The document discusses various health and fitness tracking systems, emphasizing their importance for performance monitoring, injury prevention, and overall health maintenance. It covers ecosystem compatibility, sensor types, and analysis platforms, as well as the progression from basic devices to advanced fitness technology. Additionally, it outlines the types of analysis available and various brands that produce fitness tracking systems.

1. FITNESS TRAINING SYSTEMS
TRACKING AND MEASURING YOUR PERFORMANCE

2. REASONS TO USE HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKING
▪ Keeping track of your health and fitness
▪ Health maintenance against aging, sedentary lifestyles
▪ Tracking performance to avoid (in the first place), diagnose, or track recovery from injury
▪ Improving your performance at a fitness task
▪ Running longer or faster, lifting more weight, being able to do more situps, pushups, etc.
▪ Training for a sports or fitness event
▪ 5k, marathon, bikeathon, triathlon
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3. WHAT’S YOUR ECOSYSTEM?
▪ Compatibility
▪ Depth of Analysis
▪ Who needs to see your information? How quickly? For how long after your
workouts?
▪ How much do you want to pay? How often?
CHOOSING A BRAND AND/OR PLATFORM
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4. ECOSYSTEM COMPATIBILITY CONSTRAINTS
▪ Many health and fitness trackers only work with other devices of the same brand
▪ Some tracking systems are computer-platform or mobile-platform specific
▪ All devices in your system need to be on the same communications platform
▪ Some events and contests are geared to a specific tracking platform
▪ This year’s National Bicycle Challenge runs exclusively on Strava
▪ The local ADA Tour de Cure posts its routes on Ride With GPS
▪ You may need to choose a platform compatible with your gym’s, your coach’s or
trainer’s, or your healthcare provider’s equipment
▪ Many gyms’ treadmills, ellipticals, etc. are compatible with Polar heart-rate monitors
▪ You may be provided sensors and a tracking platform by your coach, trainer, or
healthcare provider
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5. SENSOR TYPES
▪ Wrist-based
▪ Belt clip
▪ Chest band
▪ Fingertip
▪ Machine-mounted
▪ Cycling computers, power meters
▪ Machine-integrated
▪ Professional gym equipment (treadmills, ellipticals, etc)
▪ Medical
▪ Face masks, intramuscular probes, nanoprobes, trace elements
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6. ANALYSIS PLATFORMS (BY TYPE)
▪ Device-only
▪ Mobile app
▪ Web-based interface
▪ Local computer program
▪ Remote professional analysis
Some systems will be available on (and synch between) multiple platforms (e.g., Map
My Fitness)
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7. DEPTH OF ANALYSIS
▪ Number of parameters required
▪ e.g., footsteps, heart rate, calories burned, speed, cadence, respirations, VO2, altitude,
power output, muscle/physical resistance
▪ Many of these require separate sensors
▪ Persistence of data
▪ Stored, real-time only, or a combination?
▪ Analysis delay time
▪ Device-based storage and feedback
▪ Workout-level storage and analysis
▪ Splits, segments, intervals
▪ Granularity of stored data
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8. TYPES OF ANALYSIS
▪ Basic fitness analysis (steps, calories, real-time heart rate, sleep time)
▪ Basic workout analysis (distance, calories, speed, time, average and peak heart rate)
▪ Sport-specific training analysis (basic workout analysis plus cadence, power output,
altimetry, historical review, split/segment/interval analysis)
▪ Health-system analysis (weight, steps, heart rate, blood pressure, VO2, respirations,
etc.) – real-time, limits-alert, and/or historical
▪ Professional training analysis (all of the above as available, plus multifeed second-
by-second changes, all available both real-time and for post-workout analysis/future
training plans)
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9. JUST THE BASICS
▪ A number of free pedometer apps are available for your iPhone or Android phone
▪ I run an app called (duh!) “Pedometer” on my Android phone
▪ I used to run an app called “Runtastic Pedometer” on my iPod Touch 4th Generation (the
current version may either be paid or ad-supported)
▪ You may need to check the accuracy of your pedometer app (or even your health-
fair free pedometer or your $30 Omron pedometer) over a couple of hundred
footsteps (I found most of my manual pedometers and my iPod pedometer apps to
be inaccurate)
▪ Many paid fitness apps have limited-feature ad-supported free counterparts
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10. LOW INITIAL INVESTMENT
▪ Apps run on your existing smartphone
▪ They use your phone’s GPS to estimate
the distance, speed, and elevation
changes of your workout
▪ Paid memberships allow you access to
more features, such as:
▪ Ad-free experience
▪ Printable, shareable, or downloadable
maps
▪ Variable split times
▪ Integration with high-end Garmin,
Polar, and other devices
Free
option?
