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New iFit ActivePulse feature uses heart rate to customize treadmill workouts

Kelly Hodgkins
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It’s a new year, which means new resolutions, new commitments to working out, and exciting new gear, as we’ve already seen at CES 2021. One of the leaders in the smart gym market, iFit, is known for its interactive video workouts that bring users to all corners of the world. The company is now taking its technology one step further by bridging the gap between your exercise intensity and the exercise equipment. The newly announced iFit ActivePulse monitors your heart rate during a workout and adjusts the treadmill’s speed and incline so athletes get the best workout possible.

Not only do iFit users work out alongside a professional trainer, but the software, when bundled into a treadmill, can control the speed and incline to match the terrain on the screen. Users don’t have to worry about adjusting their treadmill and can merely workout. One disadvantage to this automatic control is that it assumes you can work out at the trainer’s pace. Those new to working out may find the default incline and speed settings are too difficult, while experienced athletes may feel they are too easy. The new ActivePulse from iFit is designed to address this troublesome flaw.

Thanks to the ActivePulse feature, the iFit software monitors your heart rate during a workout. When your heart rate is below the optimal level, the software can speed up the treadmill or raise the incline to boost your heart rate. The end result is that you get the best workout possible. Likewise, if the software detects you are crossing over your exertion threshold, it can slow things down and lower the incline so you can exercise at your best without pushing yourself to the point of injury.

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ActivePulse automates the process of heart rate training and takes it out of the athlete’s hands. Instead of always checking thrir watch during a training session, athletes simply can work out knowing that the treadmill is handling the heavy lifting. ActivePulse will work with various Bluetooth heart rate monitors, including the iFit SmartBeat forearm heart rate monitor and models from Polar, Garmin, Wahoo, and WHOOP.

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ActivePulse is bundled into all iFit memberships and will roll out to iFit-enabled NordicTrack, ProForm, and Freemotion treadmills starting this month via a software update. The feature will then be available for stationary bikes, rowers, and ellipticals from NordicTrack, ProForm, and Freemotion later.

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Kelly Hodgkins
Kelly Hodgkins
Contributor
Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…
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