Heart Rate Training
Take your cardio training to the next level! Activio provides you with an easy and effective concept for heart rate based training. Heart rate training means that you will use your heart rate as a guidance during the session. Your heart rate gives you an honest, objective and direct feedback on how hard you are really working. Activio provides you with a unique workout experience and a valuable tool to find the right training level based on your own training experience and goals.
The heart rate data is transmitted wirelessly and anonymously presented on the screen in real time, providing an easy, effective and motivating feedback for both participants and the instructor. Activio's heart rate training concept is suitable for everyone regardless of fitness level or training experience.
How it works
Before the session
The heart rate chest belt is placed around your chest. The elastic strap should be adjusted in length to provide a good fit. To ensure that the contact with the skin is the best possible you can put some water on the electrode surfaces on the back side of the belt.
Place the chestbelt around the chest directly to the skin. (Photographer: JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)
Before the training session begins you insert your maximum heart rate into the system to set up the different intensity zones accordingly.
During the session
You can identify your chest belt by its number on the screen. This gives all users anonymity during the session, only you know which intensity meter on the screen is yours. The intensity meter shows five different zones used by the instructor to guide the participants during the session. The chart below explains the different zones that are based on the scale for Rate of Perceived Exertion (Borg RPE scale®).
| Percentage of max heart rate | Perceived exertion and effect | Training structure | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
- 60 %
 |
White Zone | Light. Good zone for warming up, cool-down, well-being and recovery. | Continuous work |
|
60 - 70 %
 |
Blue Zone | Moderate. Good for active recovery. Develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. | Continuous work |
|
70 - 80 %
 |
Green Zone | Hard. Good zone for beginners or longer distance classes. Develops the cardiovascular system and improves aerobic capacity. | Continuous work / interval training |
|
80 - 90 %
 |
Yellow Zone | Very hard. Improves aerobic and anaerobic capacity. | Continuous work / interval training |
|
90 - 100 %
 |
Red Zone | Maximal exertion. Improves anaerobic capacity. Long recovery period. | Mainly interval training |
Calibration of inserted maximum heart rate
The maximum heart rate is individual (mainly genetically determined) and is not related to your current fitness level. The maximum heart rate normally drops with age, but it has been seen that many older people who have been active during their lives don't necessarily have a similar drop in their maximum heart rate over the years. There are various formulas presented to 'calculate' maximum heart rate but no formula fits everyone. When starting to use Activio, participants will quickly find out how accurate their inserted maximum heart rate value is. For some participants adjustments to the inserted maximum heart rate can be needed. If your intensity meter shows a higher value than your rate of perceived exertion (e.g.you are in the yellow or red zone but your rate of perceived exertion is less), then you most likely have a higher maximum heart rate than inserted into the system. The opposite is true if the intensity meter shows a lower value than your rate of perceived exertion. Your instructor will help you during the training session to adjust your inserted maximum heart rate if needed.
Basic exercise physiology
Read more about maximum heart rate, training heart rate, resting heart rate and other values in the section basic exercise physiology.
