Myzone, an effort-based wearable fitness brand, has revealed that people complete 56% more exercise when they workout with other people in a social environment, compared to those who don’t^*. Additionally, new research has found 91% of people agreed having visibility of live effort feedback during exercise motivated them to keep going.

Since the UK has gone into lockdown, Britons have had to ditch their usual gym classes and group workouts for new forms of exercise. According to a study by Sport England, 25% of UK adults have taken up doing home fitness workouts online as their choice of physical activity, with 60% of those working out alone^**.

Loneliness has been an ongoing problem in the UK, with a third of people saying they often feel lonely throughout the day^***. With lockdown increasing pressures on the UKs mental health, it is more important than ever to stay connected and healthy, both physically and mentally. 71% of adults in the UK said that exercise is helping them manage both their physical health and their mental health (67%) during the outbreak^**.

To help people stay socially connected, Myzone has launched MZ-Remote – the world’s first virtual live group workout where participants can connect and exercise together, whilst receiving real-time biometric feedback and personalised coaching from a trainer.

Myzone’s versatile heart-rate monitor provides users with real-time feedback on their heart-rate and calories which is converted into Myzone Effort Points (MEPs). MZ-Remote offers users the chance to sign-up to a live group virtual fitness class provided by a Myzone Master Trainer. Once participants connect through the Myzone app, their live effort performance is tracked via the brand’s MZ-3 heart-rate monitor and is shared with the virtual group on screen, allowing everyone to workout together from their smartphone, as if they were physically in a fitness centre. The Myzone Master Trainer can then individually coach everyone in the class by providing targeted and personal training based on their biometric feedback of effort and heart-rate. Therefore, MZ-Remote provides users with a platform to stay socially connected with friends and family whilst keeping fit, and increasing motivation to workout in the process.

University of Leeds found that 91% of Myzone users agreed having visibility of live effort motivated them to keep going during exercise, and 89% were motivated to improve their own personal effort. ^**** Beginners who were mixed in a group with advanced levels found that they felt more capable when they could view their effort feedback, making them feel happier and more positive with their performance when compared to having no visibility of their effort.

Dave Wright, CEO of Myzone, commented:

“At a time when physically distancing is necessary, it is essential to stay socially connected. We wanted to provide our Myzone community with a way to do this through exercise. MZ-Remote differs from other live virtual fitness classes as we do not just simply broadcast our class, we provide personalised coaching to all participants based on their live effort feedback, which everyone else in the workout can also see. Since lockdown we have had thousands of new users join every week, so we are very excited to launch MZ-Remote so our community can stay both physically and mentally fit by working out together, remotely.”

Myzone’s new virtual live fitness class feature comes complete with a leaderboard o people can work out and compete together in real-time from home. MZ-Remote will be available on the Myzone app from 21 May. The MZ-3 heart-rate monitor is available to buy from myzone.org.

* Study conducted by Myzone on 2,000 users found that those with 4 or more connections on the Myzone app, on average completed 56% more exercise compared to those with 0 connections.

** http://www.comresglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Wave-1-weighted-data-tables.pdf

*** Study conducted in 2018 by Qualter with 55,000 respondents  

**** Study conducted by University of Leeds Postgraduate Research on Social group impact on motivation for exercise

About Myzone

Myzone is a unique wearable fitness brand that rewards effort rather than ability, motivating its users to work harder. Myzone creates personalised zones for each user, based on their maximum heart-rate, which means anyone can compete together on a level playing field.

The MZ-3 is a versatile heart-rate monitor providing users with real-time feedback on heart-rate and calories which is converted into Myzone Effort Points (MEPs). Boasting 99.4% accuracy, MZ-3 connects with the free Myzone app, to display user’s personalised effort feedback in five simple colour-coded zones.

Myzone develops accurate wearable technology, to provide engaging and motivational experiences, which support behaviour change to make exercise habits stick. Myzone is already represented in 7,500 facilities in 84 countries and 19 different languages.

• The most accurate calorie cruncher on the market – wrist-based trackers rely on guesswork to get your heart rate, resulting in an inaccurate, irrelevant calculation of calories burnt. Myzone doesn’t miss a beat with its heart rate accuracy of 99.4%, and in conjunction with personal body metrics, it ensures calorie-burning calculations are supremely accurate and personal to you.
• It praises like a PT – Unlike other activity trackers, Myzone rewards effort not fitness, motivating you to work harder. Myzone recognizes everyone is different, so it creates a handicap for every user, based on their maximum heart-rate, which effectively means you can compete with anyone on a level playing field.
• It’s a multiplayer game – Myzone is massively addictive, challenging and motivating. Use the app to create competitions with friends or plot your progress on the leader board as Myzone turns your efforts into points –and then marks them against the World Health Organization’s guidelines for physical activity.
• It’s Facebook for physical activity – Myzone has its own social media network. Use it to follow friends, analyze workouts, then ‘like’ or comment on their efforts to stay connected. Whether you are competitive or love collecting those like to keep you moving. Together we are stronger, with the unbeatable connected experience!