In this post, we will have a look at the kind of resistance training monitoring devices that are validated and to what extent. 

Plenty of different monitoring devices for resistance training exist and it isn't immediately clear which one to trust and to use. So, what are the validity and reliability of these devices?   

These insights are based on the research of the Australian Catholic University, the University of Granada, and a few other institutes. Dr. Jonathon Weakley et al. published the paper "The Validity and Reliability of Commercially Available Resistance Training Monitoring Devices: A Systematic Review" (Full Text). Here are their key insights. 👇

For those who like a short text version of the authors' findings, here it is:

Did you know that there are many different monitoring devices for resistance training, but many are not considered to be entirely valid or reliable?

This has been studied by the Australian Catholic University, the University of Granada, and a few other institutes. They have conducted a review of studies that investigate the validity and/or reliability of commercially available devices that quantify kinetic and kinematic outputs during resistance training.

As a result, they found that linear transducers seem to be the best devices and many studies don’t use the gold-standard criterion measures. 3 key takeaways:

1) Linear transducers have demonstrated greater accuracy and reproducibility than other technologies when measuring kinetic and kinematic outputs during resistance training. 

2) Gold-standard criterion measures should best be used in future validity studies, across a range of relative intensities and exercises.

3) Technological and biological errors must be separated during the assessment of reliability in future studies since this was mostly lacking as well.

Additionally, they found that amongst the linear transducers, the GymAware device seems most accurate during free-weight resistance training, perhaps thanks to its ability to account for horizontal displacement & variable rate sampling. Amongst the non-linear transducers and accelerometer devices, mobile apps can give a snapshot of training intensity, but consistent monitoring with the same device is critical since inter-device errors may exist. Finally, accelerometer devices are promising, but their accuracy is still questionable at this point.

So...

Researchers, businesses, and sports organizations can collaborate to create more reliable and valid resistance training devices. This will result in increased performance because of better monitoring and training plan adaptations.

Interested?

Reach out to STRN (as a practitioner, researcher, or R&D professional) and we will connect you with relevant partners.