Thank you for making this video. It's really deplorable that to find the "real" answers we have to look for unpopular and low sub count creators because everyone who is big is either paid by whoop or sponsored. But seriously keep doing what you do, and thank you so much.
it's also just an opinion... just because it's low sub and "off the grid" does not necessarily make it "correct"... Real? Sure, but your experience may differ.
Thanks Austin, I was contemplating whether I'd stick with my Whoop, but you articulated all of my concerns with the band. You helped me work through the issues and I'm cancelling my membership!
I have a whoop and Apple Watch. My Dad always says to me ‘you don’t need that crap, just listen to your body’. He’s probably right, but l like having data to validate how l feel.
Totally agree, I feel the same way after my 30 days trail, I learned a lot about how my behaviors affect my sleep but I don’t see the value after that, I won’t pay the subscription anymore, thanks for sharing an honest review
Was debating getting one but you made me realize I could probably just write down how I slept and what time I slept in a journal and within a month learn my sleeping habits. And for the price, it’s not worth it for 2+ months. Thank you for the video
Fantastic! Thank you for your analysis…it sure helped. You’re right - over time, we get the same readings & you get to “know yourself” in your routine. If it does any good, it ends up working itself into obsolescence.
Liked the video because you gave your honest opinion:) As someone who’s used the whoop for nearly four years, and also does a lot of videos on the Whoop, there might be a few misunderstandings with the information, and if I misunderstood I apologize. Whoops rings are a measurement of recovery not sleep. 4 different metrics are what govern that recovery score so it is possible to have a poorer sleep recovery and still get a high score. HRV has the most “weight” to said score and HRV is the bodies ability to handle stress, that’s why you might be getting green bars with a low sleep performance score. Sleep coach and strain coach are the resources you’d use to optimize performance given what you’d want to do. I have had many occasions where I’ve had a low recovery score low yellow to red where I’ve still been given a directive of achieving moderately high strain. To the comments saying “Garmin does everything Whoop does and does it better” that’s not true. Some things like long term tracking of behavior via a customizable journal, no it can not. But there are definitely things it does that the whoop can’t touch: if you’re an endurance athlete or an avid outdoorsman like the video host your much much better off with Garmin. If you like a lot of what Whoop offers but don’t wanna pay the annual subscription and are ok with a few less features and have an Apple Watch, the Athlytic App is pretty solid. There is a new feature for weightlifters and gym goers : you can build workouts or do preprogrammed workouts that measure sets, reps, rest etc… however it BLOWS haha. It’s way too tedious. Does it have that functionality? Yes, will you use it? Probably not. For many of you Whoop’s cost to value ratio over the long term probably isn’t there, UNLESS you run a ton of self experiments. Four years later and I’m still learning a lot about myself. It sucks that whoop hasn’t reached out and thank you for supporting them and that would definitely make me wanna raise a middle finger. I’ll definitely pass this on. I don’t have much pull if any but I do have a channel of communication open to me. Thanks for the video brother Get after it😊
I have similar thoughts to you im around 6 months into my 1 year and think I will be cancelling at the year. The one thing I did however think was brilliant is I have had 2 colds while having the band and both times the whoop told me I was ill around 12-24 hours before I actually felt any symptoms myself. Which meant both times I got my diet, supplements and watch consumption in check early and then the cold only lasted about 1-2 days both times whereas usually a cold for me can last anywhere between 3-7 days. I do find that impressive however nothing else that whoop is doing is ground breaking for me. Not enough to justify the price! I don’t regret getting my Whoop membership because I was thinking about it for a long time and would have always wondered what it was like. But now I know. It has also helped me understand HRV and ways to improve it which is also great but once you have learnt it you kinda know forever then. If Whoop were to drastically reduce their price or offer a one off payment deal then I would maybe consider it however I don’t think that will ever happen so I will be giving mine up at the year mark.
I’ve been using whoop since 2019 and this is the month that I’ve cancelled my membership It’s taught me a lot over that time and now I’m pretty in tune with my body and have learnt was is going to effect me in a good or bad way I’ve found the HR data to be shocking, and off quite a bit (even with the bicep band), it could be such an incredible product, and I agree it does seem to be very much about the money they can make over anything else
I think the problem is the subscription model. You don’t own the hardware, so once the subscription ends you’re not going to be able to use the Whoop band. I have a garmin and I’m really happy with it. I’ll get many years of use out of it. One time purchase. Perfect
@@iceshadow487 I guess it's context. For me it's the opposite. I bought my Whoop 4.0 at Best Buy, plus sales taxes, and got 12 months free sub. So in my mind, the hardware better bloody work if I drop my sub. But apparently, since you need the app, the device might be useless at the end of my sub. The sub isn't worth $30/m to me, and the fact that they use this model at all is a bit strange. $10-12-15/m is more reasonable.
Ye I mean less than a $1 a day to learn how you sleep recover and stress levels is a joke right!!! How many coffee you buying a month? Smoke? Drink? Weed? Rest my case 😂
@@Kyzzeh ok maybe its better than a Netflix subscription, but in general this argument applies to so many things. And before you know it, you'll end up with a massive pile of fixed expenses each month. Here 30$ there 25$… Instead of investing money into a 24 mo whoop subscription you could buy a good mattress that lasts you 8 years. Or a air conditioning/heating system that regulates the room temperature to the perfect sleeping temperature according to current scientific data. Making your room 100% dark. This really improves your sleep instead of just monitoring it.
@@Rgb-z when your buying things like a whoop, your choosing to spend wisely on your health, Netflix, smoking, drinking etc is not healthy for you. Make smart choices my guy I totally hear what your saying but just spend wisely on yourself things that really matter and improve you as a person. I stopped smoking weed to go gym and get my whoop, I smoked an awful lot complete addict won’t lie
@@Kyzzehit’s really about perceived value vs price. If you don’t find the whoop metrics valuable there is nothing to convince you to buy a membership. Besides there are other players on the same market who don’t ask monthly membership and they are as good as whoop is. So I’d say Whoop is challenged greatly in that space.
Thanks for your video Austin! I recently purchased the Fenix 7 Pro (47 mm) and have been using it for 4 days now... I'm already blown away on all its features (first time garmin watch owner) vs my Whoop 4.0. I recently got into hybrid athlete training this summer as I recently completed Andy Frisella's 75 Hard, so I'm looking forward to running and lifting with my Fenix 7 Pro going forward. I've really enjoyed using my Whoop for the past 3 months, however, I'm starting to think that my Whoop is becoming less insightful over time like you mentioned. You pretty much figure out what you need to do to achieve a high recovery or to get better sleep within the first 3 months from my experience (mouth tape, proper fueling, sleep, electrolytes, trace drop minerals, etc.).
Yeah sleep is really what's keeping me around after the first year, got one year left. But idk if that's enough. The weight lifting aspect has a LONG way to go as well. And more and more often I find myself questioning the metrics that are added. Stress monitor has been a big question mark for me. And more recently Im now having the dreaded issue where wrist movements = higher HR.
I used whoop from the beginning of its launch and did not renew after 3 years because it did exactly what you say in this video. You are 100% right. I thought of trying the latest model in case they have improved it, but, it is the same crab.
Thank you so much for this! I just got mine and am already unsure of it. They have 30 day return but it also says it needs like a month to get the correct data
I have 5 friends who wore them and they have all canceled because of the subscription model. I think Seeing the layoffs at the company show that they are really feeling the hurt. It will be interesting to see if they pivot.
Your heart rate varies with your breathing and is measured all day long. And there are several things that make your recovery a good recovery or a sub-par one - and you will feel it. I have gotten not enough sleep before and been in sleep debt and yet felt fine and had a green recovery. The Whoop explained that this was because I have high heart rate variability and I got a higher percentage of deep sleep with very few wake events. I have gotten yellow recoveries - and I felt groggy and tired - even though I got more sleep than usual, but I didn't get enough deep sleep. This has mostly been because I went off my diet and ate something I have sensitivities to and had more wake events getting up and going to the bathroom.
Excellent video. I have a Garmin Epix Pro and thought I should give Whoop a go to better track overstraining. The HR monitor is super inaccurate, unless worn on the bicep. Really disappointing how little has changed in the one year since I last tried it. The strength trainer is an absolute pain to use and I gave up quite quickly. Trying to get a return label is proving really difficult, which doesn’t speak well for the company’s practices..
Completely agree. I just tossed my whoop after two months. It’s impressive at first with all the info, but after a while you realise you’re just getting told stuff you can already discern just by listening to your body or googling ‘how to sleep better’ I think it’s only worthwhile for people who are OBSESSIVE about cardio-based exercise or for people who need constant reminders and feedback and motivation to live a healthy lifestyle. I’m so pissed I can’t get a refund, but at least it feels good not to have this pointless thing on my arm.
Just wondering if you chose some other wearable to use instead of the whoop? I want to track my metrics and workouts but don’t want some obnoxious wearable , which is what attracts me to the whoop, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
To my knowledge, the best way to assess your sleep is directly through brain waves which, I doubt you can do with something that is worn on your wrist or finger or arm etc. Algorithmic based monitors could be the way of the future, but certain metrics must be included. The bottom line, in my mind, is what is your state of over-all health is and what level of training/exercise is in your best interest based on that level of Fitness and over-all health.
For me, it's about increasing HRV and finding out what supplements and lifestyles work and don’t. I'm only 2-months in, but I think I'll be sticking around for a while.
Agree with all of this and I realised it all 2 weeks in, another shit thing for me is that I cant see the timeline of all my workouts and their strain levels and other details which is super disapointing.
Thanks for this review. I'm grateful Whoop allow you to trial the product for a month. I feel that the month will give me all the insight I'm likely to get and don't see myself continuing beyond that. I've not been overly impressed with it and it's not giving me vastly more than my 5year old Fitbit in terms of useful data
1 month trial is a catch. Your meaningful data analysis starts exactly after 30 days of use when a data baseline is built. For proper test they trial period should be at least 3 months. I’m telling this after trying several similar devices like Fitbit, Garmin, etc.
@@BobaFit indeed. I did the trial but Whoop really dragged their feet with sending out the return details which caused some added stress thinking they were going to charge me the full amount. Luckily they didn't but their customer service is horrible and incredibly inefficient. I'm glad I did the trial but it's too expensive for what it is.
All I use is my Orange Theory Beat Burn. It's enough, but I have to keep my Orange Theory membership to use it for other workouts (like Barry's and Physique 57, which I prefer.). Barry's is partnering with Whoop but Whoop is more than what I need.
I do agree that the HRV overemphasis is causing faulty data. I had nights where my RHR would be high due to heavy labor or drinking yet my HRV would be high so the recovery would be 99% green. For some people with high ectopic beats, it causes misleading data
I've had an oura ring for a year, but I've just lost it. I always lose rings so I should have known. I loved it. But now it's gone I have nothing and I've realised that the accountability it gave me was so helpful. I'm going to bed later and as a result feel more tired. I was considering the whoop because it's likely I will not lose it unlike the oura rings and all other rings I've had. The price puts me off. Have u had any issues with accountability like I've mentioned since getting rid of it? Even tho u know the patterns of sleep and data now?
Thanks for this, I was on the fence but now I don’t think I will bother with it. Kind of intrigued to know the sleep data though…. But then, if it’s not the accurate that would be a disappointment. Totally agree that it feels like a money grab and that isn’t very appealing. Too expensive imo.
