Coaches seeking resisted sprint devices who have not done their due diligence in understanding the technology on the market risk making an ill-informed decision at best, and at worst wasting hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars and countless training hours with methods and devices poorly suited for their needs.

A myriad of factors must be considered prior to making a purchase. In addition to the simple questions, like cost and allotted space, psychosocial aspects such as perceived value and the ability to garner data also hold weight.

This guide introduces the available technology on the market and discusses the benefits and disadvantages of each, directing you toward an understanding of what will work best for you.

Considerations

Coaches must ask themselves what training concepts they are able to effectively deploy to achieve desirable adaptations for the athletes they work with. Technology is only as useful as the practitioner directing it. Beyond coaching expertise, considerations include the number of athletes training at once, training session flow, space, the need (or lack thereof) for data, other applications (including variable resistance and overspeed training), athlete buy-in, and budget.

Additionally, coaches in the private sector face different circumstances and considerations than those in collegiate or professional sports. When clients are paying you for training, there are expectations to be met and client satisfaction to consider. While these aspects are also important for buy-in and program efficacy in the team sports setting, in general, athletes have little say in their training or choice in undertaking it. Thus, team sports S&C coaches and sport scientists typically have more latitude in programming, as there is often an undertone that athletes will do what they’re told in these settings that isn’t always present in private facilities.

[bctt tweet="Simple devices, such as tow harnesses and bungees, can be employed with entire teams at once; other devices demand small group training or creative training session planning."]

Simple devices, such as tow harnesses and bungees, can be employed with entire teams at once; other devices demand small group training or creative training session planning.

The 1080 Sprint and the DynaSpeed both provide multitudes of data immediately after each rep is complete. Coaches may instantly see sprint velocity, power, and time, allowing for autoregulation, precise programming, and long-term data tracking—a significant advantage over low-tech options. These devices are also the safest and most effective methods of executing overspeed sprinting and other assisted exercises.

Types of Resisted Sprint Devices

Resisted sprint technologies can easily be separated into two categories: low- and high-tech devices. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages compared to the other.

The low-tech devices are rudimentary and inexpensive, yet timeless and efficacious when deployed thoughtfully. Options include bands, bungees, parachutes, sleds, harnesses, the Exer-Genie, and even hills. Within this group we have options for pushing and pulling (more on this later).

While the Exer-Genie escapes this classification, the other recommended low-tech options (sleds) are characterized by being in contact with the ground. Factors to consider include surface friction, body angles, portability, load potential, and angle of force application. Sprinting in a weighted vest is not the same as pushing a sled, for example.

The Run Rocket, 1080 Sprint, and DynaSpeed comprise the high-tech options. What separates these from their low-tech counterparts is the smooth and consistent application of motorized resistance and (outside of the Run Rocket) the ability to collect and analyze data on each repetition completed. This opens a new frontier to the world of resisted sprinting that was previously inaccessible.

High Tech Options: Pros and Cons

The Run Rocket, 1080 Sprint, and DynaSpeed each offer precise resistance selection on all surfaces and in all conditions. These devices are essentially cables attached to a spindle housed within the unit, whereas pushing or pulling a sled over different surfaces and surface conditions offers different coefficients of friction, and thus different resistances applied to the athlete (even with the same weight on the sled). These high-tech options then always provide reliable and consistent resistance.

[bctt tweet="The high-tech resisted sprint options always provide reliable and consistent resistance, allowing coaches to confidently program."]

Thus, with low-tech options, unless conditions are identical, it is nearly impossible to track and calculate external load. With the high-tech options, coaches can depend on consistent resistances and delivered stimuli, and thus may confidently program.

Accordingly, the price tag on these products is prohibitive for many. Unless finances are not a barrier, many facilities will likely purchase just one of these units. Consequently, their use is best suited for small group training or in such a manner whereby athletes cycle through in stations (similar to how one may structure group training if only one barbell was available).

Run Rocket

The Run Rocket was once the pinnacle of resisted sprint technology. It was the first device to provide excellent and controllable resistance and was very popular as a result. The 1080 Sprint and the DynaSpeed have both captured a significant portion of the market share and have distinct advantages over the Run Rocket: namely, these units yield data and offer assisted training—meaning the cord can also pull the athlete back toward the machine—a feature the Run Rocket lacks. This is handy for training modalities ranging from eccentric training to overspeed sprinting. The Run Rocket sells, accordingly, at a significantly lower price point than these other units. Coaches who are looking for consistent and portable resisted sprints, but who do not care for data collection, may benefit from owning a Run Rocket.

The 1080 Sprint

The 1080 Sprint and the DynaSpeed are, undoubtedly, the best and most versatile products on the market.

The 1080 Sprint is a computerized tether system that provides highly reliable and consistent resistance controlled via a tablet that 1080 Motion (the company that produces 1080 Sprint) provides to the user. Once the 1080 is plugged into an outlet and turned on, the tablet connects to it via Bluetooth and users can change the resistance from barely noticeable to significantly challenging with six taps on the tablet screen.

Coaches and athletes alike are afforded immediate feedback upon rep completion. Within moments, data such as velocity, time, power, and force produced during the trial are readily available. Thus, a new frontier is brought to the market: athlete testing, monitoring, and data collection during sprinting itself and other horizontally oriented exercises, such as broad jumps and triple hops. Data is automatically uploaded to a web app that allows for advanced analysis and data export. Coaches and sport scientists seeking in-depth insight will enjoy the benefits and granular data yielded by the 1080 Sprint.

The unit provides up to 30 kilograms of resistance, which doesn’t sound like much, but is a heavy resistance when moving in the horizontal direction. The cable is 90 meters, allowing for longer resisted sprints and the ability to effectively and—important for both training stimulus and athlete safety—precisely perform overspeed sprints.

To be clear, the 1080 Sprint provides resistance while moving away from the machine, and it also can be set to pull the athlete in toward the machine at varying speeds. This opens the door for overspeed sprints as well as eccentrically oriented exercises, like lunges and decelerations.

Coaches can control the resistance applied to the athlete, as well as set speed limits for the cable. For instance, if you don’t want your athlete moving faster than 10 m/s on an overspeed sprint, you may set the max speed to 10 m/s and the cable will not tow any faster than that. Alternatively, if you want your athlete to perform a resisted sprint at 4.5 m/s, you can set that speed as the maximum, and once the athlete reaches the speed, the unit keeps them there by modulating the resistance.

Thus, the 1080 Sprint doubles as an isokinetic dynamometer, revealing how much force an athlete produces at a set speed. The isokinetic feature can be used with multiple exercises, including knee extensions and shoulder internal and external rotations. You are only limited by your imagination.

Further, 1080 Motion has headquarters in both the U.S. (Austin, Texas) and Europe (Stockholm, Sweden). User support is readily available, and the community of users in the U.S. is growing rapidly, including coaches in the private sector, rehabilitative settings, and collegiate and professional sports.

DynaSpeed

The DynaSpeed and the 1080 Sprint have more similarities than differences. The DynaSpeed is also a computerized tether system that provides resistance when moving away from the unit as well as assistance when moving toward it. The resistance is highly consistent and reliable, set from a Windows computer that connects to the DynaSpeed via a cable. The data generated is virtually identical to that of the 1080 Sprint.

The allure of the DynaSpeed is that it syncs with other MuscleLab products, like IMUs, the contact grid, and laser, providing a unique ecosystem of technology by which to gain insight on athletic performance and rehabilitative status. The collection of technologies interfaces together and can be used in conjunction to gather numerous data, including ground contact and flight times and other step parameters that advanced practitioners benefit from being aware of.

Beyond the synchronization capabilities of the DynaSpeed, the differences between it and the 1080  lie in the nuances.

As mentioned, the DynaSpeed is operated by a Windows computer that is hardwired to the unit. The computer is not provided to the user. Notably, the data is housed on the computer itself, not in an online web app. Users thus need to consider storage and storage backup capacity to ensure data longevity.

The DynaSpeed tops at 27 kilograms of resistance versus the 1080 Sprint’s 30 kilograms, but it also has the options of 90-meter and 120-meter cables.

The Low-Tech Options: Pros and Cons

The two strongest benefits of the low-tech options are the low financial barriers to entry and the ease of implementation in large group settings. Teams can provide a half dozen sleds, load them with the weight plates they already have, and train all their athletes at once for a relatively low cost.

[bctt tweet="The two strongest benefits of low-tech resisted sprint options are the low financial barriers to entry and the ease of implementation in large group settings."]

The major setbacks are the lack of data feedback and the difficulty in achieving precise loading and resistance. If a partner manually applies resistance—as is common when bands/harnesses are worn—the resistance is not consistent rep-to-rep or even step-to-step. The training stimulus is thus less controllable, making these options best suited for technical versus physiological development.

Sleds—in addition to deciding whether to push or pull them—offer a similar problem. Different surfaces, and even the same surface under different conditions, yield differing coefficients of friction, resulting in different levels of resistance despite the same load. Pulling a 135-pound sled over rubber matting is entirely different than pulling the same sled over a hardwood floor. For this reason, it has been suggested to prescribe training based on velocity decrement versus absolute load, but that requires advanced technology to assess.

There are endless options of sleds to pull and push, but not all sleds are created equal. Beyond the obvious difference of pushing versus pulling sleds, you must consider the weight and portability of the unit, as well as its usability over multiple surfaces. Low-quality sleds may work well on specific surfaces, like carpet, but not on others, such as over a track or on turf. Further, some sleds are designed for high-velocity sprint work, while others are geared toward strength and power training, meaning higher loads and lower movement speeds.

Of the myriad of options available on the market, the options below have been selected because they meet specific needs, from loading to surface agreement.

Low Drag Speed Sled

The low drag speed sled is designed for higher velocity sprinting. It doesn’t support a large amount of weight, but it can be pulled over several surfaces, including a track. The unit itself weighs less than 7 pounds, making it highly portable. If you’re looking for an inexpensive option to lightly load athletes, especially for technical purposes, this sled is a versatile option.

PowerMax Sled

The PowerMax sled is a heavy-duty version of the low drag speed sled. It has a 15-inch post, which supports up to four Olympic bumper plates—meaning you can significantly load your athletes. Best suited for grass or turf, this is a great option for large group training.

Exer-Genie

Ranging from $250-$270, the Exer-Genie is a unique, if not slightly outdated, technology. While the company’s website boasts marketing from 1968, and the site itself looks as if it wasn’t created much later, the tool stands out as an option. The system is essentially a cable that goes through a tube, claims to provide resistance ranging from 1 to 410 pounds, and offers a 36-meter or 60-meter cord to sprint with. Think of it like a portable, lightweight sled. For those looking for a highly mobile option, the Exer-Genie fits the bill.

Titan

The Titan sled can be pushed from a high or low position over a variety of surfaces, including carpet, grass, turf, hardwood, concrete, and asphalt. With two 9-inch weight posts, a significant amount of weight can be added to this sled if desired.

Torque Tank

The Torque Tank offers distinct advantages over traditional sleds. The resistance is generated by an adjustable and frictionless magnetic brake, meaning you don’t have to add weight plates to the machine. The magnetic brakes offer three resistance levels, and, uniquely, the resistance increases along with velocity. As you speed it, it gets harder. The unit is nearly silent and has heavy-duty tires, making it usable anywhere.

Closing Considerations

Before deciding which product to invest in, coaches must consider budget, size of training groups, application (athlete monitoring, conditioning, physiological/technical development, etc.), breadth of skill set, and athlete buy-in/ROI.

Those working with larger groups will likely need multiple units to avoid a bottleneck at one resisted sprint station. Sleds are a viable option financially and feasibly in this situation, but larger organizations may invest in more than one of the high-tech units, if their budget allows.

Further, an implement is only as good as the practitioner directing it. A high-quality coach with a sled is more valuable than an intern with a 1080 Sprint or DynaSpeed. If you see yourself collecting data and using it to inform training, the high-tech options are the only units that will satisfy your need for precision.

[bctt tweet="There’s something to be said about the environment created by having cutting-edge technology options versus metal sleds."]

There’s also something to be said about the environment created by having cutting-edge technology versus metal sleds. Coaches may position themselves and be perceived as bringing increased value—whether through athlete monitoring, rehabilitation, training precision, or a combination of all—and charge higher prices as a result.

Finally, the need to gain athlete buy-in cannot be overlooked. If you can yield data as a weapon to earn trust and engage your athletes during training, you will have tremendous influence with the 1080 Sprint and DynaSpeed. If you can create competition and positive energy with races, a handful of sleds could transform the atmosphere in your training environment.

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From youth leagues to the professional level, athletes and athletic service providers have to accept and manage the risk of injuries and other hazards of their sports. For instance, risk management has grown so critical to college-level and pro athletics that insurance coverage has become an important recruiting tool. At all levels, the Insurance Information Institute, or III, found that sports-related injuries accounted for 12 percent of all emergency room admissions and 20 percent of all acute injuries.

Failing to account for the likelihood of accidents and other problems can damage your pocketbook and even your reputation. To manage injury liability and other risks associated with sports and fitness, learn how sports insurance can protect you. Once you take the time to understand this kind of coverage, you’ll be able to compare and buy the best protection for your needs.

Who Needs Sports and Fitness Insurance?

Schools, amateur and professional teams, trainers, health clubs, sporting venues, and nutrition and fitness professionals all assume unavoidable risks. Customers, students, members, or even volunteers could get injured or suffer property damage and claim that you’re responsible. Then they could ask for compensation or even file a lawsuit. Claimants might target the organization or professionals who provided advice, facilities, coaching, or gear.

Operating without adequate coverage is just like waiting for an accident to happen. For example, according to an III summary of recent data from the National Safety Council, these are some facts about common injuries:

• The use of exercise equipment generated more than half a million accidental injuries in one year and ranked as the leading cause of problems needing medical treatment.
• Basketball accounted for more than 500,000 injuries, followed by football and other team sports, including baseball, soccer, and hockey.
• Biking, swimming, and even the use of beach, playground, and camping equipment made the list with tens or even hundreds of thousands of injuries in a year.
• Depending upon the type of activity, most injured people were either adults or teenagers, but even young children were vulnerable during such activities as playing on the playground, using trampolines, biking, and other sports.

While risk management for sports and fitness usually focuses on the potential for injuries, it’s also prudent to consider other kinds of risks. Personal equipment and other items may get damaged or stolen. Some participants may claim defamation or emotional or sexual abuse. Some fitness professionals may even get held liable for offering advice or providing treatment that was believed to cause harm.

Most people participate in sports and fitness activities because of their passion about the positive aspects of their vocation, job, or hobby. Still, it’s important to remain aware of common hazards and protect yourself and your organization against them. Your safety program, professional standards, and historically good reputation can help you avoid problems and may even reduce the cost of coverage, but you should not believe they will make you invulnerable to claims.

What Fitness and Sports Insurance Should Cover

Naturally, different types of sports organizations will have different concerns. Because of this, schools, exercise studios, fitness professionals, facilities, and professional or amateur teams can buy coverage tailored to their unique needs. Beyond that, policy details may vary by the insurance company or level of benefits chosen. To get an idea of benefits that sports insurance should provide to you and your organization, explore some of these most typical types of coverage.

Policies for Team and Club Sports and Events

The key portion of this coverage focuses on covering sports organizations against liability. These are some questions to ask as you review your options:

• Where are you covered? You should include coverage for practices, try-outs, games, and travel. Make certain that you’re covered in other cities and states if your team travels.
• When are you covered? You can also add protection for non-sport activities that you may host, such as fundraisers, award banquets, or team parties.
• Who is covered? The policy should protect the organization, venue, directors, supervisors, coaches, other players, and all involved parties against potential claims.
• What is covered? Typical covered claims would include injuries, property loss and damages, defamation, abuse, and more. Also, simply understanding the kinds of protection a typical policy contains can help you create safety training and standards for acceptable member behavior. Insurance companies typically provide risk reduction assistance.
• Is there additional coverage to consider? Consider adding in coverage for equipment damage, either when in use or stored. Check to see if the policy includes crime insurance in case of such problems as theft, vandalism, or even embezzlement. Make sure directors are covered against claims like wrongful termination, discrimination, and failure to follow bylaws.
• Who can make covered claims? Make sure you can extend benefits to players, coaches, administrators, attendees, and in some cases, bystanders. For instance, if a passerby, nearby window, or parked car gets hit by a stray ball, the victim might ask for compensation.
• How much coverage will you need? At a professional level, you might even need to insure pro salaries. Even at an amateur or school level, injured people might claim expenses for loss of income or college tuition. Parents of youth athletes could make claims for reimbursement for time they need to take off from their jobs to attend to their injured children.

As an example, youth football generally suggests having sports liability insurance of at least $100,000 per injury and $1,000,000 in total liability. Depending upon your situation, you might also consider buying an umbrella policy that can provide additional liability insurance over the base policy in increments of $1,000,000.

Sports Insurance for Fitness Professionals

Instructors, trainers, nutritionists, and other fitness professionals often work at health clubs and other facilities. They may believe they’re covered well enough by that facility’s policy, but you’d be prudent to make certain that’s true. If you’re an employee, you’re more likely to be protected by your employer; however, many fitness professionals work as independent contractors or lease space for their own business. If this is your situation, it’s more likely that you’re not covered.

Without coverage, you could be held liable for damages or injuries. One of your students could twist an ankle during class or claim that your dietary advice made them sick. Even if you didn’t cause the problem, you may have to pay a lawyer simply to defend yourself.

Of course, if you’re actually a registered professional, like a registered dietitian or chiropractor, you probably already know to buy professional liability insurance for your profession. Some insurers even tailor this kind of malpractice insurance for professionals in the fitness industry. If you coach or teach yoga, martial arts, or other kinds of exercises, you can purchase a type of personal liability insurance often called “fitness instructor coverage.”

These are some things to look for when you compare policies for fitness professionals:

• Find out if you’re covered for every venue you work at.
• What’s the policy limit? Typical limits range from about $500,000 up to a few million.
• Policies should protect you against claims of injuries and damages, other hazards, or even problems with your advertising.
• Policies for instructors of group classes may differ in some ways than those for one-on-one instructors, like personal trainers.

Examples of the kinds of liability that personal trainer or fitness instructor insurance can protect you from include customers claiming advice led to injuries or health problems, the program failed to fulfill advertised claims, you damaged personal or venue property, or even that your conduct was considered sexual or physical abuse or harassment.

Generally, this kind of individual policy only costs a few hundred dollars a year and can be well worth it if somebody claims you caused an injury or damage. For instance, Sports & Fitness Corporation instructor policies start with premiums of just $160 for one-on-one, full-time instructors. They offer potential discounts for group instructors and even lower rates for some part-time fitness professionals. They also allow you to add coverage for additional instructional facilities for only $25. Be certain to compare policies to ensure you’re paying competitive premiums for comprehensive protection.

Health Club and Fitness Studio Insurance

As noted by the number of injuries caused by exercise equipment and various sports, both nonprofit and for-profit health clubs and dance or exercise studios can also be vulnerable to liability claims by members and customers. This is true if you run a large gym chain or simply offer an exercise room or fitness classes within your church.

Naturally, businesses and other organizations may already have business or nonprofit insurance packages that contain general liability and property coverage. At the same time, these aren’t tailored to the unique risks you confront and may even exclude some of them. That’s why large health club chains tend to work with either specialty insurers or large companies that provide custom-tailored plans for fitness and sports clients.

A weight-lifting gym, martial arts or dance studio, and full-service health club are also likely to have very different needs, and specialty insurance usually offers coverage tailored to different sizes and kinds of for-profit and nonprofit facilities.

Find Fitness Insurance Providers That Can Help Assess Risks

These insurance partners can help assess your specific risks, and this isn’t a trivial benefit. For example, you may not think stationary bikes offer a lot of opportunities for harm. Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation is a specialty company that covers such well-known brands as Gold’s Gym and Curves. According to their data, most stationary-bike incidents that result in emergency room visits come from overexertion, but they may also come from misusing the equipment or broken bikes.

If you offer exercise bikes to your patrons, these are things you should tell your staff to look out for and provide warning signs or training material on. Obviously, other equipment may have different risks. Since many businesses and nonprofits regard their insurance companies and agencies as part of risk management, you should look for providers that will assist you in coming up with the rules, best practices, and other efforts that will help improve safety and may earn discounts. Your provider might also suggest taking out personal liability on employees or, at least, requiring contract or self-employed staff to provide proof that they have their own.

[bctt tweet="A good insurer will not just pay claims. Through their experience with fitness and sports providers like you, they can help you avoid them in the first place."]

In other words, a good insurer will not just pay claims. Through their experience with fitness providers like you, they can help you avoid them in the first place. In turn, these best practices can keep you from suffering losses, improve your organization, and help protect your reputation.

Recreational Venue Insurance

Such fitness and recreational venues as bowling centers, team sports fields, mini-golf and laser tag entertainment centers, pools, skating rinks, and multi-sport complexes may also seek specialized fitness insurance. In addition to property insurance, these policies may provide general liability coverage, premises liability, personal injury liability, and in some cases, liquor liability.

Depending upon the type of venue and event, you can also buy supplemental coverage for specific activities. Some examples could include childcare and after-school activities, swimming pools, food service and/or liquor, short-term special events, and unsupervised clubs.

Two Sports Insurance Buying Mistakes to Avoid

John M. Sadler, Jr., the president of Sadler Sports and Recreation Insurance and an industry expert on risk management, offered some good general advice about common mistakes made when buying sports insurance. Some of these tips may or may not apply, depending upon your situation. Still, it’s worth it to summarize his advice within these two general cautions about common errors made when purchasing sports insurance:

1. Neglecting Certain Kinds of Policies

Typical sports organizations may need at least five kinds of coverage. These include accident, general liability, directors and officers, criminal acts, and equipment. Coverage should include everybody involved, including executives and officers, employees, volunteers, and spectators.

Your organization may also need other kinds of coverage, including car, property, and workers’ compensation. You should consider working with an experienced insurance company or agent to complete a risk assessment, but you can start with this coverage checklist.

2. Believing You Don’t Need Coverage

Your safety program, waivers, and excellent history won’t protect you against lawsuits. Even local laws that may provide immunity in certain cases won’t always stop people from filing lawsuits, and you could have to spend a lot of money proving that you’re compliant.

Also, you might believe that most people have health insurance to cover medical treatment. However, injured people can still request compensation for out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and time off from work. Again, it’s important not to underestimate the risk and expense of claims.

Do You Need Sports Insurance if Participants Have Health Insurance?

Many teams, fitness clubs, and other venues require proof of health insurance. They may also even provide this benefit for their employees. Injured parties may still want compensation for such out-of-pocket costs as deductibles, coinsurance, and time lost from their jobs. Besides, health insurance won’t cover damaged equipment or harassment and false advertising claims. Also, you can’t assume that everybody has kept their policy current.

Sports Insurance Providers

In the United States, states mostly regulate insurance companies. Also, plans and prices can vary by state or even by zip code. You can find some good, nationwide sports insurance providers; however, you may want to consider a high-quality regional company that is familiar with similar organizations in your area. This section isn’t intended to recommend one insurance company or agency over another but to familiarize you with a selection of major players in the sports insurance industry.

Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation

Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation, or SFIC, has focused on insuring health and fitness businesses since 1985. With its headquarters in Madison, Mississippi, the insurance company offers policies in every state. They currently cover 14,000 fitness centers and instructors. Curves for Women, the world’s largest fitness franchise, endorses them. Besides Curves, they also have endorsements from Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness, Authentic Pilates Union, and several more major brands.

SFIC offers specialty insurance for individual fitness professionals and gyms, fitness studios, group instructors, personal trainers, sports and recreational facilities, and dance and martial arts schools. They also offer a simple, online application for some kinds of coverage.

Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance

Sadler has specialized in sports and recreation insurance since 1957 and has operations in every state. They presently cover more than 15,000 local and 30 national organizations. The company has designed custom injury information collection that has helped prevent and reduced injuries. John M. Sadler, Jr., the founder’s son and current president, has also served on the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee and has contributed to authoritative sports insurance textbooks.

The company prides itself on its risk management assistance for clients, affordable premiums, comprehensive coverage, speed of service and claims processing, and more. Some examples of current endorsements include the National Alliance for Youth Sports, the National Field Archery Association, and the American Football League. Sadler covers individual instructors, associations, leagues and teams, tournaments and sports camps, schools, sports and recreational facilities, special events, fitness clubs and studios, entertainment venues, and outdoor activities.

Markel Specialty

This division of Markel Insurance, located in Richmond, Virginia, has offered various kinds of specialty insurance nationwide for more than 70 years. The company offers risk management services, in addition to competitive insurance coverage. For example, clients get access to ClubSafety.com, a site that provides access to online training, signage, forms, and other safety materials.

Markel specializes in providing solutions for health clubs, spas, various types of fitness and dance studios, key clubs, and franchises. They can also insure various on-site activities, like rock climbing, entertainment, food service, and affiliated fitness professionals, such as instructors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and nutritionists.

Trusted Choice

Trusted Choice is not an insurance company but an independent network of insurance agents and agencies. You can buy coverage directly from insurers, but you don’t pay more if you use an agent. In fact, you may find that a qualified, local agent can help you save time by learning about your requirements, exploring your local market, and presenting you with options from different companies. In addition, some businesses and organizations prefer to develop relationships with local professionals to find the coverage they need.

On the other hand, some local agents are better generalists than specialists. You should find out if the local agent has experience with this kind of specialty insurance. Obviously, you will want to rely upon an agent as a consultant, and you can’t be certain that all agents have the depth of experience with your industry to serve you well. If you use agents, you’re still free to consult with the insurer for a risk assessment and an in-depth exploration of their policy benefits. Good agents should also advocate for you when you do need to make claims.

A local Trusted Choice agent may help personal trainers, sports teams, gyms, spas, and many other kinds of fitness business, professionals, and organizations find all kinds of coverage. They can also help you with other kinds of insurance you may need.

What to Remember When Buying Sports Insurance

The right sports insurance can leave you free to enjoy all the positive aspects of your business or team, knowing that an accident or mistake won’t empty your wallet. Plus, you’ll have an experienced partner on your side to help you defend yourself against lawsuits and improve safety. Good coverage can also give you a competitive advantage when you’re recruiting the best employees, talent, and partners.

You may feel a lot more passionate about sports than you do about insurance topics. Still, it’s worth it to take the time to understand how much one property or injury claim could harm your livelihood. Take the time to work with insurance professionals to assess and minimize risks and compare available sports insurance alternatives.

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Currently, barbell and weight room tracking devices are one of the largest sports technology markets. First coined by Bryan Mann, velocity-based training (VBT) has evolved to weight room monitoring, since determining bar speed is just a fraction of what the available technology can do. Still, the majority of coaches want tools that can effectively measure the speed of the barbell, as well as provide other measurements such as motion and displacement.

[bctt tweet="Barbell and weight room tracking devices are currently one of the largest sports technology markets."]

Companies are making efforts to calculate barbell path and system performance with the body and barbell, and even measure for rate of force. Most of the legacy systems that use tether systems are fading in popularity, but new companies see the timeless value of direct measurements because microsensors are very difficult to work with. In addition to the hardware advancements over the last decade, the software has been quickly improving. Partnerships with athlete management systems (AMS), subscription-style added-value programming tools, and even connectivity to flywheel systems are all now common in the space.

The Weight Room Tracking Market as of 2021

We have removed a few companies from this list because they no longer support or sell equipment, and we didn’t include a few systems because they are not agnostic to barbells and are for internal equipment such as flywheel and mechanized resistance. All of the systems listed are available as of 2021, but many of them may no longer be available for sale in time.

Below is a breakdown of buyer KPIs:

A few notes to help you navigate the table.

• AMS integration could be direct or indirect. Direct integration means the systems will automatically upload workout data into the AMS. Indirect integration entails exporting the data into a .csv file and manually uploading it into the AMS.
• For most devices, the free limited license grants access to store workout data for one or two athletes. Those seeking advanced analysis and/or to store data for multiple athletes will need the paid license.
• Enode doesn’t technically have a web portal, but the company is currently building desktop apps for Apple and Windows computers, eliminating the need for a web portal.
• Validity is reported variably. Some units have been found valid by some researchers and invalid by others. Buyers are encouraged to take caution and seek consistently validated units.

Limitations and Potential with Current Technology

Barbell tracking is motion detection, not a direct kinetic measure of force and power. Thus, the coach must be aware that user error strongly determines the effect of training. Most of the weight training devices and systems directly measure the barbell, meaning they are physically connected to the barbell. Indirect measurements from the wrist or camera system require specific protocols and setups to effectively measure barbell performance. Some products can estimate performance with machines and other strength implements outside of the barbell, but development time and validation make less-common exercises questionable. We strongly advise you that exercises with weight training devices must be validated, otherwise it’s unknown if all the motions are appropriate.

[bctt tweet="Exercises with equipment must be validated, otherwise you don’t know if all motions are appropriate."]

All weight training devices have limitations and strengths to barbell and weight room monitoring. For example, a linear position transducer is very effective at measuring distance, as the tether-based system is designed to handle changes in displacement very well. Accelerometers tend to do poorly in estimating distance though, as they are indirect calculations that are imperfect. In addition to displacement, linear encoders are great for slow motions since they are effective for continuous sampling without struggle. Conversely, accelerometers are useful for detecting rates of change in speed, so they are excellent for explosive motions.

Scientific Validation of Devices and Methods

Three primary driving needs shape the market: the reliability and validity of the device, the effectiveness of the acute training that is dependent on the technology, and chronic adaptation of the training method. Without having the device fully validated, it’s highly unlikely that training techniques in the short and long runs will be effective. Analog estimates of training are useful for athlete awareness, but without objective feedback, those techniques are extremely crude and limited.

Most of the equipment available has been validated on a few exercises—usually the bench press and squat exercise. Some systems have been validated for jump squats and even jump testing, but no system has been validated for every exercise, so we must trust in the brand and constant internal experimentation for now. Most new products are algorithm-driven, as camera- and accelerometer-based measures are the primary method of measurement. Velocity-based training ideas, such as estimations of 1 repetition maximum, fatigue detection, and reinforcement of methodology such as cluster training, all conflict in the research. Therefore, it’s important that the studies that do demonstrate validity are replicated carefully, as each study will likely have nuances that explain the lack of cohesion between studies.

[bctt tweet="Outside of scientific reliability, the manageability of the product is important."]

To be useful with immediate and real-time feedback, the device should be reliable enough that the smallest worthwhile change is displayed with enough accuracy to guide athletes properly. Outside of scientific reliability, the manageability of the product is important, as products often fail to be effective in applied settings due to poor design and limitations with natural environments.

Emerging Methods of Barbell Tracking

As mentioned earlier, progress, from partial representation of exercise repetitions to comprehensive measurements, is necessary to evolve the market. A few companies are claiming barbell path or the trajectory of the motion in time and space, but the accuracy and precision of those measurements are unknown in the research right now. The most common approach to measuring barbell path is via camera systems, but due to the difficulty of capturing a proper measurement in real time, only video apps and three hardware companies claim the capability.

Besides Olympic lifts, there is increasing attention on other areas of the lift outside the concentric velocity and calculated force and power. Eccentric velocity readings, isometric detection, range of motion summaries, and even explosive measures of performance are all currently available. Due to the market adoption of velocity measures and thresholds, most barbell tracking has failed to evolve as quickly as the research.

As mentioned earlier, a focus on how the body and barbell interact with one another is promising, as the real need of strength and conditioning for sport is not the actual performance of the barbell, but the interaction of the athlete's body, the load, the barbell motion, and time and space. In the future, expect more detail of existing exercises and more movement representation in both the elite and consumer markets.

Hardware Options and Methods of Measurement

Motion can be measured with inertial measurement units (IMUs), linear encoders, and camera systems. Simple high-speed cameras with smart devices are able to manually estimate simple measures and even estimate distance, but due to their limitations, they are typically used for testing or experimentation. The power of the smartphone has disrupted the market, forcing companies to either innovate or work on other added-value features such as strength and conditioning software integration or other metrics outside of barbell performance.

Each hardware option has pros and cons that you should carefully consider, as they will affect the measurements and workflow of team use and even individual use. For example, a wearable system on the wrist will always be limited to the strict demands of exercise motion adherence. If measuring the barbell directly, the idiosyncratic behaviors of weightlifting style could be affected as well, but only by accelerometer systems with algorithms that are overly sensitive and not robust enough for typical athlete behavior.

Linear encoders are excellent for barbell velocity, as most movements are under 3 meters per second—a threshold where an adequate sampling rate can be useful for simple feedback and accurate displacement at slower velocities. The challenge with linear encoders is obviously the issue of dropping weights and having the device become permanently damaged. Some exercise modifications or mounting options are required to keep both the encoder and tether safe from damage. Due to the hardware having accuracy, there is far less development than with camera- and accelerometer-based products.

Accelerometers and other sensors on IMU boards are very useful for barbell tracking and other measurements in sports performance. The issue is detection of the motion, and exercise completeness is an obvious obstacle. Accelerometers have been popular because their price point makes earlier encoder systems expensive, but the costs of developing algorithms and wearable hardware have yet to cause earlier systems to struggle.

The sale of camera systems, whether traditional video or motion capture solutions, is growing. Entry-level solutions like apps have saturated the smartphone market, and several options with enterprise professional systems are available. The expectations are that the new products will consist of camera and accelerometer systems, while legacy systems will continue to be sold and supported.

Software and Third-Party Integration

The user experience and/or workflow of the product determines much of the success during training. When researchers test athletes, they aren’t as concerned with time constraints and other coaching needs, as they focus on the integrity of the data and how the system performs scientifically. With group and team environments, coaches have additional requirements outside of the accuracy and validity of the product.

