How to Introduce Heart Rate Monitors to a Group

Introducing heart rate monitors into your group training is a great way to make money, add variety to your services (as a trainer), and to increase the fitness of everyone in your group!

Last month, I was asked to be a guest blogger for ZONING Fitness, and I wanted to make it really clear how easy it is to incorporate a heart rate monitor into your training groups.  Click the link below to read my full blog entry at ZONING Fitness.

http://zoningfitness.com/blog/heart-rate-training-for-weight-loss/taking-zoning-fitness-on-the-road-with-you/

Step One:  give out heart rate monitors!

That's right - give them out!  Heart Zones and ZONING Fitness offer a try it free program

(on consignment) for the Blink heart rate monitors.  We've been in the business for a long time, and we know that trainers can't and clubs don't like paying for new products.  President and owner of ZONING Fitness, Sally Edwards knows what she's doing.  Give her a credit card number (for security purposes) and she'll hold off billing you for 30 days.  In addition to that, you can return any unsold monitors at the end of your class for full credit.  Once your participants have their monitors, they are 100% in the game and want to learn how to use it.

Step Two:  show them how to program their monitors and use them with their activity of choice!

This is the step we'll break down to make it easier for you to teach and them to follow:

Day One:  Program time of day and date, and personal settings (weight, age, sex).  Perform the threshold test to determine your bottom and top of the yellow zone.  Click here or on the image at left for the easy version of the test.  Program in your heart rate "numbers" into your heart rate monitor.

Day Two:  Introduce the stopwatch function.  Have participants spend 20 minutes in their yellow zone with the activity of their choice. 

Day Three:  Introduce the average heart rate function.  Have participants try to obtain the highest average heart rate in 20 minutes with their choice of activity.  (p.s.  This also utilizes the stopwatch function.)

Day Four:  Introduce the calories function.  Have participants try to obtain the highest total calories burned in 20 minutes of their choice of activity. (Also uses the stopwatch function.)

Day Five:  Introduce the interval timer function.  Have participants "go hard" for 1 minute and "go easy" for 1 minute with an activity of their choice for 20 minutes.  (p.s. You can do this by color, using yellow for go hard and blue for go easy - or red for go hard and yellow or blue for go easy.)  The intensity of the interval is up to the participant and their current level of fitness.  And yes, it also uses the stopwatch function.

Day Six:  Have participants write their own workout using one or more features of their watch.

It's that easy!  What's holding you back?  Let me know if you have any questions about implementing a program with your group or in your club.

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Living 365fitt,
Kathy