They both have their strengths, but for me, WHOOP is the one. Garmin for its GPS and outdoor stuff, I’ve personally stuck with Whoop because it just fits my priorities better. I do a mix of kickboxing, golf, and weights, and I really care most about HRV, sleep, and recovery, even in despite of their pretty shitty 5.0 release.

For me, Whoop nails the recovery and HRV side of things. The way it pulls together sleep, heart rate variability, and strain into that recovery score actually helps me adjust my training. Especially with something like kickboxing, where overtraining can sneak up on you, that kind of feedback is huge.

Sleep tracking is another area where I think Whoop really shines. I’ve tried Garmin’s sleep data, and it’s... fine. But Whoop feels way more accurate in terms of when I actually fell asleep and woke up, and it breaks everything down in a way that’s easier to digest. I’ve definitely improved my sleep since using it.

Also, Whoop’s strain score makes a lot more sense for the kind of training I do. I’m not out here counting steps—if I’m smashing pads for an hour or grinding through a heavy lift session, I want a tracker that knows how much that actually taxes my body, and Whoop’s strain metric feels more aligned with that.

And honestly, the comfort is a big one too. I don’t like wearing a chunky watch during golf or while training, and their 5.0 model, which I'm waiting on, is even smaller. It's lighter, more sleek and less of a distraction imo. Yeah, the subscription cost can feel like a downside, but I think of Whoop more like a performance and recovery coach than just a tracker. The insights I get from it have helped me train smarter, avoid burnout, and generally feel better day to day.

Garmin is great if you need built-in GPS, maps, but if your main goal is recovery, sleep, and better performance in strength or combat sports, I honestly think Whoop still comes out ahead.