A tradeoff exists between data quality and how team-friendly the system is. In addition to simple feedback demands, another responsibility of the software might be pushing workouts to athletes in advance, as enterprise workouts that are preloaded radically improve the workflow. Nearly all of the systems use a reactive approach to training, meaning the athlete is expected to select exercises and record weights. Therefore, efficient apps are instrumental to accomplishing more in the weight room.

[bctt tweet="A tradeoff exists between data quality and how team-friendly the system is."]

Several athlete management systems have partnered with hardware vendors, and some turnkey solutions have made their data available for export and API integration. Cloud options that provide a simple or extensive web application are the new normal, as data synchronization, storage, and integration are expected to be a starting point versus an option now that the market has matured. Nearly every new company that has emerged in the last few years provides a web application, proving that strength and conditioning software needs to either partner or provide a way to reduce the athlete’s burden of inputting the data.

Market Moves

Since 2018, companies producing VBT products have seen both birth and death. The market for velocity-based training devices is evolving quickly to meet the demands for instrument accuracy and validity, team versus individual and small group usage, and a user-friendly interface. In the face of ease of use and perceived advancement, two new VBT companies are using linear encoder technology instead of wireless options.

Linear encoders are considered the gold standard of measurement accuracy, and these products indeed are marketed as highly accurate and valid measures. Nonetheless, the majority of players are wireless, and we can expect the future to bring growth in the wireless VBT market. Further, as practitioners seek to sharpen the delivered stimuli and achieved adaptation, we can expect the VBT landscape to continue to grow in size, user support, competition, and additional features, such as automatic exercise detection, lift phase duration, and other options that streamline processes.

Enode Pro

The German-based Enode Pro is a relatively new company, yet it became a global competitor after a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2018. Its unit is a wireless accelerometer that is small, sleek, and easy to use. The company aims to optimize training results by providing training guidance based on daily readiness which allows for full autoregulation of training, but the device can also be used to simply track bar velocity and path without AI-recommended loads and volumes, if the user wishes. Individual and team usage are both supported, and the AMS is user friendly and easily implemented in team settings. One of the most affordable velocity-based training devices on the market, the company seems to only have upside from here.

GymAware

Widely considered the gold standard, GymAware has nearly 20 years of continual development of hardware, software, and proprietary algorithms, resulting in extensive feature sets, measurement accuracy, and user friendliness. Crucially, the system offers angle correction, meaning the cord does not have to be placed directly under the barbell to generate accurate measurements. GymAware offers two apps: one designed for team use and one for individual trainer use, covering both team and private sector settings. The GymAware Cloud enables users to create reports, gather extended data such as barbell path, and even do more analysis if needed. Additionally, recognizing a need for a more affordable and wireless option, the folks at GymAware developed a unique VBT technology: FLEX.

FLEX

FLEX, a GymAware product, is the only VBT technology of its kind. The sensor attaches to the end of the barbell (like a clip) and uses a laser reflected from a floor mat to directly and continuously measure bar position, making it the only laser-based VBT system on the market. It is, essentially, a wireless linear positional transducer. FLEX is significantly more affordable than a GymAware unit, and although it is compatible with the GymAware Teams app, it seems to be intended for use with small groups/individuals. FLEX is compatible with TeamBuildr, Bridge Athletic, CoachMePlus, and AthleteMonitoring via the GymAware bridging software and API, making it a good solution for athletes participating in distance coaching programs.

Move Factor X

Colorado-based Assess2Perform launched Move Factor X in September 2021. Move Factor X replaces Bar Sensei, which was also an Assess2Perform product. The system has already been validated in one study and appears to have a sleek, user-friendly app designed for immediate feedback while training. Purchase of the sensor provides entry-level access to the fully integrated team reporting package, and the sensor is powered by a coin cell battery, meaning you trade the hassle of charging the unit for simply swapping out a battery when power is low. Assess2Perform also invented the Ballistic Ball, a new version of which is available in the fall of 2021, which measures velocity and power, opening the door to new types of assessments and athlete monitoring.

TENDO

Most coaches in the U.S. will be familiar with TENDO systems, as the popularity of their device permeated the strength and conditioning world in the early 2000s. Based out of the Slovak Republic, TENDO has faced criticism and waned in popularity because, in the face of new competitors with updated features and accessibility, TENDO did not update their system for several years. However, since 2018 they have invested in upgrades and are now more competitive in the marketplace. They unveiled a new computer analysis software, the TENDO Power Analyser, allowing coaches to save and analyze data on the computer as opposed to simply viewing the bar speed of each rep.

In addition, there is now a leaderboard, a database that can house multiples athletes, and the ability to generate performance reports. They’ve also addressed a slight inconvenience that other VBT technologies have not by releasing the Button ID, a keychain-like device that athletes swipe near the system to indicate that the ensuing data should be saved under their profile. Most VBT systems require a few clicks on an iPhone or tablet, which isn’t a deal breaker, but the Button ID is a convenient solution. Additionally, a jump mat accessory is available, and there are no annual fees for this system.

Beast

Beast is an Italian company that supports a wearable system incorporating wireless convenience with conventional metrics, including measures such as explosiveness. A web portal and its ability to measure explosive movement are valuable parts of the Beast Sensor solution. At first, the Beast system measured the bar directly, then they went to wearable technology while their competitor Push went to the barbell directly. Beast is popular with some individuals, but they don’t have the following in elite sport to leverage like other companies, so we don’t know what the future holds for them. The Sensor provides a very rich UX and is available internationally.

RepOne

Based out of NYC, RepOne launched less than three years ago and seeks to reintroduce linear encoder technology to the market. Their software is focused on training automation, allowing coaches to guide athletes through individualized workouts rather than simply collect data. There have been some availability issues, but this relatively new technology seems to be gaining traction, as it is currently in use with a handful of professional teams. They continue to release new features regarding training automation, such as the program builder, giving the amateur athlete the same training experience as the professional. The system comes with its own AMS, StrengthOS.

MuscleLab

Ergotest is one of the founders of velocity-based training equipment, as they invented solutions decades before many of the other players entered the space. Based in Norway, the company designs and manufactures all of their systems.The systems are reliable, and many of the validation studies show the data is interchangeable with more expensive options.

Perch

Founded in 2016 by MIT graduates, Perch is one of two motion capture systems on the market. The company’s breakthrough came in 2019 when they installed systems at LSU. Since then, they’ve grown to include several SEC and professional sports teams, as well as high school and private sports performance facilities. The camera is compact and portable, and it mounts easily to most rack systems. The cloud-based AMS allows for easy monitoring of athlete progress and performance. Overall, the company and its reach have grown in the last few years, and it appears it will continue to do so.

EliteForm

The Nebraska-based EliteForm is the other motion capture system on the market. The company continues to grow and add features to meet user needs. Notably, the system provides eccentric and isometric tracking (including countdown timers), velocity and power targets for visual feedback, the creation of competition groups so athletes of similar abilities push each other during workouts, and even the ability to administer wellness questionnaires that coaches can build and administer via the tablet app. The camera is likely best used in a permanent fashion, as it is not as portable as the Perch camera. Nonetheless, the features EliteForm offers make it a unique and competitive VBT system.

Vitruve

Formerly Speed4Lifts, Vitruve is the latest linear encoder to hit the market. Based out of Spain, the company gives a nod to DaVinci’s Vitruvian man in the name. Vitruve is a compact, battery-powered unit that is easily portable and syncs with any tablet (although iOS products are recommended). The app is intuitive for both coach and athlete. The AMS provides estimates of 1RM and performance records, and it allows for data exportation for advanced analysis. This system seems to be marketed toward European users but appears a viable option for users in other parts of the world as well.

MyLift

The MyLift app is a practical option for those seeking to experiment with VBT without investing much capital. The tradeoff is that it requires significantly more time to obtain metrics, as you have to film and manually tap the screen when the rep begins and ends. Although feedback is not immediate and the app does not boast many of the advanced features other technologies have, it does yield velocity metrics at a very low cost.

Recommendations

The most important part of strength and conditioning is knowing if the training program elicits favorable adaptations toward performance and injury reduction KPIs. Barbell tracking is only a small part of that equation; thus, coaches must budget for all needs of sports training. Overall, most organizations will want to invest in weight room technology and weight training devices to collect data and deploy training programs.

We recommend coaches feel confident in the integrity and consistency of data collected by VBT technologies before investing in them. Higher levels of accuracy and precision enable a coach to program with more sophistication and confidence. In addition to the initial purchase, it is important to consider the entire cost of servicing the equipment, replacing hardware, annual subscriptions, and training.

The Enode Pro is a great option for individual or small group use in the private sector.The real power of this system may be in the team setting in high schools. Enode's autoregulation capacity based on daily readiness makes it a smooth and fluid way to train even less experienced athletes. The system is mobile, takes less than one minute to set up, has been consistently validated in literature, and is the least expensive VBT sensor on the market, in terms of both unit price and paid subscription. Enode Pro has the capability to store athlete data, similar to GymAware products, but this unit has a significantly smaller footprint in the weight room, as it straps directly to the barbell and requires no other space.

GymAware is the gold standard in nearly every category for VBT technology. The company has circa 20 years of continual development of hardware, software, and proprietary algorithms, and their device likely provides the most accurate and precise data of all technologies on the market. The online platform seamlessly and directly integrates with almost every AMS. The web portal is sleek and allows for data export and advanced analysis.

Accordingly, GymAware is the highest priced on the market. For college and professional sports teams that have the budget to prioritize training, athlete monitoring, coach’s time, and data integrity, GymAware is our recommendation.

FLEX—a GymAware product—brings the benefits of GymAware’s app, web portal, and cloud, but at a fraction of the cost. Further, in comparison to the sturdy and immobile GymAware, FLEX is portable and less cumbersome. High schools and private training facilities seeking the back-end processing and data storage advantages of GymAware, but without the budget of professional and college sports, will find a solution in FLEX.

TENDO, after a decade of not making any changes to their system and being left behind by newer technologies, has modernized in the last few years. Their software allows for athlete tracking, and although it is at an extra expense on top of the VBT unit itself, there are no annual fees whatsoever. Thus, owners of private sector businesses may be enticed by the one-time purchase power TENDO offers.

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Consumer-friendly and professional hypoxic chambers are now a normal part of endurance development and team sport conditioning. Recently, the fitness industry has become a customer of hypoxic chambers, as the rapid adaptations that altitude simulators provide is commercially appealing.

In this buyer’s guide, we review the details of investing in altitude chambers and cover the necessary terminology, science, and practical considerations so coaches and high performance staff will have the necessary information to get started. The benefits are simple: improved aerobic capacity from specific hematological adaptations that improve athlete stamina. Most of the research supports what we can do with altitude tents and indoor hypoxic chambers, but the magnitude is still unknown when addressing their real-world impact on athlete careers versus short studies. The final word on how to use the technology will be up to the sport scientists and coaches, but for now the use of altitude tents has merit.

What Is a Hypoxic Chamber?

A hypoxic chamber is an area of any size that simulates altitude conditions, and applications range from specialized training rooms to bed tents that allow athletes to sleep with the physiological conditions found at higher elevations. Don’t confuse hypoxic chambers with hyperbaric chambers, or systems that increase the oxygen content of the local environment. Hypoxic conditions are researched to help intensify the adaptation process, but the effects relate highly to the entire training program and lifestyle of the athlete. While the systems are mainly for enhancing athlete performance, some treatments are for non-athlete use, such as wellness centers and rehabilitation clinics.

[bctt tweet="Don’t confuse hypoxic chambers with hyperbaric chambers."]

There are three categories of equipment currently available: small sleep space areas, direct breathing devices, and training room solutions. All three systems can help an array of athletes, ranging from elite endurance athletes to senior populations. The popularity of hypoxic chambers is growing in Europe, and they are now available in the U.S. for fitness and performance demands. Hypoxic chambers are not like gas analyzers or commercial restricted breathing masks, as oxygen utilization and restricted breathing are not true hypoxic technologies.

Single user breathing devices are systems that replicate altitude by directly connecting the individual athlete to an inhalation stimulus similar to elevation. The athlete can sleep or train with the system, and the surrounding area maintains normal conditions. Like a CPAP machine, but clearly designed to stress the athlete incrementally instead of restore breathing, the technology is safe and effective.

Sleeping areas are commercially available, and due to their size and the user experience, they are popular with recreational athletes and team sports. Because of the invasiveness to sleep, specifically the social barriers, the market isn’t close to saturation in the space. Hypoxic sleeping devices resemble tents, and are often referred to as altitude tents to convey the concept of the appearance and function of the solution. Some systems are reportedly uncomfortable to sleep in because the temperature can be slightly warmer than ideal conditions, so decreasing the bedroom’s temperature is the common adjustment.

Training zones require specialized construction of the room to ensure the space is literally airtight. Sizes range from small single training areas that athletes can cycle in individually all the way to team-sized environments. In addition to an airtight area with unique entryways, altitude generators are required to alter the internal environment and replicate elevation. Training areas with hypoxic technology are very popular with athletes in team sport. While most in team sports are not interested in sleeping high artificially, all athletes use the training chambers.

How Does a Hypoxic Chamber Work?

A hypoxic chamber is an artificial environment solution that senses the ambient conditions of the local area and has the ability to distort the oxygen profile, thus simulating altitude. The equipment makes calculations that increase or decrease the simulation with a high level of accuracy. In summary, a hypoxic chamber fools the body into believing the athlete is at elevation.

Similar to an air compressor, the generators are about the size of a washer and dryer, and sometimes larger than full-size refrigerators depending on the amount of air treated. Due to the electrical energy required to modify large spaces, the temperature of the generators used to be an issue in confined spaces. It’s important that coaches and others involved recognize that air flow is purposely restricted in hypoxic chambers, so air conditioning and air filtering is sometimes a challenge.

[bctt tweet="In summary, a hypoxic chamber fools the body into believing the athlete is at elevation."]

Small systems use similar technology, but tents and other small-space solutions are not as powerful because they use fewer cubic liters than full room chambers for teams and large groups. Mask solutions are similar, meaning they utilize the same engineering but on a far smaller scale. Partial pressure of tents and other systems is not modified by technology, therefore the main difference with air at sea level is its nitrogen and oxygen ratio.

What Does the Science Say About Hypoxic Training?

The physiology of simulated altitude is important because athletes who artificially live high but train at sea level improve their tolerance and adaptations, but do not fully prepare for the rigors of altitude. Conversely, those who train in hypoxic conditions with short intervals also limit their exposure to altitude, as it requires a combination of living and training to fully capture the absolute benefits of elevation to the body. Team training is also usually limited to cross-training or non-specific conditioning, so the transfer and replication of game conditions are not interchangeable. The amount of general training that transfers at sea level is conflicting, but added conditioning at altitude or simulated altitude does have a stronger influence on adaptations specific to aerobic performance.

Nearly all of the improvements in aerobic capacity will come from the mitochondrial, hematological, and cardiopulmonary adaptations. Concurrent training methods that incorporate both power and endurance should be enough to preserve an athlete’s ability to produce power, and extend the aerobic capacity to repeat it and conserve those capabilities. The rate of decay—meaning how quickly the adaptations occur—is highly dependent on a myriad of factors, mainly training, genetics, diet, and recovery.

Genetic factors are a real component in the success of athletes, as some athletes don’t seem equipped to harness the simulated altitude. Conversely, some athletes are high responders due to their genetic profile. Other circumstances make hypoxic training invaluable, such as immobile athletes after surgery or illness. Based on the research, it’s not clear who makes an ideal candidate for altitude training, so determining the athletes who are best fit to use altitude simulation with hypoxic rooms and tents is a difficult process.

Standard Features and User Experience

Most, if not all, of the systems available have a limited warranty for conventional use. Some chamber systems have maintenance packages or agreements that minimize expenses, and nearly all of them have been tested for safety and effectiveness. Many of the features are universal, meaning the market is not dramatically different, just similar enough that comparisons are not necessary outside of basic information on offerings and prices.

We don’t intend to oversimplify, but hypoxic chambers are very similar to air conditioning units, as they display simple environmental data and provide a solution to change the conditions accordingly. As for the private or individual products, each system has ergonomics and design differences that are small but reliable for purchasing, such as workflow and simplicity. Unlike equipment in our other buyer’s guides, individual key features are not the primary selling point.

What Options Exist with Hypoxic Technology (Rooms, Tents, Face Masks)?

There are a handful of players in the space and most of the companies support all of the markets, ranging from serious weekend warrior to professional institutions. We list the five companies that lead the industry for hypoxic chambers, tents, and individual systems. While the choice of options is narrow, each company’s experience should give you confidence that they’ll still be around in a few years, despite the fact that the sports technology market can be so volatile.

Hypoxico

As one of the leaders internationally, Hypoxico supports all levels and types of athletes. Hypoxico offers a complete line of altitude training solutions, ranging from clinical solo systems all the way to large indoor training chambers. The company has headquarters in New York City, as well as sales support in Europe. Hypoxico has an impressive client list domestically and internationally, including countless Olympic organizations and individual professional sports teams. With their expansion into the wellness and rehabilitation market, the company is poised to have strong sales and adoption rates into 2019 and beyond.

Higher Peak

This Massachusetts company offers two solutions, and they’re very popular in the prosumer market. Their systems are very inexpensive and can be used for sleeping or training directly. While Higher Peak doesn’t provide training rooms or chambers, their product is fine for groups if multiple systems are purchased. Since it is not portable, athletes need to use a treadmill, rower, or bike ergometer for conditioning. The company also sells all the necessary accessories including used generators, and has had a lot of success in the running community as well as other endurance sports. Several world-class athletes have utilized their sleeping system, named Snowcap, for home use.

Colorado Altitude Training

A leader for over a decade, this Denver company provides sleep and exercise chambers for military and lifestyle needs, sport, and research purposes. The company placed efforts on equine sport, but due to the limited market and complications of horse racing, they no longer appear to be active in that space. Colorado Altitude Training has an aviation system as well. It’s currently unknown how much traction the company has with their product line, as the website appears dated, but they have had a lot of clients in the past.

Welltech Instrument Company, Ltd.

Welltech is a Hong Kong company specializing in environmental conditions, including wind, heat, and cold temperatures. While their clients seem to only be located in the Pacific (Asia), they are an international company. In addition to their Athletic Environment Chamber, Welltech provides other solutions unrelated to sports performance. The company doesn’t provide any individual products such as tents or solo training devices. In addition to the temperature conditions, their hypoxic chamber has features that control humidity. Currently, Welltech has low visibility in the U.S. market, but based on their Athletic Environment Chamber, they will likely reach new clients abroad in the near future.

Sporting Edge UK

This U.K. company provides all three altitude training solutions for athletes (room, tent, mask) and is a leader in design and education. Most of Sporting Edge’s clients are in the U.K., and they have had major success with British Olympic sport. Their reach is not as potent outside of the U.K., but due to their rich history in sport, the company has the potential to grow in North America. Their individual systems are affordable, and their environmental chambers are impressive—they have been used in research for temperature, humidity, and altitude simulation. With clients at the universities, the company has plenty of case studies to demonstrate how their technology works with athletes and organizations.

There are many companies with hypoxic training offerings in the market, making renting or session use optional for teams and athletes. At first this may seem counterproductive for those that could buy a solution, but the reality is many fans of altitude training are looking for rentals or short-term use. As the fitness market expands, expect more session use offerings in the future.

Innovation is likely to come from pricing, education in application, and ergonomics of small individual systems. In the future, we will see more product partnerships between gas analyzers, biomarker companies, cardiopulmonary systems, and other physical monitoring tools such as muscle oxygenation tools. Most of the current innovation comes from the smaller portable systems for clinicians who work with populations that need rejuvenation and rehabilitation.

Limitations of Altitude Tents and Other Systems

The most important things to consider with attitude simulators are the length and sequence of training to properly take advantage of the technology. If an athlete is unable to fully commit to the duration and/or training intensity, the time and money invested will likely be wasted. Additionally, the stress of the systems places an enormous strain on the body, so they require greater monitoring in order to benefit the athlete. Too much or improper use of hypoxic systems can impair recovery and even diminish performance if prescribed without guidance. It’s recommended that you leverage highly educated coaches and/or the assistance of a sport science team when employing hypoxic chamber training.

[bctt tweet="To properly use the technology, consider the length & sequence of training with attitude simulators."]

Cost is another factor that limits the use of training chambers, as the full price of a system can be enormous and reach near four- to five-figure price tags with advanced designs. Tents are obviously less demanding, but enterprise costs of team orders are also taxing on budgets. Facilities and organizations should also consider the maintenance of the equipment and the long-term costs of sustaining the function of the chambers and individual systems.

Closing Thoughts on the Hypoxic System Market

Elite endurance athletes or those who need specific enhancement to red blood cells will likely need to embrace the technology for extended or even short periods of time. The available systems are an investment, so we recommend the careful review of expectations and budgeting realities like replacement strategies.

[bctt tweet="Coaches and athletes should consider hypoxic chambers a way to enhance performance."]

Many athletes in endurance will use hypoxic chambers to train or live in to complement training camps or when they are competing, if needed. The market is expected to grow slightly, as legal advantages are always covered in sport, but due to the limitations of convenience and price, we don’t forecast that the market will have exponential growth. Coaches and athletes should consider hypoxic chambers a way to enhance performance, and choose an appropriate solution that fits their situational needs.

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Recently, thanks to the micronization of research-grade devices, there’s been an increase in the use of muscle oxygenation in sports monitoring. Over the last few years, consumer products have entered the market, promising performance enhancement by using the data in training and recovery. A few systems have been validated to be useful in sports performance, making a guide on muscle oxygenation necessary for sport scientists, coaches, and medical professionals.

Included in this guide are expectations of the information, scientific validity, key features, and details of the hardware and software. As the wearable market continues to evolve and technology grows more refined, we expect that more sensors and better calculations will make muscle oxygenation even more popular. Down the road, the information from the sensors is likely to be a standard part of monitoring and testing athletes, and education on best practices is necessary.

What Is Near-Infrared Spectrometry?

Near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) is a method of biological measurement that is non-invasive and engineered for real-time monitoring of basic physiological changes. NIRS uses light to penetrate the skin and sometimes into the muscle belly to detect rates of activity, specifically the hemoglobin and myoglobin in the vascular area. The typical locations for testing are the finger, temple of the head, and muscle belly of propulsive muscle groups. One sensor can measure general physiological health, while multiple sensors are needed for local muscle oxygenation. Single sensors have been used for estimating lactate responses in training, but they are not direct measures of lactate and require correction formulas to be in parallel with conventional blood readings.

[bctt tweet="NIRS can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, changes in a few physiological systems in the body."]

NIRS can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, changes with a few physiological systems in the body, especially oxygen transfer under the skin. The use of NIRS ranges from low-level medical monitoring to sophisticated modeling of bioenergetics, all having unique validity and specific devices that can measure change in a human body. NIRS is not a new method of measurement, as it’s decades old and extremely useful for a wide range of needs.

The popularity of NIRS began in the 1980s and its use became typical years later in the medical, agricultural, and industrial fields. NIRS gained momentum in the performance world in the early 2000s. Today, nearly 20 years later, wearable and portable options are standard in the consumer space, and there are indications that NIRS has arrived in elite and recreational sport.

Different wavelengths of light have specific value in the medical industry, and for the use of sports monitoring today, most of the wavelengths are in the higher ranges. Similar technologies that are available and should not be confused with NIRS include photoplethysmography (PPG), laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), and pulse oximetry (PO). These measures do use non-invasive technology similar to NIRS, but are separate biological measures.

Local oxygenation of a muscle is easier to interpret, but still requires a lot of understanding of core physiology. Body temperature, motion artifacts, and simple anatomical understanding all play a role in interpreting the data collected from NIRS devices. Additional physiological systems are often combined when monitoring athletes, such as heart rate monitors, gas exchange devices, and even electrocardiograms.

How Are Muscle Oxygenation and Other Measurements Calculated?

Muscle oxygenation is calculated by an algorithm, thus making an indirect measurement. Most non-invasive measures are estimations, and any NIRS product must be validated against gold standards and compared to systems that have been validated to see if the data is close or interchangeable. It’s possible to have a system that is not as accurate as a research-grade system but still very reliable, making it useful to detect change, but the absolute numbers are not indicative of what is truly happening in the body. Since the calculations of algorithms with NIRS devices are static and don’t factor in sweat rates and other environmental factors, including motion artifacts, careful interpretation is needed to conjecture on what is happening internally within the muscle group tested. More sensors are usually added to compare with other muscle groups for additional perspective, including non-working muscles for contrast analysis.

Measurement begins with light-emitting diodes (LED) firing and projecting waves through the skin and fat and into the muscle. The lights are painless, are not surgical lasers or similar, and are, in fact, completely safe. The sensors inside the NIRS system pick up the scattered light reflected within the biological tissue, and estimate what is happening based on the status of oxygenated and deoxygenated cells in the bloodstream. This process, while simple, requires a lot of research and experimentation to properly analyze a very complex physiological response in exercise so that the calculations are valid, accurate, and precise enough for sport use.

What Is a NIRS System Useful for in Sport?

Near-infrared spectrometry is valuable because it’s continuous, specific, and non-invasive. Muscle monitoring is the most common use, but functional locations (head) are growing and practitioners use fNIRS (functional NIRS) to designate the specifics of the head location over local areas of the body. NIRS is useful for monitoring the change in oxygenation of muscles, therefore it can serve as an excellent proxy to the lactate response and even estimate the contribution from mitochondrial adaptations.

Based on the research, each measurement of the body is unique and ranges from very accurate and reliable to more limited. Nearly all of the benefits to athletes are with conditioning, but some strength training monitoring is possible with NIRS systems. The market caters mainly to endurance training, but speed and power sports, specifically hockey, are adopting the technology as well.

Total body lactate readings are not interchangeable with NIRS measurements for the most part, mainly because the sensors look at the specific muscle, and the specific muscle group may not represent an entire body. General relationships of training and local muscle oxygenation do have merit when coaches want to see higher rates of work, as a few calculations do provide adequate representations of the lactate response, but the values are not absolute and are more working standards for internal tracking. Multiple sensors and correction formulas are necessary to help model lactate responses. If absolute measurements are necessary, conventional lactate testing should be considered.

[bctt tweet="If absolute measurements are necessary, conventional lactate testing should be considered."]

Attempts to evaluate enzymatic changes and mitochondrial adaptations are still in their infancy, but as the science and technology evolves, so does the validity and accuracy of those measures. Mitochondrial changes can’t be specified but inferred at this moment in time, and local adaptations of muscle groups, specifically large superficial ones, are inferred as well. Generally, the rise and fall of muscle oxygenation (SmO2) locally to the tissue monitored is the primary pursuit of NIRS in sport. Observation of those values, with context in training, enables practitioners to know exactly how the body is responding to both training and rehabilitation.

Brain function is an extremely complex interaction of a highly evolved organ and the cooperating nervous system. Some research on fNIRS demonstrates enough value that monitoring frontal activity with sensors is warranted. Both performance sport science and the supportive nutritional space uses non-invasive real-time monitoring to explore the relationship between nutritional protocols and sports performance outside of general testing. As the field evolves, the connection between decision-making and other cognitive abilities and simpler measures of performance is expected to grow, and fNIRS is one of those technologies that will improve the outcomes of both the researcher and practitioner.

Who Should Use a NIRS Monitor?

Those involved with sports performance, sports medicine, and even sports nutrition are users of NIRS in both practice and research. NIRS can, with the right interpretation, represent important change within the body. The data collected from NIRS technology is very actionable, as testing or monitoring is very effective in improving the precision of the training, down to the cellular level. Based on the power of NIRS monitoring, those who need better outcomes in training should use the technology to evaluate the treatment and training methods used.

Sports medicine professionals monitor local changes to injured areas with an array of technologies and clinical approaches. While electromyography is common, the muscle activity readings are often not enough to make decisions and adjustments. Muscle injuries are often monitored by perceptual pain and soreness feedback, and symptom tracking causes possible physiological problems that objective functional measures do not. Supporting athletes with novel approaches to tracking injuries is useful and very practical.

[bctt tweet="Those needing better training results should use NIRS to assess their treatment & training methods."]

Long-term adaptations to the muscle and acute improvements for deconditioning are difficult to monitor without invasive testing. In addition to the need to have conscious benefits of NIRS testing, the ability to see how rate limiting factors trend is also important, since many of the cardiopulmonary tests may not be explanatory to the athlete’s adaptive response. When athletes improve in conditioning, many of the adaptations can’t be explained by histological and morphological changes to the heart and lungs.

Nutrition science uses both the functional and local forms of NIRS to evaluate research investigations and applied approaches to sport. Sports nutrition is rapidly evolving now, as the counseling model is now transforming to more applied coaching methodologies. The evaluation of dietary and supplement interaction with training is growing, and it’s expected that NIRS will be one of those tools for sports nutritionists.

Strength coaches may wish to use NIRS technology for speed and power training, as rest intervals are often based on estimated time periods rather than true physiological changes. Training with speed and power requires both the knowledge of output changes and the underlying reasons for those changes. Using NIRS with conventional monitoring systems is empowering for coaches who need the explanatory information for why some athletes may not respond to programs and why some athletes do make improvements with similar training protocols.

Muscle Oxygenation Hardware and Software

Most sensors in sports need to be very small in order to be wearable or ecologically valid. Sensors with enclosures that are awkward or too large will change the validity of the reading, because athletes will alter their movements to accommodate the system. Sleeves, socks, bodysuits, and other garments are necessary to block light from the sensor area, otherwise the data will be corrupted. In addition to the light sensors, it is common that the product includes telemetry options such as Bluetooth, ANT+, or local Wi-Fi ability. Battery and wired power options are common now, and most research-grade products tend to use laboratory designs that are not portable or useful for field testing.

Exporting data into comma separated values (.csv) is nearly standard with most of the systems, but the new wave of consumer products will likely have fewer export options as the app software is geared to the direct-to-athlete service. Third-party software and integration is very common, whether added value systems or athlete management systems that are powerful enough to display testing and/or training data. Research-grade products mainly export into .csv or provide their own file format to allow backing up of native data.

TrainingPeaks, Stages, Today’s Plan, and SportTracks all work with the Moxy Monitor for data integration. Several added value software programs such as GoldenCheetah, PerfPRO, PeriPedal, and SelfLoops are popular with cyclists and triathletes. Most of the third-party added value systems are designed to work with Moxy, but a few are in the works to be universal as the market evolves.

The Current Near-Infrared Spectrometry Products in Sport

Muscle oxygenation measurement is a major role of NIRS, but other systems exist that use near infrared spectrometry to calculate physiological changes in athletes. A few of the sensors are ways to replicate lactate curves while others look at brain performance, thus making the market wide and innovative for companies to provide solutions to mounting conditioning and physiological challenges. Here are seven products that are available now (Autumn, 2018) and are either designed for sport or can be used by those involved in sport.

Humon

Humon is a Boston-based company with a commercial system that is similar to BSX, as it focuses on the lactate modeling of the body and is designed to fit the general recreational athlete. Humon Hex is new to the market and promoted to the mainstream consumer. In addition to the single location sensor, the product offers an app on both the iOS and Android platforms to connect to the sensor via Bluetooth, and has a web application for more advanced analysis post use. Humon markets a virtual coach for their platform, a claim that suggests their artificial intelligence provides enough insight that changes in training recommendations are possible from their analytics. The system is water-resistant, offers a wireless charger, and can be purchased online.

Moxy Monitor

Moxy Monitor is one of the top-selling solutions in endurance and team sport domestically and its international reach is growing as well. In the summer of 2018, Moxy improved both the hardware and firmware for more convenient measurement, and expanded their educational services with another user conference. Much of Moxy Monitor’s traction is in the endurance sport market, but a growing interest from speed and power sports is projected to be significant, thanks to their hardware improvements. Moxy Monitor can be purchased online directly, or through resellers at local facilities and e-commerce stores.

PortaMon

The PortaMon is a leading system on the market, and has been evaluated multiple times as both reliable and useful for coaches demanding performance in sport. As its name suggests, the system is portable and extremely versatile, allowing coaches to use it in multiple assessments. The PortaMon product is sold by Artinis, a Dutch company that provides an fNIRS system as well. In fact, Artinis has multiple NIRS systems for all types of scientific needs, including sports performance and research. The company sells their products through distributors, and specializes in other medical devices outside the NIRS market.

NIRSport Mobile

NIRx provides the NIRSport solution for researchers needing mobile tracking beyond just the brain. The German company also provides solutions for monitoring eye function. The NIRx line of systems is not just for sport, as the company is interested in supporting an array of other areas such as neurofeedback, as well as child and infant monitoring and research. NIRx does have distributors and offices outside of Berlin and, according to their website, their software solutions are constantly being refined and updated.

MetaOX

This research product is mentioned as an example of a cerebral oxygen monitoring solution that is commonly used for investigations outside of sport. The system is not a medical device and is not appropriate for coaches or even sport scientists in applied settings. MetaOX is sold through ISS, the company that provides a major line of research-grade products outside of NIRS. Including the cerebral products, medical lines that support infant care and medical grade monitoring are also available. The company has not entered the sport monitoring space with a wearable, and is unlikely to provide anything in the near future outside of what they provide to kinesiology and sports medicine applications with altitude and hyperbaric areas.

NIRSOptix

This company is another Massachusetts-based provider of NIRS, and they specialize in brain mapping and not sports monitoring for conditioning. Their system is for clinical and research needs only, and their other products help with breast imaging, cognitive development, and other research. The strength of their innovation is perhaps the brain mapping software, as they do provide a real-time concentration solution. TechEn, the parent company that manufactures and develops the NIRSOptix, has prestigious partnerships with the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

NIMO

A small but visible company, Nirox provides a miniature NIRS device that is sport ready. The Italian company also provides consulting services along with their research and wellness product line. Based on hardware specifications, the equipment is wireless for the NIMO wellness product and the tabletop version is appropriate for research as it’s not very mobile. Most of the company’s products are industrial and medical sensors outside of sport, and the traction with teams and facilities is virtually non-existent.

