LONDON/COPENHAGEN—February 28, 2019—Heart rate monitoring is becoming increasingly popular as a motivational tool in gyms, but it can be expensive for operators to implement. Meanwhile, for members, many systems are quite restrictive; even if they have a heart rate monitoring device of their own, it might not be compatible with their gym’s set-up.
This was the rationale for the launch of Wexer Beat, produced in partnership with Motosumo, who’ve created the only group-fitness solution powered entirely by smartphones. This highly flexible new heart rate monitoring system is brand-agnostic, which brings benefits for operators and end users alike.
For the operator, the key benefit is the cost-effective nature of the solution: Wexer customers can add Wexer Beat to their package for just US$76 a month. For that, they get a fully integrated heart rate monitoring system that can be used in any live and virtual class.
Most importantly, Wexer Beat can be activated instantly, at any club. There is no hardware whatsoever. The whole experience is powered by user smartphones and the Wexer/Motosumo service. “Scalability is a fundamental part of our philosophy, and one of the reasons we're so excited to partner with Wexer," says Kresten Juel Jensen, CEO at Motosumo.
As with other HR systems, participants’ heart rates are projected on the big screen at the front of the studio, with colour-coded tiles indicating how hard each member is working. In virtual classes, the tiles sit alongside the class content; in live classes, they fill the screen. Participants can also view their heart rate on their smartphone, should they have this with them.
Continuing on the cost-effective theme, the other benefit for operators is that there’s no commitment to buy a minimum number of belts from Wexer. In fact, as an agnostic system, Wexer Beat works with any brand of heart rate belt. Should operators wish to sell belts to members, they can source any brand they choose.
This is a clear benefit for members too: if someone already has a heart rate device, there’s no need to buy another one just to be compatible with the system their gym has chosen. Provided their existing device has an open Bluetooth signal, it will work with Wexer Beat. That’s great news for the member, as it ensures all their data sits in one place for ease of reference – and that this central repository is the one chosen by them.
Wexer CEO Paul Bowman concludes: “We believe exercise data should be available to all with as few obstacles in the way as possible. Wexer Beat is therefore heart rate monitoring as it should be: low-cost, reliable, flexible and highly accessible.”