Today I’m writing up my review of the MyZone® HR monitor! I’ve been using mine now since May and have tested over a range of activities, so now I really believe I can give y'all a fair and informative review.
Now, let’s start with the basics. I have the MyZone® MZ-3 physical activity belt, which retails for £129.99 – which, for a heart rate monitor, is fairly pricey considering you can get something like a Wahoo TICKR belt for ~£65. Purchasing through a MyZone® representative is generally the best way: these tend to be personal trainers or gyms affiliated with the brand. For example, where I live you can get a belt through Henley Fitness Space and save something like ~10% off the RRP.
Comfort wise it took a bit of adjusting for me to get used to the belt, but once I found the right position (which for me was just underneath my sports bra) I actually barely noticed the belt was there – which surprised me considering how bulky the monitor is. I find that in this position it sits just higher than where I pull through at the finish, meaning I don’t bash my knuckles into it when I’m sculling or erging, and is actually a good (if not slightly painful) tool for letting me know when I’m drawing up that bit too high. Once the belt is on and can sense your HR it beeps, it then beeps three times if the connection is lost. The most annoying thing about this aspect is the belt can just randomly start beeping when it’s in your gym bag so to avoid that I find it best to remove the monitor from the belt whenever not in use.
The belt can sync up to your phone via Bluetooth, although it doesn’t need to be connected to your phone to record a work out. The option to view a ‘live workout’ for me has proved very useful during UT2/SS workouts where I’ve now begun hiding my split and focusing purely on my heart rate to make the most of the workout. Helpfully you can link certain HR zones to a colour, which means you don’t necessarily need to look at the exact number on the app (which can be quite small). For me, if my screen turns from green to yellow I know I’m pushing too hard and if it goes from green to blue I’m not pushing hard enough during those long ergs. The device can hold a couple of hours’ worth of work outs, so if you find yourself without signal (hello... HRC gym) then you don’t have to sync immediately. Syncing the belt to the app on your phone lets you review your work out including: calories burnt, time spent in certain HR zones, peak HR, average HR and duration (which is total time you're wearing the belt, so includes those annoying 'grey zones'..see below).
Personally I love the app and I believe it’s this which really sells the belt for me. Being able to review my workouts in terms of HR is extremely beneficial and allows me to assess just how much I can push my body, but it also highlights when I’m being inefficient (high HR with no boat speed = BAD). I’d love to be able to test this against something like the Wahoo TICKR (which also has an associated app) to see how they compare, but I really cannot fault the level of useful information the MyZone® app gives me. You also gain ‘MEPs’ when logging workouts. When you first get the belt it suggests 1300 MEPs a month, which for someone like me I hit in roughly a week, but for an average gym goer can provide great motivation. Apart from earning you badges next to your profile I can’t see what else MEPs do, but it can make going to the gym competitive – especially if multiple people in your group have the belt. It also allows personal trainers to really track their client’s progress and workouts, so from that perspective is very handy.
Accuracy wise, when worn alongside my Polar FT1 watch and T31 chest strap I noticed no difference in the numbers. My strap is coded to the watch so I’m fairly confident there was no interference.
MyZone® also offer a range of other items you can clip the monitor on, such as sports bras and compression tops. I’ve not tried these myself and as much as it’s a nice option to have, I don’t see the reason to purchase anything other than the belt. You can also buy the MyZone® MZ-50 watch either alone (£99.99) or in a set with the belt (£179.99). What attracts me to HR belts is the fact I don’t need anything on my wrist, which I find irritates me over long sessions, so I’ve not yet trialled any sports watches for rowing. The belt itself is also machine washable and belt+monitor have survived one capsize, so it's water resistant to an extent but I wouldn't wear it swimming! NB: the MyZone® website states the belt is completely waterproof but you can't swim with it as water causes the strap to come away from the chest too frequently.
Affordability: 3/10
Comfort: 7/10
Accuracy: 10/10
Supporting App: 9/10 (I wish it auto linked with Strava/MyFitnessPal etc)
Overall: 7.25/10
All in all I think the monitor is a great tool if you have access to one, though I’m not sure it’s worth the price point.
Natalie x
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