Other systems are likely to follow these leaders with similar features, pricing, educational resources, and access to experts in the field. It’s wise to look into the company’s history and goals before making a purchase, as new startups and brands have come and gone, like all sports technology. BSX Insight closed its doors recently, and companies that depend heavily on fitness enthusiasts will likely be more volatile in sales and revenue.

Additional Recommendations on Body Oxygenation Systems

The current options in sports performance and sports medicine are already available now. Before implementing monitoring of muscle oxygenation, or any variable for that matter, you need education on the subject matter and training on how to use the system of choice. In addition to education, it’s also important to know the limitations of the technology used and when other methods are appropriate for monitoring. Down the road, the science of muscle oxygenation and similar physiological monitoring will be more accessible for coaches to apply, as we expect even more commercial opportunities to come to market.

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Conditioning is an important part of the sports performance and health of both athletes and the general population. Evaluating the ability to extract oxygen and utilize it during exercise is a measurement that is common and valuable in the applied setting, as well as the research space.

This buyer’s guide covers gas exchange analyzers in the market, including how they work and what the future is leading to. While we make no recommendations, the list of companies mentioned creates an awareness of the products currently available to coaches and sport scientists. There is a growing trend toward portability, and the technology is on the verge of becoming consumer-friendly.

Metabolic testing is more than just oxygen utilization; it’s important for the utilization of macronutrients for fuel as well. Therefore, this guide will also briefly mention systems that are able to determine metabolic rate and substrate extraction.

What Is Metabolic Gas Analysis Testing?

The primary reason to perform gas exchange analysis on an athlete is to get an accurate assessment of their ability to extract oxygen and use it for aerobic performance. In addition to oxygen extraction, systems can also determine how much carbon dioxide is exhaled. How oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged in the body potentially determines how an athlete can cope with fatigue, as well as what output they are able to compete with. An assessment of the changes in oxygen extraction and carbon dioxide transport out of the body assumes that arterial levels are parallel with changes in respiratory exchange, and while they are very similar, they are not the same in real time.

[bctt tweet="Gas exchange analysis gauges an athlete’s ability to extract oxygen and use it for aerobic function."]

The common metrics used by gas analysis systems are:

• Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max)
• Metabolic equivalents (METS)
• Minute ventilation (VE)
• Carbon dioxide production (VC02)
• Ventilatory equivalents measures (VE/VO2 and VE/VCO2)
• Respiratory gas exchange ratio (RER)

Straightforward health and wellness measures that are important but not directly related to performance are metabolic rate and efficiency type metrics. Nutritionists who are progressive and want to actually prescribe nutritional interventions based on metabolic profiles can use advanced systems to address individual measures. Aging populations, recreational athletes, and elite competitors can all benefit from testing at rest conditions. Macronutrient distribution and caloric intake prescription with periodized diets are growing in popularity, but without direct measures, many of the estimations are not accurate.

Most systems that test athletes use a treadmill to estimate aerobic performance, but nearly every analyzer works fine with stationary cycling, rowing, and any cyclical equipment. Each mode of graded exercise has pros and cons, meaning athlete data may not be transferable to the field if the mode of exercise has poor relevance to the sport.

Some advanced systems are suitable for swimming tests, but a flume water treadmill is costly for even high performance centers. Some systems are technically portable and provide a backpack-like solution for activities that are on the grass, but due to their size, still have issues replicating a perfect environment. Newer systems are promising, as they have no hoses or wearable devices, but they have yet to be thoroughly vetted by multiple peer review studies. Today, the typical lab cart and treadmill solution is the most commonly employed testing option for conditioning tests.

Who Should Use Metabolic Gas Analyzers?

Most of the users of metabolic gas analyzers are sport scientists, but coaches and nutritionists are appropriate as well. In hospitals, lab techs commonly run the equipment, with qualified professionals performing the analysis. Any professional who needs to know the metabolic data of an athlete at rest or during exercise can be educated and trained to utilize the technology. Generally, running tests with the equipment is straightforward and easy, with most of the demand on analysis of the data and knowing how to improve the findings.

Ideally, the information gets shared with the athlete, along with an explanation of what it means and a plan to either improve the data or support their score if maximized. While most users seek out maximal performance in endurance, team sport athletes can benefit by including other tests such as electrocardiograms and even lactate testing.

How Metabolic Gas Analyzers Work

Just as important as the technology behind the equipment, practitioners should know how protocols work scientifically. Due to the complex nature and extensive amount of context for best practice, the methodologies of testing, analyzing, and prescribing interventions are all necessary to apply testing data. Gas analyzers estimate the composition of oxygen and carbon dioxide with internal sensors and all have different technologies that make them prone to variances in accuracy and precision.

Nearly every system on the market uses a hose to directly connect the air exchanges from an athlete to the machine, but an ultra-portable option bypasses hoses and reads the gas directly. A face mask covers the mouth and usually has a dual shaped extender, with one valve that flows into the machine for readings. Because air contains moisture, filters exist to ensure the air is dry and clean for the readings, and to prevent health hazards to users later. Most machines need to be maintained and cleaned, but some have internal mechanisms that assist users and reduce maintenance requirements.

Drift, a common problem with sensors, occurs when the measurement quality decays over time. Calibration, whether manual or done internally by the machine, requires the user to literally rest the device so it measures accurately. A system must be carefully maintained to ensure precision, and various sensors are common in the equipment to detect possible interference from ambient air quality and other variables. Generally, it is an enormous challenge to keep a machine accurate over long periods of time, as practitioners need to have data that is comparable year to year. In addition to the reliability of the machine, practitioners care about the interchangeable qualities of the data between other machines and other professionals, so tight protocols are important.

After the sensors internally mix and calculate the composition of the gas, the final step is to display the information. Most of the digital readouts from the machine are not measurements, but general operational messages. Typically, the data is sent from the analyzer to the software on a laptop or tablet, wirelessly or via cable. Software, mainly available in Windows, enables users to generate reports and further analyze the data. Some systems provide a web app for cloud storage and mobile viewing.

Validation and Accuracy of Systems

The process of ensuring that metabolic gas analysis systems are valid, reliable, and precise is very demanding. Validation of gold standard products is also difficult, as even the best research products require repeated external review for comparison purposes. Coaches must understand that most laboratory testing is still an estimate, as graded exercise testing protocols are questioned and conflicting in the scientific literature. Therefore, each system needs to pass through a rigorous review in order to see the strengths and weaknesses of the product.

[bctt tweet="Ensuring that metabolic gas analysis systems are reliable and precise is a very demanding process."]

Multiple studies will likely give an organization confidence in the product because internal validation approaches are nearly impossible in most team and college environments, as standardized equipment for validation is enormously expensive and typically not available. A sport scientist or experienced professional should be consulted before investing in any system.

The typical approach for vetting a product includes the simulated use of the machine for known gas levels. Concurrent use of multiple gas analyzers has been attempted, but due the location of mouthpieces, it’s very difficult to acquire simultaneous readings from the same athlete for comparison. Conventional evaluations use a known measure of gas composition, and evaluate the intake measurement, as well as what is artificially expired.

Even known gas measures are limited for several reasons, as mouth breathing is sometimes stressful for athletes who are uncomfortable, and masks can cause errors with resting scores. High-intensity exercise requires mouth breathing, so maximal testing is better aligned with laboratory tests. Face masks are still appropriate for submaximal graded testing when users understand the measures are estimates.

Testing in the field is sometimes necessary, as most non-cyclical endurance sports can’t be replicated in the laboratory (thus, the increase in portable systems). In addition to the need for ecologically sound data, the miniaturization of technology and correction algorithms for novel measurements are trending in the market. With the speed of peer review, it’s likely that more than one company will develop a sufficiently accurate product for sport analysis that is extremely small and practical. Products may not be able to detect actual advantages in Olympic sports, since lower-grade systems may not be able to detect a tiny change (smallest worthwhile change) that is actually an advantage.

Important Options and Features to Consider

Most available products have single purpose values, meaning they only have the ability to report oxygen transport data to users. Nearly every product on the market favors a typical laptop or desktop computer, as the software is usually a native program for Windows environments. In addition to the program, each system has a main hardware device that analyzes the gas exchange during exercise, and systems tend to have specialized hoses and face masks to collect data from athletes. Currently, multiple companies provide an app for ease of use, but the systems are new and the robustness of the data is still unknown.

Servicing systems requires more than just cleaning, as each cart must be calibrated repeatedly for possible issues with either drift or data impairments from room air quality. Some systems can provide very extensive reports, while others only deliver plain readouts of the measurements over time. Additional features like spirometry and other functions are sometimes available with higher end products. Finally, all of the electrical components are international with the bigger brands, supporting the specifics of each country’s laws and codes.

Many resellers and partner distributors provide computer and cart hardware for support purposes. The reason third-party hardware is sold in a bundled fashion is that it is often difficult to troubleshoot clients without remote management and standardized setups. Training is usually done on-site with higher end products, but some companies provide online education and product information. There is an ecosystem of continuing education and added value services that are popular within the industry, including conferences and trade shows.

Example Products in the Metabolic Testing Market

Clinical, research, and private training facilities commonly use the systems on the list below. Most of the systems sell at a price point that is affordable for sports teams and small universities. The list is not a recommendation of products to invest in, as the decision on what to buy is dependent on a combination of factors such as validation and service. Nearly every system listed below has external validation research available, meaning the product was evaluated with a scientific investigation that was peer reviewed or performed by a researcher.

[bctt tweet="Most metabolic gas analysis systems are affordable for sports teams and small universities."]

COSMED: This Italian company is one of the most prestigious and pioneering companies in metabolic testing. Over the years, they have pushed technology to new heights and they provide additional solutions outside the gas analyzer market. An innovator in both aquatic and portable testing solutions, COSMED also has hospital equipment for basic metabolic assessment, including lactate testing.

In sports science, the company is popular because of their products’ features, their quality service, and the support they provide internationally, with offices in the U.S. and other locations. COSMED is known in research for providing great data when conventional lab testing isn’t possible, and their systems are often employed for activities that are not endurance sport. COSMED is a leader in portable solutions, but several companies are trying to disrupt them with even more portability.

Parvo Medics: As a market leader, a wealth of high performance and elite organizations use Parvo’s system for comprehensive testing. Many practitioners consider the TrueOne 2400 a gold standard, and nutritionists, sport scientists, and hospitals commonly use it. Parvo specializes in metabolic testing and their service is known as one of their strong points. One drawback is that, due to its power and precision, the cost of their system runs higher than typical mid-range products, but that is to be expected with top-of-the-line analyzers. Parvo Medics has a full software program that is robust and constantly maintained and updated.

VO2 Master: The VO2 Master is new to the industry, and while there is some evidence of validation with an independent review, there haven’t been multiple peer reviews to ensure that this ultra-portable option is research-grade. The product’s design is exciting, as it pushes the envelope for both mobility and cost, and if it can effectively measure oxygen utilization with quality data, it could disrupt the market. The product is completely wireless and uses no laptop, and the Bluetooth communication is primed for smart devices. The company is based in Canada and has an online shop for e-commerce sales.

KORR: KORR’s CardioCoach VO2 and entry-level systems are popular due to their user-friendly designs and simplicity. Based in Salt Lake City, KORR manufactures a small set of metabolic testing systems for coaches and professionals needing essential information. KORR also provides metabolic testing for wellness clinics and other industries outside of performance, and has a reputation for supporting boutique facilities and colleges. The company does assist hospitals with a metabolic testing device, but the system is intended more for obesity treatment than high performance or similar, although the validation demonstrates adequate precision for estimating aerobic capacity.

VacuMed: After 50 years in business, this California company offers the most extensive product line in the market. They even provide systems that help validate equipment, and offer various resources like books and manuals. VacuMed’s annual catalog showcases body composition solutions as well as ergometers. VacuMed offers typical machines for simple treadmill testing, as well as the treadmills for bundled sales. Finally, the company launched a mobile system as well, entering the emerging competitive space of portable testing solutions.

CORTEX Medical: A German powerhouse in metabolic testing, CORTEX Medical provides both hospital and sports performance solutions, including a novel solution for swimming. One of the strengths of CORTEX is their international partnership and distribution options, and there have been multiple investigations into their products’ validity and data quality. Some companies that partner with CORTEX resell their systems with their treadmills. In addition to their performance line, they offer hospital and wellness solutions that help practitioners with their clients. MetaSoft Studio is their enterprise software, and it’s available for purchase on their website as a license.

PNOÊ: PNOÊ is brand-new to the market, and the system is relatively unknown and still in early adoption mode. The company was founded to disrupt the VO2max market, with a focus on bridging the professional and consumer spaces. The PNOÊ system is wireless and completely portable. So far, there is no available validation study on the product on their public website, but we expect that efforts to demonstrate accuracy, precision, and reliability will be available soon. Like typical start-ups, PNOÊ has an impressive scientific advisory board, but has yet to show traction in the market.

[bctt tweet="The future of the metabolic testing system market is portable and wireless."]

The future of the metabolic testing system market is portable and wireless, since most cart-based systems cannot be used in actual practice environments that simulate game conditions. Currently, some of the products are mobile, but they are far from perfect. Still, the use of a conventional cart option is repeatable, and those performing experiments on gross variables can benefit from the current technology.

Closing Thoughts on Metabolic Testing Systems

Not all sports require testing of an athlete’s aerobic system or even anaerobic system, but testing may be helpful to see how the athlete can improve performance. While VO2 max testing is questionable in some sports, even endurance sports, the information provided is objective and useful for determining how an athlete adapts to training.

Investing in equipment requires not only an understanding of the hardware and software, but also the ability to interpret the data and make actionable decisions for the preparation of athletes. We encourage all professionals to get up-to-date on their understanding of exercise physiology, especially in aerobic training and performance. Metabolic testing is scientifically valid, relevant to sports performance, and practical now because of system design changes over the years. Even non-researchers can use laboratory-grade technology, and benefits to recreational athletes—as well as their elite counterparts—are possible when there is accurate interpretation

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The market of pneumatic compression systems for sports recovery has grown and evolved over the last decade. While each system shares numerous design similarities, their pricing, claims, portability, muscle pressure, and compression patterns are all different. Nearly every professional team and top-tier college program uses compression in some form, whether wearable options, blood restriction bands, or pneumatic compression.

[bctt tweet="Compressions systems may help athletes cope with heavy training or dense competition schedules."]

Recovery is of utmost importance to coaches and sports medicine professionals, and compression systems are one solution that may help athletes cope with heavy training or dense competition schedules. As of 2018, more than two dozen products have entered the market, but only about half of them have made enough traction to be included in our buyer’s guide. It features background on the medical history and theoretical benefits of pneumatic compression recovery systems, and a full explanation of how they function.

What Is Pneumatic Compression?

When air pressure is used to treat or support fluid circulation in the extremities, it’s considered to be pneumatic compression. Typically, the systems appear as a cuff, full-length inflated pants, or sleeves. An external air pump that is strong enough to inflate auxiliary sleeves at desired levels of pressure usually provides the external compression.

Pneumatic compression is intermittent, meaning the pressure is purposely not continuous and tends to be much higher than with compression garments. Pneumatic compression is measured in millimeters of mercury, and research includes the type and strength of the pressure in order to make comparisons and conclusions on equipment and alternative modalities. Compression is similar to hydrostatic pressure and has both health benefits and a potential role in recovery. Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) is sometimes described as sequential, since most systems provide a practical pulse up to the torso starting at the foot or wrist. Lastly, IPC is recovery, not a training modality, and is not to be confused with occlusion training.

Medical History of Pneumatic Compression

Like many recovery products in sport, most compression systems originated as medical devices. The most notable crossover was NormaTec, a solution that stemmed from an invention by Dr. Jacobs. In early 2007, it provided teams with their first sports recovery system. Later, other companies followed suit with similar systems, all employing air pumps and sleeves to facilitate recovery of the lower extremities. Today, dozens of systems exist internationally, with only a handful actually used consistently by professional and recreational athletes. To understand the pneumatic compression systems, readers should note a product’s medical past to invest smarter in not only compression solutions, but all recovery devices.

The three areas where intermittent pneumatic compression has strong carryover and success are lymphedema, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and general medical needs that are complementary, such as diabetes and pulmonary embolism risks. Most of the interest lies in the circulatory benefits that can improve venous return and the mechanical support of the lymphatic system. Perhaps the most common question with sequential compression devices that are used in the medical arena is how they affect sports recovery, and that is discussed later in the theoretical recovery benefits section. Medically, the evidence for using compression for injury is not strong, but mechanical compression with external devices is supportive based on the pathology. Currently, the scientific literature defends the use of sequential devices for lymphedema and DVT, and other special cases with narrow parameters and limited outcomes.

Sequential pneumatic compression systems cease to be medical devices and become sport recovery devices mostly as a result of market positioning, as the designs and features are nearly identical. Manual therapy with athletes is as old as sport itself, so it's no surprise that sports have gravitated to the device market along with self-therapy treatments.

