19 months with a whoop! strap

Whoop! Strap Summary

The whoop does not need to be removed to charge. The charging battery slips on while you wear it, so there will be no data gaps.

My whoop! strap and I just ended a 19 month relationship.  This device accompanied me 24/7 for the past year and a half. It has been to the top of Mt. Haleakala, downhill skiing in Colorado, Vermont, and New York. It joined me while waterskiing, mountain biking, swimming in fresh and salt water, ziplining, hiking, completing an aerial adventure course, and monitored hundreds of Peloton bike rides.

The constant flow of data, and the resulting analysis is intriguing. Several of my work colleagues decided to begin wearing the whoop strap soon after I did. Our “team ortho” allowed comparisons and prompted many discussions over the months. ​

I only wore the whoop strap on my upper arm.

I highly recommend using this device, particularly if you are training for an upcoming event, or are simply interested in monitoring/improving your fitness/recovery. 

With so many fitness tracking devices currently on the market, you may be curious why I chose this particular device. The most compelling reason is quite simple. As a surgeon, my options were quite limited. I am in the operating room at least two days each week, and wanted to track this activity. During surgery, devices can not be worn on the fingers or wrists. This instantly eliminated the Oura ring, and all watches including the Apple, Garmin, and Fitbit. I was able to wear the Whoop unobtrusively on my upper arm during surgery. It was so comfortable in this position, I chose to wear it there 24/7. 

My whoop! strap

I also liked the fact that the battery would last for 4-5 days and there was no need to remove the device to charge it. This allowed constant monitoring throughout the day and night. The device and the battery are both waterproof. The journal feature  is quite powerful. It allows quick and easy tracking of behaviors, and correlates them with your strain and recovery. This information is very helpful when making lifestyle choices. 

The whoop system provides lots of data. This data is presented in graphic form that allows you to rapidly identify trends. 

Whoop summary page 1

Whoop summary page 2

Whoop summary page 3

Measurements taken during sleep are used to determine recovery score.

Whoop recovery scores shown over a running 7 day period.

Whoop tracks activities automatically

Whoop tracks strain over 7 day running periods.

Whoop sleep data overview

Whoop sleep data is robust

Whoop displays sleep scores over a running 7 day period.

Whoop long term physiologic trends presentation

Whoop long term sleep trends display

Whoop long term strain, sleep, and recovery trends graphic display.

Because this device is only an instrument for data collection, and does not have a screen of its own, it must be used with your smart phone. Since the whoop strap will collect data and then upload to your phone in the future, you do not need to carry your phone at all times. It will sync when back within bluetooth range.  The inability to display any data is something to consider when you are shopping for fitness tracking devices. Watches are much more versatile. 

While I truly enjoyed using this device, and consider it a powerful tool, I ultimately chose to unsubscribe from the service. Why?

The subscription based service is the reason I discontinued with Whoop. The base price of this service is about a dollar per day. This is decent value for the data it provides. I originally signed up for an 18 month, discounted rate, and could have done so again. The problem is that I I really enjoyed gathering this data, tracking my activities, and monitoring my recovery/fitness levels. I would like to collect this data forever. Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to purchase a whoop device. Ongoing subscription long-term makes this device the most expensive on the market. At this time, I feel I have learned all the lessons I wanted to learn. I truly understand my body better now. This has been a very valuable experience, and I recommend it to particularly for someone training for a cardiovascular endurance event, or for anyone simply interested in improving their health/recovery. I am currently researching a similar device that I can buy once, and own forever. 

My next article will dig into the lessons I learned from whoop. 
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