WHOOP links to STRAVA Only the other day I wrote how it was not news that another company has linked to STRAVA. #sigh. I shall eat my words and let you look at this self-explanatory image concerning who exactly STRAVA is partnering with now! Then I'll cover WHOOP's particular kind of link to STRAVA, which is interesting...and, maybe, news. :-) WHOOP doesn't collect GPS data, except when recording via their app. So if you workout without the phone is there any point in this for WHOOP users? A: Yes. This should still work with just the strap-only. I tried it with the app recording GPS and the strap also in action and all was cool. So what do WHOOP push to STRAVA that's so interesting? There are two things here one clever, the other less so. Let's start with the less clever and more mundane sync. WHOOP Review WHOOP App records a workout with GPS and HR The workout appears in STRAVA as it would for a regular GPS sports watch. However, this would also appear The Clever Bit The STRAVA API allows info to be written back to STRAVA over an above the FIT/TCX file itself. A good and simple example is KLIMAAT which writes back detailed weather stats to the description field of your workout in STRAVA. I didn't know this next bit was was possible but it looks like WHOOP are allowed to write back a graphic of workout data to the workout description in STRAVA. ie rather than just a pre-authorised & paid-for ad. Here's how it works I'm assuming that WHOOP expects most people to workout only wearing the strap. So what they have done here is pretty cool as they also let you choose which workout view is shown in STRAVA when you create the link between the WHOOP app and STRAVA. You can see there are 3 formats to choose from ie a heart rate chart, your training status and some other bits of info. [gallery type="thumbnails" size="medium" link="file" ids="51288,51289,51290"] Workout So I did a test run whilst fiddling with some other tech and I managed to get this to show in STRAVA at the end of the workout. There's also a second image showing a subtly different STRAVA workout from WHOOP. [gallery type="thumbnails" columns="2" size="medium" ids="51294,51287"] Well, I thought it was cool :-) It's a nice touch how WHOOP let you determine the image format that appears in STRAVA. Note: STRAVA confirmed this is NOT a a sponsored integration Other WHOOP Developments WHOOP got a ton of VC money a while back and they've used that to progressively build up the app. It's well put together for sure. As well as today's announcement, WHOOP also recently added some support for analysing changes to your baseline respiratory rate. If this rises it's possible that it could indicate a CV19 infection. Other companies like ithlete have been commissioned to see if changes to HRV can also predict the onset of CV19. Hint to all of them...they 100% CAN'T predict the onset of CV19 AT ALL. However, these changes may indicate that there are disturbances to your nervous systems and one cause of that is an infection such as CV19. WHOOP has also made several improvements to the journal and to the monthly report. Nice. WHOOP Accuracy I looked again at WHOOP accuracy a little while back. It's a similar situation to when WHOOP was first released (the sensor is the same!). To me, it seems that WHOOP is accurate enough at resting levels of HR to have as good a crack at HRV as anyone else. Whilst at higher, sporting levels of exertion it's not always as accurate as other oHRMs but I previously found that the TRIMP scores *I* produced for *MY* training load calculations with WHOOP were pretty much the same as from other sources ie actionable. https://the5krunner.com/2020/05/27/whoop-hr-accuracy-again/ Take Out Other industry players might want to take note of this take on how WHOOP have integrated with STRAVA as they could certainly improve how they appear in our STRAVA feeds. Perhaps overt branding isn't allowed without payment and a more formal sponsored integration but other proprietary metrics could be shown for free in the graphic that is not shown by STRAVA themselves eg XERT could show MPA as part of a graphic on a XERT workout description in STRAVA. MPA only comes from XERT so it's the indirect promotion of XERT. Maybe STRAVA allow that for free? Just a thought Must Read: Check out the latest WHOOP Review Lots & LOTS more STRAVA-Related Content here: list of STRAVA posts.
