EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY (ETSU) VALIDATION STUDY SUMMARY
To read the full paper by Dr. Sato and Dr. Haff at ETSU, scroll to the bottom of the page.
The demands placed on the modern athlete have never been this high but neither have the stakes. Because of these demands, player health and performance have to be continuously monitored. In recent years, wireless technology has made its way into the sporting arena, allowing for an easier, more effective way to monitor training and the adaptation process.
Enter the PUSH band. PUSH was designed with the modern athlete in mind — a rugged & robust wearable sensor, PUSH has transformed laboratory testing into daily, instant and actionable feedback for all athletes and coaches to use. From a scientific standpoint, it’s important that modern technologies measure what they intend to measure and can do this day in and day out. PUSH was put to the test versus the gold standard in sport science, a 3D motion capture system.
The Study
Researchers from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) investigated PUSH’s core metric of velocity versus a commercial lab-based 3D motion analysis system. Velocity allows coaches to train specific speed and power qualities while managing central fatigue — this helps athletes avoid overtraining and enables them to compete at their best.
To support the accuracy of the PUSH Band to a 3D motion analysis system, five subjects performed both a dumbbell (DB) bicep arm curl AND a DB shoulder press. Each subject performed multiple sets and reps of each exercise at various intensities while wearing a PUSH band on both the left and right forearms — although not the primary aim of the study, assuming that both limbs are moving in the same pattern simultaneously, measuring from both sides enabled the research team at ETSU to make sure that PUSH Bands are consistent amongst each other.
When comparing the velocity readings from the left- and right-worn PUSH Bands to each other, for both exercises the correlations were very high for peak and average velocities. (0.90 and 0.90 for the DB arm curl; 0.93 and 0.93 for the DB shoulder press) versus the 3D motion analysis system correlations. A score of 1.00 signifies a perfect match.
When comparing the devices to the 3D motion analysis system, the correlations were considered high for peak and average velocities in both exercises. The correlations in the DB arm curl were 0.92 and 0.88 for average and peak velocities, respectively while in the DB shoulder press, they were 0.80 and 0.86.
The researchers support the use of the PUSH band to gain instant velocity feedback during strength training exercises. Furthermore, because of the band’s wireless capabilities, it may be an effective device during a variety of other training movements including bodyweight exercises (pull-ups, push-ups, jumps), kettlebell exercises, medicine ball throws etc. Another important feature outlined in this study was the ability of the device to store all of the collected data with ease — this provides coaches the ability to review a player’s training data at a later, more convenient date. All in all, PUSH is an inexpensive, easy-to-use device that can enable coaches and athletes to gain more insight into their training, providing that extra edge to push towards victory.
