Whoop 5/MG has been awful on the wrist for me and I have well documented the problems. Bicep is better but still not great and needs to go back to the wrist for ECG/EKG and BP insights. Also HRV seems better on the wrist. Anyway I have given up on Whoop and will probably be a one and done subscription.
But Whoop early on sent me a gift certificate for being on the community a lot. I used it to get the Leather lux band but never thought much about using it, looks pretty but not ideal for working out or for me, cycling. Will get sweaty and probably fall apart pretty quickly.
Anyway since I am running down the days I decided to use it. But something strange has happened! My HR has suddenly become very accurate when cycling and the more I monitor it the closer it seems to be to my chest strap. Weather has been a bit crappy so only indoor cycling which is not perfect to test but the leather band seems way better. Why you ask? Well number one possibility is the band is not stretchy at all, so once in place stays very firm and can’t flex. So since it’s not flexible like the standard bands, might it not be affected by bouncing and vibrations and stays firm on the wrist. Maybe?
I just took out one of the my original 5 bands and it is very very flexible and when I say flexible you can easily pull it and inch or more longer. Compared to the Amazfit band, this has barely any stretch what so ever. Amazfit has been very good for HR. We already know the 5 band fades quickly did they also make it too flexible where it’s more affected by rapid movement or vibration. With the nylon strap even pulled tight I can easily get my fingers in between, this not possible with the leather band. Could this be why Whoop has been a problem?
I am totally blown away by this new finding, is it real or just another false dawn. I will monitor for the next few weeks but right now it’s 
FYI: Bicep band is also very flexible.
1 Like
Leather band for a week or so. HR is much better. Can it really be the standard strap is simply too flexible. 
Garmin
Whoop
Amazfit
Thank you for sharing. I too have had the same issue consistently, specifically during strength workouts. I am going to look into the leather band and see if I can catch a sale or something to snag one and give it a try, because your logic as to why it’s now accurate seems very reasonable. Thanks!
1 Like
Yeah it’s very weird and I keep waiting for it to bite me on the butt. If the weather plays nice and I can get outside soon I will be much happier if I get the same results. 
1 Like
Finally got to ride outside and sadly Whoop did not do well. So whilst riding on the trainer Whoop seems ok but when outside the HR is all over the place. Doesn’t get the lows and really exaggerates the highs. Garmin Chest strap and Amazfit 128 Max, Whoop 176 max. It is impossible for me to get that high with the meds I am on that controls my HR. I really thought the tight leather band was going to be the solution. I can only assume that Whoop simply does not handle the vibrations coming through the handlebars. On well only 6 months to go and I can bin the Whoop. 
Sprry to hear that. I hoped the new band fixed your issues for good. Did an indoor run yeasterday, used biceps band, after 3 minutes struggles the whoop was in line with my H10 chest strap.
Yeah Bicep band was better for sure but still had some crazy results every few rides. But wrist was better for BP insights and ECG. Whoop 5/MG seems to have issues. Thinner, Smaller & Lighter might not be Better 
Are you happy with BP insights and ECG, I am thinking of geting the MG.
Den tors 18 dec. 2025 23:22Alan Gooner via WHOOP Community <notifications@wboston.discoursemail.com> skrev:
1 Like
It’s the only thing I am happy with. If it wasn’t for these two features I would have dumped Whoop sometime ago. ECG works for me but I see lots of people have problems with it. Occasionally it give me a hard time. BP insights seem very close to my BP cuff but the fact that every 3 weeks or so Whoop wants me re-calibrate by taking 3 cuff readings makes me a little suspicious. I really feels it knows my range and sticks to it. I has never given me a high reading..
PS: I would delete your personal information from your post if I was you. You never know who is looking and could use nefariously.
Ok thanks for the info. I have deleted. I will give the mg som thought. I have high blood pressure but take medication, and have had afib, but are cured after an succsessfull ablation. MG could get me some important insights. And hopefully better HR readings.
1 Like
That’s quite interesting. I found out I had an irregular Heart Beat in September when I went into the hospital with blood clots in my lungs. Whoop MG in the US does not monitor all day for any HR irregularities which is a shame, other countries it does. That said Whoop did help me understand something was happening. Looking back on my data I can see some extremely high HRV spikes that whoop detected. These are AFIB/PACs during the night whilst I am asleep. On meds now and it seems to have fixed things but ablation procedure might be in my future. That said I really think I might have over did my cycling during this period. I was cycling around 1000 miles a month in temps close to 100f and at 64 might not have been the smartest idea. Been good since September. 
Good to hear it is better. I had two ablations back in 2021/2022 and been afib free since then. Discovered it during training with polar H10.
1 Like
