What WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG add to health, fitness, and longevity

Podcast episode originally published on May 8, 2025

WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG bring together longer battery life, smaller hardware, new cardiovascular features, Healthspan, a rebuilt sleep experience, and a new membership structure in one launch. In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed and Chief Product Officer Ed Baker explain what changed in the devices, how WHOOP Age and Pace of Aging work, why WHOOP MG adds ECG and Blood Pressure Insights, and how the WHOOP app now organizes sleep, Recovery, and Strain more clearly.

This guide turns that conversation into a practical walkthrough of the six updates that matter most if you are deciding whether to upgrade, choosing between WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG, or trying to understand what the new features actually do day to day.

For Ahmed and Baker's full tour of the launch, watch Episode 322 of the WHOOP Podcast.

What changed in WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG hardware?

WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG are smaller, last longer between charges, and are built to stay out of your way more often. Both devices are 7% smaller than the previous generation and deliver 14+ day battery life, while WHOOP MG adds hardware for ECG readings.

Ahmed and Baker frame the hardware update around three practical changes: wearability, charging, and sensor capability. The smaller size matters most for comfort and continuous wear, especially on smaller wrists. The longer battery life matters because it reduces interruptions to data collection. Baker also points to the redesigned haptic system, which powers features like alarms on the wrist, as another quality-of-life improvement that makes the device easier to live with every day.

Ahmed highlighted the scale of the battery jump when comparing the new generation with WHOOP 4.0:

"It's about 3 times more battery capacity than the 4.0, and that's for both 5.0 and MG, all while being 7% smaller."

The new Wireless PowerPack extends that travel advantage further. Baker says the charger itself holds an additional 14 days of charge, which means a person traveling with the device and the PowerPack could go about a month without plugging into an outlet. Ahmed also notes that the new PowerPack is designed to hold its charge instead of draining in a bag, which addresses a common annoyance from the previous generation.

WHOOP MG adds another design layer beyond battery and size. The clasp includes small scalloped indents that double as the contact points for ECG screening, so the design change is functional, not cosmetic. Ahmed also calls out a softer rounded clasp and a simplified W hook mark, which make the hardware look more understated while still adding capability. For a broader overview of the device lineup, see Introducing WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG.

What you should take away

• WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG are both 7% smaller than WHOOP 4.0 and both offer 14+ day battery life
• The new Wireless PowerPack stores an additional 14 days of charge, which can extend travel use to roughly a month without an outlet
• WHOOP MG adds ECG hardware through a redesigned clasp, while keeping the same smaller size and longer battery life as WHOOP 5.0
• The hardware update focuses on continuous wear, fewer charging interruptions, and more useful sensing in the same form factor

How does Healthspan with WHOOP Age work?

Once the hardware is easier to forget about, the biggest behavior feature in this launch is Healthspan. WHOOP Age is a physiological age estimate based on longer-term behavior and biometrics, while Pace of Aging shows the shorter-term direction of change.

Ahmed explains that WHOOP Age uses six months of data, not a single week or a single score. That longer window is important because it makes the number more stable and ties it to patterns instead of one unusually good or bad stretch. Pace of Aging looks at the last 30 days, so it moves faster and gives quicker feedback when training, sleep, or daily habits change.

The model pulls from nine areas that WHOOP links to long-term health outcomes: sleep consistency, total sleep time, time in heart rate zones 1 through 3, time in heart rate zones 4 through 5, time spent strength training, daily steps, VO2 max, resting heart rate, and lean body mass. Ahmed says each metric also shows how many years it is adding or subtracting, which makes the feature easier to act on. A person can see whether sleep consistency is holding them back, whether VO2 max is pulling their age down, or whether missing strength sessions is costing progress.

Ahmed described the underlying time frame and inputs this way:

"Your WHOOP age is based on 6 months of data, and it's taking a bunch of behaviors [...] associated with all-cause mortality, so those are sleep consistency, total hours of sleep, time spent in heart rate zones 1 through 3, 4 through 5, time spent strength training, daily steps, VO2 max, resting heart rate, and lean body mass."

Baker says the feature changed behavior inside the company almost immediately. He gives his own example: at age 46, his WHOOP Age was 34.2, or 11.7 years younger, with an unusually high VO2 max doing much of the work. He also noticed that low strength training volume was limiting his Pace of Aging, which pushed him to open Strength Trainer three times per week so that work counted.

Ahmed says Pace of Aging runs on a scale from negative 1 to positive 3 times, with negative numbers indicating the body is effectively aging backward over that period. He also shares that his own number moved sharply after a newborn arrived and an injury cut into training, which is a useful reminder that the shorter-term metric is supposed to react.

