Cycle House Adds New Heart Rate Readings for Calorie-Torching Tech

We've made no secret of our love for L.A. hotspot Cycle House; we ranked the boutique cycling studio's 1,000-Calorie Ride as one of the 33 hottest fitness classes in the country, and it earned the left coast major points in our 2011 East Vs. West fitness competition, too. So it comes as no surprise that Cycle House is back on top with a brand new, first-of-its-kind technology that takes calorie burning to a whole new level.

When you take a class at Cycle House, all of the stats from your ride get saved into your user profile and can be accessed online through your private account. This is pretty cool in itself, but not really much different than what a lot of the other fancy cycling studios are also doing. But starting this month, thanks to wireless bluetooth sensors throughout the studio, each bike can pick up on its rider's individual heart rate monitor, as well.

This -- along the weight, age, and gender info you've already entered online -- makes for an extremely accurate calculation of calories burned. (Without heart rate, calories are often estimated based on RPMs, pedal resistance, and the user's weight, but that can't take into account one of the biggest factors: your actual level of exertion.) Your online Cycle House account keeps track of these stats, and you can access them anytime, anywhere.

Here's hoping this cool technology makes its way to other studios soon ... or that maybe Cycle House makes its way across the country? (Share the wealth, Cali!) Until then, I'll stick with my own local cycling studios -- and this Cycle House-inspired 1,000-calorie, at-home ride. Complete with heart rate monitor to track my burn, of course.

Do you wear a heart rate monitor for indoor cycling classes? Tweet us at @amandaemac and @SELFmagazine.

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Image Credit: Courtesy Photo

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