I’ve been using WHOOP since December 2024 and recently upgraded to WHOOP 5.0 around three weeks ago. Since then, the heart rate tracking during workouts has been significantly worse than with WHOOP 4.0.
Examples:
Today I did a light endurance ride (recorded with a Polar H10) with an average HR of 99 bpm over 47 minutes. WHOOP 5.0 showed 122 bpm and calculated a Strain of 13.8 – completely unrealistic.
A few days ago, I did 4×8 min intervals at 90–95% of my max HR (confirmed with chest strap), but WHOOP didn’t detect any interval intensity at all.
Strain and recovery data are now unreliable and no longer useful for training planning.
I’m wearing the band correctly (tight, proper position) and followed all WHOOP recommendations. The 4.0 worked reliably in the same conditions.
Is anyone else experiencing these issues?
Any advice or confirmation that WHOOP is working on this?
Also wondering if it’s possible to revert back to 4.0 until 5.0 becomes reliable again…
There are plenty of posts about this subject regarding Whoop 5, personally think it;s the slimmed down size and weight being affected more by vibration. Cycling HR seems especially way off but not just that, I washed my bike the other day and I was hitting 180bpms
Wrist based HR will never be as good as Chest Based. I have suggested Whoop allows cyclist to connect to external devices or take the HR from Apple health.
I am also fighting the reliance on Steps for recovery & strain. I cycling everyday minimum of 20 miles but Whoop sees my lack of steps as poor.
I like the data Whoop but they need more app integrations. They need to concentrate data analytics and not where the data is sourced from.
Only tip I can give you to improve HR on rides. Slide the band as far up your arm as you can, at least 2 fingers from wrist bones. Seems to help somewhat, you can slide it back after the ride.
I still find it hit or miss. My habit right now is to slide the band as high up my arm it will go without it being crazy tight. But some days it’s good some not so good. I been gifted a Bicep band so I will try it out but I do not think it’s for me changing bands just before a ride. One extra thing to remember. Now make a clip that attaches to my chest strap I might be interested.
But that said just allow whoop to read an external device or allow people to pick where they what the HR to come from for an activity. For cycling I would take Apple health all day long. The rest of the day the wrist based whoop is fine and needed for BP and ECG.
I have the 5.0 since one week. Wearing it in parallel to my Garmin Venu 3 and exchange them from time to time sidewise. During a weightlifting session (for example legs) Venu 3 is able to get parts of the peaks, so around 130 bpm and then some seconds later it drops slowly to 80-90. Whoop on the other side produces a kind of flatline and is somewhere around 90 all the time. No peaks at all. When I do an incline walking session (17.5%, 4.2km/h) both are around 125, but whoop needs always longer to detect that HR, Garmin is after 2 minutes already at 120bpm, whoop maybe after 5 minutes. On the other side, when we do some easy flat ground walking with my wife at around 5km/h, Venu 3 is around 90 and whoop at least 100 sometimes 110. Calories wise we dont need to speak, whoop is underestimating a lot. I have really bad feeling about 5.0. I mean when the HR reading is not working well, all the outcoming data is pointless. I’m really thinking to give it back within 30 days
I have also seen this high HR readings. Washing my bike a few days ago I hit 185bpm. I suspect vibration/rotation and with the new thinner/lighter Whoop 5/MG it’s more pronounced. Just a guess though
Ya, in case of vibration, i would understand. But in my case, it was really a slow relaxed walk, no vibrations, nothing.
I have contacted the whoop support, lets see, what they will say
Only advice I can give which helps me but is not perfect. When I know I am doing an activity I push band up as far up my arm as I can with out it getting too tight. After the exercise I put it back to the normal place on my wrist. Not an ideal solution but something I have got used to over the last week or so.
I am new to Whoop and started with 5.0 (Peak subscription). I’ve started a few days back and see some real nice stuff on the App and the way data is presented.
As it’s the beginning I am also wearing my Fenix 8 on the opposite arm, and use the F8 as my master device for trainings (ie I record on Garmin Connect and let the Whoop App get the workout info via Apple Health sync).
I am really dissapointed by the HR accuracy while exercising, considering I am wearing my whoop with the exact same position and fit as my F8. Whoop on left arm, F8 on right one.
Here are the same activity recorded with some running intervals (3x12’ Half marathon pace). On the Gamin side we see on both external HR chest strap and internal optical sensor a great match with the intervals and the rest between intervals. None of this happens on the Whoop : HR is too high, no drop during recovery. It feels juste like the whoop is getting my cadence and not my HR.
As one can imagine results as worse during Swimming activities. With HR in Z4/5 while just recovering and Garmin showing Z1 max HR.
I really hate the idea of having to swap to a bicep band so I really hope future FW will fix this soon enough
I have been a whoop user for quite sometime now and I have been facing an issue regarding the heart rate reading during my weightlifting workout.
I faced this issue with my whoop 4.0 device and I had been given a replacement arm band and now I have upgraded the device itself to whoop MG and I am facing the same issue again. I had imagined that with the new device coming out, these issues would be fixed but I am afraid this has not happened.
Its surprising that my heart rate is visibly so high and I am panting but on the whoop device it says sometimes 85 or 95 as supposed to be in the higher 140’s.
Can I know what is the solution to this issue as it has been troubling me long enough and doesn’t let me focus on my workouts. My focus is constantly on my mobile to look at the heart rate and its getting irritating.
Also today I used my Whoop in the same position and broadcasted HR to my Fenix 8 - whose OHR sensor I trust when the watch is well adjusted.
Since Garmin records both internal and external (Whoop) HR it’s easy to get a comparison.
IMHO this is good enough. I’ll try other positions, may be reverting to back to closer to the wrist bone to see it position or firmware was the key differentiator.
I have the same workout routine every week. My steps have gone 5-6k down compared to whoop 4 and the garmin I have. Calories are down 400-700 a day. Hr during workouts reads 20-40 bpm less, most of the time I just get a flat 90. I am actually going back to whoop 4 as of tomorrow. Whoop 5 is placed just as tight as my whoop 4 and in the same spot. All I get from support is their bs answer about where to have it placed. that is it.
I am with you, do not have a 4 but 5 is so out of whack on steps and HR compared to my Garmin. Moving up my arm during activity has help but so uncomfortable and not something I should need to do. Something seems to be off with so many 4 users complaining about 5. Thinner, lighter maybe no better
I’ve had the 4.0 for several years. I too recently upgraded to 5.0. There’s no comparison to my old strains for similar workout. I wear it on my bicep. Not sure what to think about this but it’s kinda disheartening that the values don’t equate. Considering cancelling my membership as it doesn’t seem to jive at all
I’ll add that whenever I use my bike both my Polar Vantage V3 and Whoop will be off. It’s a lot to do with wrist positions on the bike. It always seems to not get an accurate measure unless I’m in a “tri bike” position. Now in terms of lifting and functional type fitness I’ve noticed the 5.0 to very very close to my Polar Watch(virtually the same).
I’ve used the H10 now for bike workouts.
