Technologies That Support Your Training

Data, models and personalisation

Professional athletes and their coaches acknowledge that analysing different types of data is playing an increasingly important role in their daily work, training and preparation for competitions. Real-time monitoring of a variety of parameters and bodily functions provides constant insight into the athlete’s condition, pinpoints areas for improvement, and allows to focus training efforts where they will yield the best results. Therefore, advanced tools based on artificial intelligence play an increasingly important role in professional sports.

Artificial intelligence enables the creation of three-dimensional models depicting athletes’ figures, which are used to simulate specific training loads and predict the body’s response to the stimuli provided. This allows to optimise training, better prepare for specific challenges and reduce the risk of injury. There are known cases of creating “digital twins” – models of athletes’ organs that can be used in certain simulations.

Tools that collect and leverage data are used in both individual and team sports. They are able not only to analyse the biometric parameters of players, but also to predict the ways in which, for example, footballers move on the pitch. This enables better planning of tactics in a given match, and also helps select the optimal team composition based on individual player data. Moreover, this progress is not limited to professional sports. Increasingly, on a daily basis, we come across tools that, albeit on a smaller scale, use similar training personalisation principles based on analysing our biometric parameters across disciplines.

Wearables, apps and smart devices

Tracking training progress and our activities has become an integral part of daily life. Nearly two-thirds of Poles use smartwatches, smartbands or other devices to monitor activity, and more than half admit to using them every day (smartwatches: 67%, activity trackers: 54%). The scope and granularity of the data collected depends on the technological sophistication of the device and the applications that work with it. This gives you access to a wide range of tools – from simple workout logs to advanced programmes that are based on personalised goals, objectives and tasks, acting as virtual training assistants.

The future of wearables and workout apps is also tied to the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI). There are apps available today that create personalised training plans based on individual biometric data, tailored to your abilities and needs. Although many apps offer plans created in cooperation with professional coaches of various sports, their quality still leaves much to be desired. Currently, the apps do well with basic training objectives based on user parameters, but face difficulties in providing effective solutions for more complex tasks.

The technological revolution also extends to gym and fitness club equipment. A new standard of training is being introduced by intelligent machines, equipped with their own sensor systems and interfaces that inform about the parameters of the exercises performed. The Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed connectivity to mobile devices (Bluetooth, ANT+) enable the development of applications for specific types of training (e.g., kettlebell training) and equipment that monitor and analyse our activity in real time, increasing the effectiveness of training.

Simulations and stimulations

Technological advances in the fitness industry are not only increasingly sophisticated machines that allow you to fine-tune your workouts to your preferences and needs. It is also the development of tools that enable training in simulated conditions – even for more advanced and less accessible disciplines. With the MultiSport card, you can benefit, for example, from a ski or golf simulator. These workouts replicate realistic conditions and enable the development of proper technique and motor skills, all without the need to invest in equipment or travel.

Training simulations can make use of virtual reality (VR) technology, allowing for immersing in environments close to the real world of sports competition. With this, it allows you to work on body awareness and balance, and interact with different types of opponents, which supports the development of decision-making skills and builds mental resilience. This type of training is also used in rehabilitation and the process of restoring mobility. A less advanced but equally engaging solution may be exergaming, which is combining physical activity with computer games. Combining training with fun and competitive on-screen multiplayer mode is a pleasant change from classic exercises and an additional motivation to maintain and develop shape.

If you are looking for quick results, consider some forms of assisted training. They involve introducing additional stimuli into exercise to stimulate muscles for increased effort or simulate training under specific conditions (e.g., hypoxic training, mimicking high mountain conditions). An example of assisted training is EMS, which uses electrostimulation of muscles.  It involves performing functional exercises in a special suit with electrodes that cause additional muscle contractions. An EMS session lasts only 20-30 minutes, but thanks to its intensity, it can burn fat faster than a classic workout.

Another type of assisted training uses vacuum. This includes, for example, Vacu Well – a vacu treadmill equipped with a special chamber in which the lower part of the exercising person’s body is enclosed. The vacuum increases blood circulation to the area, which promotes faster fat burning, cellulite reduction and improved metabolism. Both EMS and Vacu Well workouts are available with the MultiSport card, which you can also use in the form of an app. Check the facilities in your city in our facility finder.

More and faster – but is it better?

Technology is opening up new opportunities in many aspects of physical activity. It allows you to train more consciously, customise training plans, better monitor your health and fitness, and increase the effectiveness of exercise in various ways. Sometimes, however, new and better can become the enemy of good. Every innovation in sports has its limitations, which are worth bearing in mind.

1. The quality of technology depends on its developers and the data. The accuracy of sports devices and applications is closely related to the quality of the algorithms and input data. That is why it is a good idea to approach fitness tracker results cautiously and verify them, for example, by consulting a trainer.
2. Technology cannot replace human intuition. Each device operates on data – and only on data. Even if it acts as a virtual trainer, it is not able to take into account individual goals, motivation or mood at a particular moment of exercise. Therefore, a healthy dose of skepticism in approaching modern tools is advisable.
3. It requires knowledge and interpretation skills. In professional sports, every bit of data can make a difference – that is why a whole staff of specialists from various fields works on it. For an amateur, an overabundance of fitness tracker information can be unreadable and lead to discouragement instead of motivation.
4. It is expensive. Professional athletes make their living playing sports. The best have the support of sponsors, which allows them to use top technology solutions. Although some technologies and tools are becoming more popular and cheaper, they are still a significant expense for many of us. So it is worth considering whether investment in modern equipment is actually necessary at the current stage of your activity.
5. It is not perfect. Simulator exercises are no substitute for real-world sessions, and assisted training can maximise some effects at the expense of others that are equally important. An AI-generated training plan will not always be perfectly suited to your needs, especially if they are specific. Technology is worth considering as a complement to the activity, not as its foundation.

The bottom line is that it is the technique, not the technology, that makes the player. What determines the effectiveness of technology in sports is how we use it. Gadgets are no substitute for consultation with a trainer, a well-designed training plan, systematic work and lifestyle changes. However, the skillful application of technology in sports can help you get to the next level of proficiency or, if you already have the right knowledge, experience and skills, fight for your personal records in important competitions. And this is what we sincerely wish you!

^References:

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