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    Suunto ZoneSense

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    • M Online
      Mattg576 @2b2bff
      last edited by

      @2b2bff I understand the principles of Zonesense but by that logic my work effort got easier while I ran those hills (which it didn’t, it got harder).

      I also understand there isn’t a direct correlation between ZS & HR BUT surely as the work effort increases it would push you up further into the anaerobic state - not nose dive back into low aerobic…

      Race
      9 Peak
      Ambit 3 Peak
      Ambit 2R (sold)
      Suunto T3d (expired)

      2 Brad_OlwinB 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • 2 Offline
        2b2bff @Mattg576
        last edited by

        @Mattg576 as @Brad_Olwin said, ZoneSense always needs a couple of minutes to catch up. I remember from the videos that there are physiologic factors (30 seconds) and factors of calculation (2 minutes). So, if your intervals are shorter than those two minutes you won’t see any meaninful effects.

        Here I had a run with 3 minute intervals and you can see how ZoneSense had a hard time to catch up, but it reached yellow at the end of the interval…

        5e0c8f79-fb69-4e67-9af3-dc026eeee49e-image.png

        Suunto Race S
        Garmin Epix Pro

        Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • Brad_OlwinB Offline
          Brad_Olwin Moderator @Mattg576
          last edited by

          @Mattg576 The small hills, how long was the uphill, it looks to be short only 3 minutes or so?

          Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

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          • Brad_OlwinB Offline
            Brad_Olwin Moderator @2b2bff
            last edited by

            @2b2bff A perfect example! I don’t use live ZS for less than 6 min. I just use RPE. I will look back at my zones out of curiosity.

            Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

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            • Brad_OlwinB Offline
              Brad_Olwin Moderator @Mattg576
              last edited by

              @Mattg576 said in Suunto ZoneSense:

              @2b2bff I understand the principles of Zonesense but by that logic my work effort got easier while I ran those hills (which it didn’t, it got harder).

              I also understand there isn’t a direct correlation between ZS & HR BUT surely as the work effort increases it would push you up further into the anaerobic state - not nose dive back into low aerobic…

              The uphills are too short, it is simply green because the hard efforts were not long enough. Have you watched the videos or read the material on ZS. Those explain what you see.

              Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

              M 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                Brad_Olwin Moderator @Ghost
                last edited by

                @iterum-tenta A great summary! I think to all forum users here…do not equate HR and ZS values or try to force them to fit together. Suunto has extensive information that explains 99% of the issues raised here. It is a substantial time commitment to view all of the videos.

                Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                ChrisAC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
                • M Online
                  Mattg576 @Brad_Olwin
                  last edited by

                  @Brad_Olwin said in Suunto ZoneSense:

                  The uphills are too short, it is simply green because the hard efforts were not long enough

                  What mystifies me though is that I was already in an anaerobic state & my workload increased (confirmed by RPE - I was hanging out my ar#e) yet ZS suggests the complete opposite for nearly 10 minutes, I’ve experienced the same many times before…

                  I have read & watched some of the material but granted not all of it, the answer must in the bits I haven’t watched yet.

                  Thanks for your reply Brad.

                  Race
                  9 Peak
                  Ambit 3 Peak
                  Ambit 2R (sold)
                  Suunto T3d (expired)

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                  • ChrisAC Offline
                    ChrisA Platinum Member @Brad_Olwin
                    last edited by

                    @Brad_Olwin said in Suunto ZoneSense:

                    …do not equate HR and ZS values or try to force them to fit together.

                    That’s it in one sentence! I think that’s the main problem, the main mistake, made when using ZS at first, since it seems so obvious and somehow it seems like a paradigm change at first. I would also recommend watching the very good videos.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                    • flo7zF Offline
                      flo7z Silver Members @Brad_Olwin
                      last edited by

                      @Brad_Olwin
                      Hi,
                      On one hand I understand this and this is why I am trying to see how I can “translate” the aerobic work (indicated by HR zone 2) into the ZS area.
                      On the other hand, when I see at my data, except for big fatigue and heat, my HR is quite constant. Same if you listen to pro marathon runners, their heart rate is the same at +/- 1 or 2.
                      I feel ZS is a great tool, we just need a bit more experience and maybe some more guidance based upon experience.
                      Even though I watched all great Suunto videos on the subject, I still miss something to use ZS in my training, without watching the HR.

