If you put it on an hour or two before bedtime and take it off after downloading the overnight data, I think you would be fine using it this way. I do find the daytime activity monitoring useful, but you can add in your main activities (bike rides, etc.) manually and probably be ok.
Longer winded ramble
I have had an Oura ring since last November and really like it! For me, the main drivers in getting one were form factor (ring), access to more detailed data and (hopefully) being able to use that data to modify my training.
Form Factor – I have worn a Garmin Instinct for 2+ years and find that the FirstBeat Body Battery technology works really well, but you need to wear that watch 24/7/365 for it to work. I like to wear other watches every once in a while, so decided to get an Oura ring. I wear it on my left-hand ring finger on the same knuckle as my wedding ring. The wedding ring has been there for 24+ years, so I do not notice the Oura ring at all. I only take it off to charge it and when I do pull ups.
Access to data – The aforementioned body battery is really the simplest system I have seen. If I get to 100% overnight, I can get after it training the next day. If not, I need to back off. However, since I only get one number, it is not possible to see what variables are driving the results. As a total data nerd, this was making me twitchy, so I got the ring. There is a ton of data you can geek out on with it, so that part has been fun!
Using the data – This part is trickier. It takes a month or two for the ring to get to know you and decide if you are overreaching. A lot of the variables are not really independent (HRV and RHR for example) but over time I have figured out which ones make a difference. You also learn new things along the way, the most recent example being how my second Moderna vax completely wrecked me over the weekend and is still kicking my butt. I had a higher body temp and sky-high respiratory rate, with much more modest hits to average HRV and RHR. The BodyBattery missed this (HRV/RHR focused) and even the Oura ring is telling me to get after it today, but I am going to take one more day off to see if the temp and breathing rate come back in line tonight. This last point is important, because at the end of the day you need to decide what to do with the data. For those of us who consider rest days sacrilegious, this at least helps drive healthier long-term behavior.
I have been a Whoop user for 2 years. I run the app on the iPad - which my wife now refers to as Whoop since she says I’m addicted. I began with the 2.0, which died, and Whoop replaced it with a 3.0. I just this month renewed and bought the 18month subscription (which brings cost to $18/month - pretty close to SUF’s monthly charge). I have tried several of the bands and have had luck with the ‘stretchy’ kind and the ‘hydro’ one - the other type I’ve had can slip thru and so loosen up the connection to the wrist (easily fix with a baby pin though).
I believe overall the data to be accurate. I find their support crew responsive.
The only down side is lately I notice my HR after a SUF session is off. I believe it’s something to do with bluetooth between the Kick’R and the Tick’R - I’ve disconnected the strap and turned off the Whoop app; after I will manually enter SUF ride start time and stop time and I sometimes get an accurate HR depiction, sometimes I get an initial spike at the ride’s beginning and sometimes I get a ridiculous data where HR is elevated throughout the entire ride (it seems to be picking up an additive effect). I’ve meant to ask on this forum if others have had this occur and plan to speak to Whoop support as well. Anyone else know of this situation?
I guess it is fine, but Oura recommends using it throughout the day for better tracking (it also nudges you to move a bit if you are idle for too long and it has a ‘Moment’ feature that allows for breathing/wellness pauses and takes a snapshot of your current state). In my case it goes like this:
Use Oura to sleep for tracking recovery, sleep, and readiness
Use Apple Watch throughout the day
Use Tickr to track my workouts
It is working fine lately, so I have adequate tools for each one of the tasks. I was sleeping with the Watch before getting the Oura but it is a bit annoying e.g. if you don’t turn on the Theater mode and accidentally rub it, it can light up during the night haha
The ring is not bulky at all. I use it on my index finger and I barely notice it. It weighs 4g and it is made of very light material. It has very comfortable fitting. It is bulkier than the average ring indeed so if you are cooking, lifting weights or doing some other handwork you might take it off for a bit.
I am pretty satisfied with it and since it has an open API (unlike Whoop) and also writes to Apple Health you can have your data centralized where you like it.
I think a few others have mentioned it but I’ve found Garmins Body Battery to pretty reliable. They say they use HRV, Stress, sleep, and activities in the calculation. I do wear my Garmin watch 24/7 except to charge it and the numbers do track pretty well. I had my first Century Ride on Saturday. Sunday morning depsite 10 hours of sleep my body battery was only a 12/100. However Monday morning after another good night of sleep and with my MHR returning back to a normal level I was back to 100/100.
I considered a whoop but DC Rainmakers review tuned me off of it. The Oura Ring does look very interesting but I just don’t know how much more actionable data I’d get from it beyond watching my own HR and the Garmin Body Battery.
Whoop 3.0 - It’s been pretty close to the Tickr (chest strap) HR recorded in the app, the Whoop is only connected to the phone. Kickr bike is connected with BT to SUF app. Whoop worn on non-dominant arm just above my watch.
Starting the activity on there, it does take a minute or two to get same/similar HR reported from the Tickr. I’ve found it can be a few BPM out on the average but that is most probably where it is ‘catching’ up with what the Tickr is saying.
I haven’t seen a spike or elevated through the ride (only used indoor so far this year so can’t comment on outside recording).
I am coming up on one year of the Whoop and plan to share more detailed thoughts once I can review the entire year’s worth of data. Also work is quite busy at the moment.
I had a Garmin Vivofit HR for a while and it was ok, but uncomfortable, especially during sleep. I started with the wrist strap for the Whoop and moved to the bicep strap as that is less annoying than the wrist strap when sleeping. I usually have my left hand/ wrist under the pillow while I sleep on my side. A watch like substance just gets in the way.
