Fitness Technology Archives - Page 2 of 2

Peloton: ‘A category of one’

Written by Pernille on 1. April 2019. Posted in Fitness Technology, Interviews, Issue 6 April 2019.

What’s Peloton’s vision?
The inspiration behind Peloton is simple: people want to work out, but there are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way.

Peloton CEO John Foley experienced this first-hand when, with two kids at home, he and his wife Jill could no longer fit studio classes into their busy schedules. The idea for Peloton was born: studio-style, group fitness classes at home, letting people access the motivation, power and intensity of these classes any time, anywhere.

Peloton started with a bike, but it never set out to be just a bike company. It was always about bringing instructor-led group fitness classes to the convenience of your own home. Over the years, we’ve expanded and we continue to evolve our offering, but those founding principles remain the same.

Peloton has set the home fitness market alight. Why do you think this is?
The secret of Peloton’s success is that it’s more than just a class, a cycling studio or a bike: it sits at the intersection of fitness, technology and media and has reinvented the way people work out.

We talk about Peloton as a category of one; while there are similarities with brands that offer indoor cycling, we are more than any single bike, cycling class or studio.

The live component and community are what truly set us apart. We have over one million members in the Peloton community so, alongside the motivation from our instructors, our members can also give each other a boost.

The Peloton Bike features a real-time leaderboard, allowing you to track your progress versus other riders as well as your own Personal Record. In addition, we have a feature called ‘Here Now’, where the leaderboard shows other members who are riding in the same on-demand class at the same time as you; you can then give each other virtual high fives and support.

THE LIVE COMPONENT AND COMMUNITY ARE WHAT SET US APART – WE HAVE OVER ONE MILLION PELOTON MEMBERS

Other social features include ‘Ride with Friends’. When you hop on your Bike, you’ll receive a notification on-screen if a member you follow is currently taking a class. That way, you can join in and ride together on the leaderboard.

In short, members develop incredible relationships and connections with the community, who all share a passion for our brand. The way they motivate and interact with each other on the lea-derboard and on social media is truly amazing – and it converts riders into workout addicts

Peloton cycle classes — Instructors can see who’s taking part in live classes and give shout-outs to home riders

The Peloton Bike has a fairly high price point. Who is your target market?
Peloton has a very diverse member community, both geographically and socio-economically. What unites them is their desire for a high-quality workout with a great instructor and motivation.

They are often time-poor, so appreciate the convenience of Peloton. In addition, the monthly subscription fee is charged per household, so if you have more than one person working out, that’s a shared cost: you can have multiple profiles and riders for a single Bike.

In the UK, our monthly subscription is £39. With an average of 13 rides a month per subscription, that works out to be only £3 per ride.

How many Peloton classes are live streamed each day?
For cycling specifically, up to 14 classes are live streamed each day and we’ll have hundreds or even thousands of members taking part. In fact, some of Peloton’s recent themed rides have at-tracted nearly 20,000 live riders at one time.

During the live classes, instructors can see who’s taking part in their class, as well as those who are celebrating a milestone such as a 100th ride or a birthday, which enables them to give shout-outs to home riders.

However, it’s not just about interaction between instructors and members, but between members too. Members who have connected via Peloton will often plan to ride together and will motivate one another during the class.

Every single class that’s live streamed is then automatically added to our on-demand library, so members have access to the content any time, anywhere, regardless of where they’re based in the world.

You also have class participants in the New York studio. Can anyone go to these classes?
Anyone can visit our cycling studio in New York City to try a class. Often, we find that existing Peloton members will visit the studio to celebrate a milestone ride or to meet up with other members they’ve met through the class leader-board or social media.

We always recommend that members and new visitors to the studio book their preferred class as far in advance as possible (schedules are released a week ahead) but, with up to 14 classes live streamed each day, there are plenty of options. In addition, rides outside of the peak morning and evening times operate on a free, walk-in basis.

