What is the latest on electronic fitness montoring devices such as the fitbug, the basis watch etc.
As there is a big amount of new devices coming on the market in the last months, I am looking for some feedback from the field about these: the bodybugg, the fitbug, the basis watch the suunto ehanced heartrate monitors etc. If one wanted to truly measure some critical parameters for dlients, which are the best ones doe you think?
Roland, what would you consider to be the “critical parameters” you’d like your clients to keep track of/measure on a regular basis?
Although I’m not familiar with Suunto’s products, I have had great experiences with Polar’s products (much like Michael). Polar used to be ridiculously expensive across the board, but nowadays they seem to have a wider range of products available. You can purchase a quality watch that monitors your heart rate with a transmitter for less than $100.
The bodybugg is another product I’m not familiar with, however I see more and more people using them. After checking out the company’s website it appears as if they have a fair amount of good research backing their products. As with any form of technology, it’s important that the data it’s measuring is both valid (measuring what it’s supposed to) and reliable (repeatedly measures the same way and gives the same results, a.k.a. the data is consistent).
After looking into the Fitbug I came to the conclusion that it’s quite similar to a product called the Fitbit One. I’ve been using a Fitbit for the past few months and have really enjoyed my experience with it. Here’s what I like most it:
-It’s compatible with a wide range of fitness apps such as MyFitnessPal, MapMyFitness, and Loose It!
-After purchasing it you have free access to a great website that tracks all of the data collected from your daily use of the Fitbit.
-It has a great battery life and can easily be recharged from any USB outlet.
-The clip/case that comes with it is compact and really helps keep it secured to your pocket/waistband/shirt/etc so that it doesn’t get lost when you perform daily activities or exercise.
Lastly, if the Basis watch interests you, I’d recommend you check out another innovative product that’s in its last stages of development. It’s called the Amiigo Bracelet. You can find out more by checking out this link: http://www.indiegogo.com/amiigo
Let me know if you have any questions about anything I’ve mentioned. Best of luck to you finding the right technology to measure your definition of a client’s “critical parameters!”
Thanks Michael and Michael for these thoughts. I guess my post was not that well constructed. Clearly vital parameters will differ quite a bit for beginners, weightloss focused clients, endurance athletes, high performance athletes, as well as the goals they have set for themselves.
I have used POLAR for years, but am not happy with their incompatibility with Apple. The SUUNTO watches come from the same area in Finland, but a different company. They have a lot of extra features that are advances analysis tools on the basic data.
These can be powerful when assessing athletic performance on a higher level.
I have used the bodybugg, and generally it’s cool to see the metabolic rates over time and detect whether someone has enough sleep/rest. BUT, the key thing is to see what the metabolic impact has been of a certain exercise regimen and couple this back into the program.
I like your suggested other options. The amigo… is this thing on the market already ?
At the end of the day, given the speed of development of new ideas, it is probably better to concentrate on getting the base data from the sensors and see what we can do software wise with the analysis.
Long story short, I feel it would be great if we could have a review section on these types of tools in our pubications / on our website.
Looking forward to more thoughts and insights.
Roland
Roland, I think having a review section of some sort is a great idea.
As for your question about the Amiigo: no, it’s not on the market quite yet. According to the website I provided the link to in my previous response, the first round of bracelets should be delivered to those who contributed to the company’s indegogo campaign by June of this year.
Which Apple products do you wish had compatibility with Polar?
Have you tried using Polar’s H6 or H7 heart rate sensors before? Here’s a link for the Apple products these particular devices are compatible with:
http://www.polar.com/en/support/FAQs/H7_heart_rate_sensor_compatibility?…
Finally, do you have a software program of choice for analyzing the “base data” you referred to? Also, have you ever heard of/used TrainingPeaks?
Here’s a link to TrainingPeaks website in case you’re interested in learning more about they types of software they have on the market:
http://www.home.trainingpeaks.com/
If you’ve got the time, it would be great to hear your thoughts on any or all of what I’ve mentioned above.
