When Whoop came on the market in 2015, it ushered in a new era of fitness tracking. Rather than showing you what’s going on during your workouts, the screenless device tells you how prepared your body is to work out — or not. It does this by measuring the degree to which your various activities (whether at the gym, a board meeting, or a bar) cause stress on your body and how well you sleep. It then analyzes biomarkers, such as heart rate variability (HRV), to determine how your body is handling all that stress. The idea is that by following its daily suggestions, you can maximize your fitness without overdoing it and risking injury.
Originally designed for pro athletes, a Whoop band has become a common sight on the wrists of everyday gym-goers. But it’s not cheap. Access to your data requires an annual membership, which costs anywhere from $149 to $359 per year.
