Whoop ANY-WEAR Logo Speed Short – quick wear + butt HR test

Must Read: Whoop Band 4 Review and accuracy tests

I can’t resist a heart rate test in an unusual place. In years gone by, an ‘unusual place’ used to mean in a lake or in bed but I guess that’s now all normalised. But what isn’t normalised is butt-measured HR. Here goes…

Whoop ANY-WEAR Logo Short

Whoop sells both an ANY-WEAR Short and an ANY-WEAR Logo Short; you guessed it, the difference is that one has the Whoop logo on it and the other one doesn’t. I have a rather snazzy bright blue pair of similar SPEED SHORTS which, I have to say, are probably the best quality shorts I’ve ever worn for sport. I am and was super impressed by the quality. I guess at £69 I should be impressed.

The shorts have an inner, snug lycra layer and an outer, cosmetic layer. In my case the outer is blue and the inner is black, both have a degree of elasticity.

The black waistband is just under 2 inches wide and also mildly elasticated, also featuring a drawstring. There’s only one pocket but it’s closed with a high-quality zip and there’s easily enough room to fit my entire hand in the pocket – ie there’s more than enough storage room for a key and some bags for my dog’s various ‘doings’.

Of course, the main, unusual feature of the shorts is the pocket for the Whoop strap above the rear left butt cheek. The drawstring should be used to make a sweet contact between the Whoop and the cheek.

Why Oh Why Measure HR on the butt?

As a runner, there is zero need for me to measure HRbutt. However, if you are playing team contact sports you should not be wearing anything on your wrist like a watch or Whoop band. Similarly, if you are going to the gym you might not want to avoid knocks from the equipment to whatever is on your wrist.

There are probably lots of other reasons to wear a heart rate monitor on your shorts but the only one I could think of was to keep it relatively clean and relatively sweat-free.

Is it accurate?

Well 🙂

Whoop IS accurate when worn properly. However ‘properly’ does not include ‘on your butt’.

I normally do a series of tests which are complicated by Whoop’s inability to export HR data from a completed workout. I have to go through a convoluted process of live broadcasting to a Coros Pace 2 watch. Anyway, I’m not going to do that as these 4x VO2max running intervals from yesterday with the dog are clearly inaccurate. And, yes, the dog won.

 

 

 

Takeout

These are a convenient way of getting ‘some’ element of whoop strain at times when you either can’t or won’t wear the strap on your arm. Personally, I prefer an armband on my triceps and that does give accurate results. However, HRbutt is ‘alright’ in some vague sort of inaccurate way just to keep some semblance of the numbers ticking along in the app.

I probably will wear these in the future if only because the quality of the shorts is simply excellent, even if the colour is perhaps not my fave.

 

Train.Red FYER – yes the weird leg sensor is a Muscle Oxygen sensor. I’ve previously used Moxy and Humon Hex but this one looks to have a great sensor but the ecosystem needs some work before you guys will rush out and buy one.

Details: Speed Short – 4″, Cobalt Medium. Shell 87% Polyester, 13% Spandex. Liner 75% Nylon, 25% Spandex.