The Whoop fitness band, which measures a user’s heart rate variability and offers insights into everything from workout intensity and recovery to sleep performance, was initially designed for elite athletes. It’s now going mainstream. Last May, the company launched the Whoop Strap 3.0, which boosted battery life from two days to five, and upgraded its app to allow users to access a new Strain Coach feature that helps them maximize performance without overdoing it.
“Whoop is the first fitness product to tell you to rest and not exercise,” says Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed. The new app also lets users overlay data on top of video and photos to analyze (and share) performance, and assesses different stages of slumber. (“Sleep is the new steps,” Ahmed says.) These analytics are key to Whoop’s business model: The company offers its fitness tracker for free, but charges $30 a month for a subscription.
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A version of this article appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of Fast Company magazine.