I’ve just bought a whoop. I bought it for my sleep and recovery and for my weight training to see how hard I’m pushing. I’ve only had it for a few weeks, and I’m mostly always in yellow for recovery. The other day I worked out in the gym and warmed up on the bike. I was dead but it said I was only in 60% of my heart rate, and I was literally so sluggish and tired I was pushing myself but it was barely registering. I’m enjoying it so far, but I do feel it’s expensive for what it is £27 in the uk a month. But it’s making me more mindful about my rest recovery and pushes me to do a little extra in the gym. However I mainly bought it for weight training and I still feel it doesn’t show as much effort/ feedback for weightlifting as it’s still measuring heart rate it seems. I can do 5 mins on a bike and my stress monitor is almost the same as if I do a hard 60 mins weightlifting.
I recently got the bug to get a Whoop. I love data and what you can do with it but this is exactly what I was afraid of. Paying that high of a monthly fee to get data that you can predict after certain amount of time sounds expensive. Plus, once you stop paying you are left with a useless device. So basically, your video convinced me not to get one. Thanks!
This is 100% truth. It gets even worse when you happen to have several of these trackers and they are all significantly off from each other each day and night. Which one is correct? You never know. All of them are novelty for 2-3 months and after that aren't of value. One thing that is consistent and useful is how badly your realize just a few drinks messes up your scores. But again, after a few times of seeing that what is the point afterwards?
Do you think its worth it to just get for a year and find your routine thats the most benefical and not renew after a year? like is it it worth it to atleast try and find your base for the first six months?
Pretty much what I suspected, thank you for confirming it. I don't believe that anything doesn't track the actual brainwaves will ever be an accurate sleep monitor.
So...I don't want a smart watch. I had a Google Pixel and reurned it after 2 days, and I NEVER return purchases as I generally do a lot of researching of a product. That said, I'm currently at a point in my life where I need to re-build a routine, get better & more frequent sleep and generally exercise more. This has led me to seek out a more passive tracker without a screen so I can check it once or twice a day. I have zero intent to use this item for longer that 2 years MAX. At a certain point the data will no longer be needed, and I'm really only purchasing it to be a baseline and foundational pin in creating and tracking a routine for myself.
Just to be a different commenter, reading the comments is seems most of you never needed a tracker in the first place, and just fell into the hype. As an older person who still wants to be still active despite chronic issues, the strap is almost vital to me as a tool to monitor how my body is going, how it handles the stress of activity with my health issues. It helps me predict when my symptoms are going to flare and it it helps me track which strategies work and which ones don’t. Why would anyone need to monitor their fitness if they are fit and healthy? I don’t know why I go to the mechanic everyday - my car is running well and it’s interesting to see the diagnostic tools running but I don’t think I’m getting much value from it. Also, it’s interesting that it seems the same people who think this product is too expensive are the same ones that spend more than that continuing to upgrade other devices every other year
A very interesting comment compared to the others (as you already wrote). I'm actually still faced with the choice of buying a Whoop. May I ask what health aspects (/habits?) you were able to change and how else the tracker can help you? Best regards
I was a whoop subscriber for four years. After using the apple watch and other software such as Athlytic for calculating HRV much like Whoop for a fraction of the price, I question the accuracy of the information being provided. One could argue that the whoop data, its benefit to the user is in observing the trends in the data and the accuracy of its measurements is not that critical. I just cannot justify for the price point and the overall lacking experience with their useless customer support. In the end I was not sold on its value to me at the exceptional cost. I lost a band at the gym that I had had paid two years of service on. Instead of doing the right thing and taking care of the customer, it took two weeks of sending requests to whoop support to even illicit a response from the company. After two more questions and going back and forth with their support, I let them know that I was dissatisfied with their lack of care to my needs as a customer. I ended up purchasing an Aura ring, and will see if perhaps the culture of that company is perhaps a better fit. Perhaps they have more value for their customers. Whoop could care less about theirs.
Same ima cancle my whoop cool the first month but then what it tells me i didnt sleep good i knew that lol still wont change how i live my life with what i got going on. I tried the apple watch as a alternative and doesnt work with tattoo sleeves. If the whoop at least had a screen to see time and count my steps would be a little better
I was already second guessing my decision to buy it next month due to not being owner of my data, unsure about it's privacy and anonymity as well as being a service instead of buying a good. This just slamdunks my decision to stay with suunto.
my membership ends tomorrow - I've had it for several years. it had ALWAYS over-estimated how much sleep I needed. I've slept 6-7 hours a night for pretty much my entire life. Whoop constantly said I got poor sleep and needed 9 or 10. my other trackers all show I slept great (I usually feel great).
Hi If I take the monthly membership it’s showing total commitment of 12 months but what if I stop my card transactions after 1 month so will it still debit the amount?
Redundant was a perfect word for this product. I’ll still recommend it to anyone interested in learning which patterns work for them but other than that. I didn’t find it very helpful at all after the fourth full month.
I actually think Whoop is really struggling. Every single person (maybe 40 people at my crossfit box) who had Whoop two years ago no longer use it. Why? Mainly the monthly cost. It’s outrageous for what you get. I know there are the “it’s only €1 a day” crowd but the value for money and what you’re getting for that dollar is not worth it. Add to that the inaccuracies in the band. My 4.0 stopped working maybe five times whilst I had it and they would send me a free new one but I would go months without data. Then it would track a dog walk at 21 strain and a crossfit class at 4 strain. Then I spent so long plugging stuff into my journal that in the end I was fairly convinced I was simply doing the Whoops job for it. I tried it for two years and honestly from about 6 months in I felt like it just wasn’t worth it at all. What you get for your money is so far from worth it. Now I have a Garmin forerunner 955 which gives me even more functionality, doesnt require me spending 20 minutes journalling a day, and doesn’t leave me thinking every month “god was this worth it”? If Garmin add in a monthly performance summary it kills whoop in my opinion. Body battery and sleep score from Garmin are basically the same features as whoop already but with one off cost.
you really put it into perspective for someone who is already active, aware and mindful of their exertion and restfulness to how sleep attributes to them. We are just paying for realities of our health to be put into numbers and have them regurgitated to us. Nothing extremely insightful. The things these devices point out are never close to inconceivable
Who's going to tell him that's not what heart rate variability means? It's not not heart changes, it's the difference in time between individual heart beats. Nothing to do with increases or decreases in HR.
