Pair a Bluetooth heart-rate strap and watch your live BPM. On-device only — nothing is recorded or shared.
Bluetooth pairing isn’t available in this browser.
Web Bluetooth works in Chrome or Edge (Android & desktop) and in the rowOps Solo Android app. It isn’t supported on iPhone/iPad browsers.
Bluetooth pairing isn’t available in this browser.
No browser on an iPhone or iPad can pair a strap directly yet — that is the platform,
not this phone. What works today:
On the erg — pair the strap to the monitor instead. Your pulse is recorded with the piece.
On the water — record the outing in Polar’s free app. With Polar connected it lands in your log here.
A live strap in the boat, on the phone itself — needs Android for now.
Browser apps that add Bluetooth to an iPhone exist. They are untested with Solo, so the list
is shown only to signed-in testers.
Worth trying — not yet tested with Solo
Two things to know before installing anything:
Your existing Solo history will not appear inside another browser, or in a fresh Safari tab if Solo is installed on your home screen — each app keeps its own storage.
In a browser app the screen may sleep mid-row. Only real Safari keeps it awake.
beaciofree · Safari extension
needs iOS 26.2 or later
Open Solo in a Safari tab, not from the home screen · Documents every call Solo makes · No iPad build · Rated 4+
Under 16? In Ireland a parent has to approve any install from their own Apple account.
Put on your strap, then pair it. Works with any Bluetooth-Smart strap — Polar H7/H9/H10/OH1/Verity, Garmin, Wahoo, etc. (Older 5 kHz / GymLink-only straps don’t use Bluetooth and won’t appear.)
connected
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BPM
min –avg –max –battery –
Your maximum heart rate
One per sport: a maximum you hit rowing is not your maximum on a bike or a run.
Leave any of them blank and nothing is guessed — those sessions just show no
heart-rate zones.
Two more numbers, needed only if you pick a system below that reads them. Leave either
blank and that one system shows no zone until it is filled in — nothing else changes.
Finding it: run vs bike vs erg
Each of these is an all-out effort. Read the preconditions before you start
one — they are conditions, not a formality, and this app is not in a position to tell you a
maximal test is safe for you.
A maximal test is not right for everyone, and this app has no account and no way to check
anyone's age. Before it shows these protocols, it asks you to confirm one thing —
this is a self-declaration, not age verification: it proves nothing to
anyone, it is stored only on this phone, and it does not stop someone determined to lie
about their age. It exists so a maximal-effort protocol is never simply the first thing a
visitor to this page sees.
Rowing / erg
2k trial peakno extra session
The peak heart rate from an all-out 2k you were already going to row — the cheapest valid erg maximum there is.
Before you start
This is a maximal effort — an all-out test taken to the point where you cannot continue, not a hard session. Anyone with a known or suspected heart condition, anyone taking medication that affects heart rate, and anyone who is unsure whether maximal exercise is appropriate for them should not do this without medical advice first.
Wear a chest strap. Optical wrist heart rate is unreliable at maximum and is known to lock onto cadence instead of pulse — an artefact stored as your maximum silently poisons every band computed from it afterwards, on every session, indefinitely.
Do not test while unwell, or while still shaking off an illness.
Do not test within 48 hours of hard work. A fatigued athlete stops at the muscle rather than at the heart, and the number that comes back is a floor wearing a maximum's label.
Do not test inside a taper. A maximal test is training load, and a taper is where load has deliberately been removed.
The trial has to be genuinely all out and raced to the line. A 2k paced to a target and never taken to failure gives a floor, not a maximum.
The strap must be on for the trial itself. A maximum cannot be reconstructed afterwards from a split.
Warm-up
Whatever warm-up the trial already prescribes. Do not change the trial to suit the heart-rate reading — the trial is the point and the number is a by-product.
The test
The trial — 2000 m, all out, raced to the line exactly as prescribed.
Stay put — Sit on the machine with the strap on and the recording running. Paddle lightly or sit still — either is fine, stopping the recording is not.
