Ladies (and some men) are your boobs in the way of the heart rate signal ? Bryony explains ....

Ladies! Having trouble with your heart rate belt read-out dropping in and out from the screen in the studio? I had this problem a lot over the last few months and tried everything from gel to wetting the belt to tightening the belt around my chest etc. No luck – and no readings either. I switched belts in case my regular one was one of the ones Andrew was having trouble with. To no avail. Instructors got sick of seeing me hitching up my top to fiddle with the damn thing. Instructors put the monitor down on the floor in case the angle was wrong to pick up the belt’s output. Eventually, thanks to chatting with other lady riders – thanks Jan B! – the suggestion came that my boobs might be getting in the way. (An instructor had apparently already spotted this but was far too polite to say, hence this article to spare his/their future blushes!) An inspection of my sports bra showed that the straps had slipped and a quick hitch sorted the problem instantly! It may sound obvious but it took quite a while to get to the bottom (top?) of so I wanted to share with you all in case you’ve been having the same problem but were too embarrassed to say anything.

Now, has anyone got any other embarrassing spinning/cycling related problems or stories to share? I’m sure I’m not the only one! Post queries or tales in the comments below

Bryony