Athlete Monitoring using Elite Technology: Part 3 – Tracking and Measuring Gym Skills

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Part 1 and Part 2 dealt with Running Symmetry and Joint Mobility so in this last instalment we are going to look at monitoring Technique in your Gym Work

A full well balanced training plan should incorporate the 8 key movements and skills that cover all our sporting and daily needs

These movements or skills are

  1. Squat
  2. Bend
  3. Lunge
  4. Twist
  5. Pull
  6. Push
  7. Balance
  8. Gait / Technique

While written down on paper like that, it looks very time consuming but a lot of these motions can be done together in more complex exercises rather than the traditional gym / training method of single muscle group exercises. think more along the lines of a BOSU Ball Lunge and Cable Press where you use 3 of the individual motion in one exercise

All these movements are skills that can and should be learned and improved, and this is where monitoring proves its worth..

All movements can be tested and the quality of each can be measured including your gait. One very popular testing process is the Gray Cook Functional Movement Screen which aims to quantify the quality of your movement  Any changes in the quality i.e. the score you achieve can identify problems such as tightness that if addressed can prevent injury

Our standard screening test is the Kinetisense Kams test which you can see from the video below measures flexibility, posture, squat and lunge quality, balance and power.

Any functional movement can be measured and once measured it gives us a baseline score that we then

  1. aim to improve upon
  2. maintain to prevent injury
  3. reach again if returning from injury –  thus taking the guess work out of whether you are ready to return to full training.

Some of the things we can measure are

  • hip alignment – left v right balance and position
  • weight distribution on each leg
  • hip – knee – ankle alignment – reduced / increased pronation of the foot can change the alignment
  • depth of squat with good alignment
  • Symmetry of arm / shoulder position and movement in overhead work
  • balance control in single leg work

Faster rehabilitation is an advantage in sport due to less training time lost and fewer injuries across a season leads increased win ratios. BUT prevention is better still Measure and track your gym skills and maintain a healthy body!!!