Theoretical Recovery Benefits

Research on the recovery benefits of pneumatic compression tends to focus on performance enhancements before and after treatment, with little changes outside range of motion. Therefore, it’s likely that the benefits to athletes are more rooted in assisting the prophylactic needs of heavy sports training. Over the last decade, about 20 studies have investigated pneumatic compression devices and most saw responses in the following areas. Improvements in anaerobic and endurance performance have not been found, but it’s likely the systems supported by compression are not related to neuromuscular power.

[bctt tweet="It’s likely the systems supported by compression are not related to neuromuscular power."]

Pain Modulation

Perceptual experiences in soreness and pain are theoretically possible, due to the temporary pressure around the working muscles. While measures in lactate and circulating creatine kinase do decrease, the actual research on pain levels are only reported. Therefore, it should be noted that compression devices may provide a transient change in comfort that is sensory; meaning they don’t reduce or block pain, just reshape the experience briefly.

Anatomic Restoration

Positive improvements in the ANS (autonomic nervous system) are commonly referred to, but it is unknown how lasting the effect is. A confounding challenge is determining whether it is the elevated legs or the placebo effect elevating heart rate variability measures, but the scientific literature does support positive improvements to the ANS for increased circulatory changes from compression systems. How much an enhancement DOES improve athlete recovery remains a mystery at this point.

Muscle Tonicity

Reductions in muscle tone are also theorized to be a part of compression, as range of motion improvements documented in the scientific research are evidence that short-term changes are likely to occur. It is not known how much enhancement there is to the neuromuscular system and how valuable those enhancements are, as very few longitudinal studies on muscle function and performance are available. Possible decreases in edema are likely to help relief of osmotic pressure, but so far, the research is scant on cellular adaptations.

Lymphatic Movement and Kinetics

Sequential pneumatic compression directly influences the movement of circulative lymph, as the lymphatic system is predominantly a passive system relying on human locomotion and movement. Several invasive studies have evaluated lymphatic support devices and found that, through tracing, lymph flow increases using the equipment. It’s not currently known if the athlete benefits from additional lymphatic circulation from external compression devices.

Circulatory Benefits

A proposed theory that circulatory engagement can improve recovery is slightly misleading, as the temporary reduction in passive lactate clearance is not actually recovery but an accelerated state of readiness. The research on blood flow using instrumentation has yet to see a lasting effect or improvement in muscle readiness, and not enough research on sports-related injuries is currently available.

Other theoretical adaptations and recovery theories are emerging, such as cellular responses similar to occlusion training, but it’s too early to include them at this time. Again, it seems that the athlete response is mainly a prophylactic experience that removes sensory discomfort from the area, and it’s perceptual. Most of the research that discredits the use of compression targets hard performance changes (that are unlikely to occur), but they are also important to show the limitations of the product. In short, the physiological changes during the compression treatment create an experience that athletes value, and new research shows its potential with healing, such as Achilles injuries and other ailments.

[bctt tweet="New research shows compression’s potential with healing, such as Achilles injuries & other ailments."]

Key Features and Product Design Factors

Nearly every product on the market shares the same general design, meaning each system has an air pump and garment that applies a repeated pressure to the limb(s). Each system has air tubes, a controller, and heavy-duty inflatable cuffs or full pants and/or arm sleeves. Warranties and claims are all rather similar, but each company has its own customer agreement and limitations to its product use.

You should carefully weigh all design benefits when investing in a device, as one feature alone isn’t sufficient to make a difference unless it’s indispensable. For example, some systems don’t provide upper body options, so those features are likely to be of importance. Listed below are the primary features most buyers look for when purchasing pneumatic compression devices.

Levels of Pressure

Every system has its own level of pressure, but most ranges are far above 50 millimeters of mercury and the end range of pneumatic compression is about 130 millimeters. Most systems can be adjusted up and down based on comfort, and they can deliver higher ranges if they are higher performance models.

Sequential Pattern

Each pneumatic compression system has either a unique pattern of pressure application or a similar pattern of graded restriction. As mentioned earlier, the purpose of the term “intermittent” is to convey that the interplay of pressure and release creates the desired response, and the pattern of sequential compression that is ideal is yet unknown.

Chamber Design

The sleeves are often designed to have multiple chambers to create a more effective milking action, as most systems act like a tourniquet and move pressure, for example, up from the foot to the thigh. The optimal number and shape of chambers is unknown, but having five of them for the leg and arms is standard with most products.

Air Pump Size and Noise

A common complaint in the past was that air pumps were loud and created an unpleasant experience, but now they are nearly silent, small, and easier to control. Most of the noise comes from the initiation of gathering pressure from air compressors in the pump, but the release of air is also part of the sound. Most systems are currently not distracting or loud, but some are definitely quieter than others.

[caption id="attachment_4042" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image 1. Expect the portability and control of pneumatic compression recovery systems to improve in the next five years. Currently, no product connects to the cloud or a smart device, but the next logical step is in that direction.[/caption]
Cost

Obviously, the final factor for those on a limited budget is price. The cost of an entry-level product that is incomplete and limited can start around US$500, and most systems are more than twice that price. Durability and consistency for the application is expected, but each company offers unique warranties, as mentioned earlier. Some products are more portable than others, but almost all include a travel bag and can be brought as carry-on for air travel.

The Leading Recovery Compression Systems

If the list below was composed a few years ago, most of the products would still be viable, but there has recently been a lot of change in the market. The list doesn’t include general medical devices for edema or deep vein thrombosis, and only sport-specific brands are on it. Some systems employ cryotherapy features, but those add-ons are not necessary to benefit from compression. Here are seven systems that are popular in team and elite sport.

NormaTec Recovery

This Massachusetts company was one of the first sports recovery companies to get into the pneumatic compression market, and it’s a leader in both design and adoption. Not only does it provide multiple models for both regular and professional use, it also offers the most extensive auxiliary products, such as hip and arm sleeves. The NormaTec is internally cold and the system has been revised multiple times over the last 10 years. In addition to its patent pulse technology, it has setting options that allow the user to add more pressure to specific zones during the treatment. While the cost of the NormaTec is on the high end, its value lies in its durability and the design features that elite sport demands.

Squid Compression

This new company in the sports recovery market specializes in both portability and additional cold treatment for sports injury and recovery. Squid Compression’s products are single limb or small area only, and are more medical than recovery. They are ultra portable, as the air pump can fit in a user’s hand, and the sleeves can fit in an athlete's backpack. The Squid wraps can provide local treatment to the elbow, wrist, thigh, knee, shoulder, and ankle. Included in the system is a cold pack, battery and controller, hose, and compression attachment. There are only four levels of pressure, but the product is more for sports medicine than recovery. For a price point, the products are in the under-$800 range, but they can only treat partial singular limb areas. The Squid is a U.S. product and distributed domestically.

RevitaPump

This Korean company has FDA clearance like the rest of the listed companies, and distributes both in the U.S. and internationally. RevitaPump has a 20-year history of supporting the medical community, and offers a complete line of sleeve accessories, such as waist, hip, arm, and, obviously, leg support. The product is considered a professional version and it is priced near the cost of other elite compression systems but is notably less expensive than the marquee products. RevitaPump claims their price is lower because they don’t do marketing events—it is around the $800 point. They provide a warranty for the product line.

Game Ready

Most of the attention Game Ready receives is in the post-surgical space, and their product’s strength is the cooling system it provides to athletes. The system features compression, heat therapy, and even contrast therapy. Game Ready is the most extensive system on the market, and has an appropriate cost associated with the vast range of modalities included. It is used in both the clinical setting and general recovery area, so it’s seen as a bridge from medical to performance. Game Ready is a California-based company, but its wraps and accessories are available in other countries outside North America. Their product is FDA-approved and considered a medical device, but it can be used to facilitate both injury and recovery.

Rapid Reboot

The Rapid Reboot is a prosumer product, as it’s priced to satisfy the higher-end weekend warrior and emerging elite athlete. Its standard leg system includes pants and a travel bag, and costs just under $1,000. Rapid Reboot provides a two-year warranty, and their pants have four specific targeted locations. In addition to leg recovery, the system also has options for upper body and hip recovery. Rapid Reboot is a new company, and is based in the U.S. (Utah). Currently, it has a product ambassador program, and sponsors athletes.

Air Relax

A lower-entry product, Air Relax provides a solution more geared to the recreational athlete and weekend warrior. With a price of $400 for a medium-sized pant, it’s likely that Air Relax is appealing to the general fitness space rather than elite sport. Air Relax is similar to other brands with chambers, pulse settings, and general design. Currently, there isn’t a lot of research on the system itself, as the science the company promotes on its website refers mainly to other products. The warranty is for one year, and the product can be used in other countries.

RecoveryPump

This product from RP Sports is considered professional-grade, as the features, design, and price are in line with NormaTec. The company also provides tubs and occlusion products, and it sells attachments and multiple product offerings such as an elite line of recovery compression. The RecoveryPump (lite version) is portable and has a controller that provides up to 100mm of mercury (pressure). The product has sleeves for arm recovery and even includes a jacket for more-demanding recovery sessions for the upper body. The U.S.-based company provides a partner program, and a money-back guarantee. JoHan Wang, a former NBA performance specialist, is RP Sports’ scientific advisor.

The list above is likely to change slightly in the coming years, but many of the products do have a great track record of solid sales and customer loyalty. So far, most of the interested markets are elite endurance sport such as triathlons and marathons, professional team sports, and CrossFit. The price point of more consumer-friendly products has grown the market to what it is now, and the new players will have to innovate to both meet the standards of compression recovery and do it at a price point the market will tolerate.

Final Recommendations for Compression Systems

Pneumatic compression is popular with athletes and the user experience is straightforward. Nearly every system is portable, with a price point that is affordable for recreational-level athletes. The consumer market is now sizable where cost-effective options exist, but most of them are not suitable for athletes or elite performers in other areas such as dance.

[bctt tweet="Expect future compression devices to be more ergonomic, with more supportive athlete rehab research."]

In the future, expect more players to enter the market with refinements such as smart device control and more ergonomic designs to match to the anatomical needs of the body. In addition to the predicted design advancements, an increase in research on recovery and rehabilitation with athletes is also expected.

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The microsensor market, specifically motion sensors found in many devices in sports tracking, exploded over the past few years. Unfortunately, due to the low cost of the sensors, the market has been overrun by gadgets instead of precision instruments. The velocity-based training market is now saturated with low-cost sensors and, due to the availability of the technology, the sensors are usually included in body tracking products such as GPS systems and similar wearable technologies.

Inertial motion units, or IMUs, are sensors that collect motion data that can be used in calculating estimates of work, speed, and even movement angles. IMUs are only as useful as the methodology of the users and the algorithms developed by the companies that provide sport systems. Simple accelerometers can be found in sleep trackers and even in the smartphones we use every day, and while they are acceptable tools for estimating athlete motion, they are far from perfect. In this guide, we provide a serious look at IMU technology and applications, and review example options that are excellent for sports training and rehabilitation providers.

What Is an Inertial Measurement Unit?

An IMU is typically a combination of sensors that assist in collecting the motion of a body or sporting implement, such as a ball. IMUs are integrated with sports training equipment because they are small and collect multiple types of data, including acceleration, orientation in time and space, and direction. IMUs are also inexpensive and don’t require much energy to collect and transmit data, so they are ideal solutions for sports training and competition.

[bctt tweet="IMUs collect many types of data, including acceleration, orientation in time & space, and direction."]

An IMU system has three primary sensors: an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and gyroscope. All three have individual value, but together they form a superb measurement solution for general sporting action. The amount of accuracy and precision is dependent on the calculations of algorithms when engineered, so the development of a system of checks and balances is necessary.

Accelerometer: An accelerometer is exactly what it sounds like—it detects changes in speed and is invaluable for general body motions. Without other sensors though, it’s very limited and can’t give context to what is occurring.

Gyroscope: A gyroscope helps determine the orientation of the sensor, determining how it is moving in three dimensions. Multiple sensors connected together can model the motion of an entire body if carefully designed.

Magnetometer: Assisting in direction orientation, a magnetometer is useful in calibration and directing the data to the right position. Magnetometers are not as important as the other two sensors, but they do add another layer of data that is appropriate for outdoor sports.

[caption id="attachment_4007" align="alignleft" width="800"] Image 1. Some sensors are the size of a fingernail, so a circuit board with IMUs can be quite small. As technology evolves, expect the size of the sensor to decrease even further and the quality of data to improve.[/caption]

The expectations beyond the sensor side of an IMU is that the system has battery and wireless components, as well as the necessary parts that allow for functionalities such as charging the device and possible indicator lights. More and more sports technology equipment includes other components unrelated to movement because they add context, but they are not IMU sensors.

What Applications Are Appropriate for IMU Sensors?

The versatility of IMUs make them prime candidates for use as sports technology solutions, especially because of their size and ability to collect data continuously. While inexpensive, producing a full turnkey solution requires a lot of development, especially on the algorithm and software side. Most of the IMU solutions solve small motion needs, but some companies use IMUs for very demanding purposes. For example, a cable television remote may have an IMU to simply detect if it’s picked up or placed down to illuminate the buttons. More advanced applications use IMUs, such as monitoring jet engines, while many simple devices in sports training help coaches detect jumping.

[bctt tweet="Their size and ability to collect data continuously make IMUs versatile sports technology solutions."]

Some barbell velocity and performance products use IMUs to detect changes in speed or orientation of path of the stroke. While IMUs are great for shifts in acceleration, they are not ideal for slow motions such as isometric activities. Although calculations can improve, one issue of note is that IMUs favor simple actions. Drift, or when the data loses its accuracy over time, is a problem that requires refinement in algorithm and firmware modification. Most wearable products on the market now use IMUs to collect simple activity data, like walking or running, but they are more powerful than pedometers. A modern IMU can collect more sensitive data and, if used creatively, can acquire information such as hand gestures and even small deviations in body posture.

There is a growing interest in IMU use in collision and combat sports, as well as military activities. High-speed collisions create accelerations to the head and torso, thus making IMUs appropriate for impact detection. Based on the research, most of the calculations and algorithms available are valid and reliable for detecting tackles, scrums, and head impacts with helmet-based sensors. While calculations from IMUs are refined, the individual state of brain, health, and neck strength can determine the severity of a blow, so other factors outside the forces delivered to the body should be considered.

How IMUs Calculate from Different Locations of the Body

The location of an IMU sensor is of high importance for several reasons, and the first is comfort. For example, some sports collisions are common and a normal part of the game, and a sensor can be damaged or cause pain during use if it impacts the body during a hit or fall. IMU placement is also important for validity and accuracy requirements. Placing a sensor near the center of mass of an athlete does approximate a more true measure, but comfort and ergonomics have made the upper back a prime location for the athlete tracking market. Other sites, such as the foot and wrist, do help coaches and athletes see relationships between the ground and throwing or lifting, but those are still indirect estimates of what is happening in sporting actions.

[bctt tweet="IMU placement is important for athlete comfort, as well as validity and accuracy requirements."]

Several rounds of revisions are necessary to create a robust algorithm, such as planned activities and exercises. Depending on the location on the body, the data can be useful and revealing, or simply inappropriate. Algorithms are only as smart as the engineering of where the sensor is placed and how well that location interacts with the body action. Placing several sensors on the body does increase the likelihood that the data will be valid, but more information doesn't help if the integrity of the data isn’t solid with one location.

You should not view IMUs as interchangeable with motion capture, but they are often used as a proxy to camera systems because they are clinical grade and useful for basic activities. Most of the IMU systems that perform motion capture for very basic applications are considered clinical tools. Clinical-grade tools are accurate enough to perform very low level tasks, but they don’t provide the rich precision of research-grade options. Usually, companies tag each sensor with a specific location on the body, as inferred information enables the software to calculate more intelligently. Additionally, a calibration or orientation period is typically needed before using multiple IMU systems.

Features and Functions of Hardware and Software

As stated earlier, IMU hardware is normally wearable, and that means it must be water-resistant, small, wireless, and battery-powered, and store data if needed. What makes IMU sensors special is that they can be programmed and designed to solve many different problems with measuring athlete motion. Some IMU sensors attach to the athlete, while some attach to equipment. Hardware is the most important factor with IMU technology because if an athlete will not wear it or finds the user experience unsatisfactory, software features and high data accuracy are pointless benefits.

Wireless data from IMU sensors is now continuous and live, and the expectation is that the process will provide immediate feedback. Low-energy Bluetooth is the standard because the data volume is reasonable. One main difference between IMU sensors is that modern options can be used with smart devices. While a full IMU motion capture system still uses software on a computer, many small devices can connect wirelessly to a tablet or smartphone. Some systems do connect to traditional setups, such as laptop and desktop computers, but most of those are for research or enterprise systems.

[bctt tweet="A strong point with IMU sensors is the sheer volume of data they collect."]

One of the strong points of IMU sensors is the sheer volume of data they collect, so an interest in machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence is growing. Most software programs for sport IMUs are web applications that manage team data, and companies may provide an API that connects to other platforms, such as athlete management systems.

