1) Download app

Download the Counterpace app from the Apple App Store (iOS) or from the Google Play Store (Android). Open the app to create an account and watch the short orientation video.

2) Prepare strap

Rinse or soak the chest strap under running water and snap on the Counterpace sensor. Unhook and lengthen the strap so that it is snug, but not uncomfortable. Position the strap around your chest with the module centered over your lower ribs.

3) Try it

In the Counterpace app, tap “Connect Sensor.” If wearing headphones, put them on. It is often easiest to learn how to use Counterpace on a treadmill if you have one available. Select Treadmill, Outdoor or Elliptical and tap Start to begin.

Sometimes the sensor has difficulty connecting or the app says “Poor heart rate signal”. This is usually easy to fix!

• Make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on in your iPhone’s settings menu.

• Make sure that the strap is wet (moisten the strap’s two shiny polymer surfaces [the electrodes] under running water before putting on the strap. Then connect in the sensor being sure to snap in both sides.

• Ensure that the strap is snug (but not too tight) around your chest, with the module centered over the bottom of your sternum and the shiny electrodes in full contact with your skin.

• Open the app. If the sensor does not connect automatically, then try the following:

a. Open settings menu in the app (gear shaped icon upper left of start screen).

b. Scroll down to look for a button named “unpair sensor”. If you see this button push it. Confirm you want to unpair.

c. Close settings menu, while continuing to wear the sensor, if needed select “Connect Sensor” and see if this fixes the problem.

• Remove the battery for ten seconds, then put it back in, to fully reset the system. You’ll need a nickel, penny, or screwdriver to turn the cover slightly to open it. When closing the back, be sure to line up the two small dots on the cover and the case before locking it.

A new battery should last for several months, even with daily use provided the sensor is disconnected from at least one snap on the strap between uses.

If it still won’t connect, please let us know and we will provide a new battery or sensor.

The Counterpace guidance system includes a very high quality, high-conductance chest strap that will serve you well if you follow these simple care instructions.

• Remove the sensor and rinse the strap before or after every use.

• Remove the sensor and machine or hand wash the strap after every seven uses with mild detergent in cold or warm water.

• Do not put the strap in a dryer. Instead, hang it up or lay it flat.

• Avoid tightly rolling or bending the strap to prolong useful life.

• Do not leave in direct sun for long periods of time.

• Unsnap the sensor when not in use to substantially increase battery life.

We are only shipping this first small production run in the United States, but the app is available worldwide through the Apple App Store. We will ship the product more broadly as soon as we can.

A beta version of our Apple Watch app is available when you download the Counterpace iPhone app. We’d love to hear from you about what works well and what you would like to see changed or added? Email us with your suggestions and ideas!

Musical guidance is a BETA feature in the Counterpace app that currently supports a small library of built-in music plus any playlists of purchased songs downloaded to iTunes. Let us know your favorite streaming services, as we intend to expand our music guidance offering over time.

(Spotify is a registered trademark of Spotify AB.  Apple Music is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.)

Please refer to our science page to read about the core ideas. Follow the link in our press page to a recent peer-review paper on Counterpace guidance in professional runners, published in the American College of Sports Medicine's flagship MSSE journal.

We have a complete research kit to make it easier for you to explore natural counterpulsation in your own lab.

If you are interested in learning more please contact us at support@counterpace.com

While stepping at your heart rate is necessary in order to achieve natural counterpulsation, it's not enough. Counterpulsation requires that you step precisely during the early relaxation phase of your heart's pump cycle. Counterpace sensors ensure the that each step cycle is phase synchronized with the heart's constantly changing pump timing. If you step at your heart rate without Counterpace guidance, you may inadvertently repeatedly step when the heart is contracting. This highly unfavorable "systolic step timing" has been shown to dramatically increase systolic and mean blood pressure and heart rate, while recent evidence suggests it may simultaneously decrease both skeletal and heart muscle oxygen delivery.

We designed our product packaging to minimize waste, rather than trying to win the “unboxing” experience.

Buy a Counterpace system and tell us what you like and don’t like!

Share Counterpace.com with your friends and on social media.

Find a running coach or famous runner in your community and introduce her (or him) to Counterpace guidance.

Take a look at our Careers page and tell us how you’d like to contribute.

Did you recently break two hours in a marathon using Counterpace guidance? We'd love to hear from you! Please contact us at support@counterpace.com

(Spotify is a registered trademark of Spotify AB. Apple Watch and Apple Music are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Android is a registered trademark of Google Inc.)