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Take the peak from the trial and its first half-minute, not from the whole session file — a spike in the warm-up or the cool-down is an artefact, not a maximum.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.
This athlete's synced programme schedules five all-out 2k trials, so confirmation costs nothing extra: the second trial confirms the first, and the remaining three keep confirming it as the season goes on.
Erg step test to exhaustion
Four-minute steps at rising power until you cannot complete one, with the last minute emptied out.
Before you start
This is a maximal effort — an all-out test taken to the point where you cannot continue, not a hard session. Anyone with a known or suspected heart condition, anyone taking medication that affects heart rate, and anyone who is unsure whether maximal exercise is appropriate for them should not do this without medical advice first.
Wear a chest strap. Optical wrist heart rate is unreliable at maximum and is known to lock onto cadence instead of pulse — an artefact stored as your maximum silently poisons every band computed from it afterwards, on every session, indefinitely.
Do not test while unwell, or while still shaking off an illness.
Do not test within 48 hours of hard work. A fatigued athlete stops at the muscle rather than at the heart, and the number that comes back is a floor wearing a maximum's label.
Do not test inside a taper. A maximal test is training load, and a taper is where load has deliberately been removed.
Set the drag factor you normally row at, and write it down. A step test repeated at a different drag is a different test and its numbers do not compare.
Warm-up
About 10 minutes easy, building through it, finishing with two or three short bursts to open up. Then 2-3 minutes easy before the first step.
The test
Steps — 4 minutes at a fixed power, then about 30 seconds off to breathe (or to take a lactate, if that is why you are here), then the next step higher. Choose the opening power so the test runs to five to seven steps — twelve easy steps is an endurance session with a hard finish, not a step test.
To volitional exhaustion — Keep taking steps until you cannot complete one at the power it calls for.
Final minute all out — On the last step you can hold, empty yourself over the final 60 seconds. The maximum comes from that minute, not from the graded part before it.
Stay put — Strap on, recording running, for at least 30 seconds after the last stroke.
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.
Bike
Bike ramp to failure
Power rising 20-25 W every minute until cadence collapses — typically 8-12 minutes of ramp.
Before you start
This is a maximal effort — an all-out test taken to the point where you cannot continue, not a hard session. Anyone with a known or suspected heart condition, anyone taking medication that affects heart rate, and anyone who is unsure whether maximal exercise is appropriate for them should not do this without medical advice first.
Wear a chest strap. Optical wrist heart rate is unreliable at maximum and is known to lock onto cadence instead of pulse — an artefact stored as your maximum silently poisons every band computed from it afterwards, on every session, indefinitely.
Do not test while unwell, or while still shaking off an illness.
Do not test within 48 hours of hard work. A fatigued athlete stops at the muscle rather than at the heart, and the number that comes back is a floor wearing a maximum's label.
Do not test inside a taper. A maximal test is training load, and a taper is where load has deliberately been removed.
Use a trainer or bike that actually holds power, or the ramp is not a ramp.
Stay seated. Standing recruits more muscle and changes the test between one attempt and the next, which is precisely what a confirmation compares.
Warm-up
About 10 minutes easy spinning, with two or three 10-second accelerations near the end. Then a couple of minutes easy before the ramp starts.
The test
Ramp — Add 20-25 W every minute and hold your normal cadence, seated. Pick the opening power so the ramp runs 8-12 minutes: much shorter and the legs end it before the heart does, much longer and it becomes an endurance test.
To volitional failure — Ride until you can no longer hold cadence at the power the ramp calls for. That is the end of the test — there is no target wattage to reach.
Stay on the bike — Spin easily, seated, strap on and recording, for at least 30 seconds.
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.
3 x 3 min maximal (field alternative)
Three 3-minute maximal efforts with 3 minutes' recovery, the third emptied out — for when there is no power-holding trainer.
