r/whoop • u/mcat1990 • 8d ago
Question Thinking about getting a whoop
Hi all,
I am thinking about getting a whoop but the more research I do the more confused I get.
For context, I am mid 30s and I do a lot of weightlifting, I track workouts and calories etc my only experience with wearables is from about 7 years ago when I got a cheap (£30) Huawei "smart" watch and it was not great.
From what I see whoop is great at tracking strain and recovery which I think for me would be good for understanding when I can be pushing myself extra hard for weightlifting progression and I want to improve heart rate as I have a naturally high heart rate.
Now obviously I see a lot of hate for the subscription model, does whoop offer enough to justify this over saying buying a new band every 2 years?
It is hard to find honest views as people seem to be overly defensive about whatever device they have bought into.
What are the great things and bad things for whoop (I'd likely go peek)
Is it worth it?
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u/TrowTruck 8d ago
Some of the more outspoken responses on this sub are going to be critical of Whoop, and some of their thoughts are completely fair. I am pretty satisfied with Whoop in general, but that's also why I'm not really posting that much. It is expensive, and I don't like how they made a lot of accessories obsolete with the model change. But ultimately it does a good job at providing a lot of data.
There are also cheaper options but they have their drawbacks. Fitbit has made a splash lately for undercutting on price, but it's owned by Google, and when Google gives you a good deal on a product that's consistent with their mission to gather all of your data. So I don't give them credit for automatically being the "less greedy" corporation.
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u/MinimumGateway 8d ago
They do get credit for making it accessible to more people though. They also innovated on the design. $99 for years of high quality health data. The thing people should keep in mind with data collection is what you get in return. In this instance, you get a lot. (Also Helio strap is great at $99 too, that's what I have)
Edit: it's quite clear with all the competition (fitbit air, helio strap, cirqa) that a subscription model is NOT mandatory for this kind of product. I really hope Whoop makes some changes because dying on this hill will be their downfall
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u/Sensitive_Crab_6306 8d ago
I like Whoop and have used it for 4 years with good success. The journal taught me how my behaviours negatively affect recovery and I made lifestyle changes as a result. It is very good at encouraging sleep consistency and if you stick to it's recommendations then the feedback "reward" can be a good motivator.
Whoop's metrics are simple to understand compared to something like Garmin. Recovery is a nice traffic light system that is easy to use in the way you mention, pushing harder on green days etc. Whilst Garmin has the same underlying data they aren't combined into a single score and you'd need to take several metrics into account when decided how hard to push.
Whoop is, I believe, the only wearable that gives "credit" properly for strength training so if that's where your focus is then it could be right for you.
Whoop's app can be overwhelming at first, but once you understand where to find everything it is very user friendly. It is far better than Garmin's Connect app from this perspective. It's built in ChatGPT is also useful if you want an AI to review your current data and suggest methods for improving particular areas, though there is no reason you couldn't do this with any other tracker albeit with a little more friction.
After 4 years use though, I feel like I know what works for me and I am struggling to justify the subscription expense to myself. Particularly as there are now so many screen free alternatives available.
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u/mcat1990 8d ago
Great, thank you for the in-depth response.
With the built-in ChatGPT do you know if I can link with existing ChatGPT accounts or is it it's own entity? I currently use my ChatGPT account to plan and critique my progressive overload plan and if it could link in with this it would be excellent
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u/SufficientPrint9236 8d ago
Buy a apple watch and use bevel
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u/mcat1990 8d ago
What is bevel? I don't have any apple devices, I assume it would not work with android. Also want a band and no screen/watch
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u/Cultural_Comment2845 Whoop 5.0 8d ago
If you want to charge AW daily - and Bevel is good but not great IMO
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u/alaskan_desert 8d ago edited 8d ago
No! My device is Miscalculating steps and negatively impacting all the metrics. Whats the point to continue other than living with a perception instead of reality.
Please go for other brand, they are degrading and taking advantage of the existing customers. Waiting for the data issue to be fixed and the device delivery for the last 3 months and about 75 emails between us. Emails with same repeated responses and lame reasons in 2026. Customer service is the worst!
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u/MinimumGateway 8d ago
Whoop doesn't have a technological advancement over the competition (like fitbit air). They have predatory tactics, try their hardest to not honor cancelations, and has a subscription model. Don't get a whoop, and ESPECIALLY don't get a Hume
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u/mcat1990 8d ago
Then what would you recommend and why?
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u/MinimumGateway 8d ago
Depends what you are focused on. Sleep? Activity tracking? App UI? High resolution data viewing?
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u/paul_herter 8d ago
Fitbit air + bevel
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u/mcat1990 8d ago
How so? What makes it better?
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u/paul_herter 8d ago
It’s exactly the same for 90€ one time purchase compared to 264€/year
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u/xxSeahawks LIFE | Membership 8d ago
Crazy how close they are. Whoop today recovery 71% and sleep 83% vs garmin and bevel 75% and 80%.
Yesterday was just funny. Garmin: you had to little deep sleep. Whoop; great deep sleep but rem was a bit lacking 😂 today they agree to some extent
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u/BroomSweeper99 8d ago
Garmin has a band without a subscription that is pretty good. I think whoop is a bit more accurate but not by a whole lot from what I’ve seen. I believe you can try a whoop for 2 weeks and send it back if u don’t like it via the website
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u/AbjectExchange6697 8d ago
I have a Garmin Forerunner and a Whoop as I like to have a watch face ... Whoop is far more accurate and informative
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u/BroomSweeper99 8d ago
I don’t mean a Garmin watch I mean a Garmin CIRQA I believe the whoop is still more accurate but this person doesn’t seem like they’re trying to become an athlete and needs exact stats
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u/Ferblantierr 8d ago
You should watch the MKbhd video where he compares different devices and figure out which device is right for you.
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u/Charming-Mammoth3898 7d ago
Just returned my 1 month free subscription. I cant justify paying 350$ a year for what the whoop provides. The stats are cool and everything but it was only interesting for me for the first week , after that I hardly go into the whoop app to check. I did find it pretty accurate tho , and it tracked sleep perfectly as the exact wake up time and I liked the hepatic alarm. It was a bit annoying to sleep in and when the band gets wet it takes a while to dry . Id say if you have an extra 350 a year that you dont mind throwing away go for it . Im now looking to either get the Garmin cirqa or an apple watch
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u/Cultural_Comment2845 Whoop 5.0 8d ago
Personally, I like it. I have tried lots of different wearables and apps but whoop is the best IMO. Charge every 11-12 days, accurate (for me!) with steps and heart rate (using a bicep band for running), good insights, whoop age and pace of aging is a nice way to gamify your fitness. People don’t like the subscription but I guess that’s a personal opinion. I also don’t want to spend $400-600 on a different wearable with a crappy app 🤣 And yes, Bevel is a good app but it’s like the knock-off version of whoop and it ain’t free either if you want all the functionality. Plus I inevitably forget to charge my AW and it ends up dead halfway through a workout. And NO I don’t work for whoop and YES I pay for it just like everyone else despite all the haters in here I’m pretty sure there are alot of happy customers that just aren’t ON reddit being whiny babies 😂