• NuCalm
• Apollo
• Hapbee
• Peloton Bike
• Thorne Recovery Pro
• Magnesium
• Ketone Salts And Esters
• NAD
• Protein Bar

– Other Resources:

• Kion Energy Bar
• Celsius Fitness Drink
• Pique Green Tea
• Pavel Tsatsouline
• Zones For Training App
• Calcium Scan Score
• TEMPO Strength Training Programs
• The Goldilocks Zone For Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much
• Rozerem
• Thorne At-Home Test Kits
  • Biological Age Test – Lab Blood Panel
  • Gut Health Test – Stool Sample
  • Sleep Test – Urine
  • Stress Test – Saliva
  • Weight Management Test – Saliva And Blood Spot
• Base
• Vessel (use code GREENFIELD50 to get you 50% off the first month, either a 6-month or a 12-month plan)

Upcoming Events:

• Ben will be speaking at the Ancestral Health Symposium in L.A. on August 12-14, 2021
• Las Vegas Keto Expo (October 15-16, 2021). Ben will be speaking at the Las Vegas Keto Expo along with 13 other keto experts. The first 300 guests to register here will get a free drink chip for the poolside party and a free t-shirt.
• Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar

Episode sponsors:

–The Boundless Cookbook: Optimize your physical and mental performance with nutritious and delicious Greenfield family recipes.

–Organifi Gold: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.

-Four Sigmatic: I’ve been using Four Sigmatic products for a while now and I’m impressed by the efficacies of their mushroom products. I use them. I like them. I support the mission! Receive 10% off your Four Sigmatic purchase when you use discount code BENGREENFIELD.

–Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more. BGF listeners save 10% off your first order at Kion with code BEN10.

–Clearlight Saunas: You can be sure that I researched all the saunas before I bought mine and Clearlight was the one that stood out from all the rest because of their EMF and ELF Shielding and their Lifetime Warranty. Mention BEN GREENFIELD and you’ll receive an extra discount on your purchase.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Keith or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!