Upgrade Yourself: 4 ways to create a workout-boosting distraction

Whether you’re an Eye Of The Tiger type or prefer something a little more up to date, one of the best ways to make you think about anything other than the horrific burning sensation in your legs when you exercise is to pump distracting music into your ears.

That’s a job your regular headphones do perfectly adequately every day, but can they also track your heart rate? No, they cannot. So if you fancy a gadget that will keep you motivated, track your runs and fill your ears with top training tunes, you need to keep reading.

And if you’re looking for even more ways that tech can help you get faster, fitter and healthier, check out the full Stuff Fitness Special.

Jabra Sport Pulse (£100)

Jabra’s wireless Sport Pulse headphones aren’t entirely cable-free (there’s one between the two buds) but they do also listen to you while you listen to them, tracking your heart rate using Jabra’s Sport Life app to make sure you’re working as hard as you should.

The app can also record your routes using the phone’s GPS, calculate how many calories you’ve burned, and conduct various basic fitness tests – such as the Rockport Test, which is designed to work out your VO2 max level, and the Orthostatic Heart Rate Test, which helps you ascertain if you’re working too hard or are overly stressed. A tap on the outside of the left earbud at any time will give you an update on how you’re doing.

Your normal headphones are also prone to falling out while you’re running, or falling to bits after continuously being drenched in your highly corrosive ear sweat, but the Sport Pulse buds are rugged enough to withstand military-grade punishment from rain, sand, dust and shock, so a little bit of perspiration shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Buy the Jabra Sport Pulse from Amazon

In detail

The route to your heart

Inside the ear is a great place to measure your heart rate – the pulse is strong and your ears don’t move around much when you exercise.

Taking the mic

There’s also a mic included, so providing you’re not so out of breath that you struggle to speak, you can even take handsfree calls on the go.

Button move

The left earbud of the Sport Pulses also has handy buttons to control music playback and adjust the volume, so you can turn down that Simply Red playlist before running through any busy streets or crossing any roads. Mick Hucknall has caused enough damage as it is.

Beats, mates and Batman: the best of the rest

7 Minute Superhero Workout (£2.29): bulk up like Hulk

They say you should always be yourself. But if you could be Batman, you should probably be Batman. 7 Minute Superhero Workout will do its best to help turn you into Batman, morphing exercises into a videogame-esque process of levelling up, using your phone to count reps. It’s available on Android and iOS, and supports Chromecast and Apple TV for when you want to blow it up to the big screen. Building an underground lair is strictly optional.

Spotify Running (£free with Spotify subscription): run to the beat

If you run using Spotify’s mobile app, its Running mode can use sensors in your phone to determine your pace and play music to match – and with a bit of help from your listening history it should pick stuff you actually like. Need a bit of a push to up the pace? Just knock the BPM up a notch and with any luck your legs will follow. There are even some tunes created by superstar DJ Tiesto that automatically change to match your pace as they play.

MyZone MZ-3 (£130): compete on a level playing field

Sometimes the best way to get motivated is to introduce a bit of friendly competition – and MyZone wants to tap into that competitive streak. It awards Effort Points to each user based on how hard they work, with a sensor worn in either a chest strap or a sports bra to monitor your heart rate. Each person is given a handicap based on their maximum heart rate, so even if you don’t finish first you might still win on effort. And everybody loves a tryer.

Upgrade Yourself › the Stuff Fitness Special continues here