Myzone MZ-3 Physical Activity Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor

Product Information

Even though it does away with numbering conventions, the MZ-Switch is technically a successor to Myzone’s previous heart rate monitor, the Myzone MZ-3. Both of these devices keep the Myzone logo front and centre, whilst also making use of the same colour palette, but otherwise the MZ-Switch is considerably smaller than its predecessor.

Moving things to the arm for a mix of steady and fast paced runs and mixed intensity rowing sessions, and it performed relatively well here too. For runs, it was generally one or two bpms out from a chest strap, and was generally within 4bpm on maximum HR, usually reporting a lower HR max than a chest strap. It was never identical to a chest strap monitor, but it was never wildly off to push you into another heart rate zone. It was a very similar experience to what we experienced with the Polar Verity Sense and other armband heart rate monitors from Wahoo and Scosche. Unlike the pebble style frame of the MZ-3, the Switch is far more circular and lightweight – designed this way to facilitate the MZ-Switch’s biggest feature: the ability to wear the device three different ways. Alongside the traditional chest strap, the MZ-Switch also comes with a wrist-worn strap and a strap that wraps around your forearm.

Otherwise, there’s not much else to say. It would be nice if you could upload ZoneMatch workouts to the MZ-Switch itself and have it issue audible cues when moving from one zone to the next, as this would allow you to follow workouts on a run or bike ride without the need to take your phone with you. As this would have a negative impact on battery life, however, I understand why MyZone hasn’t implemented this.

The MEPs system lies at the core of this, however, and it’s a fairly simple concept. Based on your maximum heart rate (this is estimated at first, but updated automatically if you go above your maximum heart rate for 40 seconds or more), MyZone assigns you six heart-rate zones. As you exercise within those zones, you earn points (MEPs) towards a monthly goal. The higher the heart rate, the more points you earn and, when you hit a monthly target of 1,300 MEPs, you have the potential to earn yourself a coveted MyZone status upgrade. Before we get into our testing, we should talk about what MyZone says about the accuracy of its own tech. When you’re making use of the ECG sensor on the Switch, you can expect 99.4% accuracy for readings. When you’re using its optical sensor to measure heart rate from the arm or wrist, that drops to 95%. So still a good number, not quite the almost 100% accuracy promised by using ECG. It might not be the most comfortable position for all, but that chest strap still does the business.When it comes to making meaningful changes to your health and fitness, it can sometimes be a bit of a battle to know where to start with wearables. I’ve always lauded the Fitbit wearables for their excellence in communicating where you are in relation to your fitness goals, but when casting the net out to include heart rate monitors in the conversation, the MZ-Switch makes it easier than ever to understand your performance during each individual workout. Indoor rowing using MyZone MZ-Switch (left) and Garmin HRM-Pro (right) (Image credit: Michael Sawh)

Last up is the wrist strap, which has a firmer feeling fabric that’s closer to what you’ll get on the chest strap. It uses velcro to secure it on your wrist and we found it stayed put and sits snug without feeling tight, which is the ideal type of fit to get good data from the wrist. Based in Nottingham, the business has offices in Chicago, Queensland and the Isle of Man, and has sold a reported 2 million devices since it was launched by fitness industry expert Dave Wright in 2011. Continue to follow the prompts. To ensure your Myzone readings are as accurate as possible, enter your gender, height, weight, and date of birth. Myzone is a highly scalable business that has proven itself the global market leader in its space and we look forward to the further growth this partnership can bring.” Using a mix of optical and ECG monitoring over a few weeks, there wasn’t a huge dent in battery life. From an hour run using the optical sensor, the drop-off was four percent. A 45-minute HIIT session on FIIT with the ECG didn’t really make a dent. To view battery status, it’s the same process as doing it with the MZ-3. You’ll need to head into the workout tile on the app, turn the device on and it’ll display the current battery level.

Wearables

The MZ-Switch isn’t only about the hardware, good though that is. You can also use the accompanying app to help motivate yourself to get fitter. Primarily, this is done via the MEP system (MyZone Effort Points), but it’s also possible to book and participate in online classes via the app or choose from a series of structured workouts to add some interest to your gym, home treadmill or exercise bike sessions. You’re good to go and ready to enjoy the full benefits that Myzone has to offer! Make sure you allow notifications in the app to receive details of the monthly challenges and to confirm your participation. He said: “We have been in a very fortunate position in that we have grown organically to date, without the need for external capital. Until, that is, I attempted to hook it up to a Polar Vantage V2 sports watch. At this point, the MZ-Switch paired fine but only intermittently transmitted heart-rate data. I’ve reached out to MyZone about this and will update the review if this changes at any point but otherwise, obviously, it’s useless for Polar users at the current time.

One of the best things about the system is that you don’t lose out on MEPs if you use the belt as an external sensor connected to a running watch or other hardware. Simply connect the MZ-Switch with your phone and each session is automatically uploaded to the app from internal storage, regardless of what else you were using it for before. In short, the app turns what would otherwise be a fairly mundane, albeit highly competent, heart-rate monitor into a comprehensive tool for improving your all-round activity levels and fitness. If the eyes of your peers just isn’t quite enough motivation for you, then you’ll be glad to know that Myzone also employs a ranking system wherein, the more consistently you exercise, the better your status. Completing workouts will earn you MEPs (Myzone Effort Points) – a system that’s based upon recommended guidelines from the World Health Organisation – 1300 of which will you nab you iron status, then bronze, silver and so on. As the most recent addition to Myzone’s range of heart rate monitors, the Myzone MZ-Switch seeks to offer users more flexibility than ever. The app can also be used to connect with fellow exercisers, analyse workouts, and let people “like” or comment on the efforts of others.

A heart rate monitor that gives you good enough accuracy away from the chest

When you do need to get charging, there’s a proprietary charging cable that clips securely in place to one of the button ports used to clip it into the chest strap. Once it’s in, it stays put, so there’s no worry this one is going to move out of place if you’re charging it overnight.