Technological advances in sports, such as the VXSport system, proven to monitor exertion levels through physical load counts, leading to performance optimization for athletes

VXSport Team logo

        For every sports team, the main goal is optimal performance. When all athletes on a team are playing at their best, the team is most likely to succeed. What if coaches could physically and mentally monitor their players to design a plan that leads to optimal performance on match day? 

       The answer to that question lies in the new technology called the VXSport system. This system is designed solely for performance analysis. With this system there are two main parts: the heart rate monitor that is worn around the lower chest, and the GPS pod or "VX log" that is worn in what the system calls a vest. While sessions are going on, information is being tracked by a live receiver pod that can then be further analyzed by the software. Many aspects are viewed and recorded that measure exertion by the athlete. Top sports teams all around the world are using the VXSport to better themselves through smart decision-making.

The VXSport Heart Rate Strap/ GPS Bra Tracker are used to measure and manage an athletic performance in order to optimize

             The VXSport system uses data regarding readiness and and physical load in order to make decisions that will better the athlete. Over a period of time, this creates development for the team overall and helps better performances. The system was created by a business in New Zealand that specializes in creating systems to monitor both amateur and professional athletes. The system has been around for six years, but during this time the company was only selling in Europe. The system just came to North America last year with a focus on college level teams. The main focus of the system is monitoring the athletes, and then using this information to make changes that will improve the athletic performance come match day. 

            

          Narciso Valencia, the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Maryland, talks in the video above about his knowledge on the VXSport system. Valencia administers the system to our team and also is the person who views and interprets the data that is collected from sessions. With the data he collects, and his knowledge on physical activity, he helps the coaches further shape training plans. 

       Information compiled by Narciso Valencia-
assistant stregnth and conditioning coach UMD

                The VXSport system isn't just a bunch of statistics, or a way to monitor athletes. This system is a way to help coaches make daily decisions that they won't have to think twice about. The data that is collected is compiled of physical data called physical load, such as number of sprints or distance travelled, combined with readiness data that is provided by the athlete. This data is then converted to metrics, which is viewable to the coaches/ strength trainers, and then this helps make decisions that can better the athlete and leads to optimal performance. TheVXSport system is a track that will better every athlete on the team. According to the experts, over one million data points can be collected during a 90 minute training session (VXSport.com). 

           The graph to the right shows the compiled "physical load" that our strength trainer, Narciso Valencia, has gathered throughout our entire fall season. This data is a combination of all of the physical qualities that are measured expressed as a single number. The red bars are games, which usually will show the highest physical loads that the athlete is placed under. Overall, this is showing the amount of strain that an athlete is being put through on a daily basis. 

           The physical part of the data that is collected shows the physical load that the athlete is placed under during training, showing sprints, heart rate, distance, accelerations, etc. This data is also specific to the sport, gender and age of the athlete. The readiness data is what the athlete tells the coaches about how they feel. Obviously the athlete can lie about how they feel, saying they feel better or worse than they actually do, but this will be detrimental to the athlete and they will be hurting themselves in the long run because their performance will not be optimized correctly.

             The metrics behind this system are unique and take analyzation to the next level for high level sports. Experts at the Sylvan Advantage talk specifically about all of the features. One of the unique features of many is the ability of this system to create sprint tables for each athlete. These tables record every single sprint an athlete does during a session, along with recording the maximum acceleration within the session. Other interesting features include step rate, work to recovery ratios, relative leg forces produced, and hip sway. All of these features, and more, are used in order to see the physical load that the athlete is placed under. Viewing the physical load makes it easier for coaches to alter sessions in order for maximum optimization of performance.                     

     If the measurements from the VXSport system are used correctly this leads to overall injury prevention for the athletes

             If the athlete honestly reports how they are feeling, and the data is read correctly, this will lead to never over exerting the athlete. Overexertion is proven to lead to injury. Force therapeutics tells the reader that musculoskeletal injuries are caused by fatigue and overexertion. What the VXsport system is measuring are things that can prevent these type of injuries. By tracking the data, you can measure the factors that play into injuries and prevent these by limiting those more at risk.

