WHOOP is a fitness and health wearable that handles sleep, strain, and recovery. It is our favorite fitness tracker for athletes. It can be worn 24/7, handles extreme conditions, and is distraction-free – a WHOOP monitor does not tell time or deliver messages; in fact, it only buzzes if we set an alarm. We love our WHOOP at QHP. Here are our top three WHOOP metrics.
HRV: Heart Rate Variable measures the variation of time between heartbeats. Unlike a perfect metronome, our hearts don’t beat consistently. Instead, there is a change of time from one beat to another. The more consistent the time between beats, the higher our HRV. Tracking HRV is a great indicator of day-to-day recovery and a good long-term measurement of increased fitness. Below, we can see my HRV score over a week. I trained heavier at the start of the week, resulting in reduced HRV, or recovery, as the week progressed. By using this metric, we gain a better understanding of how training impacts us individually and how we can structure our practice sessions. For example, Saturday was my heaviest training day. It would have been wiser of me to prioritize active recovery on Saturday and push the training to Sunday.
RHR: Resting Heart Rate is the second recovery metric we prioritize reviewing. It is measured during sleep and averages the number of times our heart beats per minute. Like HRV, it is both an effective snapshot of short-term recovery and long-term health. Below, we can review the same week of data, this time for RHR. Observe the direct relationship: notice how my RHR increases as my training load increases. Essentially, my body played “catch-up,” unable to fully recover from the intensity of the previous training session. I built a deficit. This is absolutely okay. We believe it is useful to run in the “red-zone” acutely. However, continuing this behavior chronically decreases performance and increases the risk of injury. Also, we can observe the impact of a “night out” – Saturday – on recovery.
Deep Sleep: WHOOP provides a comprehensive assessment of sleep tracking, including consistency, time in bed, sleep performance, and sleep debt. The metric that gives us the most value is Restorative Sleep Hours. Contrary to total sleep time, deep sleep measures the quality of sleep by tracking how much REM and Slow Wave Stage 3 and 4 we receive. The more Restorative Sleep Hours, the greater our rest and recovery. There is a genetic component to all these variables, especially deep sleep. Do not concern yourself with my hours. Rather, create a personal baseline and adjust routines as needed to fine-tune healthy sleep habits. Anecdotally, when I sit in a dark room one hour before bed and fall asleep before 10pm, which is what happened on Friday, my Restorative Sleep increases above the average. It is minor feedback and tweaks like these which makes WHOOP so valuable.
By balancing rest and recovery with training, we are better able to maximize performance. This is why WHOOP is valuable. It provides us with deeper insights into training, diet, and daily habits, giving immediate feedback for minor or major lifestyle adjustments. It assists us in being at our best when needed.