I returned mine for a full refund in the first 7 days. I enjoyed it but I don’t think it was worth it for the price for where I am in my life. Maybe if I was training for a triathlon it would be more useful. A lot of the sleep stuff didn’t help me anyways. I’ve been big into sleep science for years and I generally know what to do to sleep well and feel good the next day
nice summary !! i had also a 2 year suscribtion. the benefit is for 2-4 months nice and helps you to be more aware of some health metrics. After this period you get 0 benefit. agree fully
I'm right now on my 1st month free trial. And I like that it can just keep track of my hours of sleep. I'll keep using mine until I don't feel the need for it. Maybe Just for 2-3 months of it then I'll cancel it.
Keep in mind, that after 1st month free trial is done, you are stuck with it for a year. So, if you see yourself stopping using it within under a year, probably cancel the membership before 1st month expires. That’s what I might do. I just got mine for a free trial and I think I might stop using it before full month.
Also, just to add...even if you go down the pay monthly route and pay for say 3 months. I believe you still have to pay the yearly amount if you try to cancel.
I like mine for the stress and calories (although I don’t trust it completely) so I’m know how hard to go in the gym. Other than that, i don’t really use any of the other data
Anyone else noticed if you do what you should be, workout hard for example, get amazing sleep, wake up ready to tackle the day, your readings are terrible… and when you wake up feeling exhausted, your readings are great… it’s almost as if I need to the opposite of what the app suggests. Definitely will not be renewing the subscription but I will keep it for a year to gather sleep data and work on building a consistent sleep routine. Other than helping build healthy habits I don’t think it can serve any sort of real purpose. The data is clearly not accurate in regards to recovery and performance.
I periodically use a Garmin Fēnix to calculate distance and elevation but the sleep stats are terrible and the battery is awful so nothing for now, just different fitness and hiking phone apps.
@@Austin_Kohler Same, I've stopped using my Whoop almost a year ago, Last year I've used a Garmin Forerunner 955 and found myself not even reading the info anymore, the Garmin app is just... a mess to read and find useful data from (if not running data, that was nice) so I sold it as well. The one thing I miss about Whoop is the app, very nice and clean. I'm now just using a normal mechanical watch, If one day something like Whoop comes out, without a big membership cost (Heck I did get the 24 months one cause I was bound to push myself) I'd consider getting another fitness/health tracker of sorts. Right now I am tech-free on my arms / wrists. Would be nice to track steps alone, but having a whole band just for it... euh, got some friends competing on daily steps... I just calculate the time I walk and deduce steps nowadays
Thanks for the insight. I guess it comes down to knowing your benchmarks by wearing it the minimal amount of time necessary i.e. not for longer than 6 months. However, it comes into question when the accuracy is questionable. I will most likely try it for six months and then switch to the new Garmin Venu 3 when that comes out and cross compare stats to look for consistencies and therefore, know my real stats.
Thank you for making this video. It's really deplorable that to find the "real" answers we have to look for unpopular and low sub count creators because everyone who is big is either paid by whoop or sponsored. But seriously keep doing what you do, and thank you so much.
it's also just an opinion... just because it's low sub and "off the grid" does not necessarily make it "correct"... Real? Sure, but your experience may differ.
I came to the same conclusion. A one time payment would be a completely different story. But paying a monthly rate really sucks.
Or maybe 10 bugs a month like oura
Thanks Austin, I was contemplating whether I'd stick with my Whoop, but you articulated all of my concerns with the band. You helped me work through the issues and I'm cancelling my membership!
I have a whoop and Apple Watch. My Dad always says to me ‘you don’t need that crap, just listen to your body’. He’s probably right, but l like having data to validate how l feel.
Totally agree, I feel the same way after my 30 days trail, I learned a lot about how my behaviors affect my sleep but I don’t see the value after that, I won’t pay the subscription anymore, thanks for sharing an honest review
Was debating getting one but you made me realize I could probably just write down how I slept and what time I slept in a journal and within a month learn my sleeping habits. And for the price, it’s not worth it for 2+ months. Thank you for the video
Fantastic! Thank you for your analysis…it sure helped. You’re right - over time, we get the same readings & you get to “know yourself” in your routine. If it does any good, it ends up working itself into obsolescence.
I could one day see myself ditching the Whoop band but the improvements they have made since I’ve subscribed have impressed me so who knows.
Liked the video because you gave your honest opinion:)
As someone who’s used the whoop for nearly four years, and also does a lot of videos on the Whoop, there might be a few misunderstandings with the information, and if I misunderstood I apologize. Whoops rings are a measurement of recovery not sleep. 4 different metrics are what govern that recovery score so it is possible to have a poorer sleep recovery and still get a high score. HRV has the most “weight” to said score and HRV is the bodies ability to handle stress, that’s why you might be getting green bars with a low sleep performance score.
Sleep coach and strain coach are the resources you’d use to optimize performance given what you’d want to do. I have had many occasions where I’ve had a low recovery score low yellow to red where I’ve still been given a directive of achieving moderately high strain.