I pair the Whoop with my iPhone and manually start activities in the app. My Kickr is connected to Sufferfest which then pushes workouts to Training Peaks, Garmin Connect, and Strava. My Wahoo Element Bolt pushes rides to Strava.
I see that the Wahoo Tickr and the Whoop bicep strap heartrates track pretty close. The bicep placement is more likely to catch spikes (the occasional although usually poorly executed sprint) compared to the wrist strap. Even then, the chest strap seems more likely to catch the peaks (placement, sensor type).
I have not been a life-long athlete. I got back into riding in my late thirties so unlike some of my compatriots I ride with, I do not have a lifetime of understanding how my body feels/ responds. The data helps me confirm how I feel. As strange as it seems but not surprised to have a 1% recovery score on January 1, 2021 if you know what I mean. I could probably figure that out without an app as alcohol and I go WAY back.
I will write more but I like the Whoop performance and the bicep option. It is comfortable and out of the way. The only nuisance is I take it off to shower and most mornings have to take my shirt off as I tend to forget to put the strap on in my haste. Oh well.
I’m guessing you’ll like the Whoop annual report especially if you bounce it off of your training log.
Your last comment about the shower reminded me of one more thing with Whoop: as a HR monitor the strain measurement comes directly off of the thumper’s activity. So I’ve had high strains as a result of getting into a hot shower - which I normally wouldn’t consider a cardio event but I suppose is from the standpoint of the elevated HR. Likewise, strength training is a muscular strain that (the way I do it) doesn’t raise HR very much - so something that feels like high strain isn’t captured (though according to the Whoop articles All strain eventually goes thru the heart - ie that muscular strain needs to be “drained” from the musculature into the bloodstream and back to the heart).
I didn’t know a recovery score of 1% was possible. The journal is a way to track alcohol use (or many other variables) for it’s impact on recovery.
Trainingwheels - thanks for that piece of information on the shower. I always removed rings, watches, etc. even if water resistant because I didnt like the “wet” feel underneath. I use the Sufferfest strength training which does not generate overly high strain scores either.
I use the daily journal to track a handful of things. As for alcohol and the 1% recovery, it was saying goodbye to 2020 after all.
As with my Wahoo Tickr Fit, when using the strap as HRM on SUF, there is a lag in what is measures vs. what is on screen
HRV, resting HR, sleep and sleep zones are close but different (lower HRV, higher resting HR, less sleep) to AutoSleep for WatchOS which also accounts for movement
SUF/Yoga 15 yoga strain has been interesting- mostly 0, but can be as much as 5 depending on time and workout order. Sometimes the workout feels like and RPE of 12, but the strain is 0.
After my first SUF workout wasn’t detected, I’m manually tracking as “spin”, yoga, or “functional fitness” for strength
Calorie count is based on HR, just like everything else, so it tends to be lower
My strain and recovery are starting to settle into a predictable cycle - Sunday - Tuesday yellow, Wednesday- Saturday green, highest strain days are Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. So outside rides and speed interval SUF workouts push towards over reaching. How I feel vs. yellow/green isn’t always a match.
I have a 40 mile MTB race coming later this month - should be interesting to see how that impact things.
I don’t love it, do find it useful, and are using the data to make plan adjustments in addition to accommodating work and family stuff.
Adding an accelerometer, O2 sensor, temperature sensor might give some interesting data. Or not.
I’m interested in trying one. I’m particularly interested in diagnosing sleep issues though, and not so concerned about the sports part of it - happy enough with Garmin there though their apps are truly dreadful. Has anyone had any success with the journaling and the AI finding any unexpected links to sleep quality?
I’ve been using the journal and yes, surprising links. If you find there is no relationship to your recovery and sleep with a journal item, it’s pretty easy to remove and replace with something else.
I used Whoop for a little over one year (which lead me to start this thread). I got it about 6-weeks after the pandemic lock down started. Interested in tracking respiratory rate and sleep more than performance also. I learned that I generally sleep pretty well. After ~13 months I just got tired of tracking and saw no additional benefit and stopped.
I have made a different purchase since then. A Pro Pod temperature controlled mattress cover from Eight Sleep. The queen and king size are zoned for two people and it tracks sleep performance, HRV, respiratory rate and heart rate. A lot to un-pack there. It was not inexpensive but has been one of the best things I have done for my sleep.
I have been meaning to write more details on my Whoop experience but just have not made time for it. I saw your post and wanted to provide some feedback.
I think there’s a few problems with the Whoop when compared to elite cyclists who also use it. The subscription, the wrist HR data no matter how good is still awful compared to either a chest strap or on the bicep. The fact that the old Whoop used to pick an activity say cutting a hedge and you couldn’t delete it which with Whoop 4 you still can’t delete it unless that’s changed in the last few weeks. The fact trying to get a Whoop 4.0 atm is virtually impossible and you might end up now waiting months rather than weeks even though your still being charged for it. I think if you could pair the Whoop with a chest strap for activities that would increase its flexibility. The option to delete non sporting/workout activities would also be good. Wrist HR Data just isn’t suitable for tracking it just isn’t and I can’t really understand professional cycling teams using it if they’re tracking HR data via the wrist. Now sleeping with the strap on the bicep might prove much more consistent but if your subscribing at the prices they’re charging the data has to be at least 85/90% correct if not more to be properly effective but at the minute it’s just not viable if only being used on the wrist. A price decrease down the line would also make it more attractive as it’s not really a fitness/workout tracker it’s really more a health tracker and how activities and sleep and rest affect your body.
