You’ve heard us talk about them in our kickboxing and strength training classes, but what IS the MyZone and what are the benefits of using one during class?
The MyZone heart rate monitor is a wonderful tool to help push you to your level 10, in and out of the gym. It is a heart rate monitor, motivational tool, workout tracker, and best friend, all rolled into one soft comfortable strap with the small wearable device attached.
We utilize the MyZone heart rate monitors during class not only so you can see in real time your efforts and heart rate, but it is a FANTASTIC tool for our management and instructor team to get a gauge of the classes effort, engagement, and see where each individual can be pushed a little harder, and see who might need to pause and get a sip of water. Having a MyZone in class also creates a little bit of friendly competition.
Everyone has their own resting heart rate, and that can be gauged by wearing the MyZone at rest when initially setting up the device. With 99.4% accuracy, this little gadget is quite smart-it will then take that data, and set you up to find your maximum heart rate by breaking up the percentage of your maximum heart rate into 5 zones, or percentage of effort tiles. These 5 zones are calculated specifically for you when you start training using the MyZone. As your conditioning improves over time, MyZone will automatically update your MHR (maximum heart rate) so your data stays 100% specific to you.
The 5 zones are broken down into colors: grey, blue, green, yellow, and red.
The grey, blue, and green zones are best suited for warm ups, meditation, yoga, strength and conditioning work, and cool downs. These zones are vital for gauging how quickly your body recovers from intense effort.
The red and yellow zones are best suited for high intensity physical training, and cardio work, such as kickboxing. Pushing yourself into these zones will burn more calories, and earn MyZone Effort Points (or MEPs).
Most people shouldn’t be aiming for the red zone at every workout. Nuances between the zones are much more beneficial to your overall well being than trying to max out at every single workout.
My personal favorite thing about the MyZone is the connectivity feature. You can search for your friends on the app, connect with them, like and comment on their workouts, or even create fun challenges with them. I also love the fact that I can look back at previous workouts, see where I can improve, and see how much my conditioning has changed over time.
So next time you’re in studio and see the leaderboard with all the colored tiles, ask our instructor and manager team how you can get in the zone!