To the comments saying “Garmin does everything Whoop does and does it better” that’s not true. Some things like long term tracking of behavior via a customizable journal, no it can not. But there are definitely things it does that the whoop can’t touch: if you’re an endurance athlete or an avid outdoorsman like the video host your much much better off with Garmin.
If you like a lot of what Whoop offers but don’t wanna pay the annual subscription and are ok with a few less features and have an Apple Watch, the Athlytic App is pretty solid.
There is a new feature for weightlifters and gym goers : you can build workouts or do preprogrammed workouts that measure sets, reps, rest etc… however it BLOWS haha. It’s way too tedious. Does it have that functionality? Yes, will you use it? Probably not.
For many of you Whoop’s cost to value ratio over the long term probably isn’t there, UNLESS you run a ton of self experiments. Four years later and I’m still learning a lot about myself.
It sucks that whoop hasn’t reached out and thank you for supporting them and that would definitely make me wanna raise a middle finger. I’ll definitely pass this on. I don’t have much pull if any but I do have a channel of communication open to me.
Thanks for the video brother Get after it😊
Thanks for the great post.
Thank you for the long, elaborate and intelligible comment. This really helped me 😊
I appreciate the honest review.
Totally helped me on top of the price I feel like I’m going to research other options
I was considering subscribing to their membership but decided to do some research and found this video. Thank you for sharing it.
I have similar thoughts to you im around 6 months into my 1 year and think I will be cancelling at the year.
The one thing I did however think was brilliant is I have had 2 colds while having the band and both times the whoop told me I was ill around 12-24 hours before I actually felt any symptoms myself. Which meant both times I got my diet, supplements and watch consumption in check early and then the cold only lasted about 1-2 days both times whereas usually a cold for me can last anywhere between 3-7 days. I do find that impressive however nothing else that whoop is doing is ground breaking for me. Not enough to justify the price!
I don’t regret getting my Whoop membership because I was thinking about it for a long time and would have always wondered what it was like. But now I know. It has also helped me understand HRV and ways to improve it which is also great but once you have learnt it you kinda know forever then.
If Whoop were to drastically reduce their price or offer a one off payment deal then I would maybe consider it however I don’t think that will ever happen so I will be giving mine up at the year mark.
I’ve been using whoop since 2019 and this is the month that I’ve cancelled my membership
It’s taught me a lot over that time and now I’m pretty in tune with my body and have learnt was is going to effect me in a good or bad way
I’ve found the HR data to be shocking, and off quite a bit (even with the bicep band), it could be such an incredible product, and I agree it does seem to be very much about the money they can make over anything else
Thank you so much for posting this!! Very insightful and helpful review. Please make more videos!
I think the problem is the subscription model.
You don’t own the hardware, so once the subscription ends you’re not going to be able to use the Whoop band.
I have a garmin and I’m really happy with it. I’ll get many years of use out of it. One time purchase.
Perfect
What?!! Seriously? The Whoop 4.0 becomes useless without the sub?!
What garmin do you have?
Do you know if the Vivosmart 5 can record jump rope?
@@happyfreekywell they send the hardware to you for free .. the only way they profit is through the subscription lol
@@iceshadow487 I guess it's context. For me it's the opposite. I bought my Whoop 4.0 at Best Buy, plus sales taxes, and got 12 months free sub. So in my mind, the hardware better bloody work if I drop my sub. But apparently, since you need the app, the device might be useless at the end of my sub.
The sub isn't worth $30/m to me, and the fact that they use this model at all is a bit strange. $10-12-15/m is more reasonable.
It’s too expensive for what it offers in my opinion
Ye I mean less than a $1 a day to learn how you sleep recover and stress levels is a joke right!!!
How many coffee you buying a month?
Smoke?
Drink?
Weed?
Rest my case 😂
@@Kyzzeh ok maybe its better than a Netflix subscription, but in general this argument applies to so many things. And before you know it, you'll end up with a massive pile of fixed expenses each month. Here 30$ there 25$…
Instead of investing money into a 24 mo whoop subscription you could buy a good mattress that lasts you 8 years. Or a air conditioning/heating system that regulates the room temperature to the perfect sleeping temperature according to current scientific data. Making your room 100% dark. This really improves your sleep instead of just monitoring it.
@@Rgb-z when your buying things like a whoop, your choosing to spend wisely on your health, Netflix, smoking, drinking etc is not healthy for you.
Make smart choices my guy I totally hear what your saying but just spend wisely on yourself things that really matter and improve you as a person.
I stopped smoking weed to go gym and get my whoop, I smoked an awful lot complete addict won’t lie
@@Kyzzehit’s really about perceived value vs price. If you don’t find the whoop metrics valuable there is nothing to convince you to buy a membership. Besides there are other players on the same market who don’t ask monthly membership and they are as good as whoop is. So I’d say Whoop is challenged greatly in that space.
paying 30/month when there are better no sub alternatives is dumb
Thanks for your video Austin! I recently purchased the Fenix 7 Pro (47 mm) and have been using it for 4 days now... I'm already blown away on all its features (first time garmin watch owner) vs my Whoop 4.0. I recently got into hybrid athlete training this summer as I recently completed Andy Frisella's 75 Hard, so I'm looking forward to running and lifting with my Fenix 7 Pro going forward.
I've really enjoyed using my Whoop for the past 3 months, however, I'm starting to think that my Whoop is becoming less insightful over time like you mentioned. You pretty much figure out what you need to do to achieve a high recovery or to get better sleep within the first 3 months from my experience (mouth tape, proper fueling, sleep, electrolytes, trace drop minerals, etc.).
I have a fenix 5, just way to massive on my wrist when I’m lifting weights.
Yeah sleep is really what's keeping me around after the first year, got one year left. But idk if that's enough. The weight lifting aspect has a LONG way to go as well. And more and more often I find myself questioning the metrics that are added. Stress monitor has been a big question mark for me. And more recently Im now having the dreaded issue where wrist movements = higher HR.