You now have a treadmill product too. What are your plans for this?
We announced our second hardware product, the Peloton Tread, at CES in January 2018 and started delivering units in the US this past fall.

WE ANNOUNCED OUR SECOND HARDWARE PRODUCT, THE PELOTON TREAD, IN 2018; THE REACTION HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE

Similar to the Bike, the Peloton Tread allows people to take live and on-demand group fitness classes, led by world-class instructors, from the comfort and convenience of their own homes. Peloton currently has a team of 11 Tread instructors who teach total body circuit training, walking, running, strength, stretching and audio-only outdoor running.

The reaction to the Tread has been incredible so far. Though it’s technically a treadmill, it’s really designed to deliver a total body workout, with live and on-demand classes across running, walking, bootcamp, strength and stretching.

Any plans to launch more products?
Peloton is always expanding its fitness content offerings to provide members with an ever-more diverse array of options to stay fit, happy and healthy. In December, we introduced live yoga and meditation classes, which offer a great complement to cycling.

We now have three studios in New York City – Cycling, Tread and Yoga – which are set up for live streaming of content.

cycling studio peloton — Pelotin digital is free to all bike and tread owners and offers access to over 10,000 classes

You also offer a digital membership. How does this complement the Bike and Tread?
Peloton Digital is free to all Bike and Tread owners and offers access to over 10,000 classes across categories such as cycling, running, walking, bootcamp, strength, stretching, cardio, yoga and meditation.

For non-Bike or Tread owners, you can access the full content library for £19.49 a month – less than the cost of one boutique fitness studio class. We believe the quality and breadth of content, as well as the community surrounding Peloton, sets us apart.

You recently launched in the UK. What has been the response to date?
The response has been incredible, with a community of UK-based members that’s growing daily – even faster than in the US when the business launched there.

Since the UK launch in September 2018, we’ve run our first TV advertising campaign, hosted thousands of rides at Peloton House in London, announced two UK instructors and opened multiple retail locations. Our pop-up in Covent Garden (Peloton House) has now closed, but you can take a test ride at any time at one of our retail showrooms.

We’re currently in our planning phase for a fulltime UK studio and will be opening it in 2020. In the meantime, cycling classes taught by our UK instructors are currently recorded from a location in London. They aren’t live streamed, but quickly become available on-demand for all members to access any time, anywhere around the world.

There’s enormous potential to disrupt the fitness market in the UK, and we’re only just getting started.

Will there be any differences between the way you operate in the UK versus the US?
In many ways, we’ve mirrored the US strategy in the UK. We sell direct-to-consumer through our website as well as through retail showrooms, and have built up our own delivery infrastructure to ensure we provide the highest-quality customer experience at each touchpoint.

Are you looking at any other international markets for expansion?
Right now, our international expansion efforts are focused on the UK and Canada; we launched into the Canadian market in October 2018.

The focus for the UK over the next 12 months is on growing our member base and introducing more people to Peloton. We have no immediate plans to launch the Tread in the UK, though, as we’re 100 per cent focused on penetrating the market with our core product: the Peloton Bike.

I read that you might go public in 2019. Is that still on the cards?
We’re not discussing specific timing for an IPO and, right now, are focused on using the capital we have to expand the business across product, retail and global expansion.

[Editor’s note: Recent news coverage suggests some progress has been made since this interview, with reports naming Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase as the banks chosen to lead the IPO. However, Peloton reiterates that no specific timing is being discussed for an IPO at this stage.]

HAVING LOCALLY-BASED INSTRUCTORS IS REALLY IMPORTANT: THEY UNDERSTAND THE MARKET

Is it your ultimate vision to have numerous studios around the world, all live streaming?
Our studios are different from other cycling studios – they’re really state-of-the-art broadcast production facilities – so our business model will never be to open many studio locations around the world.

At the moment, we’re focused on continuing to offer 14 hours of live cycling content from our current NYC studio, as well as on building the studio in London and a new multistudio facility in New York City, which will open next year.