Example Solutions for Coaches and Medical Professionals

The market has over a hundred companies that provide IMU products to fitness enthusiasts and researchers, and the turnover of products is very rapid. We provide the list of companies and products below to give you insight into what is available. The guidelines above are timeless advice that will enable you to make an informed choice for years.

Motus

This U.S. company specializes in baseball tracking, but technically its product can be used for other sports and body motions. The Motus band tracks arm motion and has specific metrics that inform the user of fatigue, abnormal mechanics, and possible compensation. Due to the frequency of elbow and shoulder injuries in pitchers, the Motus has potential with tracking, but it’s still a long shot for injury reduction due to the constraints of measuring entire body motion and actual forces. An IMU doesn’t have enough sensitivity to account for small arthrokinetic changes to the elbow and shoulder that occur in live motion throwing. There is currently not enough research available to determine if the sensor can actually detect those responses and whether they are valid to use as tracking metrics anyway.

Runscribe

Most commercially available running sensors are designed for cadence only, but Runscribe uses their metrics to evaluate the entire foot strike. Currently, the product is more prosumer, meaning it caters to high-end users and some coaches in the endurance market, but it’s not a product that can support sprinting or other motions unless you export the files into a .csv reader. The wearable sensor is mounted on the rear of the sneaker or top of the laces, making it user-friendly and practical for different sports. Endurance runners, and even milers and other middle distance athletes, can benefit from the system. Countless systems are available on the waist for stride analysis, but actually tagging the right and left leg reduces error and calibration issues. 

MuscleLab

Ergotest provides an integrated and synchronized family of measurement tools that are designed for coaches, researchers, therapists, and sport scientists. The MuscleLab line of products is excellent for applied settings, but valid for performing scientific investigations. The IMU sensor is mainly a gait analysis tool, but coaches can integrate it with jump training and other modalities. The IMUs are location-agnostic, meaning the data is designed to be interpreted by an expert and is not a motion capture system. The IMUs can be integrated with force plates, load cells, electromyography, contact grids, and lasers. Ergotest’s founder is one of the pioneers in velocity-based training, and produced a system in the 1990s before the popularity we see today. The company is based in Norway, and has partnerships worldwide.

Jawku

This U.S. company offers an electronic timing system that is part smartphone camera-based and part accelerometer-assisted. Jawku recognizes first movement using the accelerometer set to detect real initiation, and the app detects movement of the finish of the run. Unfortunately, the product can’t get instantaneous speed or even splits, but due to the price point it's likely serviceable by some coaches. As of mid 2018, no validation study is available, but the engineering and hardware side does have the potential to provide a rather reliable product. In addition to the clever use of the smartphone, the product is technically a wearable, as the system is worn on the wrist. Teams and large facilities should think about the limited use in group settings, as wearables are cumbersome when doing combines or testing large groups.

VERT

VERT is more of a jump tracking product than a jump testing system, as it estimates work rate with jumping. The system is designed to be worn around the waist, and is popular with volleyball teams. Basketball, being a higher revenue sport in general, has used wearable GPS or tracking systems for jump detection, but the systems are limited for jump testing. Over the years, the system was marketing to the consumer side, but some teams have adopted it as a way to move towards a more automated approach to workload for jumping athletes. A lot of traction started in 2012 when the momentum of the product hit a commercial tipping point. As of today, some companies are attempting to follow suit with a similar product.

Assess2Perform

This U.S. company produces three products that address the ball, body, and barbell tracking markets. With more than 10 years of experience in the medical and performance spaces, the founder created a complete line of solutions that empower coaches, rehabilitation specialists, and even researchers. The ballistic ball was validated for explosive power recently in the scientific literature, and the company’s other products, which include Bar Sensei, continue to sell well internationally. The main goal of Assess2Perform is to provide a practical solution for all levels of sport and fitness, and support those in the wellness and rehabilitation market.

Xsens

Based in the Netherlands but with offices internationally, Xsens is an enterprise solution for large industries and sports. The Xsens is a complete turnkey solution, and is open for experimentation-type activities including research. The company is gaining traction in the sports market, and has tracking tools available for coordinate data. The company provides 3-D motion capture and is available for research, manufacturing, rehabilitation, and worker safety. While the teams using Xsens are currently unknown, the product is gaining momentum with awareness in the North American market.

TritonWear

The only aquatic product listed in this buyer’s guide is made in Canada, and is focused on the sport of swimming. Each TritonWear sensor is designed to detect surges or acceleration in the water, and those metrics are helpful for seeing overall patterns in distance per stroke and similar indices specific to swimming. TritonWear is an enterprise product, but individual purchases can be made for those wanting to test and monitor individual athletes. The data is sophisticated enough for deep analysis, as it can detect small motions such as breathing pattern and time underwater. In addition to the metrics it collects, the solution is useful for building workouts and race analysis.

IMeasureU

This New Zealand company has traction with a few teams and was acquired by Vicon in mid 2017. IMeasureU has its U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and touts the Philadelphia 76ers as one of its clients. In addition to the NBA, over the last two years several pro teams have tried the system, which requires the user to wear it around their ankle. The algorithm is a simple strain calculation that detects step impact, and the data is sent to a smart device using Bluetooth. The product can be used for other means, but so far most of the development is for impact load tracking for sports like basketball and running-based field sports.

dorsaVi

This international company offers two sensors, an EMG option and an IMU wearable. dorsaVi’s strategy is to hit all levels of business-to-business solutions, including teams and colleges. Most of the IMU systems are valid enough for simple work rate or activity detection, but they are limited because they are IMU-based. So, while they are marketed as motion capture, they are clinical grade for applied settings and not as effective as camera-based solutions. The company has a strong presence in Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America. Over the last few years, the company demonstrated strong management of an array of different applications, including sports performance.

Plantiga

Plantiga provides a movement analytics platform supported by sensor-equipped insoles. They quantify the biomechanics of sport-specific movements by measuring the accelerations of each foot strike during running, jumping, and changes of direction. The company's insoles slot into existing athletic footwear and capture performance and asymmetry data in training and competition. Cloud-based algorithms then translate the data into metrics and insights which users interact with on Plantiga's web and mobile apps. The solution helps trainers, physical therapists, and coaches screen athletes at intake and identify trainable deficits in order to prevent injuries, guide return-to-sport, and improve performance. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Plantiga’s offering has garnered interest from the four major North American sports leagues and other pro sport organizations, such as the United States Tennis Association.

[bctt tweet="The market will likely see an increase in IMU options, and a decrease in their cost and size."]

The future of IMU markets is unknown, but what is likely to happen is an increase in options and decrease in the size and cost of the technology. In addition to hardware companies, we will likely see the rise and fall of different software players and possibly new opportunities from innovation. While IMUs will always be seen as indirect measures of kinetic and kinematic output, their usefulness and reliability is at a standard where they are accepted as appropriate sport science tools for data collection.

Adopting IMU Solutions for Your Organization or Needs

Highly trained sports professionals can use IMU tools in conjunction with other systems to determine the context of the data they are collecting with sensors or know how to work around the limitations of the data. The usefulness of IMU sensors is the opportunity they provide to have specialized data assist with small needs, and extensive options like motion capture are possible with much larger budgets. IMU sensors can create a network, or add accuracy and validity to other sensors, but in isolation they can only estimate most measurements. Scientific validation from actual peer review research is recommended before trusting the data, and when necessary, new systems can be vetted internally with accepted gold standards.

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As the wearable market grows, so does the accessibility to heart rate data. Commercial heart rate monitors have been around for decades, but they are still viable options for coaches and athletes wanting to know how training challenges the cardiovascular system. While there have been major technology breakthroughs with hardware and software since the late 1970s, the science is still the same and there have been very few advancements outside of TRIMP and heart rate variability (HRV) measurement.

The interest in mechanical loading from other sensor technology has led to us seeing heart rate measurement take a back seat for now. Even with the rise in popularity of GPS-guided player tracking, the measures of the heart are timeless for supporting coaching decisions and athletic development.

Why Heart Rate Monitoring Is Still Relevant

Since the early 2000s, we have observed a slow and slight decline in the heart rate monitoring of practices. At the same time, there has been increased interest both in the autonomic nervous system from HRV data and in player tracking technology from GPS-powered systems. New is not always better, and the inclusion of both heart rate monitoring and player workloads is a perfect match.

[bctt tweet="The inclusion of both heart rate monitoring and player workloads is a perfect match."]

External loading options like player tracking systems are an estimate of the total and type of work, while internal response options like heart rate monitoring measure the physiological reaction to the bout of work. Add in the fact that real-time HRV readings can be done now, so many coaches like adding that safety net to overtraining by scanning a team right after warming up for practice. Including a complete monitoring option to practices and training provides a robust checks and balances to the work and recovery of sport preparation.

[caption id="attachment_3107" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image 1. Devan McConnell is one of the few coaches in the U.S. not to leave metabolic and heart rate data tracking. The extra work is worth it, and he is a leader in monitoring in the U.S.[/caption]

Currently, there is declining interest in heart rate monitoring, but we expect a rebound for several reasons. The main reason the data is growing in interest is that smart fabrics and newer textiles are improving the user experience of wearing a chest band. There is surging interest in wrist-based products, but the research indicates that data is not as good as a chest strap option.

The second reason why data is coming back in vogue with heart rate monitoring is the improvement in data aggregation from athlete management system (AMS) software. In the past, juggling data alone—the common burden of smaller club and college coaches—was just too much. Now the burden of exporting or transferring data is lifted, and the coach is free to do the analysis instead of the monkey work.

[bctt tweet="With the burden of exporting data lifted, coaches are free to do analysis instead of monkey work."]

Heart rate data is more important for endurance sports and open field continuous sports like soccer, but with team practices in power-oriented sports lasting hours, the data is just as relevant as in the past.

Understanding Heart Rate Monitor Signal Quality and Telemetry Demands

Before coaches or athletes look into features and other secondary benefits, the two key areas that make or break a heart rate system are the quality of data and how the data is pushed out either in real time or post session. The first step in getting an accurate heart rate is not a technology decision, but an anatomical choice with where to measure. Sensors near the heart, such as a shirt or strap, are common because of signal quality. Other options like finger and wrist measures are fine, but artifact problems increase and signal fidelity decreases as the measure becomes more distal to the midpoint of the body. Electrocardiograms (ECG or EKG) will sometimes use “limb leads,” but the primary zone of measurement is the chest.

[bctt tweet="The first step in getting an accurate heart rate is an anatomical choice of where to measure."]

Unlike health monitoring options, body motion can really corrupt the data quality of sensors away from the heart. That’s why the Apple Watch and Mio bands are great for recreational athletes, but not for competitive athletes that push the limits and need solid data. The heart rate monitor market can be confusing because buyers must be informed whether the watch collects and displays data or whether sensors on the watch actually collect the data directly. EKG tests are the gold standard in collecting a comprehensive signal beyond changes in heart rate, and that type of information is beyond the scope of this article. Omegawave, a physiological monitoring system, does provide very high resolution data, but that enters the realm of medical data, not coaching information.

Transmitting the signal should be a non-issue today with the advancement of wireless transmissions, but things break down or fail with any technology. On paper, several options like ANT+ and LE Bluetooth sound robust, but the more moving parts, the more likely something will go wrong. Often the problem is not the transmission but a battery issue or something like a strap not placed properly. Also, conductance breaks down because sweat will literally corrode the materials used to collect the data, even if it helps improve a signal. Some products provide boosting components to help outdoor or indoor signal capture, and that is a necessity when looking at real-time data and wanting no transmission loss.

Software and Third-Party Applications

The common frustration with nearly all heart rate monitoring systems is the general pattern of less support for software engineers than for hardware engineers. In the past, some software platforms looked rushed or last minute compared to the hardware, but now web-based software is solving the problem. The other growth area is apps that are agnostic to consumer products and provide a way to visualize, analyze, and store the heart rate data.

The line between consumer products and team enterprise is becoming fuzzier, as a company like Polar provides a leaderboard app for tablets that exploits the ability to sync multiple Bluetooth chest straps, but only for short ranges. We see million-dollar athletes using the same technology anybody can access from a local sporting goods store, which is another example of the way technology is improving and becoming less expensive at the same time.

[caption id="attachment_3108" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image 2. The key to software is ensuring that coaches can customize their settings and be able to automate charts and reports. Typical TRIMP and load metrics are common in the industry.[/caption]

Next are the added-value services or proprietary analysis applications like iTrimp and the countless endurance market tools. Also included in this category are athlete management systems that either allow for customized dashboards and reporting or provide a suite of tools to apply smarter decisions. As the additional data streams increase, expect the heart rate monitor companies to minimize their software to the essentials, and focus on their ability to share data with platforms that can analyze the data as well as fuse multiple data sets.

Very little progress or innovation occurred in the last decade regarding heart rate monitoring due to the interest in GPS player tracking, but there is promising evolution in some circles. Many coaches who use heart rate monitoring in isolation are trying to calculate load instead of the response to load, which is a fair approach but far less valuable. The current trend is to use very high level statistical analysis of all of the data to detect patterns of fatigue in advance of injury. As early detection improves, so does the opportunity for better planning. This way you can avoid unnecessary resting due to poor sequencing when the weekly total load may be appropriate.

TRIMP, a measure of estimated physiological load, can be done with nearly every system. Besides that metric, there is very little other heart rate driven scoring of note. One clever way to maximize the usefulness of heart rate monitoring is to use HRV indices with standardized recovery runs and warm-ups. Linear running provides more precision than chaotic environments because you can compare it week to week. Other than regeneration and preparation sessions, combining workload responses of other sensors is the typical approach to modern training.

Essential Differences Between Team and Individual Systems

While stereotyped as dated, products used radio in the past to send heartbeat signals from chest bands to a unit that could then pass it to a digital option like a computer. Later, infrared transfer to a USB dongle was the standard, but now local area networks are using other wireless options. Team systems differ from individual systems because they relay connect every athlete to one device instead of one sensor to one smartphone or watch.

All of this may sound like minor or unnecessary details, but the vital challenge is making practices run smoothly with technology, not have coaching chores interfere with instruction or supervision. Some team systems have been known to work intermittently because teams are a small part of company profits and resources are usually spent on the consumer market. Even today, some systems fail from time to time because of firmware updates or interference, but in general there is higher stability.

[bctt tweet="The challenge is having practices run smoothly with technology, and not interfere with coaching."]

Consumer products are fine for endurance athletes, because most distance runners, cyclists, and triathletes are disciplined to collect their own data and push it to the cloud, or similar. Team sports need team solutions not because of the differences between activities, but the differences in personalities. Many small groups with engaged athletes that work with their private coaches are willing participants in the data collection because they selected the coach in the first place, but teams are drafted and not voluntary, so the contribution of the athletes is minimal, for the most part. The more advanced the athlete, specifically in team sport, the less likely they are driven to do much of the leg work in getting data to central repositories like AMS options.

A very common and important question is about the difference between managing a group of individuals and guiding a team. The technology used, as well as the type of sport and environment, can be the difference between spending a small amount of money and having to fork over much more capital. When you buy an enterprise team product, you buy convenience with passive data aggregation instead of expecting an active or permission-based data process.

You should ponder, and answer, these four vital questions before spending a single dollar on a heart rate monitoring system. The answers will help determine what you should invest in.

1. Am I trying to manage a sport team in real time or do I need the information later?
2. Does the athlete train on their own and are they used to uploading their own data?
3. Am I by myself managing this, or do I have help from other coaches and/or a sport scientist?
4. Do I plan to use the company software or do I have an athlete management system?

Those four questions are imperative for deciding if you need to spend money on the more costly but powerful team options. Team pricing is not about bulk rates or getting a heart rate sensor for each athlete—it requires a lot of support expenses that are beyond the budgets of some colleges and most high schools. What is not included are policies and logistical areas such as cleaning shared straps or replacing batteries. Any data collection process must be a well-oiled machine to work sustainably.

[bctt tweet="Any data collection process must be a well-oiled machine to work sustainably."]

The Top Options for Heart Rate Monitoring in Sport

For the purposes of clarity, we have divided the listed companies into two groups: enterprise and individualized consumer products. Individualized systems can be scaled with the right software, and this is why coaching products like TrainingPeaks are so popular in the endurance market. Health and fitness platforms are also banking on the BYOD or bring your own device environment, where an API allows for heart rate data to be sent and shared to the cloud.

[caption id="attachment_3109" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image 3. The increase in quality of consumer products makes business models harder at the elite level. The gap between pro and consumer products is now smaller than ever.[/caption]

Regardless of what you use, make sure you know that the true limit is not the technology but the participation attitude of the athlete. It’s possible to use consumer products and create a near enterprise environment, but the convenience of doing so is not ideal and some logistical juggling is necessary.

Team Enterprise Solutions

Polar Pro: Perhaps the leader in team heart rate products, Polar has had a lot to do with improving the market size of the heart rate products from their commercial systems with endurance in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many research studies looking at HRV and other serious indices have used the Polar heart rate straps to collect data, and their products are considered research-grade for heart rate monitoring. Now the Polar company has entered the smart textile market with a shirt similar to Hexoskin. Polar is similar to Garmin, but instead of adding heart rate to GPS devices, they took their team heart rate products and added GPS data to them. 

