Once upon a time, tracking your strength workouts and receiving the right amount of credit for your big lifts in the gym was virtually impossible. That's all changed with Whoop Strength Trainer.
Since the feature was added to the Whoop experience in April 2023, I've been using it to mix up my routine, spot trends in workout intensity, and gain more accurate insights into my Strain.
Below, we'll be running through why Strength Trainer is a must-use for Whoop fans, some tricks to employ during tracking, and a few missing features you'll want to keep in mind.
Why you should use Whoop Strength Trainer
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The number one reason to use Strength Trainer is for the more accurate Strain calculation.
We would always recommend using Strength Trainer over tagging a workout as 'Weightlifting' (or similar) for this reason alone.
Otherwise, as shown above, you can get some pretty skewed results. On the left, we performed a workout and tagged it under Weightlifting. It was a longer, more intense (in terms of HR) session than our Strength Trainer workout on the right, yet the Strain score is lower.
And this has repercussions on how useful the Whoop platform can be.
Suppose Whoop thinks you had a day that included a 6-9 Strain when, in reality, you pushed yourself to a decent level and your load felt more towards the 12-15 range.
In that case, Whoop's idea of how you're physiologically responding to load won't be as accurate as it could be.
Why is Strain more accurate in Strength Trainer?
Heart rate plays a major part in workouts traditionally tracked in Whoop, which is why cardiovascular efforts like running generally garner a higher Strain score than a weightlifting or CrossFit workout.
As we know, though, it's not just our hearts that work hard during weightlifting exercises. Muscles need time to recover - and Strength Trainer instead calculates Strain by assessing your exercises, sets, reps, and weight.
It also includes biometric information, as well as gyroscope and accelerometer data, from your Whoop.
Five tips for using Whoop Strength Trainer
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After using Strength Trainer for nearly a year, there are plenty of things we've picked up.
Things have changed slightly since the feature was first rolled out, but the core idea of beginning and ending each set with a tap on your phone remains.
There are a few basics you'll get to know pretty quickly - such as adapting your custom workout in the order you typically walk around the gym, or combining exercises into supersets - but here are five tips for using Strength Trainer that may otherwise elude you.
1. Workout 'Intensity' is partly based on location
Before you begin a workout, the Strength Trainer will ask whether your tracker is positioned on your left or right wrist. There aren't any other options because the 'Intensity' % that shows after your workout is completed is partly based on accelerometer and gyroscope data.
We wear our Whoop with a bicep strap and haven't noticed any issues with tracking, but the company indicates that Strength Trainer isn't compatible when you're wearing Whoop Body clothing, for example.
If this is a metric you care about following, ensure you wear your Whoop on the wrist.
2. Select the correct unit of measurement
We've alluded to this already in our Whoop tips and tricks guide, but we'll repeat it here because we suspect (and hope) we're not the only ones to have spent a considerable amount of bandwidth converting pounds to KGs, or vice versa.
To change your unit of measurement, as shown below, open the Whoop and go to More > My Account > Profile Information > Units. Simples.
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3. Use Whoop Coach to compare your effort
We've found Whoop Coach's usefulness to be fairly mixed since launching in 2023, which is to be expected given the feature is still in beta.
However, it turns out the AI can give you some pretty interesting insights into how your effort compares to previous workouts.
Simply go to a specific workout once your Strain has been calculated, then ask Whoop Coach something like, 'Compare this effort to my other workouts'.
If you have custom workouts set up like we do, Whoop Coach will break down some key stats between your last workout and your averages from others. Pretty neat.
4. Share workouts the easy way
This will only work if you have a friend who's also a Whoop subscriber, which is a little annoying, but you can now easily share workouts you've created with a QR code.
From the 'My Workouts' section of the app, simply tap the three-dot icon on your routine of choice and select 'Share workout via QR'.
A code will then pop up that your friend can scan in person, meaning they don't have to spend time drawing up the same workout. Alternatively, you can also share via a link in a text or Whatsapp message.
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5. Add in your cardio intervals
If you like to punish yourself with cardio finishers in supersets or other HIIT-related traumas, you'll be pleased to know that you can factor these into custom workouts.
Whoop supports adding Assault Bike, elliptical, running, rowing, spin, and Stairmaster sets, so you're very well catered for in this department.
What Whoop Strength Trainer doesn't do
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While Whoop 4.0 is our top recommendation for those seeking a wearable for tracking weightlifting, plenty of features are still missing from Strength Trainer.
Below is our current wish list - and things to keep in mind if you're considering becoming a Whoop subscriber based on this feature.
It doesn't track your lifting progress
Our number one complaint with Strength Trainer is that progress isn't shown over time.
All your reps, sets, and exercises may be tracked, but this data is currently only used to calculate Strain.
It feels like a no-brainer that your history of performing an exercise should be shown in a long list for you to dive in and compare progress. But, for now, no dice.
Trends aren't highlighted over time
On a similar note, your lifting trends and the effect of your workouts aren't highlighted.
For example, Whoop could theoretically tell you whether your workouts are more intense or your lifts are typically heavier in the morning or afternoon.
It could also factor in how your physiological markers - or recovery score - tend to affect your workouts.
Right now, though, there's not a lot of cross-pollination in Strength Trainer.
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Progressions aren't automatically provided
Progressive overload is one of the core principles of strength training, yet Whoop's Strength Trainer leaves you to increase/decrease weight based on feeling.
In some respects, this works - and could teach you to listen to your body and gauge which weight is correct on a given day. However, given that this is a difficult skill to master, some nudges from Whoop wouldn't go amiss.
Perhaps Strength Trainer uses existing data to notice how your reps have been steadily increasing when lifting the same weight in an exercise for a few weeks, for example.
Blind spots aren't accounted for
Building custom workouts is pretty laborious in its current guise - and you have to be relatively experienced to avoid any blind spots here.
Personally, I don't tend to mix up my Push-Pull-Legs routine too much - only really swapping in exercises every month or two - but I'd still appreciate a way for Whoop to take some of the load in this section of Strength Trainer.
It would be great to see a heat map of each muscle I would hit in a custom workout - and potentially even suggestions on exercises I could incorporate or swap in for maximum efficiency.
There are no workout plans to follow
Whoop has done a nice job catering to beginners and the time-poor with its preloaded plans, but they're also quite limited.
While there's a fun novelty in jumping into Rory McIlroy's strength workout or Virgil Van Dijk's explosive gym session, these tend to be quite short - and you still eventually have to try and incorporate them into a wider plan.
We would love to see Whoop develop this part of Strength Trainer to include multi-week workout plans based on your athletic goal, time, and previous experience, like you would find on exercise platform FIIT, for example.
How we test
Conor joined Wareable in 2017, quickly making a name for himself by testing out language translation earbuds on a first date, navigating London streets in a wearable airbag, and experiencing skydiving in a VR headset.
Over the years, he has evolved into a recognized wearables and fitness tech expert. Through Wareable’s instructional how-to guides, Conor helps users maximize the potential of their gadgets, and also shapes the conversation in digital health and AI hardware through PULSE by Wareable.
As an avid marathon runner, dedicated weightlifter, and frequent hiker, he also provides a unique perspective to Wareable’s in-depth product reviews and news coverage.
In addition to his contributions to Wareable, Conor’s expertise has been featured in publications such as British GQ, The Independent, Digital Spy, Pocket-lint, The Mirror, WIRED, and Metro.