So you now own a Peloton. Welcome to the Peloton family. Whether you have a Peloton bike or a Peloton Tread, in order to get the most out of your fitness device, you’ll need to learn how to use Peloton heart rate monitor during your exercise routine.
Designed to work with the Peloton bike, the Peloton Heart rate monitor, or band, helps you optimize your intensity levels in every workout. Metrics, interactive features and easy to read heart rate zones let you unlock the right level of effort at the right time
This guide will show you how to use a heart rate monitor for a treadmill or bike workout.
What Does The Peloton Heart Rate Monitor Do?
A heart rate monitor enhances your workout by helping you get the most out of you efforts by providing important data about how your body responds to your workout experience. I know you paid good money for your Peloton, so why not get the most out of your exercise routine so that you can reach your health and fitness goals.
It’s important to know what your heart rate is when you’re working out because it tells you how much energy you’re expending during your workout. If you’re exercising at a moderate pace, your heart rate should stay between 60% and 80%. But if you’re pushing yourself harder, your heart rate may go up to 90% or higher.
The Peloton heart rate band connects to our Peloton products via Bluetooth The heart rate monitor goes around your forearm for the most accurate reading. You may also want to know exactly how heart rate monitors work.
How To Use Peloton Heart Rate Monitor – Example
For example, if you’re riding at a steady pace of 60 mph and your heart rate is resting between 50-60 beats per minute, then you may be able to maintain that level of intensity for 45 minutes without any problems.
If your heart rate drops below 40 bpm (beats per minute), you will need to slow down or stop. The best way to determine how long you can ride at a certain intensity is by using the training zones in the app.
You can also set up a target zone where you want to stay within. When you reach this zone, it will tell you when you are getting close to reaching your goal. This helps you know whether you should continue pushing harder or ease off.
How to Size the Heart Rate Monitor Armband
Peloton offers two sizes for the Armband. A short strap that is 12.8 inches (325mm) and a long strap that is 15.4 inches (390mm). You should place the armband at least three finger-widths away to avoid friction and irritation when wearing it. The band should be snug enough to keep it in place, but not so tight as to hurt or cut off circulation.
To minimize the possibility for skin irritation or discomfort, use the Armband over dry, clean skin and alternate the arm from which the band is worn (i.e., don’t wear it on the same arm twice).
Don’t let any of these things build up under the band: water, sweat, dead skins, personal care products, and dirt. If you experience any sort of allergic reaction to the arm band, stop using it immediately. Also, if you develop a rash or any kind of skin irritation, please see a doctor.
How to Use Peloton Heart Rate Monitor with the Peloton App
You can use the app to connect the Peloton heart rate monitor to the app so you see your real-time heart rate in each class that is offered by Peloton. Tracking your heart rate during a fitness session is one of the best methods for seeing how hard you’re working and to assist in tracking your progress over time.
You’ll also be able to take advantage specific cycling classes geared around the heart rate using the Heart-Rate-Zone method. Each zone is based upon your maximum heart rate (or MHR). Our Heart Rate Zone classes are designed to ensure you’re working at an appropriate intensity for your fitness level. It is real easy to do this when you are connecting your heart rate monitor to the Peloton App.
Heart-Rate-Zone Classes
There are 5 Heart-Rate Zones associated with these classes. You can select them by tapping on the icon next to the name of the class. If you have no idea what your maximum heart rate is, you can find out here.
1. Beginner
2. Intermediate
3. Advanced
4. Elite
5. Pro
The first thing you’ll notice about the Heart-Rate-Zones is that they are all very similar. They start at a low intensity and gradually increase in difficulty until you reach the highest intensity. However, there are some differences between the different levels. Here’s a quick look at the five levels along with their associated Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1 – Beginner (Warm Up)
These classes are meant for people who are just starting to exercise. They’re easy enough that beginners can do them without much effort. In fact, most beginner classes only require a few minutes to complete.
Zone 1 is meant for Warm up activities. This is an easy effort activity, similar to a warm up, recovery or cool down. It utilizes up to 65% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).
Zone 2 – Intermediate (Endurance)
These classes are more challenging than beginner classes. They include intervals and hills. Intermediate classes usually last anywhere from 20-40 minutes.
Zone 2 is meant for an average activity effort. In other words, a comfortable sustainable challenge. It utilizes 65 – 75% of your MHR.
Zone 3 – Advanced (Power)
These classes are even harder than intermediate classes. They typically involve longer distances, higher speeds, and more intense intervals. Advanced classes may last anywhere from 45-60 minutes.
Zone 3 is meant for above average activity effort and feels challenging, often times with heavy breathing. It utilizes 75 – 85% of your MHR.
Zone 4 – Elite (Threshold)
These classes are designed for elite athletes. They often feature high-intensity interval training and hill climbs. Elite classes may last anywhere from 60-90 minutes.
Zone 4 is meant for hard activity effort. It is considered very challenging, with multi-minute sprints. It utilizes 85 – 95% of your MHR.
Zone 5 – Pro (Max Capacity)
These classes are designed specifically for pro cyclists. They focus on short, fast bursts of activity. Pro classes may last anywhere from 3-10 minutes.
