Whoop 4.0 Review
We tested out the Whoop 4.0 to see how it can promote recovery and aide performance. Here's what we found
Are you looking to maximise your recovery?
These days, there’s certainly no shortage of fitness trackers available on the market for anyone who wants to track their calories, steps, active minutes, sleep and more.
However, most of these devices keep track on how hard you’re pushing yourself without really taking into account the importance of rest and recovery.
That’s where tech company Whoop are a little different.
They’ve placed an emphasis on recovery so your body can recuperate sufficiently between workouts.
Whoop have an impressive array of sporting talent who wear their band, including NBA star LeBron James, golfer Rory McIlroy, Olympian Michael Phelps and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at how the Whoop 4.0 works, what features are included, what customers are saying about the fitness tracker, as well as giving our verdict.
Whoop 4.0 – The Basics
Website: www.whoop.com
The Whoop 4.0 (Photo: Whoop)
Founded in 2012 by Will Ahmed, Whoop was created out of a desire to analyse strain, sleep and recovery to prevent overtraining or under-training and better understand the human body.
Whoop is described on the company’s website as a personalized digital fitness and health coach that tracks key physiological metrics and provides detailed, actionable feedback to optimize your performance.
The 4.0 version is around a third smaller than previous models and includes new features such as the ability to track skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, haptic alerts and much more.
The Whoop’s strap has sensor-enhanced technical garments featuring ‘Any-Wear Technology’, which their website describe as a combination of cutting-edge tech and high-end performance fabrics.
Although the Whoop 4.0 is commonly worn on the wrist, you can also place it on your arm, torso, waist or calf. With a fast link slider, it’s easy to slide the sensor on and off with minimal fuss.
You can also join specific Whoop communities, whether you prefer to take part in the leaderboard in your region, compete against fellow athletes in your sporting field or meet like-minded individuals.
How It Works
The Whoop 4.0 (Photo: The Sport Review)
By wearing your Whoop, you’ll be able to measure the stress that your body goes through on a daily basis through training and everyday life, whether you’re an athlete or new parent.
Your tracker will provide insights on what Whoop consider to be three key pillars: sleep, recovery and strain.
Whoop looks at heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), respiratory rate and sleep data to unlock your Whoop ‘recovery score’.
This allows you to make an informed decision about the strain to put on your body, whether you can got all out in a high-octane HIIT workout or go for a gentle jog to promote recovery.
When you wake up, the Whoop will calculate a green, yellow or red recovery score on a scale of zero to 100 per cent that will let know if your body is ready to perform, needs an active recovery day or requires rest.
Using their strain coach, you can understand the physical exertion you’re putting on your body as your tracker calculates strain by using a scale of zero to 21 to make sure you get the most from your day and training.
We all know that sleep is crucial to improve recovery, fitness and overall wellbeing so Whoop not only analyzes the hours you sleep but the quality of your sleep. In the morning, you’ll get a sleep score from 0 to 100 per cent that lets you know how well you slept.
By utilising the sleep coach, you can get personalised bedtime and wake times based upon your daily effort and performance from the night prior.
What It Tracks
The Whoop 4.0 (Photo: The Sport Review)
The Whoop is an extremely versatile device that allows you to track some key metrics.
While it’s perhaps garnered most media attention for its ability to track your sleep, the Whoop also monitors heart rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels and skin temperature.
Other features include the ability to journal so you can see how your daily habits affect your recovery and sleep, allowing you to make an informed decision and adjust accordingly.
You can easily download a 30-day or 180-day trend of these metrics that you can review with you coach, trainer, PT, PCP or physician.
You’re able to see your weekly and monthly progress by downloading their monthly performance assessments to provide users with a bigger picture view of how your behaviors and choices are affecting your performance.
Getting Started
The Whoop 4.0 (Photo: The Sport Review)
Getting started with the Whoop is pretty easy.
There is an easy-to-follow setup guide included with the device, or you can download the Whoop app and follow the instructions.
It’s a good idea to fully charge your Whoop 4.0 before starting the pairing process with your smartphone.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll be prompted to enter some key details about yourself, such as age, height, weight and more.
