WHOOP has been the sports performance coach we have all been looking for. You can get recommendations on nearly everything that matters when it comes to performance. How much sleep you need, behaviors that are impacting your recovery, and so much more. And now you can take advantage of WHOOP Live Mode to really see what’s going on during your workouts.
To bring you advanced statistics about your health, Whoop relies on the idea that everything revolves around heart rate and the sensors that calculate it. So what is WHOOP live mode and what is the best way to use it?
What Is WHOOP Live Mode?
WHOOP Live is a feature on the app that allows you to broadcast your heart rate data in real-time when you are working out. When you start a workout and see your strain coach right in the middle of the screen, you will notice that in the upper right-hand corner you have the option to set yourself up for a “live” workout.
By clicking this, your interface will turn the camera on and allow you to see how your heart rate responds to specific exercises in real-time. Meanwhile, you can still see important stats like your strain coach and calories, depending on which display mode you care for. Your options also include showing your recovery score or sleep time.
Keep in mind that you can only use WHOOP live in conjunction with a WHOOP strap 3.0 or higher (that includes the most recent version, the WHOOP strap 4.0).
Special Effects on WHOOP Live
To stay up to date with social media standards of going live, WHOOP even thought to add some filters. You can stay in your normal mode or you can select a blue filter or black and white filter while working out. This is purely for fun and changes nothing in terms of what you get from stats.
WHOOP also offers the ability to select your own photo from a previous day if you recorded a live workout without the camera. This is essentially just a prettier way of showing off your stats to fellow WHOOPers and friends.
Saving Your Workout
At the end of the workout when you want to save your live photo or video, you will notice a checkmark inside of a circle at the bottom of the screen. This is what you want to click to save the video. It may have a shorter buffer period to save it to your library.
Why Use WHOOP Live?
So why should you use WHOOP live and who can get the most from it? As a tennis player, I find that WHOOP live can really make a positive impact on my workouts both on and off the court. In fact, I would argue that WHOOP is one of the best smartwatches for tennis players. Let’s take a look at how I use WHOOP Live and how it could be applied across the board to everyone who works out.
It Pushes Me to the Next Level
Seeing myself and my heart rate in real-time is the easiest way to motivate me. While I like seeing my heart rate get up there on peloton rides, runs, and tennis workouts, I also love to see the strain go up. Because I am in several groups, I am ultra-competitive to make sure I am recovering so I can keep my strain nice and high.
The best way for me to stay motivated is to watch it climb during the live workouts. It’s also good for HIIT workouts because sometimes you need to see how quickly your heart rate is dropping during rest periods.
It Allows Me to Share Workouts With My Coaches
There are a few different reasons I like to share my workouts with my coaches. They can see how hard I am working when they are not around but they can also make suggestions for what to improve during a workout. This can be easily applied to other athletes.
It can also be useful for gym trainers and athletes themselves that want to show people how a workout should be done. It’s an easy way for a class to follow along and emulate that same kind of intensity.
It Keeps Me Connected on Social Media
Sometimes it’s great to get some recognition! Sharing your data with your WHOOP community or on your social media is definitely a way to get that. It’s also motivational for other people and can be a great way to boost your social media presence and brand. Once you start sharing some workouts, more people will want to follow along with your journey.
Go Live on WHOOP!
It can be scary to go live on WHOOP for a few different reasons. You make not like the way the video comes out or you may think you aren’t capable of pushing yourself that hard. The great news is you can always choose to discard it. Or you can use one of those cool filters to hide some of the sweat pouring down your face. Better yet, just use a picture of your sport instead of video if that’s what you are most comfortable with.
Going live ultimately should be for you. Finding ways to push yourself and see how certain parts of your workout raise your heart rate and intensity is a great tool to have. Then if you want to share with coaches and friends for that extra motivational push, that’s an added bonus!
Going live can be a lot of fun and I can personally attest that it has impacted my workouts in the best way possible.
Brittany Collens is one of our top sports writers. She is also a professional tennis player which helps her authority on subjects such as health and fitness.
She has a degree in journalism and has previously written for well-established sports magazines in Massachusetts.
Brittany lives in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States.
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