Having locally-based instructors is really important though: they understand the market, the music and what motivates people. That’s why we announced two UK instructors in November 2018.

Do you think Peloton has changed the way people want to consume cycling?
Yes. I truly believe that Peloton has reinvented the category and that we’re creating demand.

We often describe Peloton as boutique fitness with a 2ft commute – you no longer have to live in a major city to get the benefit of boutique fitness classes – and the immersive experience of riding with Peloton means you’re motivated to train like never before.

Do you feel athome exercise can genuinely rival the experience of being in a club?
While gyms can still serve their purpose, we believe that fitness is moving into the home, much like movies and video games have over the past decade or so. If you can get a better fitness experience in a better, more convenient location, it could theoretically replace the need to belong to a gym.

What do you see as the future of the indoor cycling market, and what role will Peloton play in this?
I think technology will continue to play a huge role. For Peloton, technology underlies everything we do and is a big differentiator for us. We would consider ourselves to be a technology company first, content second, hardware third.

Ultimately the goal for Peloton is to be the global fitness platform for the home.

KEVIN CORNILS: PELOTON’S PERFECT MATCH

“I’ve co-founded, scaled and sold market-leading businesses across Europe in retail, media and digital services,“ says Kevin Cornils.“ I was a founding member of the team that brought the Match.com online dating business to Europe from the US, and was previously CEO of Glasses Direct, Europe’s largest online optical business.

“My passion has always been building businesses that are either creating new markets or disrupting old ones. Peloton is a great example: an exciting business that’s creating a whole new connected fitness market.

“I joined Peloton in January 2018, to oversee global business and expansion beyond the US, but have been following the brand since launch. I went to Harvard Business School with Peloton CEO John Foley, and was the first person in the UK to order a Bike when he launched Peloton on Kickstarter in 2013.

“I believed from the beginning that Peloton was a game-changing concept – one that would resonate with people who care about health and fitness, and who want a convenient and high-quality solution.“

PELOTON IN NUMBERS

Over 1 million Peloton members, and counting; reports suggest Peloton now has 4% more US customers than SoulCycle
The company was recently valued at US$4bn, with US$1bn total fundraising to date
The one-year customer retention rate is 95 per cent; it’s still 87 per cent after two years
The Bike retails at US$2,000 (£1,990) + US$39 (£39) a month subscription
Over 300,000 Bikes sold within three years of the 2014 launch
To date, each Bike sold is used for an average of 13 rides per month
Peloton members typically do 50–60% of their exercise on the Bike; the rest is done outdoors or at the gym
The new Tread retails at US$4,000

The sport of indoor cycling

Written by Pernille on 10. January 2019. Posted in Fitness Technology, Interviews, Issue 5 January 2019.

What’s the idea behind Kinomap?
Indoor training can be boring. People buy a piece of gym equipment for their home and within months they’re disengaged and no longer using it. In creating Kinomap, our idea was to make indoorsessions fun, using technology to engage people and make their journey to good health more interesting.

What is Kinomap?
Kinomap allows exercisers to access real-world video footage – a huge variety of routes through which they can ride, run or row – to make their indoor training more engaging.

It was developed over two key phases. The first phase, in 2010, was Kinomap.com: a free sharing website for geolocated, user-generated video content. Anyone who uploads content to Kinomap needs to upload not only a video, but also the corresponding GPS track; it’s a bit like YouTube and GoogleMaps rolled into one.

KINOMAP WORKS WITH ALL TYPES OF CARDIO EQUIPMENT: BIKES, TREADMILLS, CROSS-TRAINERS AND ROWERS

We now have 140,000km of track – real video footage – from 86 countries around the world, from Europe to Brazil, China to Vietnam to Mongolia. You can go for a run on the Great Wall of China, cycle the Alpe d’Huez route from the Tour de France, row along the canals in Amsterdam… There’s a huge diversity of content, with five to 10 new videos uploaded by users every day and made available to those using Kinomap to train indoors.

