My spin class regulars have heard me speak about the dangers of going all out, all the time–how it can lead to injury, illness, and over training.
On the other hand you don’t want to be that guy I saw at the gym this weekend, scarcely churning the pedals while reading the paper for half an hour, somehow convincing himself he was getting a workout. So how do you know when you’re training too hard–or not hard enough?
Heart rate training is the natural answer–but heart rate monitors can be expensive and confusing.
Now a new product has come along from a company called Heart Zones that simplifies heart rate training. Their monitor is called the Blink, because it does just that–blinks to indicate your effort level.
Once your monitor is programmed, a blinking light on the monitor tells you if you’re working in the right zone. The light blinks:
BLUE to indicate an easy warmup/moderate aerobic pace
YELLOW (that’s YELLOW) to indicate a more aggressive aerobic pace–like our 80% of your max/ 30 min race-pace effort level.
RED to indicate when you’re hitting an anaerobic pace–that intensity you can’t sustain for more than 30 seconds to three minutes, which you want to use sparingly in training (like when hitting hard surges and sprints).
There are two models of Blinks–the Blink1, which is a basic, easy-to-use heart rate monitor ($74.99) and the Blink2, which offers far more functions like average heart rate and time spent in each zone ($84.95). And get this: right now, if you order more than one Blink1, you can get them for half off–just $37.50 each. (NOTE–if you’re using it for indoor cycling or the gym, be sure to ask about the 1D or 2D models, which are interference free to avoid “cross talk”). So grab a friend and take charge of your fitness!
Poke around the website and you’ll find a wealth of free resources to take your training to the next level, including simple tests to establish your heart rate training zones, workouts, brief articles that tell you what those numbers on your heart rate monitor mean, and more. It’s also part of the larger Zoning Fitness program–perhaps the easiest-to-follow heart rate training program I’ve seen for getting fit and losing weight responsibly (more details here).
While I’ve never used one (this isn’t paid advertising), I love the idea of these heart rate monitors–both for spin class and for those days when you’re working out on your own. How many of us have hopped on a cardio machine or gone out for a ride and found that it’s harder to push yourself when you’re working out alone? With the Blink, you’ll be able to easily keep yourself from pushing too hard during your warm up (and paying the price later) by starting in the blue for 5-10 minutes. Then, you have the incentive to push harder by striving to get and keep that yellow light blinking–and can even perform easily measurable anaerobic intervals on your own by pushing your Blink to red and keeping it there for a set duration.
The takeaway is this: heart rate training isn’t just for elite athletes–it’s a great tool for anyone looking to build, maintain, or improve fitness. With tools like the Blink heart rate monitor, heart rate training can be an easy means of getting healthy–and getting faster–while avoiding the pitfalls of push too hard, overtraining, or not pushing quite hard enough in that next spin class or while working out on your own.
If you try the Blink let me know what you think! And if you’re interested in going in on a bulk order, let me know and we’ll get one in right away.
