A couple of months ago, I was approached by a representative from heartzones.com to try out their Blink 3.0 heart rate, step, and cadence sensor (cycling cadence). With all the talk about heart rate training, I decided to give it a go.
The package itself contains a Blink 3.0 HRM, a charger, a wrist strap, and an ankle strap. They also sent me a cool shirt for trying it out (thank you!!).
If you have an iPhone, you can use their downloadable app. It is my understanding that the app does have training programs that you can follow. Alas… I am an android user, so what I ended up doing was pairing it with my Garmin. To be truthful, that was actually more useful to me so that I could have all my data in one place.
I added a data screen to my watch so that I could see my HR at any given time. This was super handy. Sometimes when I’m running, I feel like my heart is going to pound right out of my chest and I’m going to die so I tend to slow down. (Remember… running can be just as much mental as it is physical). However, knowing what my HR is at all times, I don’t get to use that excuse to slow down, especially when my HR is only 120. It’s good to know your body and to know which extremes it can be taken. It has helped with my training being able to see the actual numbers and the exertion being put out.
A prime example of going out too fast too soon and then losing momentum towards the end, hehe
One thing about Heart Zones… they’re all about schools and “Smart PE,” as well as other aspects of fitness. Schools can purchase groups of devices for their students to wear that can count steps as well as assess physical condition in real time. Kids are all about technology these days, and it’s fun for the kids to wear them then upload their data to see the results. When my child was in the 5th grade, he got to participate in something similar, with his own step counter. He loved it. He used to walk back and forth in the hall just to get his step count up (it was usually raining too much for him to go outside to do it). It’s just another way to get kids excited about fitness.
I’ve had a lot of fun playing with this product and seeing where my training is taking me. If you’ve been wanting to try HR training, the Blink 3.0 is a relatively inexpensive way to try it. The Blink 3.0 runs for $99.99, but if you check out their online store here, I see they have a pretty cool one on sale for less. Just in time for the racing season! #trainsmart
I did not receive any financial compensation for this review and all opinions rendered are my own based on my personal testing experience.
Never A Dull Bling 
Hey! I’m tracking my BP and heart stuff but I think it’s probably for a different reason. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol, it’s ALWAYS good to know your vital statistics, no matter the reason, 😄.
LikeLike
Very interesting. My Apple watch shows my heart rate. I look at it but don’t base any of my training around it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wss good to get an idea of my baseline. I realized my heart could tolerate more than I thought it could, 🤣
LikeLike
Interesting! I just get my average and current. More data would be useful…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Antonia! It’s nice to pair with the Garmin so you can see where you were all throughout your run, BUT, if you have an iPhone, I’m sure you’d get all kinds of data through their app. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Paula! Hope you’re doing well. 🙂
How does the chest strap work for you? I have one for my TomTom watch, and it gives me the worst sore spots (like , two inches of raw skin) and I’m actually thinking about an alternative, because the wrist monitors just don’t record my max heart rate. Something about not registering 180+ or something. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha, see, this old heart don’t dare go over 180, lol!! 😀 I don’t like the chest straps very much either. You know, chafing, hehe. I’ll have to sift through my data see if I ever made this go over 180, and if I didn’t, I’ll take it out for a run and go all out just to see how high it will go. I’ll get back to you on that, 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
ha ha. No! Don’t do something silly. :-)I was mostly wondering if this chest strap also chafes….
LikeLiked by 1 person
This one doesn’t come with a chest strap, only ankle and wrist straps. 😄 But no, really, I’d be happy to see if the wrist strap goes over 180… all I have to do is go climb Mo Fo Hill across the street and I’m at 210+ easy, 😂😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person