What Are the Best Pulse Points Besides the Wrist?

Choose where you want to wear a heart rate monitor with WHOOP Body and WHOOP 4.0.

The wrist-based heart rate monitor has become ubiquitous over the past decade, but for some people it doesn’t make sense to wear a pulse monitor on the wrist. However, there are several locations on the body where you can accurately measure your pulse rate.  

How WHOOP 4.0 Measures Pulse Data

In designing new sensors for WHOOP 4.0, we tested 20 locations on the body and found four sites besides the wrist that are near strong pulse points where heart rate can be accurately measured. These locations were selected for their accuracy and for comfort regardless of whether you're running, lifting weights or sleeping. “We analyzed data to find the locations with the highest signal and lowest noise and we picked the ones that showed the potential to produce the best accuracy in terms of extracted physiological features,” said Behnoosh Tavakoli, the Director of Signal Processing at WHOOP. Tavakoli defines noise as anything that can disrupt the signal such as motion or respiration. The new sensor system with five LEDs in the WHOOP 4.0 monitor changes in blood volume in the microvascular bed in the skin and WHOOP engineers selected the points where the signal was always high regardless of whether the wearer is moving or resting.

WHOOP 4.0 can be worn on several locations including the waist with WHOOP Body smart garments.

WHOOP Body Featuring Any-Wear™ Technology Monitors Your Pulse Without the Strap

Wearing a heart rate monitor does not mean you have to wear a restrictive chest strap all day or miss data because you can’t have anything on your wrist during work. In addition to accuracy, comfort was also a consideration for potential WHOOP Body locations. WHOOP Body’s Any-Wear technology lets you wear the 4.0 sensor without a strap in four locations without it feeling restrictive or uncomfortable whether you’re at work, the gym or in bed. WHOOP Body wearable technology allows you to slide the WHOOP 4.0 sensor into a specialized pocket called a pod located in specific places in your clothing to accurately monitor your heart rate and a wide variety of other physiological metrics.

WHOOP Body apparel includes pods that allow you to wear WHOOP 4.0 comfortably while accurately monitoring your physiological metrics.

WHOOP Body Pulse Points

• Left side of the torso -- The pod in the WHOOP Body sports bra, everyday bralette and adjustable bralette is located on the left side of the torso near the heart.
• Upper arm -- The WHOOP Body arm band and performance short sleeve top positions the sensor on the bicep close to the brachial pulse point in the upper arm. Medical professionals also target the brachial pulse when checking your blood pressure.
• Waist -- The femoral artery is one of the largest blood vessels in the body. As such, medical professionals often use it in procedures to gain access to the arterial system. WHOOP Body performance shorts, athletic boxers and everyday boxers include a pod in the back waistband, monitoring a powerful pulse point in a comfortable location.
• Lower leg -- WHOOP Body targets the popliteal artery in the lower leg. The performance leggings include a pod on the back of the left calf.

WHOOP Health Monitor Provides Pulse Feedback and More

The new WHOOP Health Monitor uses your pulse data to provide feedback about your live heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oximetry, resting heart rate and respiratory rate, giving you a single place to view your key vitals.

Wear WHOOP 4.0 on your calf with WHOOP Body leggings.

The products and services of WHOOP are not medical devices, are not intended to diagnose COVID-19, the flu or any other disease, and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content available through the products and services of WHOOP is for general informational purposes only.