WHOOP · Your reading
My WHOOP Recovery is red. Should I train today?
Usually yes, just not hard. WHOOP reads red (0–33%) as your body under increased stress and suggests adjusting Strain or prioritising recovery. Most days that means easy aerobic or mobility work, with the hard session moved two or three days out.
What the score is made of.
WHOOP calculates Recovery overnight while you sleep and gives you a score in the morning, from 0 to 100%. The higher it is, the more prepared WHOOP says your body is to take on Strain that day. It doesn’t change through the day unless you edit your sleep.
The inputs, per WHOOP: heart rate variability, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, hours of sleep against what WHOOP estimates you needed, time in light sleep and awake, skin temperature and blood oxygen. If you track your cycle, WHOOP also considers its phase so normal hormonal shifts aren’t mistaken for illness.
HRV and resting heart rate are the two biggest contributors. WHOOP weights HRV towards deep sleep and the later part of the night, then compares it with your 30-day baseline: higher than usual lifts the score, lower than usual pulls it down. A higher resting heart rate lowers it. Every input is judged against your own baseline, not anyone else’s.
What each colour means for today.
| Score | Level | What to do today |
|---|---|---|
| 67–100% | Green: high Recovery | Train as planned. WHOOP says your body is primed for a higher training load, so this is the day for the hard session. A run of green mornings is the time to add a little, not just hold steady. |
| 34–66% | Yellow: moderate Recovery | Train, trimmed. WHOOP says you’re maintaining baseline but more open to fatigue, so keep the session type and take the top off it: intensity a notch down, last hard rep left in the tank. |
| 0–33% | Red: low Recovery | Switch the session: intervals become easy aerobic work, the heavy lift becomes mobility, and the hard day moves two or three days out. If red follows several hard days and short sleep, recover deliberately. |
Educational, not medical advice. With chest pain, a fever or feeling unwell, rest and see a doctor.
What the score can’t see.
One red morning is noise until it repeats. Alcohol, a late meal, travel or a stressful day can drag the score down after a good week, and WHOOP itself says to look for trends, not single days. Research on HRV monitoring in endurance athletes agrees: averages over several days read training status better than one morning.
The score also can’t see what you know. It doesn’t know your calf is niggling or that tomorrow is race day. A specific pain that changes how you move overrules a green score every time. If you feel ill, have a fever or chest pain, don’t train: see a doctor.
Recovery reads best next to its parts. A yellow from one short night is a different day from a yellow with HRV down and resting heart rate up three mornings running. px reads your WHOOP Recovery every morning alongside your sleep, HRV, resting heart rate and calendar, and sizes the day from all of it, telling you why.
Sources
Your WHOOP scores, explained.
Questions
Should I work out on a red recovery day?
Usually yes, but easy. Red means your body is working hard to recover, not that movement is off limits. Easy aerobic work or mobility suits it; save intervals and heavy lifts for a morning that can absorb them.
Why is my WHOOP Recovery low when I slept well?
Sleep is only part of the score. WHOOP says high Strain, dehydration, alcohol, travel or stress can lower Recovery through HRV, resting heart rate, respiratory rate and skin temperature, even after a good night.
What is a good WHOOP Recovery score?
WHOOP counts 67–100% as green, or high Recovery. Beyond that, compare with your own normal: a score that is low for you is worth noticing even in yellow.
Does a red Recovery mean I’m getting ill?
Not on its own. WHOOP says it isn’t a diagnostic tool, though a rise in respiratory rate, a drop in HRV and a change in skin temperature can point to physiological stress. If you see sudden, unexplained drops, speak to a doctor.
px reads your WHOOP Recovery every morning.
Alongside your sleep, HRV, resting heart rate and calendar, so the day is sized from all of it, not one number. You get the plan and the reason.