The Myzone fitness tracker wants you to step out of your comfort zone

Fitness trackers are all over the place these days. Steps taken, calories burned, maximum heart rate – it’s all there for you to look at during and after a workout. But how useful are all of those numbers?

It’s easy to ignore the data after a while (we know we’re guilty of it), but the Myzone fitness tracker wants to rectify this with an app that rewards you with more points the harder you work – within reason.

Using an accompanying £130 chest strap (along with other options such as a watch or bra), the Myzone app assigns your profile points based on how high your heart rate is at each measured interval. The app works out the safest heart rate zone for you (based on your stats and past workouts), and encourages to reach that level of effort with more points. If you go above or below the recommended level, you’ll score less points, but it should, at the very least, make people try a little bit harder instead of just idly spinning the wheels, so to speak.

It’s a good idea, but a large part of it, for us anyway, will depend on how many of your mates are also using the app. Trying to beat someone else’s score will provide more motivation for most people, unless we’re just being lazy and don’t fancy challenging ourselves as often.

The app can also be used to help you control your heart rate, letting you know when to ease off the effort for a bit to rest, before gradually building it back up. Maintaining a steady raised heart rate should net you more burned calories and improve your fitness over time, and you can measure your progress with each workout.

The tracker itself can be used independently of your phone, as it’s able to store up to 16 hours of data, which can be synced over Bluetooth later on. It’s compatible with other apps like Strava or Run Keeper too, which is handy if you’ve already built up an exercise log.

We’re currently putting the Myzone through its paces, so stay tuned for a full review.

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.