Before you start
This is a maximal effort — an all-out test taken to the point where you cannot continue, not a hard session. Anyone with a known or suspected heart condition, anyone taking medication that affects heart rate, and anyone who is unsure whether maximal exercise is appropriate for them should not do this without medical advice first.
Wear a chest strap. Optical wrist heart rate is unreliable at maximum and is known to lock onto cadence instead of pulse — an artefact stored as your maximum silently poisons every band computed from it afterwards, on every session, indefinitely.
Do not test while unwell, or while still shaking off an illness.
Do not test within 48 hours of hard work. A fatigued athlete stops at the muscle rather than at the heart, and the number that comes back is a floor wearing a maximum's label.
Do not test inside a taper. A maximal test is training load, and a taper is where load has deliberately been removed.
Pick a route or a stretch of road you can ride flat out without traffic, junctions or a descent in the middle of an effort.
Warm-up
About 10 minutes easy spinning with two or three short accelerations near the end.
The test
Effort 1 — 3 minutes as hard as you can hold for 3 minutes.
Recovery — 3 minutes easy spinning.
Effort 2 — 3 minutes, at least as hard as the first.
Recovery — 3 minutes easy spinning.
Effort 3 — 3 minutes, and empty yourself over the last 60 seconds. This is the effort the maximum comes from; the first two exist to get you there.
Stay on the bike — Spin easily, strap on and recording, for at least 30 seconds.
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.
Run
3 x 3 min hard on an incline
Three 3-minute hard efforts up a slight incline with a jog recovery, the last emptied over the final 60 seconds.
Before you start
This is a maximal effort — an all-out test taken to the point where you cannot continue, not a hard session. Anyone with a known or suspected heart condition, anyone taking medication that affects heart rate, and anyone who is unsure whether maximal exercise is appropriate for them should not do this without medical advice first.
Wear a chest strap. Optical wrist heart rate is unreliable at maximum and is known to lock onto cadence instead of pulse — an artefact stored as your maximum silently poisons every band computed from it afterwards, on every session, indefinitely.
Do not test while unwell, or while still shaking off an illness.
Do not test within 48 hours of hard work. A fatigued athlete stops at the muscle rather than at the heart, and the number that comes back is a floor wearing a maximum's label.
Do not test inside a taper. A maximal test is training load, and a taper is where load has deliberately been removed.
Use the same incline each time. A steeper one next time makes the confirmation a comparison of two different tests.
Run it on a surface and a route you can go flat out on without watching your feet.
Warm-up
About 10 minutes easy jogging, finishing with three or four strides. Then a minute or two easy before the first effort.
The test
Effort 1 — 3 minutes hard up a slight incline — a gradient you can run, not a hill you have to climb.
Recovery — 2-3 minutes' easy jog back down.
Effort 2 — 3 minutes, at least as hard as the first.
Recovery — 2-3 minutes' easy jog back down.
Effort 3 — 3 minutes, all out over the final 60 seconds. The maximum comes from this last minute — the first two efforts exist to make it possible.
Keep moving — Walk or jog on with the strap on and recording for at least 30 seconds.
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Running usually gives the highest maximum of the three modalities. That is expected and is not a reason to copy this number onto the erg — see the note on borrowing in src/lib/review/rowing-zones.ts.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.
Rules that apply to all three
Reading the number
Read the highest 5-second average, never the highest instantaneous sample. A single-beat spike at maximum is as likely to be a dropped or doubled beat as a real reading.
Keep recording for at least 30 seconds after you stop. Heart rate commonly peaks in the first ~15 seconds AFTER the effort ends, so a recording stopped on the last stroke or the last stride misses the number the test was for.
Take the higher of the two peaks — during the effort, and just after it.
Confirming it
Repeat the test on a separate day. A single test is a floor, not a maximum.
Accept the number when two tests agree within about 3 bpm.
If the second test comes back clearly HIGHER, the first was not maximal and the ceiling is still moving — test again before trusting either number.
If the second comes back clearly LOWER, that tells you nothing new: keep the higher number as an unconfirmed floor and try again another day.