FirstBeat: Like Polar, FirstBeat is from Northern Europe and really understands the sports market. They provide both passive physiological monitoring with group HRV testing and active heart rate monitoring. The strength of FirstBeat has to be their software, as they have excellent reporting and data visualization.

FirstBeat gained a lot of momentum when they showed up on the Jumbotron player data with the Buffalo Sabers years ago, and this was a key example for literally understanding the big picture. FirstBeat is always cutting-edge with both science and technology, and they’re hugely popular in both Europe and North America. FirstBeat is expanding to wellness and fitness, as they specialize in stress management, not just conditioning. 

Zephyr: Made famous from the Chilean mine disaster, Zephyr is a team product with an open form of data transmission. Zephyr is stronger on the hardware than the software side, as their products are really a hardware play. Omnisense is their software, and it’s solid, but it’s likely better for real-time management with a large sport science team than a fitness coach alone.

Developers embraced their product because they offered an SDK and API (software programming tools), but as a consumer product they didn’t have enough market share to gain traction. Zephyr worked with other companies as a white-label solution, but the heart rate and accelerometer data for team sport is very limited, especially for combines that are speed- and power-oriented. 

Hexoskin: Hexoskin made their debut earlier with our apparel review, and they are the only true breathing rate data available. Other sensors are on the shirt—typical ones like accelerometers for activity—but the conductive fabric provides quality data appropriate for HRV measures. Many different sports teams and space, military, and research organizations use Hexoskin. Like many smart fabrics, the amount of washing is limited, but because of their comfort many coaches use them for pilot studies to deep-dive into more surveillance-type investigations like stress during a day, similar to the First Beat offerings.

Other systems like Activo are available, but due to the adoption pattern, they didn’t make the list. We can classify Hexoskin as an enterprise solution because of their experience with military and professional teams, but they are more of a scale-friendly system than a team system.

Individual Consumer Products

Here are three companies that provide high-quality products that you can find at the local sports department store or running shop. All of the products connect directly to a smartphone for live feedback or to upload data to the cloud. 

Suunto Ambit Series: The Suunto Ambit3 delivers a very sophisticated and rich experience, and is one of the top sport watches for any athlete, regardless of sport. One of the key benefits, besides connecting to a comprehensive web portal, is the ability to program the watch using their online software. You can literally form apps that are custom to the needs of the athlete and the data now connects with TrainingPeaks.

The heart rate strap is soft and comfortable, and this greatly improves the user experience for the athletes. Additionally, the system now connects to a smartphone app for those wanting simple fitness requirements, and the company provides other peripheral devices that can enrich the data capture process, like foot pods similar to the Runscribe. 

Wahoo Fitness TICKRx: Unlike the other two companies, the TICKRx is a smart heart rate strap, providing additional sensors to detect motions and other metrics like stride and cycling information. The strongest part of Wahoo is that it connects with many different apps and their own smartphone program is excellent. The app includes nearly any exercise routine for general fitness and work capacity, such as cycling and running, and all the data can be exported via .csv. The Wahoo user experience is perhaps the best in the business, because they understand the needs of the average Joe who just wants to get the nuts and bolts, not excessive features that only confuse the athlete or coach.

Garmin Sport: Garmin is more known for their GPS systems, but they smartly decided to enter the sports market. The company TomTom quickly followed suit a few years later with their own product that is also solid, but due to their short history, we do not include them in this review. Fitbit and other commercial products are more fitness-oriented and inappropriate for serious athletes, but Garmin’s history and ability to execute are the reasons we included them. Their heart rate component is a strong-enough feature to warrant their inclusion on this list, since most athletes just want to relay the measurements to a software platform or app, and the market fuels the value of the heart rate data.

[bctt tweet="Most athletes just want to relay biometric measurements to a software platform or app."]

The classification of the product does not affect the quality of the data, meaning that difference isn’t there between a professional and off-the-shelf product. What is there is the ability to collect all of the data at once to one location rather than each athlete using a watch or connecting to a smartphone. Also consider having two systems if you have a large budget, as some athletes who are engaged in training may want to use something during the off-season.

Investing in the Future

Heart rate monitoring isn’t going anywhere soon, so don’t underestimate its value now and in the future. Heart rate is likely to be standardized as part of the wearable space, as the cost of sensor hardware and the ability to transmit the data is very inexpensive. It’s hard to predict the future of heart rate monitoring because the battle between smart textiles and second skin patches is going to grow, with nobody likely capturing the whole market. The current options are more than sufficient to deliver a good user experience as well as actionable data, so getting involved with heart rate monitoring is a wise venture.

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Leading research, training, and rehabilitation medicine counts on electromyography for better outcomes, and professionals who need it should  invest in the right technology. Electromyography is a very powerful solution for greater understanding of the body, but it requires a very educated purchasing process to select the right system. Recently, several wearable garment options have entered the electromyography market, creating more options for professionals who need muscle data.

Electromyography use is growing in both research and clinical settings. This review covers the leading companies in the space and explains how to make the best choice when investigating the hardware and software.

What Is Electromyography and Who Is It for?

Electromyography, or EMG for short, is either a direct electrical activity signal from the muscle itself, or from the top of a superficial muscle via electrodes attached on top of the skin. The information can be used to show relationships in research, or clinically to help patients with biofeedback. Because EMG technology is small and mobile in smart textiles, it is gaining traction in fitness and performance.

From a distribution perspective, EMG is most appropriate for researchers. The workflow and knowledge of electromyography requires a deep understanding of muscle physiology, as well as time to perform extensive tests and post-collection analysis. Some small mobile systems deliver a great clinical experience for biofeedback and data-driven precision for therapists, but that market is considerably smaller. Finally, the smallest market is fitness and performance, where user experience and some small insight can be captured for complex return-to-play needs and for motivational purposes through immediate feedback education. EMG is a great opportunity for both the athlete and professional to learn, as every athlete is unique enough to merit a reason to do direct investigation into their movement profile.

Is EMG Appropriate for All Strength Coaches and Physical Therapists?

EMG usage is not for everyone, and an applied setting can take advantage of nearly any technology, but EMG has the most responsibilities of all sports research equipment. Noise and collection errors can corrupt EMG signals, but, for the most part, professionals with the education and proper training can acquire quality data. Even if training is solid and data comprehension is a non-issue, the demands of EMG render it nearly impossible in a  team setting that is both fast-paced and constantly experiencing a drought in time availability. Some situations are not that demanding, so modern EMG practices may be easier to integrate into a program now than in the past.

For EMG to succeed in an applied setting for coaches and sports medicine staff, three overarching elements must be in play.

• Time is available to collect, analyze, and coordinate action of the EMG data. 
• There are small groups, so the ratio of athlete to professional is not overwhelming. 
• Athletes are engaged in the process, not just the one-time experience.

If all three prerequisites are in place, your team, college, facility, or organization may be a great candidate for EMG.

[bctt tweet="EMG is very useful in an applied setting for return-to-play scenarios."]

It may might sound daunting to add EMG if you are already pressed for time, but sometimes access to EMG data can reduce long, complex problems from happening in the first place, if you use it correctly. EMG can be part of the screening process, but to claim it’s a direct way to reduce injuries is simply unfounded, as of today. EMG is very useful in an applied setting for return-to-play scenarios, and using a system can add another degree of confidence for athletes who wonder if their muscle is “firing.” It is up to the practitioner to explain the purpose and limitations of EMG so that athletes don’t overreact to positive or negative findings, as EMG readings alone can’t conclude if an athlete should be able to train or compete after injury.

The Collection Requirements of EMG Recording and Analysis

You can use skin electrodes to evaluate superficial muscle groups—usually those that contribute to propulsion—while deeper muscles require fine wire methods. The muscle’s location and the type of movement being recorded are primary factors in deciding what type of electrode to use. When testing muscle, EMG uses a comparison of the exercise to an isometric action known to be standardized and relevant to the movement pattern. Isometric comparisons are commonly used to create both a baseline of change, and an estimation of activity. You can find more information on the practice of isometric testing for EMG in “Electromyography Science for Performance and Rehabilitation.” Besides isometric muscle testing, it also includes other factors that dictate successful recording.

In addition to getting ready with regards to isometric testing and skin preparation (shaving and cleaning), knowing how to clean up the signal and create meaningful summaries of the action requires experience in both the science of electromyography and the system’s software. Analysis is about using the context outside of the data to bring clarity to the signal, as the software usually does most of the heavy data processing. The extra time after the data collection isn’t especially long, but it does require work by someone doing both reporting and decision-making to make the information usable.

Types of EMG Systems and Options

While the market used to be only a research option for companies, two options generally exist now with EMG. Today, users can have garment-based systems or they can have full wireless sensors with compete software packages.

Garment solutions are very limited, and tend to collect general “areas” versus targeted muscle groups. For example, the hamstring is not a muscle—it’s a set of three individual muscles: the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris. Garment-based EMG can provide general awareness and simple feedback, but for specific muscle groups and even regions within the muscle group, you will need research-grade instrumentation. Nearly every system is wireless, meaning the signals from the electrodes or fine wire get sent directly from the muscle to the computer, but many companies still use a boosting device to relay the data from the athlete to the computer. Real-time EMG is a feature of many systems, as the need to see live information is requested enough to warrant it.

[bctt tweet="If you need data that is acceptable in sport science studies, you shouldn’t use EMG garment options."]

There is currently a line of differentiation between research-grade and consumer-grade EMG, and if you need data that is acceptable in sport science studies, you should not use garment options. If you are looking for additional help with lower-level needs, the convenience of wearable systems that you can use over and over may be a good option for your environment. Electrode placement is still a timeless requirement, so there needs to be supervision of athletes if you use garment options, as well as somebody double-checking that the data is correctly assessing the muscle group. Data is not interchangeable between consumer- and research-grade products, but some areas like glutes are very easy to collect from and might provide more value.

EMG Hardware and Software Considerations

Three distinct hardware components are the backbone of EMG data collection: the electrodes, the signal relay, and the receiver. Electrodes are not complicated, as they are just conductive, adhesive material that captures an electrical signal. The signal relay transmits the muscle information and time data to a receiver, usually connected to a computer system. These three components together typically gather and record muscle activity with EMG, and software usually just visualizes the information.

Signal processing can sound confusing, but the complexity and demand of extracting valid data from the recording requires filtering. Raw data is easy to collect, and you can do it with very little expense or effort, but ensuring that the information is trustworthy requires an extra step. Professionals should know that filtering is just statistically cleaning data, so both analysis and valuation for biofeedback sessions can use it.

[caption id="attachment_2780" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image 1. Coaches need more than just raw EMG data; they need it filtered and charted so they can understand relationships between muscle activity and sporting action. This example from Myontec is of multiple data sets fused into one.[/caption]

Software is used for additional analysis and for presenting the information in reports or similar documentation. Most of the included software packages specialize in EMG analysis, while some packages can also connect multiple data sets other than EMG for deeper understanding of the information and to explain patterns from motion capture and force analysis. On average, the companies tend to do a balanced job with providing both hardware and software, but most companies are much stronger with one or the other.

Leading Options in Electromyography Systems

The list here is not an exhaustive collection of companies and products, but it does illustrate that you can’t just decide on an EMG system after looking at a few brochures. Professionals need to know they will be investing thousands of dollars into one data set, and hundreds of hours into using it in an applied setting. Electromyography is a powerful tool and very useful for certain situations, but it’s not a toy or system to use for the entertainment of athletes or marketing of performance and rehabilitation systems. You should use EMG to increase the fidelity of data collected in a professional setting, not to fit a business narrative or sales agenda.

[bctt tweet="You can’t decide on an EMG system by just looking at a few brochures."]

Delsys: Delsys is known as a research product, and most of their clients are universities and hospitals. EMG pioneer Carlo De Luca founded this Massachusetts-based company, which provides a wireless EMG system with real-time biofeedback. Delsys focuses exclusively on electromyography, and has multiple systems available for both clinical and research needs. It has videos and an online knowledge base.

Noraxon: This Arizona company is a giant in the EMG and biometric data space, and a leader in both clinical and research markets. Their software is nearly agnostic, meaning they can take data from multiple sources. Clinics, private facilities, hospitals, universities, and professional teams use Noraxon. Its software is perhaps the most popular part of the system, as it is extremely user-friendly and offers extensive reporting options. You can see Noraxon internationally when vendor exhibits are part of a conference.

BTS Bioengineering: BTS Bioengineering is known for its commitment to design, and offers an EMG solution for professionals. The Italian company does offer force analysis and has partnered with other companies for fully integrated labs in the past, but they now use their resources for more internal launches and sales. BTS has software and hardware that are popular with researchers, and they support an international market.

CONTEMPLAS: Based in Germany, this company provides various hardware options, including force analysis and videos capture. They also have an EMG solution, and the product is research-grade. CONTEMPLAS is known for their integration of all data, as they have software that connects all of their systems into one package. The company markets their systems to commercial applications such as running stores and bike fitting shops.

MuscleLab: Founded in the 1990s, the Norwegian company Ergotest released a series of research-grade products that coaches now use here in the U.S. MuscleLab’s strength is that the system works seamlessly with all other sensors, including force, motion, speed, and contact. Ole Olsen founded MuscleLab, and partnered with legendary sport scientist, Dr. Carmelo Bosco, to create systems for velocity-based training decades ago, as well as other systems like jump testing. The software and hardware are developed equally as well, and you can use them on a tablet for mobile environments if necessary.

Cometa: Cometa is another Italian company, founded nearly 20 years ago. The EMG provider has emerged as a quality option in muscle activity science. Recently, they have been promoting their EMG solution for aqualic movement, and they are growing in Europe and other international markets. Cometa is used in clinical settings, as well as other health-related spaces. Their connection with sport is extremely visible, and they provide systems to teams and private coaches. 

BIOPAC: One of the most well-known companies in academia, BIOPAC’s hardware options support EMG uses. BIOPAC is a major supplier of biosignal equipment, and they work with universities, clinics, hospitals, and other minor markets. They are primarily a research company, as none of their products are for consumers. They are a U.S. company and have been in business for decades.

Shimmer: Similar to MuscleLab, Shimmer offers more than just EMG, and is more of a biosignal provider. This decade-old Irish company is a growing force internationally, and has offices in Asia and North America. Shimmer is an example of a typical medical biosignal company that focuses on a wide market, rather than specialize in sport or research. Some of their users do use Shimmer in scientific studies, but they are more known for their clinical uses outside of academia.

Cadwell: This electrodiagnostic provider’s product is an example of nerve-testing equipment that incorporates electrical muscle stimulation and EMG. Cadwell is a U.S.-based company that provides medical equipment; specifically equipment that captures data. Most electrodiagnostic equipment is sold integrated, meaning the system includes both the stimulating components and the electromyography sensors. Athletes will rarely need to have nerve testing performed, but you can use EMG to help ensure that the function of the nervous system is measured with objective feedback.

The following sections includes systems that are either garment-based or more entry-level, due to their convenience. These systems are highly prized for user experience and ease of use. While other systems are available, we’ve included these three due to their length of time in the market.

Somaxis: Founded by Alex Grey, the company provides a general biosignal product that can collect electrical data from the body, including muscles. The system is very inexpensive and connects directly to a smart device via Bluetooth. In addition, the product can get heart and brain electrical activity data. Somaxis also includes options with light consulting, and you can purchase expertise directly from their website. While not a garment, they have their own adhesives that improve the wearable quality of the sensor.

Myontec: This Finnish company created the first EMG shorts nearly a decade ago, and was one of the first to enter the smart fabric market. The product has two options, either anterior and posterior muscles below the hip, or with glutes. Athletes can use the system in team environments or in therapy or training sessions with a professional. Myontec is aggressively working with teams and private facilities internationally, and has a big following in Europe. They are growing in the U.S. as well, now entering other markets such as recreational sport and occupational sciences, as well as the research community.

Athos: This California startup is growing in the private facility market, and can measure both upper body and lower body muscles. Athos is a true wireless option that connects to a smart device, and the data synchronizes to the cloud. The system can collect about a half-dozen muscle groups and, because of the web portal, the company provides an enterprise software solution for coaches. Athos is popular for return-to-play environments and the MLS Combine conference featured it this past year. In addition to coaches and trainers, individuals can use the system.

[bctt tweet="If you plan to buy an EMG system, be sure to invest in the training you need to use it effectively."]

More companies exist, and we can easily double this list, but the group above is a great example of what is typically available in the market. Most companies can provide either a live or video demonstration of the equipment, and they are often available in person during conferences that have vendor exhibits.

When to Buy and When to Outsource the Data

Investing in EMG isn’t for everyone, as several teams are underwater with data and responsibilities. Sometimes it makes sense to look to third parties, such as consultants and clinical groups, who can perform the testing and analysis for you. If you are going to buy, always invest in training like any other sport technology. Not everyone can collect data from EMG systems, but everyone can learn from the information they provide, either in research or from other experts in the field.

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