            

            Valencia is keen on preventing injury, and to do this he has to know the limits of athletes on his teams. The VXSport system helps him tell if a player has gone over their limit. If a player shows numbers that are over their threshold, it is Valencia's job to pull them out in order to recover properly. During the season, doing extra work on your own was usually limited because this work adds up and can cause unneeded injuries in the middle of the season. 

Information from Sport Psychology- Concepts and
Applications by Richard Cox

              Recovery is one of the most important elements when it comes to enhancing an athletes performance. If an athlete is going all out every single day, then eventually they are going to either burn out or develop an injury as a result of overuse. Burning out is defined by the psychologists as, "physical/emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced athletic accomplishment" (EducatedSportParent). Burnout can also result in the athlete not enjoying what they are doing as much anymore.  
            
             The graph to the left represents the reasons why people drop out of organized sports. As you can see in the graph, two of the top reasons for dropping out of sports for both boys and girls is not having fun or developing an injury/ health issue. Both of these reasons can result from an athlete becoming burned out. Some types of injury cannot be prevented, but overuse injuries can.        
        
               Recovery and rest days are a necessary tool for max performance. Most people view off days as the worst thing ever, because they believe that taking an off day will throw them off of their training plan and they will lose all of the progress that they have made. When working out, there is a lot of strain placed on your muscles and joints, which can be recording and taken account of by the VXSport system. Off days help those joints, ligaments and muscles recover and repair themselves. According to the professionals at Wellbridge, athletes are more likely to develop an injury if they do not take an off day because if you do not give your immune system time to help recover your body parts, your immune system can also hurt you as a result of too much fluid retention. Your immune system works to cushion the body parts that are put under a lot of stress, but too much of this can alter the proper movement of your joints and ligaments. Rest days are dependent on the level of athlete and type of athlete that you are. If you are a beginner, a rest day should be a complete day off, whereas if you are more experienced then you know your body better and you could possibly do a lighter load day as opposed to completely taking off. 

     The VXSport system helps with game management by using data to correctly assign easy/hard/moderate/off days

             By using the data that is collected on a daily basis, you can see how hard the athlete is working and how much physical stress they are being put under during sessions. Usually leading up to a game, you start to have the athletes taper off. For example, the day before the game is usually the least hard, along with the day after a game. This helps optimize performance during the actual game. Using the data collected by the VXSport, trainers can also see when an athlete needs to do extra (if per say they didn't get playing time) or if an athlete needs to take some time off (if they play more than everyone else). The VXSport team shows exactly how this process works on their "How it Works" page. 

The VXSport system

            The two types of summary, physical and readiness, both are used to tell how hard an athlete can push themselves on a given day, but still be able to compete when match day comes around. These factors can be looked at as an overview, or the coach/ strength trainer can look deep into the metrics at the deep analyses that is provided. The data can be viewed as individual data per athlete, or you can view the data collected as team statistics overall. This data helps the coaches plan training sessions for the upcoming week, month, etc. The experts also say that you can assign "load targets", which is specific to the individual but also can be specific to the team. If an athlete, per say, does not play in the game, the load target will be placed on them to do extra fitness in order to keep up with the rest of the team. For an individual that played a lot, a lighter load target can be placed on them such as take a day off in order to recover and regroup. On a team level, "load targets" can be used as a way to tell how hard training should be that day. If there was an off day the day before, then the training session at hand might be a little more difficult. As the match day gets closer, usually the training sessions start to taper off in order for the athletes to have peak performance during the game itself. 

              

              Valencia talks about what he uses the data collected from the VXSport system for. Like he says above, the data he collects helps him tell the coaches how to shape the session. He also uses the data to help see if a player is fully recovered. Players need to be fully recovered by match day in order to have a maximum performance. Valencia, being a former athlete himself, knows how to shape practices in order to perform at your best. 

