If there’s one thing we know about the royal family, it’s that they love health trackers. Whether it’s Queen Camilla’s Fitbit or Prince Harry’s favorite Oura Ring, the famous family is clearly health conscious and takes advantage of the latest fitness technology.
It looked as if they already covered the market with health trackers. Until Prince William was spotted cheering on England wearing a WHOOP 4.0 band at a soccer match against Switzerland in July this year.
I was intrigued by the simple fitness band the prince was wearing, as he had a cheerful reaction to his team’s victory at the Eurogames. The band does not appear to have an interface and has been spotted on the wrists of Olympic runner Shakari Richardson, soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball hero LeBron James.
We took a look at Prince William’s fitness tracker of choice and tried it out for ourselves to see if it’s really worth the price.
What does WHOOP do?
© Carl Recine William performs WHOOP at Euro match in July
WHOOP is a wearable fitness tracker that tracks your body’s three main health states (rest, tension, and recovery) to optimize performance and improve your overall health. The website claims it is one of the “most powerful, most accurate, and most wearable human performance tools you can buy.”
It also uses AI to provide personalized health advice, such as whether you should do a HIIT workout that day or opt for a restorative walk after a busy week. WHOOP comes with a portable charging pack so you don’t have to take it off to interrupt data collection. Even if the band is off, you can purchase accessory options like sports bras and boxers to wear your watch. I’m doing it for you.
It’s also water resistant up to 10 meters (32 feet), further proving it to be the most wearable tracker on the market. WHOOP works on a subscription basis. A 24-month membership is worth $399, an annual membership is $239, and a monthly subscription is worth $30. It’s great that there’s a one-month free trial, and the subscription includes the watch itself, so you don’t have to buy it separately and let it gather dust if you don’t use it.
Verdict: Nervous
© Max Mumby/Indigo The prince reportedly lives an active lifestyle and enjoys running, swimming and playing polo
The tracker calculates strain by measuring cardiovascular load and categorizes it into four categories: light (score 0-9.9), moderate (10-13.9), intense (14-17.9), and full-on (18-21) will be done. Your optimal tension level is based on your recovery, so if you push yourself too hard one day, the tracker will advise you to lower your tension level the next day.
Full disclosure: I am not a gym girl and never plan on being one. I try to find time to work out once or twice a week. That includes a really refreshing run or a scenic walk with friends. In this way, I consider myself unique among the many WHOOP wearers, including elite athletes, frequent gym-goers, and members of royal families.
I lead a busy and stressful lifestyle. So my tension level wasn’t always low, but it averaged around a 10. Overall, the tension data didn’t affect me too much. Often it was at a healthy level. The only time it was relevant in my life was when I went for a hard run and needed to rest the next day to recover (according to WHOOP fitness coaches).
That’s likely to be more important for people like Prince William, who reportedly lives a fairly active lifestyle. He is said to be an avid runner, swimmer and polo player, and of course joined the Royal Air Force in 2009. The physical fitness test required for enlistment is no joke.
Verdict: Rest
© Kensington Palace As a busy father of three, WHOOP is perfect for William to keep track of his down time
As a casual exerciser who lives a chaotic lifestyle, the data on rest and sleep was most relevant to me. Having grown accustomed to the sleep metrics provided by my old Fitbit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that WHOOP goes a step further in this area, providing useful sleep data such as sleep debt and optimal wake time. .
WHOOP aims to measure sleep quality and provide personalized sleep recommendations. This is my favorite feature. It tracks different sleep stages (REM sleep, deep sleep, etc.) and sleep efficiency, providing a performance score to help you aim for consistency.
As someone who has struggled with sleep all my life, I was excited by the detailed data this band provided, especially the sleep debt feature. It’s made me more conscious of my sleep hygiene and how I’m sacrificing precious sleep time to get work done or socialize with friends.
I also liked the ability to calculate how long it would take to hit the hay to wake up when I needed to. It also has a function that sounds an alarm on your wrist if necessary. We also recognize that not everyone can achieve 100% perfect sleep every night, so we’ve featured 85% of your sleep needs and 70% of options to “get by.” I was also pleasantly surprised when WHOOP measured my naps on particularly tiring days, which Fitbit never could.
