You’ve probably seen your favourite athlete wearing this device on their wrist and wondered what it is. Whoop has been around for years, but now that it is becoming more mainstream with big athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo wearing it, people are paying attention.

The important thing to know is that this is not just a fashion accessory or a simple fitness tracker or smartwatch.

A Whoop is a lifestyle device. It is something that becomes part of your daily life for you to see the real value. If you understand that and use it properly as it is intended, it can be a very powerful tool in your life.

What it is and How it Works:

The first thing to understand is that the Whoop 5 MG is not a standalone smartwatch. There is no screen, no apps, and no notifications. You wear it on your wrist and it quietly tracks your body 24/7. All of the data is viewed on your phone through the Whoop app.

The main focus is on three areas: sleep, recovery, and strain. It constantly monitors your heart rate and other metrics to show you how well you are sleeping, how ready your body is to take on stress, and how much strain you are putting on yourself throughout the day.

The MG version also adds advanced features like ECG and blood pressure tracking.

What makes it different from other devices is that it is not about quick checks or glancing at your wrist like you would with an Apple Watch. It is about building a lifestyle around the data it gives you. Every morning you wake up and see how well you slept, how recovered your body is, and how much strain you can realistically handle that day.

Over time, you start to adjust your habits based on this feedback, and that is where the real value comes in.

Plans and Subscription

This is where most people need to be clear. The Whoop is not something you buy once and own forever. It runs on a subscription model. When you sign up, the band itself comes with the plan, and if you cancel your subscription the device stops working.

There are three subscription levels. The base plan gives you everything most people need. You get sleep tracking, recovery, and strain. The mid-tier plan adds more detailed health stats, including the Whoop Age feature which tells you how old your body feels compared to your actual age.

Then there is the top MG plan, which unlocks the advanced features such as ECG and blood pressure.

The important thing to know is that you do not have to go for the highest plan. I personally do not even use or need those extra features. For me, the base plan is more than enough and it keeps the cost much more reasonable.

The higher plans can get very expensive, so you need to think carefully about what you will actually use before signing up.

My Personal Experience:

I have been wearing a Whoop every single day for the past four years. The only time I take it off is when I shower. Other than that, it is with me 24/7 on my wrist. It has become as natural to me as wearing a watch. On my left wrist I wear a traditional watch, and on my right wrist I wear my Whoop. At this point, I cannot imagine going without it.

At first, I got it because I wanted to understand my sleep better. I was curious about how well I was sleeping and how I could improve that.

But over time, it became much more than just sleep tracking. Every morning, I check my recovery score, my sleep performance, and my strain. Those numbers shape how I approach the day. If I wake up fully recovered, I know I can push harder. If I see my body is under stress or not recovered properly, I know I need to slow down.

That mindset shift has had a big impact on how I live, train, and rest.

Another thing I find really useful are the notifications from the app. It will tell me when it is time to start winding down and get to bed, based on what I did during the day and how I slept the previous night. Those reminders have made me more consistent with sleep and more aware of how I manage my time at night.

Whoop has also introduced something called Whoop Coach. This is an AI-driven feature that feels like having a personal coach in your pocket. It looks at your biometric history like sleep, recovery, and strain, and gives you insights specific to your body. You can even ask it questions like “Why am I always tired after certain workouts?” and it will give you an answer based on your own data.

It also gives you a daily outlook, recommending whether you should push harder, take it easy, or focus more on sleep. Over time it learns from your behaviour and gets better at tailoring its advice to you. It takes Whoop from being just a tracker to being a real guide.

Features and lifestyle:

One of the things I love most about the Whoop 5 MG is how effortless it is to wear. Unlike an Apple Watch, it does not try to do everything. There is no screen, no notifications, and no distractions. You just put it on and forget about it while it quietly tracks your body in the background.

The battery life is also a big step up. With the older Whoop 4, I had to charge it every three or four days. With the Whoop 5 MG, I get up to two full weeks on a single charge. The charging system is clever because you do not even need to take the band off. You just slide a small battery pack onto the strap, it charges while you wear it, and then you slide it off when it is done. Simple and effective.

I also like how Whoop has leaned into the lifestyle side. The bands come in different styles and materials so you can wear a sportier strap for training and then swap to a premium one if you are dressing up. It feels like more than just tech, it feels like something that fits into your life.

For me, it also works perfectly with how I like to wear watches. I enjoy traditional watches and wear them more often than smartwatches, but I still want the health data.

Whoop is the perfect companion because it sits quietly on my other wrist and gives me everything I need without forcing me to wear a smartwatch. If you do not wear watches at all, that works too because the band is comfortable and subtle.

Another feature worth mentioning is the Whoop Age score. It tells you how old your body is based on your health data. It can be motivating when you see your “body age” drop below your actual age, or a wake-up call when it rises above.

My Closing Thoughts:

The Whoop 5 MG is not for everyone. It is a subscription service, it is not cheap, and it only makes sense if you are willing to wear it daily and use the data to guide your life. If you just want something simple that counts steps or shows notifications, you will be better off with a smartwatch.

But if you understand what it is meant for and you commit to it, Whoop can be one of the most valuable tools you will ever use. It helps you understand your body on a deeper level and makes you more aware of how you sleep, recover, and perform each day.

For me, after four years of wearing it daily, I can say it has genuinely improved how I live. If you are serious about your health, training, and recovery, and you are ready to commit, then you will not regret it.

If you're interested and want to learn more about the service, check out the following video: