The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.
If you are interested in learning more about how certain daily habits affect your health, the WHOOP 4.0 may be a valuable asset for you! In this review, I will cover what the tracker does, who should have one, and whether or not I recommend it.
In order to give you a proper review, I used the device for 30 days to make my experience as accurate as possible by exploring how the tracker is helpful and if there was anything else I wish it did.
The WHOOP 4.0 is a band containing a fitness tracker that links to an app on your phone. Unlike other trackers, it does not have a screen, and it only gives you a notification through vibrating to let you know something about your performance.
This unique tracker aims to make you aware of your daily strain, recovery, and sleep.
The WHOOP 4.0 analyzes your respiratory rate, blood oxygen, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature. These five factors allow the tracker to develop an approximate estimate of your strain, recovery, and sleep.
Your strain is ranked on a level of 0 to 21, although it is impossible to reach 21. Your strain level should increase slightly as the day goes on and you move around and participate in everyday activities. If you exercise or engage in strenuous activity, your strain level may jump up accordingly.
Your strain level and sleep quality and length determine your recovery percentage for the following day. That percentage can be between 0 and 100. WHOOP 4.0 also recommends how much strain you should put your body under based on the recovery rate you have been given.
Lastly, this tracker is amazing for giving information about your sleep. It tells you how many hours of sleep you got, how many hours you needed, how many hours were spent in the REM cycle, the number of disturbances you experienced during the night, your heart rate, and more! Then, after all this data has been considered, you are assigned a performance percentage for your sleep.
WHOOP 4.0 also gives you the option of having a journal that tracks daily habits. The following are a few examples:
By answering these questions every day, you can eventually detect a trend in how doing or not doing something may affect your recovery. The idea is to create good habits over time that allow your body to reach 100% recovery or come close on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, there are no reviews of this product on the website itself, but people have left comments about it elsewhere online. General reviews of the WHOOP 4.0 state that the average person probably wouldn’t care too much about all the information it provides because strain and recovery have more to do with those who exercise regularly and have fitness goals. These reviews also state that the membership cost isn’t very affordable.
A 24-month membership costs $20 per month, an annual membership costs $25 per month, and a monthly membership costs $30 per month.
Both WHOOP and Fitbit are credible devices. As to which is better, it really depends on what the user is looking for in a tracker.
To use the app and see all of your measurements, you need to pay for a subscription.
The WHOOP 4.0 does measure your blood oxygen levels. It lets you know what ranges you want to be within, and this measurement factors into your recovery percentage.
As someone who exercises regularly, I found the information that WHOOP 4.0 provided to be beneficial. While I am aware that it isn’t always going to be 100% accurate, it was nice to be able to have general information that I would otherwise be unaware of.
I do agree with the majority of reviews that state that someone who doesn’t work out often doesn’t have much use for the tracker. Because it is a bit pricier, I could see someone passing on purchasing the product. However, if you want to help your body be under less stress by creating habits that promote recovery to help you perform optimally in the gym and elsewhere, I think this product is worth a try!
The Essential Guide for MenThe Manual is simple — we show men how to live a life that is more engaged. As our name implies, we offer a suite of expert guides on a wide range of topics, including fashion, food, drink, travel, and grooming. We don’t boss you around; we’re simply here to bring authenticity and understanding to all that enriches our lives as men on a daily basis.