Workout video syncs to heart-rate monitor

BOULDER – A company in Boulder that sells FitTrip workout videos featuring some of the world’s most well-known outdoor locales has teamed with a heart-rate monitor company in Canada.

The MIO Go heart-rate monitor is packaged with a FitTrip video to help buyers tailor their workouts to train in their peak heart-rate fitness zones, said Shane Schieffer, chief executive at Gusto Technologies Inc., which makes and sells the videos.

MIO Global, maker of the MIO Go heart rate-monitor, licensed a version of the FitTrip video service, Schieffer said. MIO Global is the brand name used by Physical Enterprises Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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“We’re both heart-rate based, and we feel MIO Global is the best one out there for heart-rate devices,” Schieffer said. “As wearable technology unfolds, (both companies) have a lot to offer people.”

As the user rides a stationary bicycle or runs on a treadmill, the monitor that is attached to the wrist, displays vital heart-rate stats on the video screen. As the user speeds up or slows down, the video adjusts its scenic display to reflect the users speed. Other statistics such as elevation and mileage also are displayed.

Users who buy a MIO Go heart rate monitor that sells for about $200, receive the FitTrip Cozumel video, which shows a running route along a beach path on the Mexican island, Schieffer said.

If MIO Go users want to work out to other FitTrip videos from places such as Zion National Park in Utah, or the Tour de France bicycle route in France, they can buy a $5.99 monthly subscription to FitTrip, he said. MIO Global devices are sold at REI stores around the United States, including the REI store in Boulder at 1738 28th St., according to the MIO Global website.

FitTrip videos will continue to work with any heart-rate monitor a user chooses, or on their own, Schieffer said. The videos move at a preset speed if they’re not linked to a heart-rate monitor, he said. MIO Global heart-rate monitors work by themselves as well, he said.

Gusto Technologies raised $33,000 from a Kickstarter.com crowdfunding campaign in August. Schieffer started working on the Mio Global partnership in October. Gusto Technologies has four employees.

FitTrip is available through a free mobile application at the online Apple store, www.apple.com. Available mobile application videos include segments of road and trail trips for the annual Ride the Rockies bike ride in the Colorado mountains; at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison; and along various routes in the French Alps, among other places. Schieffer said.

Schieffer said he got the idea to create the mobile application one day when he was on an eight-mile run on a treadmill training for a half-marathon. To combat boredom, Schieffer visualized his favorite mountain biking trail and realized it was something other athletes might also be interested in.