WHOOP Recovery Scores Explained: Complete Guide to HRV-Based Readiness

What Recovery Score Actually Measures

WHOOP calculates recovery using HRV, sleep performance, and recent strain. The algorithm compares your current HRV to your rolling 7-day baseline.

Yellow Days vs Red Days

Green 67-100% means full send with maximal training. Yellow 34-66% means moderate effort. Red 1-33% means recovery mode with rest.

When to Trust the Score vs Your Body

The score is descriptive, not prescriptive. One red day does not mean you are broken. Five red days means something is wrong. Trust trends over daily scores.

What Actually Wipes Recovery

From 60 days of logs: Alcohol reduces recovery by 10-15%, poor sleep, work stress, and illness.

Actionable Takeaways

Log behaviors to surface correlations. Establish 60-day baseline before trusting patterns. Use score as one data point, not gospel. Trends beat single day scores.