Having created Kinomap.com to collect video content, we then moved on to developing training apps that used this content. The main Kinomap app was launched in 2013 and was followed by a series of white label apps for partners, like Decathlon and Kettler, who promote Kinomap to those purchasing their equipment; Kinomap works with all types of cardio equipment, from indoor and recumbent bikes to treadmills, cross-trainers and rowing machines.

What makes Kinomap technology special?
The geolocation technology, combined with the real video footage, is key. It moves Kinomap away from being virtual reality entertainment and into a sporting, performance-focused arena.

These are real videos of real tracks that you have to complete; anyone using our Challenge mode will see their avatar moving along the track on the map at exactly the same speed as they’re moving through the video footage. It doesn’t matter how long the original contributor took to complete the track: they might have labelled it as a 30-minute track, but you could do it faster or slower depending on your power output on your chosen piece of cardio equipment.

And the system is highly accurate – so much so that when it comes to cycling, for example, Strava equates it to a real road ride and allows you to log your Kinomap training data on its app.

The system works best when the cardio equipment features a sensor that Kinomap can pair with. On a bike, for example, this allows the resistance to automatically adjust to the incline of the track. Where the bike has a power meter, we can also accurately adjust your speed: if your output is 200 watts on a flat road, we’ll move you along at 30kph; if you’re climbing the Alpe d’Huez at an 11 per cent incline, you’ll be down to 8kph.

However, you can still use Kinomap if you have an older piece of fitness equipment with no inbuilt electronics: the app can use the front-facing camera on your mobile phone to detect your cadence on a bike, your stride if you’re running, or your stroke on a rowing machine.
Alternatively, if you’d rather just use the video as entertainment, you can choose Discovery mode. In this case, you pass through the video at the same speed as the contributor. You’ll still feel the inclines and declines, but you don’t get the full experience of completing the track for yourself.

you can still use Kinomap if you have an older piece of fitness equipment with no inbuilt electronics

How does it work if you’re training from home?
Most people run the app through their smartphone and cast the video onto a TV screen, so the whole experience is very immersive.

It’s made even more engaging by the fact that you never train alone. We have a multi-player mode, so you can get a group of people together – in the same room, around the world or a combination of the two – and compete against each other on-screen. But even those who don’t have anyone to train with will always be competing against the original contributor of the track; an avatar of their own previous best performance if they’ve completed that track before; up to six other users at a similar level as them; and the best performer on the track to date.

Importantly, anyone else shown on-screen will have logged their time using the same piece of fitness equipment as you; inevitably some brands of equipment are more accurate than others when it comes to measuring power output, and we want to compare like with like.

Can Kinomap also be used in a gym setting?
For gyms, the best use of Kinomap is in a cycling studio: it’s a great way of maximising the value of the studio during off-peak times when there aren’t any live, instructor-led classes. Gyms can use Kinomap’s multi-player mode to allow groups of members to compete against each other, either in scheduled ‘public races’ or in on-demand ‘private races’ set up by the members themselves.
In this scenario, we charge a licence fee per bike rather than per user, and the videos can be downloaded in advance to avoid problems with internet speed.

We’re finding it hard to break onto gym floors though, at least at a commercial level, because Kinomap works almost too well: it causes people to be on the cardio kit for longer than gyms’ equipment usage models allow. The average time people spend on a treadmill in the gym is 13 minutes; Kinomap users average 38 minutes. Similarly, on indoor bikes, the average usage time is 17 minutes; with Kinomap, it’s 42 minutes.

The technology does offer a great opportunity to run tactical marketing events in a gym though: a cycling challenge in the run-up to the Tour de France, for example, or a team run around Central Park when the New York Marathon is coming up. We have enough different tracks around the world that you should be able to find something to match any upcoming event.

What future developments are you planning for Kinomap?
We have a few things we’re working on, from slipstreaming technology to making the avatars more realistic.

