Frequently Asked Questions

The Swirl is an all-in-one 1 oz heart rate monitor, music player and virtual personal trainer. Together with the Swirlfit web service, it will improve your health and overall fitness by making it more fun and effective to work out.

2. How does Swirlfit make my workout more effective?

The Swirl takes the guesswork out of your workout. With the Swirlfit service, you can plan your workout intervals and intensities so they best help you achieve your goals. The Swirl heart rate monitor and live coach will guide you so you stay in target training zones throughout your workout. The Swirl LiveCoach will encourage and guide you through your workout accompanied by your favorite music.

3. How does Swirlfit enhance my motivation to work out?

Get guidance and encouragement from your own LiveCoach
Be motivated by intensity matched music
See your progress over time – decrease in working heart rate, etc.

4. How does the Swirlfit service work?

First you set up an account on the Swirlfit portal. From there you choose a pre-defined workout or create one of your own. Add a playlist with your favorite music and now you have a workout ready to download to your Swirl. When you plug your Swirl into you PC, the workout with music will automatically download. When you are done working out, you can plug the Swirl in again and your workout data – including heart rate and calorie burn – will upload to your account.

5. Why do I need a heart rate monitor when I work out?

A heart rate monitor is probably the single most important tool for measuring workout intensity. It keeps you from overtraining, it keeps you from undertraining and it helps you “push your envelope” so you realize more of your physical potential. You can read more about training with a heart rate monitor here.

6. How is the Swirl different from any other heart rate monitor?

The Swirl has an “audio display”, i.e. it can TALK – so it lets you listen to your heart rate instead of trying to read a tiny watch display while running, cycling, stepping or whatever. The Swirl has a built-in LiveCoach which guides and motivates you through your workout through spoken instructions. And the Swirl plays your favorite music.

7. What makes the Swirl different from an iPod or MP3 player?

Unlike iPods or MP3 players, the Swirl is also a heart rate monitor. In addition, it provides virtual coaching guiding you through spoken instructions through the intervals and intensities of your workout. Furthermore, the Swirl can play music “intensity matched” to your workout – e.g, play high intensity music to match the high intensity intervals of your workout.

8. Can’t I just use a heart rate monitor with my iPod?

You could use a heart rate watch, etc. with an iPod. But only the Swirl provides a single audio stream for coaching, heart rate and music, so you can hear instructions, alerts, prompts and music at the same time (e.g. how will you be able to hear your watch beep when you are listening to you iPod?).

9. Why not work out with a personal trainer?

You should work out with a personal trainer as often as your circumstances allow. The Swirl is a complement to a personal trainer, not a replacement. It is a great way of taking your personal trainer with you or of replicating workouts that your personal trainer has designed for you. In fact, you can design customized Swirlfit workouts together with your personal trainer and then run them on your Swirl.

10. How will Swirlfit help me lose weight?

There are specific heart rate zones that provide the greatest benefits for weight management. Using a Swirl takes the “guesswork” out of your workout so you are assured of being in the intensity zones that are optimal for weight loss.

11. How does the Swirl upload my workouts to my account?

The Swirl PC client automatically uploads your workout data to your Swirlfit account. This can be done through the USB cable provided with the Swirl or wirelessly via Bluetooth if your PC supports Bluetooth.

12. How does uploading my workout history help me improve my performance and motivation?

Your workouts will show your performance improvements over time. This may take many forms, e.g. increases in workout intensity or duration or lower BPM (beats per minute) over time for the same intensity levels (showing your heart is becoming more efficient).

13. OK, I get the advantages of heart rate, but why not just use the heart rate read outs on the machines in my gym?

Holding the pulse sensors while you are running, etc. can be awkward and dangerous. There is just no easier way to get heart rate data than to have it read to you by a Swirl, and then there are all the other benefits …

14. Why do I need a Swirl – why not just use the Swirlfit service with my iPod?

You can use the Swirlfit service with an iPod or MP3 player. In fact, it’s a great way to enjoy some of the benefits before you invest in a Swirl. The Swirl provides many additional benefits like integrated heart rate feedback and logging of workout data. And there is no easier way of downloading workouts and uploading workout data.

15. Can I use a Macintosh with my Swirl?

You can use the Swirlfit service from a Mac browser such as Safari, but the Swirlfit client does not run on a Macintosh OS at this time. Intel Mac users with PC partitions can however install and run the Swirlfit client without problems. You may also be able to upload music using someone else’s PC and still create workouts through your Mac browser. Swirlnet hopes to provide a Mac version of the client at a future date.