How To Get Your Whoop Age To Be Younger

When Will Ahmed founded Whoop just over a decade ago, the idea was deceptively simple: create a wearable that didn't just count steps, but truly understood the human body. Today, Whoop is a global phenomenon valued at around $3.6 billion (Dh13 billion), and the Egyptian-American sits at the helm of what has become less a fitness tracker and more a lifestyle movement.

Ahmed's current obsession is health span - not just how long you live, but how well. So, Whoop now calculates a“Whoop age”, reflecting your physiological age versus your chronological one. The secret to lowering that number? VO2 max - the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take.

“I want my Whoop age to be younger,” Ahmed admits.“So, I've been training in zones four and five, which is really intense cardio. But the key is knowing when not to push. That's where Whoop helps: if my recovery is low, I'll back off. If it's high, like the 90 per cent I had before a Barry's Bootcamp session this week, I'll go hard.”

From teenagers to families

It's a philosophy that translates from the world's fittest athletes to stressed-out professionals, parents, and even teenagers.“Teenagers today are facing mental health challenges,” Ahmed says.“Whoop helps them see the direct link: the more they sleep and move, the better they feel.”

Ahmed, who is also a father, has been asked more than once whether Whoop might extend its reach to infants. He smiles at the idea.“I've thought about it. Sleep is so important for newborns. I wouldn't say we have immediate plans, but it's crossed my mind.”

For now, Whoop remains officially 13+, partly due to data privacy laws. But families are already adopting it. Parents and teenagers compare sleep scores and recovery data, sometimes even competing with each other for the healthier score. Ahmed believes this creates dialogue between generations.“Measuring your body creates a conversation with your body,” he says.“And that can spark conversations between parents and kids, or bosses and employees.”

AI and diagnostics

Long before ChatGPT made artificial intelligence (AI) mainstream, Whoop was using machine learning to improve its algorithms. Today, the company is experimenting with large language models that allow users to ask unstructured questions about their health.

Through a partnership with Quest Diagnostics in the US - and soon, the Middle East - members will be able to upload past results and take new tests, feeding that data directly into the Whoop ecosystem.“Imagine seeing your bloodwork alongside your daily recovery scores, then having AI explain how one affects the other,” Ahmed says.“That's where we're heading.” Ahmed is no stranger to the Middle East, having spent a lot of time in the region during the last decade.“I love the Middle East, it's in my blood.”

Unlike an Apple Watch, Whoop is screenless and deliberately understated - its sleek strap whispering performance rather than shouting notifications. For celebrities, the appeal is obvious. For ordinary users, Whoop offers access to the same tools as those used by Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo or American rapper Jay-Z.“I'm proud that Whoop has, I think, a positive status and symbol that comes with wearing it.” In Ahmed's words:“It's aspirational, but it's also deeply personal.”

The celebrity factor

Ronaldo doesn't just wear Whoop - he has invested in it. For Ahmed, that partnership is both a validation and a symbol of the brand's ethos: authenticity.“Ronaldo wore Whoop for two years before we ever spoke to him,” Ahmed recalls.“He fell in love with the product first, and that meant the relationship was natural.”

Data insights also make headlines. Ahmed remembers one striking moment with NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes:“His heart rate was higher on the sidelines than when he was actually on the field leading a game-winning drive. On the field, he felt in control. Off it, he was nervous.”

Golfers, meanwhile, may look calm on the 18th green, but Whoop data tells a different story.“Rory McIlroy once had a heart rate of 130 while lining up a three-foot putt,” Ahmed laughs.“They look composed, but inside, their bodies know the stakes.”

From sport to medical

Although Whoop's roots are in sport, Ahmed always envisioned a wider reach.“The vision was to go from athletes, to fitness enthusiasts, to general consumers, to medical,” he explains. That expansion accelerated during Covid-19. When Whoop discovered it could predict infection through elevated respiratory rates, its appeal shifted overnight from elite recovery to general health.

Tens of thousands of users discovered they had Covid because of the device. Soon after, the company rolled out a health monitor that flagged anomalies in heart rate, breathing, or recovery scores, features now used by ordinary consumers as early-warning systems for illness and fatigue.

That mass adoption hasn't diluted the product's luxury aura. Instead, Whoop's cultural currency lies in offering medical-grade insights in a discreet, lifestyle-driven package. As Ahmed puts it:“It's beginning to feel like a 24/7 coach, trainer, and eventually, a doctor.”

Authenticity extends beyond Whoop's celebrity ambassadors to its employees. The company offers a sleep bonus: $100 (Dh367) a month for staff who hit 85 per cent sleep performance. Morning workouts are common. Challenges keep teams motivated.“It's a group of people who care deeply about health,” Ahmed says.

That culture reinforces Whoop's mission to help people live better, longer.“Activity and exercise dramatically improve mood,” Ahmed adds.“For anyone feeling stuck, finding movement - whether it's Jiu-Jitsu or paddle tennis - is a massive unlock.”

The Whoop Podcast

After hundreds of episodes of The Whoop Podcast, Ahmed has interviewed everyone from Ronaldo to top surgeons. Who's on his dream list?“Muhammad Ali would have been incredible. Lewis Hamilton would be fascinating. And Jay-Z - I'd love to talk to him about creativity and health.”

Ahmed is proud of the guests the podcast attracts, from athletes to doctors, researchers, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. The thread that holds them all together?“They care about health and performance in one way or another. We value authenticity, and so it's a pretty authentic platform for talking about people's data and their bodies.”

The company may face competition, but Ahmed insists Whoop's edge lies in its data set.“Whoop has collected an enormous amount of physiological data on the human body, and that's something that we've been training on and learning from and growing from as a consequence. Pick the biggest AI companies in the world, they don't have the same data set that we have when it comes to health. And so that's a big advantage.”

As for expansion, Whoop is preparing to launch advanced labs and deepen its medical integration.“Technology moves fast,” he says.“You can never get too comfortable. We always want to feel like David versus Goliath.”

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