            Tapering off, defined by the experts at IDEA Health and Fitness Association, is shorter term reduction of training leading up to match day. This method can also be used after a competitive event in order to promote recovery and regeneration of the athlete's body. There is a difference between tapering and detraining. Detraining only occurs if the tapering period is too long. The coaches have to know the difference between the two in order to optimize performance. Benefits of tapering include increased glycogen content in the muscles, increased muscle strength and power, endurance, and maximum power output (IDEA). These measurements can be viewed with the VXSport system and monitored in order to make sure that the athlete is not detraining, but just preparing themselves for match day. All of these factors are proven to improve athletic performance, which is always the main goal for high level sports teams.          

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Research finding targeting specific audiences can help marketing of diet/fitness apps

With the growing amount of smart phones all over the world, the more creative the apps are becoming. Many people are using apps such as Nike+ Training Club, MapMyFitness, or Fitmo to track and enhance their fitness levels. These apps could be used for a variety of aspects pertaining to your health. Many people use apps for calorie counting, water intake, or even tracking how many miles they have ran. According to a study done by the American Journal of Health Education, 31% of health apps are used for people to count the calories they intake (ex: Calorie Counter), and 38% of apps are used to actually track exercise (ex: MapMyRun). Could it be possible that your own body image and how you see yourself could affect your attitude toward these diet and fitness apps on smart phones? Researchers are saying that this very well is possible.

Found in the article Effects of Body Image on College Students'Attitudes Toward Diet/Fitness Apps on Smartphones, the researchers have determined that four factors related to body image are the key determinants of this attitude. These four factors pertain to your evaluation and orientation towards your appearance and your fitness level. These factors could also affect the way you see these apps as useful. The first factor is your appearance evaluation, which is your present state of your own appearance and how you see yourself. Researchers have found that this alone can negatively affect the way that you see these apps, hence not seeing them as useful. Secondly, the way you evaluate your physical abilities and your fitness state is called your fitness evaluation and this also can negatively affect the way you see these apps as useful. Appearance orientation is the development of desires to keep or improve your appearance and fitness orientation is the development of desires to increase your physical health and fitness level. Both appearance and fitness orientation positively affect the way you view the usefulness of diet and fitness apps. Finally, your personal perceived usefulness of diet and fitness apps positively predicts your future behavior and your intention to use these apps. 

If you believe that the app will truly help you reach your fitness and appearance goals then the app could be very useful to you. But if you just have the app, and then delete it or stop using it, there is no chance that it is going to help. What the study finally concluded was that if a person has low confidence and low ability, they are more likely to use the diet and fitness related apps. These people most likely are the ones that are not satisfied with their image and want to change it any way possible. The conclusions from this study would make sense because if one isn’t happy with their image, they’re most likely going to change it. Vice versa, people who are content with their personal image will not be changing it drastically. Though, some people that are happy with their image may use these apps to maintain their current image. For example, if you lost a lot of weight and finally have made it to your ideal weight, you reasonably will do all to not stray away from this zone. From a blog by Melissa Seitz Life From Beyond the Screen, the researcher has found that fitness apps are more useful for the people that are looking to become more fit, and not the people that are already in good shape. 

It is said that the people that are already fit are content with the workouts they have been doing, and most likely will not stray away from those habits. I experience a first hand account of this situation. Being a college athlete, I have typical workout habits. I would consider myself to be in shape and fit, therefore I do not tend to use fitness and diet apps. I am very content with the workouts I am given and do on a daily basis, and this would be the reason that for this period of my life I will not be using fitness apps. 

This study also came to the conclusion that college students are among those most likely to try fitness apps, because we are more technologically sound. For example, parents are usually asking their younger children for help when it comes to technology because they are not as technically sound as our generation. A study actually done at the University of Maryland found 73% of respondents work out regularly, but only 4% use fitness related apps. This study shows that people can want to change their image and their orientation without the need for iPhone apps. 

Research has proven that the first study showing the perceived usefulness of diet and fitness apps will help future research talking about the development of more apps and will further help the app developers. Women are among those most likely to use fitness and diet apps because women are “more sensitive” about their bodies and are more likely to go to extremes to change their image. This is something that app developers should take into account when creating new apps. The developers should direct their apps toward women, because the majority of their future users will be women.

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