Zone 5 is meant for you to go as hard as you can go with very short bursts to the finish line. It utilizes 95% plus of your MHR.
How to Connect A Heart Rate Monitor With Your Peloton Bike
Connecting your heart rate monitor with your Peloton bike is really simple because it is Bluetooth controlled. So the first step is to make sure that you enable blue tooth on your touchscreen of the bike. If the Bluetooth is turned off, you will see something like you see on the screen below:
Then you will want to connect your heart rate monitor by navigating to the “heart rate monitor connection modal”. You can find the modal in two ways. The first way is by joining a class and following the prompts. The second way is to tap on the time in the top right corner of the touchscreen and then select ‘Heart Rate Monitor’.
The image below shows the two different Modals:
Once this is done, it is simply a matter selecting the ‘connect’ button located next to your heart rate monitor as shown on the image below. You will not that there is no need to connect heart rate monitors that are in Bluetooth mode such as the Peloton Heart Rate Monitor. These are displayed in the images below:
How to Use Peloton Heart Rate Monitor to Track Your Heart Rate
To track your heart rate while doing the class, tap on the “heart” icon on the lower right corner of the screen. The heart icon will turn green when you’re within range of the heart rate sensor. It will turn red when you’re not close enough to the sensor.
Once you’ve connected the device to the app, you’ll see a little bar at the top of the screen. This shows you your current heart rate in bpm. As you work through the class, this number will change as you go up or down in the zones. When you hit the target heart rate, the bar turns yellow.
If you want to stop the class early, simply press pause on your bike. The instructor will ask if you’d like to continue. Tap yes to keep going or no to end the class.
If you don’t feel comfortable riding at the pace set by the instructor, you can always adjust it yourself. Simply tap on the gear icon on the bottom left of the screen. Then, scroll through the gears to find one that feels right for you. Once you’ve found the right gear, tap on it to lock in your desired speed.
When you’re done, tap on the gear again to return to normal mode.
Conclusion
The Peloton bike is a new fitness device that allows users to track their progress while exercising. This is done by connecting the device to a smart phone app called the Peloton app.
It can also be used with the Peloton Heart Rate Monitor that works by tracking your heart rate throughout your workout. Then it uses that data to adjust the speed of the bike based on your intensity level. Learning how to use Peloton heart rate monitor can certainly aid in reaching your health and fitness goals established by the classes that Peloton offers.
This means that you can exercise without having to worry about whether you’re going too fast or too slow.
As a whole, the peloton heart rate monitor is worth it because it is comparable with other chest strap heart rate monitors like Polar, Wahoo, or Garmin, but is less expensive. The only disadvantage is that it cannot measure heart rate variability.
Hi Emmanuel, thanks for the feedback. Yes, that is true, usually heart rate variability is as function that chest strap heart rate monitors have. I think that it’s important to measure you measure your heart rate during exercise and the arm bands are more conducive to that effort. The main reason for this is that a healthy heart rate during exercise is essential to fitness.
So, in this case, I agree that the Peloton Heart rate monitor is worth it because it is mainly an arm band and very convenient for exercising on your bike.
Thanks for the helpful instructions to use the Peloton Heart Rate Monitor with the Peloton Bike. After all of the high-profile recent (fictional) Peloton-related heart attacks on popular TV shows, this is probably a concern on a lot of people’s minds!! Regardless, it is wise to use a good quality heart rate monitor to ensure that you are exercising at the right intensity to get the desired results. Thanks for the helpful info!
Thank you Aly for your feedback. I not familiar with the Peloton-related heart attacks on popular TV shows, this is interesting. I have always recommended to my readers to monitor their heart rate during exercise and for long term monitoring. Because, I have learned that what you measure has a tendency to improve. I am glad you found this article helpful.
I have heard so much negativity towards the Peloton bike. I have always been interested in getting one, but decided on a different brand after hearing so many bad stories. Personally, I push myself a little too hard, so it would probably be me that had a problem on the Peloton bike. I am curious if the heart monitor comes with the bike or if that can be purchased separately. I do have a smart watch and can get my heart rate on that.
Hi Leahrae, thanks for the feedback and for visiting my post on how to use Peloton heart rate monitor. I haven’t heard these bad stories. Anyways, the bike does have a built in heart rate monitor, however, having a separate one is much better. I would recommend using the heart rate monitor on your smartwatch. They are much better to use for exercise.
Very informative blog on Peloton Heart Rate wrist bands that integrate with your mobile phone and Peloton Bikes as well via Bluetooth. I’ve an experience with Mi Band connecting with my phone and watch the health metrics via Mi App on my phone. Internet information tells the following with respect to MHR: You can calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you’re 45 years old, subtract 45 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 175. This is the average maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute during exercise”. While there is an example given in this blog, will it be good to add above similar kind of authentic information. Information about Heart Rate Zone classes are impressive. Will it be good to connect the age-wise MHR for each zone classes, just a thought? Thanks for providing opportunity to comment on the blog. Have great times!
Hi Venkat, thanks for your feedback. Yes, I am familiar with Heart Rate Zone Classes as you mention. To answer your question, will it be good to connect the age-wise MHR for each zone classes?, I did cover that aspect in a post on healthy heart rate during exercise that you may enjoy.