WHOOP - 4.0

My HONEST review of the 5 MG. So to start with, I'm not an athlete, I go to the gym every now and again, and try to stay fairly active. What I am... is a tech guy, a stats guy, someone who loves data. Last year, I discovered the Whoop 4 after seeing ads for it on social. I spent most of the year wearing one until I had some health problems in December. I had to have some tests, and one critical piece of information that would have been useful was a baseline ECG reading. I couldn't provide it, and it actually hindered my recovery. That was the day I stopped wearing a Whoop, and bought an Apple Watch. Fast forward to today. My MG arrived a few days ago and I'm now back to all the data I used to love with the addition of an ECG and BP. I'll start with the BP reading. We have a blood pressure machine at home so it was straight forward for me to calibrate the MG. Initial results suggest it's pretty accurate, but time will tell. I'll do comparisons over the next few months. Not onto the ECG. Look.. it's ok, it's not as good as Apple's. It's harder to use, seems to be fairly accurate but can give some odd results if not held very specifically. It does the job for me. Let's talk about the quality of the band and device. The device feels premium, the band and clasp feel cheap AF. Because, let's be real with ourselves, they ARE cheap. The material is cheap. The finish isn't particularly amazing. When third parties produce an MG band I'll be first to try them. The packaging felt cheap, it didn't feel expensive at all. I often keep my tech boxes, I won't be keeping this. As for everything else, the app, the functionality, well yeah it's what I loved before. Now... price. I pay monthly. I pay £39. Is it worth that? No, that's pretty ridiculous in my eyes. Am I willing to pay it? Yeah.. because no other device gives me the distraction free data I crave. Do I agree with all the moaning here and concerns? Yeah, you're all valid, Whoop took the piss and have moved the goalposts. But I'm a sucker for tech, and most of you are too, so even though I disagree with their practices we're all going to fall in line and consume. Let's be honest. Short version: It's a good device, new features are decent, it's overpriced but unique to the market.

I remember buying my whoop 4 and watching all the reviews beforehand. Every video told me that the new model will be free of charge. Decided to buy the whoop, knowing the whoop 5 will come out shorty. I’m cancelling for sure

I just got a Garmin a few days ago. And I use it mainly for runs. Need to track pace, cadence etc. I only wear it when I run. I know I probably went overboard with that purchase, but for sleep/recovery etc I use the Whoop. Best combo ever.

That is the rechargeable battery pack, typically attached when it is off wrist to recharge for a couple hours. The Whoop itself is integrated with the band/strap and very slim. https://preview.redd.it/p5k2ovy62iff1.png?width=2196&format=png&auto=webp&s=7be112a670ae0907ce0aa102cdb1299f822637d9

I believe this is the 4.0

I got my MG yesterday and don't have any issues with the band and clasp. It locks into place just fine and rotates smoothly when removing the whoop. I guess they had some QA issues for the initial batch. I went for a treadmill run yesterday and used my Polar H10 to compare HR tracking to the MG. It was pretty much in line with the H10 and while I did get some cadence lock at one point it corrected itself in like 10 seconds, which is better than what I was experiencing with the 4.0. It was only one run though so doesn't prove much...

I mostly play volleyball and lift. Garmin bulky and messing with passing during volleyball Oura used to fall off during volleyball and very uncomfortable during lifting Whoop with biceps attachment fixed all those issues for me

Having had my MG for a couple of days and run, cycled and lifted weights with it, I can say confidently that it's ability to measure HR on the wrist during activity is just as bad as the 4.0 was. The 4.0 was excellent with a bicep band and I am desperately awaiting my bicep band for the MG. I do think forcing everyone to buy new bands was cynical by Whoop. It would have been incredibly simple to making it compatible with existing bands. Apple have with their watch for 10 iterations.

I was one of the people who, angry about the way Whoop handled the 5.0/MG launch, rage-quit and switched to an apple watch. Even after the "upgrade fee" issue was resolved for users like me who had a long subscription remaining, I was still mad that upgrading would mean I would lose all the bands I had purchased over the years, in exchange for what seemed to me to be just slightly longer battery life. The whole rollout put a bad taste in my mouth, and I decided to throw my whoop in the drawer and instead just use my apple watch. So I went all-in on an apple watch with bevel. And the apple watch is great! I love it. It's fantastic for outdoor activities - runs, biking, etc - and I love being able to go places without my cell phone and still be reachable. Not to mention, because I use(d) natural cycles, I sleep with my apple watch anyway. I used my apple watch heavily all summer, and figured that bevel was pretty close to the same as whoop for strain and recovery insights, so I really wasn't missing much of anything. Well, after a few months my anger died down and I decided that hey, I've pre-paid for my whoop subscription until fall 2026 anyway, I may as well put it back on and make the most of it. So I did. ........You guys. It's gotten better. The UI has improved, the whoop AI coach is significantly improved and the hormonal insights are \*massively\* improved, to the point where I feel like whoop is potentially the best women's health tracker on the market for fitness-focused people (oura has really leaned into women's health, but I think we can all agree that oura can't hold a candle to whoop for fitness). Comparing bevel to whoop, I mean..... look. Bevel is pretty good. As far as apple watch apps go I think it's the best whoop competitor. But it's just not the same at all. Lol. It's not even bevel's fault - the reality is that your apple watch, taking measurements intermittently when not specifically in a workout, is never going to be able to compare with the 24/7 data from the whoop. No matter how good the algorithm is, you're still making connections between dots that are farther apart. And before people comment that "the whoop HR data is unreliable!!", I can tell you that when I work out with my AWU and my whoop on a bicep band, the HR data is within a hair of each other. So, I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong. The apple watch is a fitness \*tracker\* (and phone extension), the whoop is a dedicated fitness & health \*coach\*. That's the difference. Whoop really does provide something special. I'll be here for the foreseeable future, with my 4.0, and my nicer wristband and my bicep band that fit with it. When my subscription is up, maybe I'll upgrade to the 5.0 and buy \*all new bands\* (still raging about this). Or maybe I won't. Either way though, I am satisfied with the value I'm getting from whoop, and no, I don't think the apple watch is the same. Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I’ve had a garmin, an AWU, an oura and a whoop (mostly not overlapping with each other). AWU is best for outdoor activities requiring gps (for me) and whoop has been the best for general life, hormone, fitness and recovery tracking.