Thanks for your honest review. Was thinking about getting a membership but can’t get over the cost and not too sure how clever the data is.
Perfect video dude, thanks 4 taking the time to make it ^
Thank you for the great review.
Great video Austin, love the honest content!
100% spot on. I also canceled it. Whoop is 90% hype. The patterns are visible after a few weeks already.
Fears and suspicions confirmed. Thank you sire
I’ve been using Whoop for a couple years and I agree with your points. I’m gonna cancel now 😂
agree with all the points you made, just ended my membership too
It’s funny that TH-cam is showing me the Whoop ad at the middle of this video 😅
Thanks for the honesty!
I used whoop from the beginning of its launch and did not renew after 3 years because it did exactly what you say in this video. You are 100% right. I thought of trying the latest model in case they have improved it, but, it is the same crab.
This is helpful because Mickey gave me his old one forever ago and I’ve been deciding if I should use it
Are you planning to use any other fitness tracker? Would really love to hear your thoughts on the oura ring
Well said. Thanks for sharing
Thank you sooooo much! I was thinking about it but noticed the membership crap & that’s a big NO THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for this! I just got mine and am already unsure of it. They have 30 day return but it also says it needs like a month to get the correct data
I have 5 friends who wore them and they have all canceled because of the subscription model. I think Seeing the layoffs at the company show that they are really feeling the hurt. It will be interesting to see if they pivot.
Thanks for this- I was curious to use the whoop. I have a garmin forerunner and instinct so the garmin connect app is pretty good enough.
Thanks for the honest and informative review!
Your heart rate varies with your breathing and is measured all day long. And there are several things that make your recovery a good recovery or a sub-par one - and you will feel it. I have gotten not enough sleep before and been in sleep debt and yet felt fine and had a green recovery. The Whoop explained that this was because I have high heart rate variability and I got a higher percentage of deep sleep with very few wake events. I have gotten yellow recoveries - and I felt groggy and tired - even though I got more sleep than usual, but I didn't get enough deep sleep. This has mostly been because I went off my diet and ate something I have sensitivities to and had more wake events getting up and going to the bathroom.
Excellent video. I have a Garmin Epix Pro and thought I should give Whoop a go to better track overstraining.
The HR monitor is super inaccurate, unless worn on the bicep. Really disappointing how little has changed in the one year since I last tried it.
The strength trainer is an absolute pain to use and I gave up quite quickly. Trying to get a return label is proving really difficult, which doesn’t speak well for the company’s practices..
Completely agree. I just tossed my whoop after two months. It’s impressive at first with all the info, but after a while you realise you’re just getting told stuff you can already discern just by listening to your body or googling ‘how to sleep better’
I think it’s only worthwhile for people who are OBSESSIVE about cardio-based exercise or for people who need constant reminders and feedback and motivation to live a healthy lifestyle.
I’m so pissed I can’t get a refund, but at least it feels good not to have this pointless thing on my arm.
Finally, legit review. Well deserved like.
Just wondering if you chose some other wearable to use instead of the whoop? I want to track my metrics and workouts but don’t want some obnoxious wearable , which is what attracts me to the whoop, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
great insight my guy, couldn’t agree more
To my knowledge, the best way to assess your sleep is directly through brain waves which, I doubt you can do with something that is worn on your wrist or finger or arm etc. Algorithmic based monitors could be the way of the future, but certain metrics must be included. The bottom line, in my mind, is what is your state of over-all health is and what level of training/exercise is in your best interest based on that level of Fitness and over-all health.
thanks for your review!
For me, it's about increasing HRV and finding out what supplements and lifestyles work and don’t. I'm only 2-months in, but I think I'll be sticking around for a while.
Thanks for your honest review.
Thank you for this video. You helped me make a decision. Im not going to buy a whoop. Maybe I'll change my mind in the future.
Agree with all of this and I realised it all 2 weeks in, another shit thing for me is that I cant see the timeline of all my workouts and their strain levels and other details which is super disapointing.
Thanks for this review. I'm grateful Whoop allow you to trial the product for a month. I feel that the month will give me all the insight I'm likely to get and don't see myself continuing beyond that. I've not been overly impressed with it and it's not giving me vastly more than my 5year old Fitbit in terms of useful data
1 month trial is a catch. Your meaningful data analysis starts exactly after 30 days of use when a data baseline is built. For proper test they trial period should be at least 3 months. I’m telling this after trying several similar devices like Fitbit, Garmin, etc.
@@BobaFit indeed. I did the trial but Whoop really dragged their feet with sending out the return details which caused some added stress thinking they were going to charge me the full amount. Luckily they didn't but their customer service is horrible and incredibly inefficient. I'm glad I did the trial but it's too expensive for what it is.
Awesome honest review. This confirms My skepticism about whoop.
Thank you, I'm glad I watched this video. Definitely not what I'm looking for.
Did you end up going with another sleep tracker? I have had mine for about 3 months and the strap keeps coming off when I try to take it off.
All I use is my Orange Theory Beat Burn. It's enough, but I have to keep my Orange Theory membership to use it for other workouts (like Barry's and Physique 57, which I prefer.). Barry's is partnering with Whoop but Whoop is more than what I need.
I do agree that the HRV overemphasis is causing faulty data.
I had nights where my RHR would be high due to heavy labor or drinking yet my HRV would be high so the recovery would be 99% green. For some people with high ectopic beats, it causes misleading data
I just cancelled mine after 3 months, and 4 new band purchase.
My Garmin Fenix 7X Pro knows everything I need and Whoop can offer.