We’re also keen to get more official race footage, so for example you don’t just have the chance to cycle the Alpe d’Huez course. You have the chance to cycle that route as part of the Tour de France peloton and get your ranking at the end.

We’ve already started doing this with the Hammer Series – a new race series for elite cycling teams such as Team Sky, where three races take part in one city over the course of a weekend. We see huge potential in this sort of agreement, both for the end users of Kinomap and for the brands involved in the tour.

WE WANT TO SEE INDOOR CYCLING RECOGNISED AS A SPORT: REAL RACES, TAKING PLACE ON REAL TRACKS, INDOORS

Tell us more about this Hammer Series agreement
We’ve signed an agreement with Infront, which holds the rights to the Hammer Series. As part of this, it asked the pro cycling organisation Velon to film video footage of three races – in Norway, the Netherlands and Hong Kong – with a camera on-board one of the bikes. It then approached us to create an indoor version of the Hammer Series using this footage.

It’s a great strategy for Infront for a number of reasons: it keeps the buzz going around the events for far longer than simply the day or week of the race itself; and it gives the participating teams something to involve their fans in throughout the winter, when there are no races going on. Team Sky, for example, has 800,000 followers on social media – and little to tell them during the winter months. How amazing would it be to offer those fans the chance to take part in a half-hour section of one of the races, racing alongside the likes of Chris Froome – maybe even giving them a ranking compared to him at the end of it?

Once again, we come back to the fact that this isn’t virtual reality: it’s a real race, indoors.

What do you see as the future of indoor cycling, and what will be your role in this?
We want to persuade the British Cycling Federation to allow a broader definition of indoor cycling. At the moment, it views indoor cycling as track cycling in a velodrome, but we feel what we deliver is also indoor cycling – not just exercise, but a sport.

If you look at rowing, there’s a World Rowing Indoor Championships: a real, competitive event using Concept2 rowers. We want to do the same with indoor cycling.

In fact, we’re already seeing this start to happen in places like Paris, where a peloton cycling out on the roads is deemed too much of a terrorist target; the cycling legs of triathlons now have to take place indoors.

But we want to formalise this. We want to see
indoor cycling – using Kinomap technology in conjunction with the most accurate power-based bikes, like Body Bike and Wattbike – recognised as a sport: real races, on real race tracks, indoors.

Kinomap: Facts & figures

Kinomap was created by co-founders Philippe Moity and Laurent Desmons.
The Kinomap community is currently about 200,000 strong, with 30,000 active monthly users.
Prices start at US$5 a month on an annual contract, for which you receive unlimited access to all videos on Kinomap.
Most users use Kinomap at home, with about half choosing Challenge mode and the other half preferring Discovery mode.
At the moment, cycling accounts for 70 per cent of activity on Kinomap, with running and rowing making up the rest.

The heart of the matter

Written by Pernille on 1. July 2018. Posted in Fitness Technology, Interviews, Issue 3 July 2018.

What are the benefits of heart rate training?
The heart is the engine that pumps blood around the body to allow our muscles to function. The more efficient and powerful our heart, the better we perform.

When you train your heart to be more efficient, it’s usually measured in terms of intensity or effort: at what percentage of its maximum capacity is the heart having to beat to carry out the activity or exercise? The benefit of this sort of effort-based training is that you can
easily measure your progress – how efficiently is your heart performing compared to previous workouts, and how much have you therefore improved in response to the task at hand?

What’s the science behind all this?
There are two main methodologies to training. The first is MILO theory, which involves progressive overload. The second is the SAID principle: the Specific Adaptation of Imposed Demand.

The latter is based on the notion that, when a demand or stress is placed on the body, it responds by adapting to it. So, for example, say you did a 50km flat bike ride at a certain pace. If you continued to do this regularly, after a period of time your heart would adapt to it and it would feel easier.

It therefore follows that, if you want to keep progressing, rather than focusing on distance over time it’s better to focus on effort over time (through heart rate training). The by-product of this approach is that riders progress and are able to cycle further and faster.