                      Florian Z.
                      Suunto 9 Peak Pro
                      Suunto Wings
                      Suunto D4
                      Suunto Ambit 3 Peak

                      2 Brad_OlwinB 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • 2 Offline
                        2b2bff @flo7z
                        last edited by

                        @flo7z simply put - as I understand it - HR zones are not static but will shift up and down depending on your current condition. ZoneSense takes that into account.
                        So if you wanna train “classical Zone 2”, you use the green ZoneSense zone. If you wanna go harder use the yellow or red accordingly.

                        Suunto Race S
                        Garmin Epix Pro

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                        • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                          Brad_Olwin Moderator @flo7z
                          last edited by

                          @flo7z This is the point! Just because your HR is constant does not mean your fatigue is constant. The reason to use ZS is to measure effort in real time. Too many think that HR zones are set in stone. Before ZS I knew my HR would change depending on workouts done prior and how I felt. But I had no idea how much my HR zones could change. ZS matches my RPE very well. Since watching all videos and reading the peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts on ZS (I am a Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology) I trust ZS for my training and trust RPE more than before. On off days I would think it was my mental state but now I know it was likely fatigue.

                          Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

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                          • dankcushionsD Offline
                            dankcushions
                            last edited by

                            used zonesense for the first time today and enjoyed it! i think aside from anything else it’s nice having activity categorized simply as aerobic, anaerobic, and vo2 max, as that’s the core of endurance training and i feel like heart rate zones/RPE get a bit abstract and have unnecessary graduations.

                            a few questions:

                            from the faq

                            There is an analysis feature with ZoneSense where Suunto App defines the aerobic and an-aerobic threshold as heartrate with the DDFA. This analysis maps the heartrate to the ZoneSense DDFA index shifts cross aerobic and an-aerobic thresholds. To get a result from this analysis, the athlete needs to do a workout where intensity is tough and challenging. The intensity needs to grow from aerobic area to an-aerobic level, to get the aerobic threshold as a heartrate result. Similarly, to get the an-aerobic threshold, the athlete needs to do a workout that will have intensity in vo2max range.

                            do i need to do anything to register these intensity workouts? or is it just a matter of continuing my running with my heart rate belt + zone sense, and once i hit some appropriate sessions in my training, zonesense will update my internal ‘profile’ and get ‘better’ at assigning zones during activity?

                            ZoneSense maps changes as aerobic and an-aerobic thresholds to corresponding heart rate values. Sudden changes in intensity can introduce errors, so it is best to consider several workouts before setting heart rate zones in your Suunto watch.

                            I realise ZoneSense is not the same as heartrate zones, but it does seem like it would be a good way to inform your heartrate zones (eg, for use in non-zonesense appropriate sessions like short intervals, etc). So is there a way to get that collected data from all my zonesense activities? eg:

                            • Aerobic BPM range 90-160
                            • Anaerobic BPM range 150-170
                            • VO2 max BPM range (160-190)
                              (I would expect these zones to overlap given the nature of zonesense over multiple actvivities)

                            From those ranges, I could personalize my heartrate zones.

                            flo7zF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                            • flo7zF Offline
                              flo7z Silver Members @dankcushions
                              last edited by flo7z

                              @dankcushions hi, about your last point ; I asked the same kind of question 5 days ago in this same thread.
                              Since HR evolves depending on your fatigue, the conditions and many other factors, you cannot draw a clear line between HR and ZS.

                              Florian Z.
                              Suunto 9 Peak Pro
                              Suunto Wings
                              Suunto D4
                              Suunto Ambit 3 Peak

                              dankcushionsD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • dankcushionsD Offline
                                dankcushions @flo7z
                                last edited by dankcushions

                                @flo7z said in Suunto ZoneSense:

                                @dankcushions hi, about your last point ; I asked the same kind of question 5 days ago in this same thread.
                                Since HR evolves depending on your fatigue, the conditions and many other factors, you cannot draw a clear line between HR and ZS.

