One of the things which sets Reform Fitness apart from other Barnstaple gyms is that we use Myzone!
Myzone is a wearable heart rate based system that uses wireless and cloud technology to accurately and conveniently monitor physical activity.
When you wear the band around their chest, it records what percentage of your maximum heart rate (MHR) you are working at.
These are displayed in different colour zones – grey, blue, green, yellow and red – and you are also rewarded Myzone Effort Points (MEPs) based on which zone you are in.
This means when you’re working out you can see exactly how hard you’re working and how quickly you recover.
For each workout you’ll earn MEPs, gain monthly status rankings and be able to view it all on an app as well as on the screens in the gym.
You can also take part in our monthly leaderboard and challenges, compete against yourself or other members, and use it to make your workout even more fun!
How does Myzone work?
Unlike other fitness monitors, Myzone is 99.4% accurate and is designed to make working out more exciting.
Myzone is a comfortable band worn around your chest, with a monitor which pops on and off so the band can be washed.
Myzone users a formula accredited by the American College of Sports Medicine to automatically establish your maximum heart rate based on your age.
This formula is: MaX HR = 207 – (0.7 x age).
This is based on population norms. If you are able to push your maximum heart rate past this limit and hold it at 100% for 40 seconds, Myzone will automatically adjust.
This means the more you wear your belt, the more accurate the system becomes for you.
What do the colour zones mean?
When working out at Reform Fitness, every person in the facility wearing a band will see their own ’tile’ displayed on the big screens with their name.
This shows a number of metrics:
- Heart rate percentage – the big number displayed in the centre as a %
- MEPs – This is show next to the Myzone logo and displays how many MEPs you’ve earned in this workout
- Calories burnt – This is shown by the flame symbol
- Heart rate – This is shown in the heart
The colours of your Myzone tile represent the percentage of your maximum heart rate you’re working at:
- Dark grey: 50-59% – this is generally used for the warm up or cool down
- Blue: 60-69% – this is often used in the warm up or cool down, or in the recovery stage of intervals
- Green: 70-79% – this a moderate-to-high state, also used in recovery stages of high intensity intervals
- Yellow: 80-89% – this is the high intensity phase we’re aiming for with intervals, and should feel hard
- Red: 90% + – this should feel like you’re working at maximum effort and be a struggle to reach.
Each colour zone awards you a different amount of MEPs for every minute you’re in it:
- Light grey: 0 MEPs per minute
- Dark grey: 1 MEP per minute
- Blue: 2 MEPs per minute
- Green 3 MEPs per minute
- Yellow: 4 MEPs per minute
- Red: 4 MEPs per minute
It’s not always about pushing into the red zone – and if you find you’re reaching the red easily or spending a lot of time there, we can help you to readjust your band.
What do I do if my band doesn’t seem right?
Myzone uses a formula based off the general population to calculate your maximum heart rate, but this won’t take into account your individual fitness levels.
You may find when you start wearing the band, you’re struggling to hit the red zone no matter how hard you push, or you may find you’re spending too much time there.
If you can push your band to 100% and hold it there for more than 40 seconds, your band will automatically adjust your MHR.
If you’re finding it hard to get out of the lower zones, we can manually adjust your band for you.
Either way, after a few sessions wearing the band, it should adapt to you to give you a more accurate reading.
Interested in trying Myzone out? Find out more about our Small Group Personal Training trial and receive a band to get started!