At this point, it’s important to note one of the greatest misconceptions when it comes to heart rate training. Many people believe the determinant of fitness is how high someone’s heart rate goes during training. That’s incorrect. The true indicator of your fitness is your resting heart rate, and how quickly your heart rate drops after exercise.

If we use a car as an analogy, rather than focusing on how fast the car is going, the focus would be on how many revs it’s producing.

How precise does heart rate training allow you to be?
The deeper science of heart rate training dives into the energy systems of anaerobic thresholds and lactate inflection points, which occur when your heart is beating so fast that there isn’t enough oxygen to feed its function. At this point, the body begins to use the glycogen in the muscles as an energy source.

As long as the heart rate monitor is accurate – which many are not – then heart rate training allows riders to find, and then train at, precise heart rate intensities for a highly efficient workout.

Heart rate training always feels rather elitist. Is it suitable for everyone, whatever their fitness level?
Working at percentages of maximum heart rates – better known as ‘intensities’ or ‘effort levels’ – makes it easier for everyone to understand their training, whatever their fitness levels.

If that information is displayed using simple colour zones, it simplifies the principles of heart rate training so that anyone can understand it. In the Myzone system, for example, someone who’s extremely fit and riding in a pack might be able to cruise along in the blue zone (60 per cent of their maximum heart rate) – but someone who’s less fit might move into the yellow zone (80 per cent of their maximum heart rate) if they try to achieve the same pace.

Most heart rate systems these days are structured around intensity zones linked to colours – but some also attach points associated with those different colours, adding gamification to the process. Again, this helps engage people of all fitness levels as it adds an element of fun.

For example, Myzone allocates one point per minute spent in the grey zone (50–59 per cent of maximum heart rate), two points per minute in the blue zone (60–69 per cent), three points per minute in the green zone (70–79 per cent), and then four points per minute spent in the yellow (80–89 per cent) or red (90–100 per cent) zones.

How do you set heart rate training goals?
An easy way to do this is to set yourself a simple points target per week or per month. How you achieve that is then down to you and how much time and effort you’re willing to put in

– but the points add up with each workout, which is very motivating.

How do you track your progress?
In our system, each workout is shown as a bar chart at the end of the session: you can see exactly which intensity zones you’ve been training in, as each bar on the chart is coloured according to the zone you were in during that minute of the workout.

When you compare your latest graph to previous sessions where you did the same workout, you’re able to see where the colours differ – that is, where the effort levels required were different (and hopefully lower) for the same exercise.

In addition, we always advise doing a consistent one-minute heart rate recovery test every two to three months. This gives a clear picture of your fitness levels, which you can then track over time.

What are the benefits of heart rate training in a group cycling environment?
Effort-based training adds an important dimension of inclusivity to indoor cycling.

Indoor cycling is often seen as rather elitist and intimidating, with extremely competent cyclists instructing the class and an array of people – often well-established regulars – trying to keep up. Focusing on effort (through heart rate training) means that even beginners can be rewarded for the effort they put into the session.

But in fact, it’s not only beginners who benefit from this focus on effort. It’s also crucial to the effective implementation of heart rate training in group classes generally.

The issue with heart rate training in a group exercise environment is that it’s only relevant if a consistent metric – such as intensity percentage – is applied. Training at a definitive heart rate number has no bearing if it isn’t related to each individual’s maximum heart rate: if you ask a 42-year-old to train at, say, 150 beats per minute, they will likely be training at a very different intensity than, for example, a 22-year-old in the same class… or even another 42-year-old.

On the other hand, if heart rate training is delivered based on percentage of maximum heart rate, and applied in simple colours, then it doesn’t matter how fit or unfit participants are, or how old. It’s all about effort – how hard each individual is having to push themselves based on their own fitness levels. For this reason, it’s a much easier metric for an instructor to coach to.