Sleep tracking is also important to Prince William, father of three and future King of the United Kingdom. If there’s anyone who needs a good night’s sleep, it’s him.
Verdict: Recovery
© Sam Barnes Irish athlete Charlene Moseley is also a WHOOP fan
According to its website, WHOOP “quantifies how the body adapts to a variety of stressors, from training for an elite competition to working from home in a sweat.” The latter was more relevant to my life, so it was nice to have lifestyle stressors reflected in my recovery score, not just exercise. It felt more accurate and personal.
This band combines heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep performance, and breathing rate to measure recovery and provides a score of up to 99%. It is then color-coded as green (ready to perform and fully recovered), yellow (can be moderately taxed), or red (rested and rejuvenated).
I’m not an avid exerciser, so the data that had the biggest impact on my recovery score was sleep. After a particularly bad night, I had a low recovery score of 11% and absolutely needed to rest and recover the next day. I used to ignore my body’s need for rest in favor of getting more work done or having a sleepover with friends later, so the app helped me visualize this. I did. My average recovery score was 55%. This means that your body has recovered enough to lead a busy life with a relatively even balance between stress and sleep.
This feature will be invaluable, as a prince’s demanding lifestyle will likely require a lot of time to recover. After all, he averages a whopping 203 public engagements per year.
Advantages of WHOOP
© Jean Catuffe Fitness tracker measures rest, tension and recovery
WHOOP definitely offers more detailed data than Fitbit, so it’s perfect for gym enthusiasts, those training for a marathon, or elite athletes. I found the data to be more accurate while running than the Fitbit, and even if I forgot to record that I started an activity, the Fitbit tracked it and recorded it for me.
There are also an incredible number of activities to choose from, from babywearing to breathwork, dancing and Gaelic football. I love that WHOOP recognizes many activities that aren’t normally considered high-intensity, such as physical labor, high-stress jobs, and dedicated parenting.
One of my favorite features of WHOOP is the journal option, which allows you to input other environmental factors from your day into the app for more accurate advice on recovery, strain, and rest.
I enjoyed taking the time to fill out a diary where I could check off boxes such as “Commuting,” “Connecting with family and friends,” and “Eating fruit and vegetables.” It sounds like a small thing, but it was great to look back on that day and it helped me become more aware of how I was feeling.
Cons of WHOOP
© Stephen McCarthyWHOOP was designed for elite athletes like soccer star Katie McCabe
WHOOP has some disadvantages that cannot be ignored. First, the fact that the tracker itself doesn’t have an interface can be very frustrating, especially when you’re mid-run and want to check your heart rate or calories burned. You have to open the app to see your stats, which is inconvenient when you’re on the move. Imagine a swimmer trying to check his stats in the pool.
If you want to avoid distractions during your workout, this may be the best choice for you. It also doesn’t track your steps, so if you want to hit your daily step goal, look elsewhere.
Although the tracker is water-resistant, the band itself dries very slowly, leaving an uncomfortable, clammy, wet sensation on your wrist for at least two hours after you put it on and go into the water. Even though it’s recommended to leave it on at all times, I’ve started taking it off when I shower for this reason. Again, if you’re a swimmer, this probably isn’t the tracker for you.
Portable charging packs are convenient, but you may find that you need to charge them more often than you’d like. It claims to charge for 5 days, but I found myself charging it every 3 days even though I wasn’t doing any intensive training every day. This is a small complaint, but still an annoying issue.
final verdict
As a casual exerciser, the WHOOP watch is not worth the price tag. However, for elite athletes, those with busy lifestyles who frequent the gym, or even those training for a marathon, this is the perfect tool to help you achieve results while allowing time for rest and recovery. is.
This data is very accessible for someone like me and I’m sure it will become my best friend if I decide to run the London Marathon next year. For Prince William, it’s likely beneficial to his hectic lifestyle and a reminder to rest and rejuvenate to perform at his best.