I used it for a whole year, it was fun and useful, It did make me learn about myself and sleep pattern. But then some accuracy issues and the fact wearing 24/7 got to my head. Now I am back to Apple watch for steps counting.

By the time I stopped using it, it was BETA and Whoop 4.0. It wasnt accurate at all, increases while im driving the car. I dont know how it performs now. But lets its assume its perfect, i no longer want to wear something 24/7. I wear apple watch for the specific physical activity/stopwatch/timer, and sometimes its a good accessory for casual fashion.

After using the Whoop for approximately 5 years (with an current streak of 1874 consecutive days) and recently purchasing a Garmin Enduro 3, I've put together a side-by-side comparison of the two. This analysis focuses on my primary use cases: hiking/rucking/walking, weightlifting, sleep tracking, and recovery monitoring. **Disclaimer:** The Whoop 5.0 is being released today. This comparison focuses exclusively on my experience with the Whoop 4.0 vs. the Garmin and does not discuss any new features that may be available in the Whoop 5.0. # Hiking/Rucking/Walking **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** The Garmin is superior for outdoor activities: * Built-in GPS tracking without requiring cell signal * Access to maps directly on the device * More accurate step counting * Ability to view metrics directly on your wrist instead of opening an app Whoop 4.0 requires a cell signal for tracking, which is often unavailable on trails, severely limiting its usefulness for hikers and outdoorsmen. # Weightlifting **Result: Close Tie** Both devices have their strengths for strength training: **Garmin Pros:** * Phone-free workout experience * Automatic rep tracking (though not always accurate) * Slightly better heart rate tracking during lifting sessions **Whoop Pros:** * Easier logging of warm-up sets and weights * Exercise demonstrations available * Custom exercise options * Converts workouts into daily strain score Your preference may depend on whether you value the phone-free experience of the Garmin or the more detailed logging capabilities of the Whoop. # Sleep Tracking **Winner: Whoop 4.0** Sleep tracking is Whoop's specialty and primary strength: * More accurate sleep and wake time detection * Better overall sleep analysis However, after tracking sleep for 5 years, I've learned my sleep patterns and the factors that affect them, so the additional insights from Whoop have diminishing returns. # Recovery Monitoring **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** While Whoop excels at sleep tracking, Garmin provides better overall recovery insights: * "Body Battery" metric offers an intuitive energy level gauge * "Recovery Time" provides specific guidance * Less likely to use poor recovery scores as an excuse for inactivity With Whoop, I sometimes found myself using low recovery scores as justification for skipping workouts. The Garmin's Body Battery approach feels less intrusive to my thinking, really only taking it very light when I hit <15%. # Cost Comparison **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** * Garmin: Higher upfront cost, but no recurring subscription * Whoop: Lower initial investment, but continuous subscription fees Over my 5 years with Whoop (mostly on month-to-month payments), I could have purchased \~2-3 new Garmin watches (depending on the model) for the same cost. Additionally, the new Whoop 5.0 requires all new accessories, as they're incompatible with the 4.0 model. # Battery Life **Winner: Garmin Enduro 3** The battery life difference is substantial: * Garmin: Solar panel enables potentially unlimited battery life; currently showing 10 days remaining at 23% charge * Whoop: I find my Whoop 4.0 only lasting me about 4-5 days, and the wireless battery is hard to keep up with. Even the new 5.0 model maxes out at 14 days For those who dislike frequent charging, the Garmin is clearly superior. Also Garmin has the added subconscious benefit for me of “if I spend more time outside I can get longer battery.” # Comfort **Winner: Whoop 4.0** Whoop is significantly more comfortable for 24/7 wear: * After 5 years of continuous use, comfort has never been an issue * Only discomfort occurs when the band gets wet (not an issue if you don't swim or shower with it) The Garmin Enduro 3 is fairly comfortable but kind of giant even on my thick wrist making it more noticeable and also sometimes difficult to sleep in. # Screen vs. No Screen **Winner: Depends on Personal Preference** I think one of the biggest selling points for people on the Whoop is that there is no screen. Something that appealed to me for a while until I decided I wanted to cut back screen time on my phone. Do you see where I'm going with this? Any time I want to check my whoop data or do a workout, it means more time on my phone, which feels counterproductive to my less screen time goal. With the Garmin, I can check metrics without using my phone right there on my wrist. I think it's important to note here, I don't use any "smartwatch" features on my Garmin and have it set to receive zero notifications from my phone. I use it as a fitness and recovery tracker and that's it. # Conclusion For my specific needs, the Garmin Enduro 3 has proven to be the better overall choice, despite Whoop's superior comfort and sleep tracking. The Garmin excels in outdoor activities, provides comparable strength training features, offers better recovery insights, has significantly longer battery life, and eliminates recurring subscription costs. Your ideal choice may differ based on your specific priorities, but after 5 years as a dedicated Whoop user, I've found the Garmin Enduro 3 to be a more comprehensive and cost-effective solution for my fitness tracking needs. \*\*\*EDIT\*\*\* For anyone wondering, if you have Blue Cross Blue Shield for insurance you can probably get 20% off Garmin devices through their discount program.