Zones makes it simple for users to track their heart rate zone during a workout.
The folks who brought you QuickCal, the top-selling iOS scheduling app, are back, and this time they’re helping organize your workouts.
Smelly Puppy‘s latest app, Zones, hit the App Store in February as a result of Omaha developer James Boutcher‘s frustrating experiences at the gym.
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While he was on a metabolic heart rate workout plan, Boutcher needed to be in specific heart rate zones for set amounts of time. In order to determine his zones through resting and maximum heart rates, he would have to go through extensive testing. Then Boutcher would print a paper copy of his personalized workout and carry it with him onto the treadmill.
“I thought there had to be a simpler way to do this,” Boutcher (right) said.
While tracking heart rate zones can be a tedious task, Boutcher hopes Zones will help simplify the process. Zones helps exercisers identify and manually enter their own heart rate intervals and easily connect with gym equipment to monitor their progress.
He hopes the app will streamline the fitness monitoring process, especially for those new to the gym. Heart rate is divided into five zones, ranging from resting to maximum heart rate. Lower aerobic zones actually help the body burn more fat, a fact Boutcher says many beginners are unaware of.
“I’ve known people who have wanted to lose weight and they’re actually working so hard they’re not burning any fat,” he said. “To lose weight, they actually had to slow down.”
The app also provides users with general statistics about how long they should remain in a given zone to reach calorie or fat-burning goals. Version 1.2 of the app, released at the end of May, is compatible with a number of Bluetooth heart rate monitors.
Zones is free and supported by iAds, which can be removed by purchasing the app in the Apple App Store. Boutcher says that future versions of the app will feature social media integration, allowing users to share their workout information with friends.
In the meantime, the developers will keep whipping themselves into shape. “Building and testing this app made me lose six pounds,” Boutcher joked.
No pain, no gain.
Credits: Product photos from Facebook. Boutcher photo from LinkedIn.