For Ahmed and Baker's deeper discussion of WHOOP Age, VO2 max, and the training habits behind Pace of Aging, watch the full episode of this podcast on Youtube.

What you should take away

• WHOOP Age uses six months of data to estimate physiological age, while Pace of Aging uses 30 days of data to show faster changes
• Healthspan currently looks at nine areas, including sleep, heart rate zones, strength training, steps, VO2 max, resting heart rate, and lean body mass
• VO2 max can drive large changes in WHOOP Age, and Baker says his own value accounted for a 9-year reduction
• Logging strength training consistently matters because time spent strength training feeds into Healthspan

What does WHOOP MG do for heart rhythm and blood pressure?

From long-range health tracking, the launch moves into direct cardiovascular screening. WHOOP MG adds Heart Screener with ECG for atrial fibrillation checks in supported regions and Blood Pressure Insights for daily estimated systolic and diastolic ranges.

Baker makes clear that the ECG feature is personally meaningful for him because he has experienced atrial fibrillation twice in the last five years. He says both episodes were preceded by an unusually high HRV the next morning, which is the kind of anomaly that can raise suspicion but does not diagnose the rhythm on its own. With WHOOP MG, the ECG workflow is much more direct: open the heart screening tool in the WHOOP app, place a thumb and pointer finger on the clasp, hold for 30 seconds, and receive a reading that reports either normal sinus rhythm or an irregular rhythm such as atrial fibrillation.

Baker explains why that matters in practical terms:

"People with AFib have a 5 times more likely chance of getting a stroke, and a lot of people who have AFib don't actually know they have it, even though I think around 2% of the US population has it."

That context aligns with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that atrial fibrillation raises stroke risk and can go undetected. Baker also points out that atrial fibrillation is somewhat more common in middle-aged endurance athletes, a useful detail for people who assume high fitness rules it out.

Ahmed says the ECG reading can be turned into a report to share with a cardiologist, which makes WHOOP MG part of the clinical conversation rather than just a passive tracker. Availability varies by region, and Ahmed notes that regulatory approval differs by market. Current availability details are listed on the feature availability page.

Blood Pressure Insights takes a different approach. Ahmed says WHOOP spent about 3.5 years building the feature, using overnight biometrics to estimate blood pressure range the next morning. Baker says the system predicts both systolic and diastolic ranges from the biometrics recorded during sleep. The feature starts with a single cuff calibration, and Ahmed says that first calibration improves the estimate going forward. WHOOP positions Blood Pressure Insights as a wellness feature, not a medical device, so it is intended to help people connect blood pressure patterns with sleep, recovery, and daily habits rather than diagnose disease.

What you should take away

• WHOOP MG adds a 30-second ECG workflow that can screen for normal sinus rhythm or possible atrial fibrillation in supported regions
• Baker says atrial fibrillation can be easy to miss, and he highlights stroke risk as a reason the feature matters
• Blood Pressure Insights uses overnight biometrics plus a cuff calibration to estimate daily systolic and diastolic ranges
• WHOOP presents Blood Pressure Insights as a wellness feature, while ECG availability and regulatory status depend on region

How does WHOOP use VO2 max and Hormonal Insights to add context?

After the headline cardiovascular additions, the next shift is broader context. WHOOP now gives people more ways to bring outside physiology and personal patterns into the app, especially through VO2 max and Hormonal Insights.

VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during intense exercise, matters here for two reasons. First, Ahmed says internal WHOOP analysis found it to be the single biggest predictor inside the Healthspan model. Second, Baker says the app now lets people manually enter a lab-measured VO2 max if they already have one, which tightens the connection between formal testing and day-to-day tracking. He says he participated in a WHOOP lab study himself, then points out that manual inputs can improve the experience for the individual and also help improve the broader models over time.

Hormonal Insights expands the same idea into women's health. Baker says the feature goes beyond basic cycle logging by mapping menstrual phases against WHOOP metrics and daily context. People can see how the menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases line up with HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, stress, nutrition, training, mood, and work. The feature also supports symptom logging for patterns such as bloating, migraines, and cramps.

Baker frames the need for this work with a statistic that adds important context:

"Only 3% of medical research focuses on women specifically."

That low research share is one reason WHOOP is expanding symptom and cycle-aware tracking. Ahmed says multiple teams spent more than a year building the new functionality, and Baker adds that the data stays under the member's control and can be erased at any time. People who want to understand how logged behaviors and symptoms can sharpen interpretation of biometrics can also explore the earlier WHOOP Journal conversation.

The practical takeaway is that WHOOP is putting more value on context, not just raw readings. A VO2 max lab number can improve interpretation of long-term fitness, and cycle phase plus symptoms can improve interpretation of sleep, Recovery, and stress trends.

For Ahmed and Baker's discussion of VO2 max entry, symptom tracking, and the expansion of women's health features, watch the full episode of this podcast on Youtube.

What you should take away

• VO2 max now plays a larger role in WHOOP because it feeds Healthspan and can also be entered manually from lab testing
• Hormonal Insights goes beyond cycle dates by linking menstrual phases to HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, stress, training, mood, and work
• Symptom logging for issues such as bloating, migraines, and cramps helps connect subjective experience to physiology
• Baker says women's health remains underrepresented in research, which is part of the reason WHOOP expanded this feature set

What changed in WHOOP sleep metrics and app navigation?

Once WHOOP collects richer context, the app has to present it clearly. The sleep update reorganizes the score itself, and the app redesign makes Sleep, Recovery, and Strain easier to reach from the first screen.

Baker says the new Sleep Performance score now pulls from four contributors instead of leaning so heavily on hours slept versus hours needed. Those four are hours versus needed, sleep consistency, sleep efficiency, and sleep stress. Sleep stress reflects how much of the night the body spent in a state of stress rather than a calmer sleep state. Baker gives a practical example from his own data, saying sugar before bed tends to raise his sleep stress, which then changes how he thinks about evening routines.

When Baker introduced the new score, he defined it this way:

"This new percentage-based score is actually based on 4 key contributors [...] hours versus needed, sleep consistency, sleep efficiency, and sleep stress."

Ahmed says the benefit is a more complete read of sleep quality. A person can now wake up with one weak area, such as hours slept, but still see that consistency, efficiency, and low sleep stress were strong. That turns the score into a better daily explanation tool, not just a quantity meter. Baker also notes that the new scoring is stricter, so 100% will be harder to reach than before.

The redesign continues on the home screen. At the top of the app, Sleep, Recovery, and Strain now appear as separate rings, which WHOOP calls pillars. Tapping each ring opens the details behind it. Navigation has also been simplified to Home, Health, Community, and More, and plans now sit directly on the home screen instead of in a separate tab. Ahmed says the goal is a simpler app that still lets people go deeper when they want details.

People new to the core WHOOP framework can get the baseline overview in What is WHOOP?, then return to this launch article for the changes in the latest interface.

What you should take away

• Sleep Performance now reflects four contributors: hours versus needed, sleep consistency, sleep efficiency, and sleep stress
• The new score aims to reflect sleep quality more fully, so perfect scores are intentionally harder to earn
• The home screen now surfaces Sleep, Recovery, and Strain as separate rings for faster navigation
• The updated app structure centers on Home, Health, Community, and More, with plans moved onto the home screen

How do the new WHOOP memberships, upgrades, and future features work?

That redesigned app now sits inside a redesigned membership structure. WHOOP One, WHOOP Peak, and WHOOP Life separate the experience by depth of insight and hardware, while upgrades add new loyalty and sharing options.

Baker says WHOOP One is the entry point. It comes on WHOOP 5.0 with a basic charger and includes the core training and recovery system: Strain, Recovery, Sleep, VO2 max, Hormonal Insights, steps, heart rate zones, cardiovascular strain, musculoskeletal load, and Strength Trainer. Ahmed adds that it is the lowest price point WHOOP has offered in the US at $199 per year.

WHOOP Peak is the default path for existing members moving forward. It stays on WHOOP 5.0, adds the Wireless PowerPack, and includes Healthspan, Health Monitor, and Stress Monitor on top of the core metrics. Ahmed says Peak stays at the same price as the previous default membership, $239 per year in the US.

WHOOP Life pairs with WHOOP MG and adds the features that required the biggest R and D investment: Heart Screener with ECG and Blood Pressure Insights. Ahmed says Life is also the tier where more frontier health tools will arrive first. That includes WHOOP Advanced Labs, which he says will allow people to book testing through WHOOP and integrate the results with wearable data.

Ahmed summarized that next step with a useful level of specificity:

"Essentially, you'll be able to analyze 60 to 70 biomarkers. You're going to be able to book the lab test through WHOOP, and then all of the data will now be integrated into your 24/7 wearable data."

The upgrade path includes a few thoughtful details. Members with more than 1,825 recoveries, or five years of logged recovery days, can receive a Milestone Collection box when upgrading to WHOOP Life. A separate gift kit lets an upgrader pass a WHOOP 4.0 to a friend or family member with a refreshed band, and Ahmed says that path can unlock credits and a two-month trial for the recipient.

The launch also expands the accessory system. Ahmed highlights LeatherLuxe, a band made from genuine Italian leather, plus refreshed SuperKnit, CloudKnit, SportFlex, and CoreKnit options. WHOOP Body also gets a new removable pod system so garments stay comfortable even when the sensor is not inside them.

To hear Ahmed and Baker walk through pricing, Life-only features, Advanced Labs, and the new upgrade kit, watch the full episode of this podcast on Youtube.

What you should take away

• WHOOP One focuses on core fitness and recovery features on WHOOP 5.0 at the lowest US price point
• WHOOP Peak adds Healthspan, Health Monitor, Stress Monitor, and the Wireless PowerPack on WHOOP 5.0
• WHOOP Life pairs with WHOOP MG and adds Heart Screener with ECG, Blood Pressure Insights, and priority access to frontier health features
• Ahmed says WHOOP Advanced Labs is designed to connect 60 to 70 blood biomarkers with wearable data and coaching

The bottom line

• WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG both move the platform forward with 14+ day battery life and a 7% smaller form factor
• Healthspan adds a six-month WHOOP Age and a 30-day Pace of Aging so long-term trends and short-term behavior change appear in the same feature
• WHOOP MG adds an ECG workflow for atrial fibrillation screening in supported regions and a shareable report for clinical follow-up
• Blood Pressure Insights uses overnight biometrics and a cuff calibration to provide daily estimated blood pressure ranges as a wellness feature
• VO2 max now matters more inside WHOOP because it feeds Healthspan and can be strengthened with manual lab input
• Hormonal Insights now links cycle phase and symptoms with HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, stress, training, mood, and work patterns
• Sleep Performance now reflects hours versus needed, consistency, efficiency, and sleep stress rather than sleep quantity alone
• WHOOP One, WHOOP Peak, and WHOOP Life now separate the experience by feature depth, hardware, and access to newer health capabilities

Frequently asked questions about things discussed in this episode

How does WHOOP decide whether you need WHOOP 5.0 or WHOOP MG?

WHOOP 5.0 covers the core training, sleep, recovery, and Healthspan experience, while WHOOP MG adds the hardware required for ECG plus access to Blood Pressure Insights. Your choice depends on whether cardiovascular screening and the most advanced health features are part of the experience you want.

How does WHOOP calculate WHOOP Age?

WHOOP calculates WHOOP Age from six months of data across nine inputs tied to long-term health, including sleep, heart rate zones, strength training, steps, VO2 max, resting heart rate, and lean body mass. WHOOP also shows Pace of Aging over 30 days so shorter-term behavior change is visible sooner.

What does WHOOP do for atrial fibrillation screening?

WHOOP MG offers Heart Screener with ECG in supported regions, which lets you take a 30-second ECG by touching the clasp with your fingers. Your reading can identify normal sinus rhythm or a possible irregular rhythm and can be shared with a clinician.

How does WHOOP measure Blood Pressure Insights?

WHOOP estimates Blood Pressure Insights from overnight biometrics collected during sleep and improves those estimates with a cuff calibration. Your daily result is presented as a wellness insight rather than a diagnosis or treatment tool.

What does WHOOP track in the new Sleep Performance score?

WHOOP now tracks four contributors in Sleep Performance: hours versus needed, sleep consistency, sleep efficiency, and sleep stress. Your score is meant to reflect sleep quality more fully, which is why perfect scores are harder to reach.

What does WHOOP do with manually entered VO2 max data?

WHOOP uses manually entered VO2 max data to tighten personal context when you already have a lab-tested value. Your entered number can improve how the app reflects fitness and can make Healthspan interpretation more useful.

How does WHOOP handle cycle tracking and Hormonal Insights?

WHOOP connects menstrual phases and logged symptoms with biometrics such as HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, and stress. Your data remains controllable in the app, including the ability to erase it.

What does WHOOP include when someone upgrades from WHOOP 4.0?

WHOOP includes the new hardware within membership pricing, and some upgrades include loyalty options such as the Milestone Collection or a gift kit for passing along a WHOOP 4.0. Your friend or family member can then start with an extended trial before deciding on a membership path.

The practical shift in this launch is simple: WHOOP now ties battery life, training context, cardiovascular screening, sleep interpretation, and longer-term health feedback into one continuous experience.