heart rate training
FINGER ON THE PULSE
Heart rate training improves the effectiveness of workouts, but are your members aware of this? And is your gym making the most of the technology? Kath Hudson reports on the latest innovations
many operators, step forward heart rate training. Not only can heart rate training improve the effi cacy of workouts – thereby leading to improved results and with it member loyalty – but, as an added bonus for operators, selling heart rate monitors and belts can provide a solid secondary income stream. However, with the recent
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boom in technology – including fi tness apps – meaning people are increasingly able to bypass the gym and take their fi tness into their own hands, health clubs and leisure centres need to create a role for themselves. While heart rate monitors can
be purchased reasonably cheaply, heart rate training in itself remains confusing to many – if members aren’t offered guidance on which zones they should train in, and for how long, they’re unlikely to get much more from their workouts. It’s therefore vital that operators carve out a role for themselves in setting goals, providing encouragement and interpreting results. We take a look at some of the
technology that can bring heart rate training to life in clubs: new systems from MYZONE and Wattbike, as well as the latest enhancements to the Activio and Suunto software.
62
ith the holy grail of improved retention still elusive for
MYZONE New to the market, MYZONE is able to accurately monitor both indoor and outdoor activity. It also allows for individual fitness levels to reward effort (see also project profi le, p73). The product is the latest passion of CFM’s Dave Wright, who explains:
“Heart rate monitoring is currently used predominantly by elite athletes or for cycle classes, accounting for a tiny proportion of the population. MYZONE is for 100 per cent of the population. The future for the club owner, and the industry, is information. It’s about connecting people inside and outside of the four walls of the club, particularly those who don’t want to join a gym. “There are three aspects to physical
activity: delivery, monitoring and outcomes. Health clubs and fi tness professionals are fantastic at delivery, but MYZONE offers both accurate monitoring and outcomes.” The product went live in November
and, within a couple of weeks, was being installed by gyms all over the world, including Fitness First Australia, Les Mills New Zealand, Good Life Gyms in Australia, Gold’s Gym in Canada, Aspria in Europe and, in the UK, ZT Fitness in Brighton and H2 in London. Based on current demand, Wright expects to have 100 million users in the next 36 months. So how does it work? Users wear the
heart rate monitor belt, which contains a chip that records all their activity both in and outside of the gym – even including activities like gardening, which pedometers overlook. When users are within 20 metres of a MYZONE kiosk, the kiosk wirelessly draws down the data. The information then be discussed with a trainer at the gym, or else viewed
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
online as a member of the MYZONE community (
www.myzonemoves.com). “You can check the data wherever
you are, but the only place you can download it is at the club. It’s therefore a fantastic retention tool,” says Wright.
“Those who would never join a club can become a ‘MYZONE at home member’, paying perhaps £5 a month to come into the club to download the data.” The system encourages effort and
behavioural change with MYZONE Effort Points (MEPs) – less fi t people can be rewarded in the same way as fi tter individuals if they push themselves to their own capacity. Someone walking at low intensity for 30 minutes earns 30 MEPs. However, if they push themselves a bit harder for 20 minutes – by walking faster, going uphill, or carrying something – they could earn 60 points. For gym users wearing belts while
they work out, MYZONE can be projected onto a screen, using fi ve colours to show activity levels. Grey is the easiest at 50–60 per cent heart rate capacity; red is the hardest at 90
MYZONE users must download their data in the gym, making it a good retention tool
january 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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