I've had an oura ring for a year, but I've just lost it. I always lose rings so I should have known. I loved it. But now it's gone I have nothing and I've realised that the accountability it gave me was so helpful. I'm going to bed later and as a result feel more tired. I was considering the whoop because it's likely I will not lose it unlike the oura rings and all other rings I've had. The price puts me off. Have u had any issues with accountability like I've mentioned since getting rid of it? Even tho u know the patterns of sleep and data now?
Thanks for this, I was on the fence but now I don’t think I will bother with it. Kind of intrigued to know the sleep data though…. But then, if it’s not the accurate that would be a disappointment. Totally agree that it feels like a money grab and that isn’t very appealing. Too expensive imo.
I’ve just bought a whoop. I bought it for my sleep and recovery and for my weight training to see how hard I’m pushing. I’ve only had it for a few weeks, and I’m mostly always in yellow for recovery. The other day I worked out in the gym and warmed up on the bike. I was dead but it said I was only in 60% of my heart rate, and I was literally so sluggish and tired I was pushing myself but it was barely registering. I’m enjoying it so far, but I do feel it’s expensive for what it is £27 in the uk a month. But it’s making me more mindful about my rest recovery and pushes me to do a little extra in the gym. However I mainly bought it for weight training and I still feel it doesn’t show as much effort/ feedback for weightlifting as it’s still measuring heart rate it seems. I can do 5 mins on a bike and my stress monitor is almost the same as if I do a hard 60 mins weightlifting.
I recently got the bug to get a Whoop. I love data and what you can do with it but this is exactly what I was afraid of. Paying that high of a monthly fee to get data that you can predict after certain amount of time sounds expensive. Plus, once you stop paying you are left with a useless device. So basically, your video convinced me not to get one. Thanks!
This is 100% truth. It gets even worse when you happen to have several of these trackers and they are all significantly off from each other each day and night. Which one is correct? You never know. All of them are novelty for 2-3 months and after that aren't of value. One thing that is consistent and useful is how badly your realize just a few drinks messes up your scores. But again, after a few times of seeing that what is the point afterwards?
Any equivalent alternatives on the market that don’t embed subscription?
Do you think its worth it to just get for a year and find your routine thats the most benefical and not renew after a year? like is it it worth it to atleast try and find your base for the first six months?
Pretty much what I suspected, thank you for confirming it. I don't believe that anything doesn't track the actual brainwaves will ever be an accurate sleep monitor.
I did read recently that the yearly subscription does go down to reward customers. Maybe they heard this and took note.
So...I don't want a smart watch. I had a Google Pixel and reurned it after 2 days, and I NEVER return purchases as I generally do a lot of researching of a product.
That said, I'm currently at a point in my life where I need to re-build a routine, get better & more frequent sleep and generally exercise more. This has led me to seek out a more passive tracker without a screen so I can check it once or twice a day. I have zero intent to use this item for longer that 2 years MAX. At a certain point the data will no longer be needed, and I'm really only purchasing it to be a baseline and foundational pin in creating and tracking a routine for myself.
Just to be a different commenter, reading the comments is seems most of you never needed a tracker in the first place, and just fell into the hype.
As an older person who still wants to be still active despite chronic issues, the strap is almost vital to me as a tool to monitor how my body is going, how it handles the stress of activity with my health issues. It helps me predict when my symptoms are going to flare and it it helps me track which strategies work and which ones don’t.
Why would anyone need to monitor their fitness if they are fit and healthy? I don’t know why I go to the mechanic everyday - my car is running well and it’s interesting to see the diagnostic tools running but I don’t think I’m getting much value from it.
Also, it’s interesting that it seems the same people who think this product is too expensive are the same ones that spend more than that continuing to upgrade other devices every other year
It’s targeted to prime athletes.
A very interesting comment compared to the others (as you already wrote).
I'm actually still faced with the choice of buying a Whoop.
May I ask what health aspects (/habits?) you were able to change and how else the tracker can help you?
Best regards
Cancelling mine too. Nail in the coffin was it's uselessness weightlifting. Its fine for stuff like running or tennis, but its just trash in the gym.
I personally love it. It's like an accountability buddy.
I was a whoop subscriber for four years. After using the apple watch and other software such as Athlytic for calculating HRV much like Whoop for a fraction of the price, I question the accuracy of the information being provided. One could argue that the whoop data, its benefit to the user is in observing the trends in the data and the accuracy of its measurements is not that critical. I just cannot justify for the price point and the overall lacking experience with their useless customer support. In the end I was not sold on its value to me at the exceptional cost. I lost a band at the gym that I had had paid two years of service on. Instead of doing the right thing and taking care of the customer, it took two weeks of sending requests to whoop support to even illicit a response from the company. After two more questions and going back and forth with their support, I let them know that I was dissatisfied with their lack of care to my needs as a customer. I ended up purchasing an Aura ring, and will see if perhaps the culture of that company is perhaps a better fit. Perhaps they have more value for their customers. Whoop could care less about theirs.
I actually get the best sleep when I'm camping. Something to do with waking up outside, even with an uncomfortable bed
Same ima cancle my whoop cool the first month but then what it tells me i didnt sleep good i knew that lol still wont change how i live my life with what i got going on. I tried the apple watch as a alternative and doesnt work with tattoo sleeves. If the whoop at least had a screen to see time and count my steps would be a little better
thanks for the info
Very helpful
I was already second guessing my decision to buy it next month due to not being owner of my data, unsure about it's privacy and anonymity as well as being a service instead of buying a good. This just slamdunks my decision to stay with suunto.
my membership ends tomorrow - I've had it for several years. it had ALWAYS over-estimated how much sleep I needed. I've slept 6-7 hours a night for pretty much my entire life. Whoop constantly said I got poor sleep and needed 9 or 10. my other trackers all show I slept great (I usually feel great).
