WHOOP For Athletes: FAQs
What if I don’t want to wear my WHOOP all of the time?
Since WHOOP was designed for 24/7 use, it’s recommended to keep your strap on regularly (if possible) in order to get the most accurate data and feedback from WHOOP. There are also other locations and ways you can wear WHOOP if you don’t want to wear it on your wrist! (see below images)
How does WHOOP make up for missing data?
WHOOP understands that normal, everyday circumstances can prevent 24/7 wear. Therefore, it was built to sustain periods of missing data—like the length of a game where the athlete prefers to take it off or the league prohibits in-game usage. When a significant period of Strain is missing from a game or workout, WHOOP never guesses a Strain score. Instead, the user will receive 0 credit for Day Strain and their score will be lower than their true physiological Strain. As a result, Sleep Coach will provide a lower Sleep Need recommendation prompting the user to spend less time in bed which can be detrimental.
NOTE: Strain and workout data are not inputs for the WHOOP Recovery score. It was engineered to detect the down-stream impact of Strain on Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) and other Recovery metrics with the same accuracy (as if the athlete had never taken their strap off). Regardless, if Day Strain and Sleep Coach were "off" during the period of missed Strain, by the time the athlete wakes up the next morning, their WHOOP data will be restored.
What if I don’t wear my WHOOP on rest days?
Even if you are not taking on a significant training load, your body is still accumulating Strain daily. With a day’s worth of Strain data missing, your Sleep Need recommendation will be lower than what you actually need, resulting in a higher Sleep Performance and Recovery Score.
Why am I not fully recovered after taking a rest day?
There are so many factors other than workouts that put stress on your body. Furthermore, your recovery need can be more than what can be repaid in a single rest day. Instead of defining a “rest day” as zero Strain, prioritize spending time on active recovery to boost that next day recovery. Try an easy jog, yoga, dynamic stretching or a mobility workout to help you get back in the green.
Why do I feel good if my Recovery is in the Red?
How you “feel” and your “potential for performance” are not necessarily correlated. How you “feel” can be tied to your quality of sleep, along with several other factors like proper hydration or nutrition that can contribute to your Recovery Score and readiness to perform.
It says my HR spiked to 120 during sleep. Is this realistic?
It is perfectly normal for HR to spike for brief periods of time during sleep. In the first three stages, your heart rate and average arterial pressure normally decrease. In the fourth stage, your HR may speed up in response to dreams or nightmares.
I don’t need as much sleep as other people. Is my WHOOP going to adjust for that?
Most people have become habituated to getting an insufficient amount of sleep. Sleep Need recommendations are based on your baselines not your current routine.
I got 100% Sleep Performance. Why am I not 100% recovered?
Sleep doesn’t determine recovery. For example, when you’re feeling sick, you might sleep more, but you may not be physiologically ready to perform.
How do I already have Strain when I wake up?
Your WHOOP cycle starts when you fall asleep and resets during the next sleep cycle. Therefore, it’s normal to wake up to a relatively low Strain since your body uses energy and burns calories while you sleep.
Why is WHOOP auto-detecting certain activities but not others?
Periods of elevated heart rate and movement that are 15 minutes or more and qualify as at least an 8.0 Strain will be auto-detected and logged as an activity. If your activity included significant periods of rest and is not auto-detected, use Strain Coach to manually start and end the activity, or retroactively log the activity later.