                                yea i read that conversation 🙂 i realise HR is not ZS but that’s not what i’m saying. with ZS you can say when your body is doing (say) aerobic exercise, and that means that we can do some useful stuff with other datapoints we gather within those zones.

                                like if i could the see the upper and lower bounds of HR that was taking place when i was doing activity that ZS has assessed as aerobic, then that is far more useful info than ‘zone 2 is 65-75% of max heart rate’ or whatever the existing HR range algorithms do.

                                it might be the range is too wide to be useful, but with some basic statistical analysis it could be made useful for sure. you could taper the end of the heart rate measurements (to avoid ZS ‘lag’), remove outlier results (to avoid fatigue days, etc). perhaps favour more recent results to account for the ZS alg ‘learning’.

                                that to me could be a much better/alternative. way of establishing heart rate ranges than existing methods. could do similar stuff with pace etc.

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                                • andrewjknoxA Offline
                                  andrewjknox Bronze Member
                                  last edited by

                                  Hi guys,

                                  I’ve used a chest strap on a few of my runs now and the data appeared to be okay based on what I was seeing in the graph.

                                  Not so sure after todays run? I was doing a guided run, intervals with 8 minute walk / 3 minute walk.

                                  2025-02-28 17.40.40.png

                                  Any ideas? This an app issue, readings from the HR belt issue, or watch issue?

                                  Thanks!

                                  Watch: Suunto Race S, Garmin Fenix 7X + Coros Pace 3
                                  Phone: iPhone 13 Pro
                                  Footpod: Stryd
                                  HR: Coros HRM + Polar H10
                                  Sleep: Oura ring 2

                                  Brad_OlwinB S 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                                    Brad_Olwin Moderator @andrewjknox
                                    last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                    @andrewjknox all walk so should be aerobic. If 8 min run, how hard?

                                    Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                                    andrewjknoxA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                                      Brad_Olwin Moderator
                                      last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                      I did a Steady State Interval run yesterday. 3x10 min SSR with 5 min Recovery. ZS worked very well on a Vertical. Rare that my zones match up this well so I was not fatigued. And yes, I bit too hard for steady state…should have stayed in the yellow but I was running by RPE and did not have live ZS running.
                                      IMG_1091.jpeg IMG_1092.jpeg

                                      Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

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                                      • andrewjknoxA Offline
                                        andrewjknox Bronze Member @Brad_Olwin
                                        last edited by andrewjknox

                                        @Brad_Olwin Aye, it’ll come down to aerobic as expected but the lines are horizontal like it’s missing data?

                                        I’ve shown a run from Wednesday (graph as expected) which was actually the same workout - I’m pretty unfit at the minute, had surgery recently so easing back - my fitness has fallen off a cliff 😅

                                        IMG_7795.png

                                        Watch: Suunto Race S, Garmin Fenix 7X + Coros Pace 3
                                        Phone: iPhone 13 Pro
                                        Footpod: Stryd
                                        HR: Coros HRM + Polar H10
                                        Sleep: Oura ring 2

                                        Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                                          Brad_Olwin Moderator @andrewjknox
                                          last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                          @andrewjknox I was not looking carefully enough! The flat lines are either lost HR data or some bizarre HR lock…Make sure the belt is wet, it should not record the data if data are poor. Maybe the app did a bizarre calculation, you could try force quitting the app.

                                          Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                                          andrewjknoxA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • andrewjknoxA Offline
                                            andrewjknox Bronze Member @Brad_Olwin
                                            last edited by andrewjknox

                                            @Brad_Olwin I initially thought that too but it was recording heart rate data? That’s the background comparison graph in my image. Assume the HRV is just a separate stream of data from the belt that didn’t get picked up?

                                            Watch: Suunto Race S, Garmin Fenix 7X + Coros Pace 3
                                            Phone: iPhone 13 Pro
                                            Footpod: Stryd
                                            HR: Coros HRM + Polar H10
                                            Sleep: Oura ring 2

                                            Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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