Hi If I take the monthly membership it’s showing total commitment of 12 months but what if I stop my card transactions after 1 month so will it still debit the amount?
Redundant was a perfect word for this product. I’ll still recommend it to anyone interested in learning which patterns work for them but other than that. I didn’t find it very helpful at all after the fourth full month.
I agree with all the comments above. Cancelled my whoop and found better through Polar and now Garmin.
Which Garmin, the VivoSmart 5?
I actually think Whoop is really struggling. Every single person (maybe 40 people at my crossfit box) who had Whoop two years ago no longer use it. Why? Mainly the monthly cost. It’s outrageous for what you get. I know there are the “it’s only €1 a day” crowd but the value for money and what you’re getting for that dollar is not worth it. Add to that the inaccuracies in the band. My 4.0 stopped working maybe five times whilst I had it and they would send me a free new one but I would go months without data. Then it would track a dog walk at 21 strain and a crossfit class at 4 strain. Then I spent so long plugging stuff into my journal that in the end I was fairly convinced I was simply doing the Whoops job for it. I tried it for two years and honestly from about 6 months in I felt like it just wasn’t worth it at all. What you get for your money is so far from worth it. Now I have a Garmin forerunner 955 which gives me even more functionality, doesnt require me spending 20 minutes journalling a day, and doesn’t leave me thinking every month “god was this worth it”? If Garmin add in a monthly performance summary it kills whoop in my opinion. Body battery and sleep score from Garmin are basically the same features as whoop already but with one off cost.
100%, Garmin's app kills me.
After reviewing this video I too am cancelling my Whoop
you really put it into perspective for someone who is already active, aware and mindful of their exertion and restfulness to how sleep attributes to them. We are just paying for realities of our health to be put into numbers and have them regurgitated to us. Nothing extremely insightful. The things these devices point out are never close to inconceivable
Ok what's the replacement?
Who's going to tell him that's not what heart rate variability means? It's not not heart changes, it's the difference in time between individual heart beats. Nothing to do with increases or decreases in HR.
I returned mine for a full refund in the first 7 days. I enjoyed it but I don’t think it was worth it for the price for where I am in my life. Maybe if I was training for a triathlon it would be more useful. A lot of the sleep stuff didn’t help me anyways. I’ve been big into sleep science for years and I generally know what to do to sleep well and feel good the next day
nice summary !!
i had also a 2 year suscribtion. the benefit is for 2-4 months nice and helps you to be more aware of some health metrics.
After this period you get 0 benefit.
agree fully
I'm right now on my 1st month free trial. And I like that it can just keep track of my hours of sleep.
I'll keep using mine until I don't feel the need for it. Maybe Just for 2-3 months of it then I'll cancel it.
Keep in mind, that after 1st month free trial is done, you are stuck with it for a year. So, if you see yourself stopping using it within under a year, probably cancel the membership before 1st month expires. That’s what I might do. I just got mine for a free trial and I think I might stop using it before full month.
Also, just to add...even if you go down the pay monthly route and pay for say 3 months. I believe you still have to pay the yearly amount if you try to cancel.
I like mine for the stress and calories (although I don’t trust it completely) so I’m know how hard to go in the gym. Other than that, i don’t really use any of the other data
The garmin watches are rad
Anyone else noticed if you do what you should be, workout hard for example, get amazing sleep, wake up ready to tackle the day, your readings are terrible… and when you wake up feeling exhausted, your readings are great… it’s almost as if I need to the opposite of what the app suggests. Definitely will not be renewing the subscription but I will keep it for a year to gather sleep data and work on building a consistent sleep routine. Other than helping build healthy habits I don’t think it can serve any sort of real purpose. The data is clearly not accurate in regards to recovery and performance.
❤ Great points
Whats next device you are planning to use ?
I periodically use a Garmin Fēnix to calculate distance and elevation but the sleep stats are terrible and the battery is awful so nothing for now, just different fitness and hiking phone apps.
@@Austin_Kohler Same, I've stopped using my Whoop almost a year ago, Last year I've used a Garmin Forerunner 955 and found myself not even reading the info anymore, the Garmin app is just... a mess to read and find useful data from (if not running data, that was nice) so I sold it as well.
The one thing I miss about Whoop is the app, very nice and clean.
I'm now just using a normal mechanical watch,
If one day something like Whoop comes out, without a big membership cost (Heck I did get the 24 months one cause I was bound to push myself) I'd consider getting another fitness/health tracker of sorts.
Right now I am tech-free on my arms / wrists.
Would be nice to track steps alone, but having a whole band just for it... euh, got some friends competing on daily steps... I just calculate the time I walk and deduce steps nowadays
@@Austin_Kohlerwhat membership package did you pick for whoop because I’m having the hardest time canceling my membership for whoop
Thank you for this video. I was on the fence for a Whoop. I have an Oura ring and continue with that. Cheers from Sweden
Same here… I cancelled 4 subscriptions just a few days ago.
Did you have to pay $15
@@sydthebraider nop, cancellation is for free
@@lili-anne4858 what website did you go to
What is other option?
Thanks for the insight. I guess it comes down to knowing your benchmarks by wearing it the minimal amount of time necessary i.e. not for longer than 6 months. However, it comes into question when the accuracy is questionable. I will most likely try it for six months and then switch to the new Garmin Venu 3 when that comes out and cross compare stats to look for consistencies and therefore, know my real stats.
Fitness wise go for Garmin, Lifestyle and all rounder, Apple Watch I’d say.
So its good for people with active lifestyle where things change and you don’t know if you are rested enough.
Spot on. Ya im not going to continue my Whoop
i feel like the dissonance from feeling rested vs believing a number from a app would be insane. like what happened to listening to your body
I cancelled my subscription first year in for the same exact reasons