This came in the mail yesterday and all I could think was, "this has to be for my dad. It can't be for me." 🙁
No, I'm not going to apply...
I guess it just one more predictable thing that comes with reaching the half-way-point. (I'm 50 at the end of the month and I've taken to telling people that it will be me turning the corner for the other half of the race.)
The hardest thing for me about this age is now needing to wear reading glasses, after ~48.5 years without. Many of us are around this same age and I'm guessing you may have similar problems.
I have about 30 pairs of Dollar Store readers scattered around my house... and yet I'm constantly searching for a pair to wear. What a hassle. I can feel for those of you who wear glasses or contacts.
But what do you do while you are teaching, when you can't see the small numbers on your watch?
I'm one who prefers to ride at the same intensity as my class, but found my trusty Polar's display was no longer readable (by me) once the lights dimmed. Do I really need a heart rate monitor to know my intensity? Not really. 15 years of training has me knowing the feeling of both my T1 and T2 with a pretty high rate of accuracy. But I like to set a good example for everyone else... so I faked it.
Really I did. For about a year I would make a display of lifting my jersey and strapping on my chest belt. Then I would raise my monitor and ask; "how many of you are wearing your monitors?"
I don't have to fake it anymore. No, I don't bring my $1.00 readers into class. I'm using a Blink Heart Rate Monitor. 🙂
If you haven't (forgive the pun) seen this new Blink Heart Rate monitor yet, here's the link to their site. Very simple: it blinks BLUE below T1, YELLOW between T1 and T2, and then RED when you are above T2. T1 is your aerobic threshold and T2 is your anaerobic threshold / LT.
Chuck Cali manages ZONING, which is the educational program that sells the Blink. Chuck sent me one a few months ago to try and I'm in love with it. Now not only can I see what zone I'm in, but my class sees the little blinking light as well. 🙂 I have a new model that's a little different from what they show on their web site. The Blink I have has only one button, and it takes all of about a minute to program.
I love the simplicity of the Three Zone system and feel it will work well for the majority of the students in my class. It may also go a long way toward my desire for a standardized method of describing HR training zones. More about this in the future.
Originally posted 2011-05-10 16:20:17.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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Thanks John,
You are correct, there is no faking it in front of your class when you’re wearing a Blink… But that works two ways… Since I’ve introduced the blink to my classes I can now wander around checking colors as well.
Another, you heard here first form ICI/PRO.
Chuck Cali
Welcome to the Real Grown Ups club, John.
I carry a pair of readers in my jersey pocket for times when I need them…..more than once at a conference/workshop when the presenter had mislaid their own.
Have to say that, although I demo HRM use consistently, I don’t find that I get accurate feedback on my own intensity when I’m teaching to consider the device much more than an ornament. Given how quickly cardiac drift can start to hit (I train all of our fans on the members) plus the sympathetic feedback from being “on stage”, I’d be backing off on intensity after about 15-20 minutes if I took notice of “the numbers”.
Vivienne