Do you have any examples of group cycling studios where heart rate training has been applied particularly well?
One great example is LifeFit Center @ The Beach, located at Long Beach State University in California, US. This club offers membership to adults aged 49+ years old and uses Myzone in all of its cycling classes, including the cycling portion of its signature ‘Strength for Living’ small group training programme – a programme that includes cycling and resistance training.

Not only do LifeFit Center instructors coach to the live heart rate feedback Myzone provides – essential to delivering a safe and effective cycling experience, especially as the membership is older – but they also use Myzone as part of their progressive cycling programming, moving clients from endurance, to tempo, to threshold, to HIIT training.

Members gain a richer cycling experience, spurred on by the accountability and gamification of heart rate training. They’re also better able to understand their progress, because they can see how their heart responds to exercise in real time, and are encouraged by fitness staff to monitor improved heart rate recovery.

From a club perspective, using heart rate training has lent itself to member retention generally, and in particular within the cycling classes. ‘Strength for Living’ participants sign up again and again; many members have been in this programme for several years.

What do you think will be the next big trends in this area?
Formats like Zone Match classes are, I believe, the future of indoor cycling and heart rate training. Zone Match is a game where participants have to match their own heart rate to the colours shown on the screen. This is all based on effort: how hard they should be working based on their own fitness levels. It’s easy to understand, easy to follow and good fun.

Anything that’s simple, inclusive and fun will win in the world of group cycling, and group training generally.

Meanwhile, I believe power and wattage will go into decline due to the complexity of this form of training for the average group exercise cyclist.

What are your top tips for an operator wanting to set up a heart rate-based group cycling offering?
Don’t use the term ‘heart rate’. Focus instead on ‘effort’ or ‘intensity training’. Everyone can understand a percentage or a colour, but not everyone can understand numbers such as beats per minute.

What are the commercial opportunities in heart rate training for club operators?
First of all, there’s the obvious revenue model of selling devices such as heart rate monitors. But even more important is the impact on member satisfaction and retention. In particular, if you have a heart rate points collection system and connect this to your club’s rewards scheme, then the boost to member retention will easily cover the investment needed to install a heart rate system in the first place.

Activio goes Europe

Written by Pernille on 1. November 2017. Posted in Articles, Fitness Technology.

“I Love seeing my progress” is one of the things we often hear from cyclists using our heart rate sensor and our Power Solution system. It puts an end to the guessing and ‘feeling’ and simply tells you how hard you’re working, because monitoring your heart rate and seeing your power is the best and easiest way to measure true physical intensity.

We have several “training solutions”, but no matter what kind of training you want to use it for, it all comes down to the simple, but effective systems and the Activio Smart Belt in which we use state-of-the-art technology to monitor heart rate during your cycling class, when training at the gym or anywhere you like. Depending on the “training solution” your performance and data can be read on smartphone, smart watch, pc or tablet.

Since the beginning in 2003 we have been a world-leading player in Fitness Tech and one of the pioneers and specialists in group heart rate transmission and monitoring systems within fitness, schools and professional athletic training, focusing on global health and human well being. Our products have been installed in nearly 1,500 training facilities, more than half of them in Scandinavia and we’re preparing to expand to more European markets as two new investors have joined us.

Let’s face it, instructing a cycling class could be the sweatiest job on the planet! I remember attending the Nike Show in Copenhagen some 10+ years ago. The organisers had covered the polished gym floor with 60 sheets of plywood, one for each bike. At the end of each session they were all soaking wet. That is the environment that we have to work with as Audio System designers and installers!

Steamy spinning class, no sweat!

Written by Pernille on 1. November 2017. Posted in Articles, Fitness Technology, Issue 1 December 2017.

Bad Combo

Sweat is not just “body water”, sweat is toxic. You can see what sweat does to low cost bikes. Rust spots happen and paint peels off after at around 6 months in a busy studio. So please consider that sweat can affect the headmic and wireless transmitter. The question you need to answer is – Is it “fit for purpose”? This is where big name general purpose mic systems fail.