You can connect the Whoop to your smartphone using Bluetooth and hit update to ensure you’re using the latest version.
Price And Where To Buy
Whoop membership starts at the equivalent of £18 per month based upon a 24-month term that requires you to pay £432 up front.
You can also get their annual membership for £264 up front, which works out at the equivalent of £22 per month.
If you prefer to pay month by month, you can do so for £27 per month for a minimum term of 12 months. The Whoop Strap 4.0 comes free with all three membership options.
Our Verdict
The Whoop 4.0 (Photo: The Sport Review)
Having previously tested a variety of fitness trackers, I was intrigued to give the Whoop 4.0 a try considering the product’s emphasis on recovery.
I found the strap extremely comfortable and very convenient – you can easily slip it on and off when you have a shower or bath.
The strain coach and sleep coaches were excellent features that provided a useful guide on how hard to work out and how much sleep was required to fully recover.
I really liked that you can start an activity and exercise until you reach your optimal strain by monitoring the Whoop app during your workout. This helps you not to overdo it – something I usually struggle with.
With the sleep coach, you get recommended times to go to bed to ensure your body is getting sufficient rest based upon on whether you had a strenuous day or not.
I also found the journal feature fascinating, as it provided me with the opportunity to see how my choices and habits affected by sleep and wellbeing over time. For example, I could see the positive impact practicing gratitude was having on my sleep.
While some might be put off by the membership pricing structure, if you take your fitness seriously and you want to perform at an optimum level while maximising recovery, the Whoop 4.0 is an excellent choice.
What Athletes Have To Say About Whoop
Former world number one golfer Rory McIlroy:
I’ve been a Whoop member for a number of years, and having the ability to monitor my recovery on a daily basis is helpful for my overall performance. Whoop is unlocking the future of athletic performance and professional golf.
Super Bowl MVP and NFL Quarterback Patrick Mahomes:
I’m constantly looking for new ways to improve my life and Whoop has played a key role in my success both on and off the field. Human performance is a category at the intersection of sports and technology and Whoop is the clear leader in this space.
Thirteen-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps:
I want to be able to give myself the best chance to be the best me. I like looking at the Whoop dashboard. I think the dashboard tells me everything that I want to know in an easy way. I absolutely love it. I’ve looked at the ring and all this stuff, I think the Whoop dashboard is the best. I like the simplistic view of it. I get every piece of information that I need, like 23% deep sleep last night, these little things for me are big. They’re important. I’m somebody who’s worked in hundredths of a second my whole entire life, that was my benchmark. So for me, how can I be the best me today? I need sleep, I need to make sure everything inside is going well, and [Whoop] gives me that.
Two-time Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas:
I’ve started using my Whoop to look at even more in-depth things and more personalized aspects of my recovery. And I started being able to track all those patterns through the Whoop journal.
Anything Else To Consider
When you sign up to Whoop, you’re essentially paying for a subscription that includes the band for free. It’s important to note that you can’t buy a Whoop strap outright because it comes free with the subscription.
As we touched upon above, you can choose from one of their three membership options. After your initial subscription is over you can continue paying at a month-to-month rate, or choose to extend into one of the other plans with reduced monthly rates.
It’s worth checking the official Whoop website for the full terms and conditions about the membership and monthly payments.
The Whoop body is a range of wearable tech that allows you to wear the Whoop in a subtle way. The company’s tech-smart apparel is compatible with the Whoop 4.0, and includes boxers, bralettes, leggings, performance tops, and more.
Wrapping Things Up
We’ve reached the end of our Whoop 4.0 review.
Worn by a host of world-class athletes, it’s obvious that Whoop are doing something right when it comes to promoting recover and aiding peak performance.
For those who are looking to take a break from screens, Whoop is a simple strap that is easy to slip on and off, and it’s comfortable to wear so nothing gets in the way.
It tracks your sleep, strain and recovery so you know whether you need a rest day, should consider some active recovery or you’re ready to smash your PB.
The Whoop journal feature allows you to monitor how your habits are affecting your performance in both the short term and the long term – allowing you to alter your daily choices.
If you’re serious about your sleep and recovery, you won’t go wrong with the Whoop 4.0.
