I love the classes—the energy, the instructors, the studio vibe. I go regularly, I push myself hard. Beat81 has genuinely transformed my training.
But here's the thing: as someone who loves digging into data and tracking progress, I felt like I wasn't getting quite enough analytical insight from the Beat81 app. I wanted to understand my trends better, compare sessions in more depth, and see which instructors brought out my best performance. I wanted to favourite instructors, add notes to sessions, and really get granular with the numbers. And the more classes I did, the more I noticed something: as I got fitter, my numbers (especially my time in the higher heart rate zones) started to drop or stagnate. It almost felt like I was going backwards, even though I knew my fitness was improving. I wanted a better way to track progress that reflected all that hard work, so I set out to find meaning in the data Beat81 gives us.
Here's the frustrating reality: BEAT Points reward hitting high heart rate zones. But as your cardiovascular fitness improves, it becomes harder to reach those zones. Your heart becomes more efficient—which is exactly what you want!—but the scoring system penalises you for it. You're genuinely getting fitter, yet your points plateau or even drop. The Recovery score increases, but the gap it's not enough to make up for the drop in Sweat points. It's demotivating.
That's why I created Rhythm Score—a composite fitness metric that tracks what actually indicates improvement:
Unlike BEAT Points, Rhythm Score increases as you get genuinely fitter. It's scored on a 0-100 scale, so you can see exactly where you stand—from establishing baseline (0-40) to peak performance (85-100). It solves the core frustration: seeing your true progress even when high heart rate zones become harder to reach.
I also wanted to compete with my friends. We have a Whatsapp group where we share our sessions results and see who's in. There's nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry to push you harder in a session. So I added a friends leaderboard where you can invite friends with a QR code, see everyone's BEAT points side by side, and actually know who's showing up each week.
There's also booking coordination—you can share Beat81 class links, and the app shows you which friends are attending which sessions. No more "are you going to the 6pm Ride45?" messages. Just share your booking, and everyone can see who's in.
Zone Log is completely independent. It's not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Beat81 in any way. I'm just a regular member who wanted better data tools.
I'd love it if Beat81 built these features. Genuinely. If Beat81 integrated this kind of analytics into their app tomorrow, I'd be thrilled. Until then, Zone Log exists as a community tool for those who want it.
The subscription is just to cover costs. Running an app isn't free—there's server hosting, database storage, AI processing for screenshot extraction, and ongoing maintenance. The Pro subscription basically covers those running costs so I can keep the app reliable and available for everyone who uses it.
If you're a Beat81 regular like me and you've ever wished you could see more in your data, Zone Log might be exactly what you're looking for.
Thanks for reading, and I hope Zone Log helps you get as much insight and motivation from your training as it's given me.
— Storm
Disclaimer: Zone Log is an independent application created by a Beat81 member. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Beat81 or GRITSpot GmbH. Beat81 is a registered trademark of GRITSpot GmbH.