Cyclemic versus sweat

It is the reason why we decided to tackle sweat head on when creating the Cyclemic. It’s also the reason why we also added a sweat protection coating to the Fitness Audio bodypack and mini transmitters.

Protection is everything

The Cyclemic uses a capsule made with marine grade stainless steel. We protect it with a double mesh arrangement that causes sweat and spit to form droplets big enough to fall off. Further protected by a blast proof carbon fibre collar, moisture does not penetrate the mesh. We also paint the circuit board inside the Fitness Audio transmitters with a special anti-corrosion lacquer. This gives protection from irreversible sweat corrosion for all the components inside. These processes are unique in the microphone world.

The Show must go on

So, these are the “tools of trade” that we can supply to all fitness club studios anywhere. They mean the show goes on for longer with less chance of downtime. You can expect over 2 years of daily use without sweat damage problems occurring.

LOUD or Silent system

The current thinking for Cycling Studio Sound Systems is one or the other – LOUD! or “silent” and we can help with both (LOUD is sound through speakers, whereas the silent system is through earbuds, but more on that further down). On the LOUD side we recommend using, depending on the size of the studio, powered or active loudspeakers. The manufacturer matches powerful amplifiers to the speakers inside the box. This process will give you the best sound and longevity because they have built-in protection circuits.

“Happy instructors make members happy too – it’s contagious!!”

Audio all over the place

In Sydney, Australia we are supplying a new chain of cycling clubs with 4 x 10” (25cm) 2-way, 400w powered speakers from Italian brand db Technologies. There’s also a 15” (37cm) 600w powered subwoofer to complete this impressive system for a 30-bike studio. There is enough power available that the sound is what I would call “comfortably loud”. The system delivers an exciting, motivating sound for the classes. We supplied a control unit after our Aeromix 2+2 Mixer, they are known as a DSP unit, (Digital Sound Processor).

This, when set up by our trained technician, will ensure the sound is as good as it is ever going to be. Mic feedback, if it ever was an issue, gets eliminated. We equalise the speakers to the room, we can control the loudness levels too. It’s a great investment in getting everything working together for the greater good.

We recommend using a 2 speaker set up for a room with up to 20 bikes (sub-woofer optional). We use 4 speakers in a horseshoe arrangement facing the back wall when there are 20-40 bikes (again a sub-woofer is available if the budget allows).

Sound of Silence

Now let me tell you about our silent class systems. We have an electronics package comprising of a Fitness Audio Mini Mixer, a wireless receiver with our Cyclemic and transmitter, our Bluetooth® receiver and an AppAudio® Solo unit that we combine with an Access Point (ie a WiFi Transmitter). No speakers!

Everybody AppAudio®

The instructors use their smartphone with earbuds to check their voice and music levels. The class music comes from a tablet or iPod® via the Bluetooth® receiver. The mixer connects to the AppAudio Solo and then its cabled to the AP mounted on the ceiling. The instructor and class members have downloaded and installed the free AppAudio App on their smartphones.

They now tune in wearing their earbuds. This system is becoming popular in open layout gyms where a dozen cycles are set out inside a shared area. We also offer this solution to those Muslim countries or clubs where playing loud RPM class music is culturally unacceptable. In audio there is always a way to reach people who want to work out to music in the ears!

Listen up!

I knew a wise club owner from Perth, Western Australia (now a retired millionaire!) who always said his club success formula included getting the sound system and mics right in the studios. Everyone is happy if the sound is good. The instructor is happy because they enjoy giving their classes. The members are happy because the instructor gives great classes with that sound system and mic.

Members keep coming back and will stay members – all because the owner did it right first time. It’s hard to argue against that. Happy instructors make members happy too – it’s contagious!! Yet there will always be club owners that just won’t spend the money to do it right. One thing is certain – clubs with unhappy instructors will lose members. Those who don’t stay hooked on your cycling classes will start looking around for a better experience.

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Tag: Fitness Technology

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