Monthly Annually
Map My
Fitness
Y $5.99 $29.99
Strava Y $7.99 $59.99
Run/Ride
With GPS
Y
Basic $6
Premium $10
Basic $50
Premium
$80
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11. ADDING DEVICES
▪ Many people start out with a pedometer or a basic fitness watch (such as a Fitbit
Zip or Fitbit Alta) and move on to more sophisticated devices as their interests and
needs progress.
▪ Regular gym-goers may start with a Polar fitness monitor (compatible with most
cardio equipment), then upgrade to something more advanced if they need to
integrate the system with other sports, or with workouts outside the gym.
▪ Cyclists often start out with a basic speedometer/odometer (such as a Cateye Micro
Wireless), move on to something that records cadence (and maybe heartrate), and
if they are serious enough (and have the money) upgrade to a Polar or Garmin
system that adds GPS, integral mapping, power meters, altimetry, and high-level
training analysis software.
▪ Runners may start with a basic Polar or Garmin watch and heartrate monitor, and
move up to something with GPS, altimetry, and built-in training programs.
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12. TALK TO ME, PLEASE!
▪ For many years, the communications standard for fitness systems was ANT+.
▪ While many ANT+ devices and systems are still in use, many newer devices and systems
are based on Bluetooth 4.0 LE
▪ Higher-end Garmin devices are capable of exporting and importing route
information through the GPS format .GPX, or formats such as .TCX, .KML, .KMZ and
.FIT
▪ Some devices and formats require a Garmin Communicator plug-in, which has been
deprecated out of Chrome, IE, Safari, and “some instances of Firefox”
▪ You may need to subscribe to a paid version of Map My, With GPS, etc. in order to upload
and download files
▪ Most manufacturers of devices with workout upload capability will provide basic
transfer and analysis software free of charge
▪ More extensive analysis software may still require license purchase or paid subscription
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13. IT’S A (NOT-SO-)SIMPLE LITTLE SYSTEM
Compatibility must be maintained
along:
▪ Training devices (gym, road, etc.)
▪ Sensor models
▪ Connectivity options (wired,
radio, etc.)
▪ Smartphone apps
▪ Web or computer apps
▪ User goals
Actionable Data
Analysis
Platform
Communi-
cation
Hardware
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14. FITNESS VERSUS RUNNING
FITNESS
▪ Distance (pedometer, smartphone,
fitness band)
▪ Speed (smartphone)
▪ Calories burned (smartphone, fitness
band, advanced sport watch)
▪ Heart rate (advanced fitness band)
▪ Sleep duration and quality (advanced
fitness band)
RUNNING
▪ Distance (smartphone, smart watch,
GPS watch)
▪ Speed (“ “)
▪ Route/location/elevation (“ “)
▪ Heart rate (chest sensor, advanced
fitness band)
▪ Cadence (foot pod)
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15. CYCLING VERSUS RUNNING
CYCLING
▪ Speed (cyclocomputer, smartphone, smart
watch)
▪ Cyclocomputer: head, sensor, spoke magnet)
▪ Distance (“ “)
▪ Route/location/elevation (“ “)
▪ Heart rate (chest sensor, fitness band)
▪ Cadence (cadence sensor)
▪ Sensor and crank-mounted magnet
▪ Power output (power sensor)
▪ Special rear-wheel hub and wireless
communication
RUNNING
▪ Speed (smartphone, smart watch, GPS
watch)
▪ Distance (“ “)
▪ Route/location/elevation (“ “)
▪ Heart rate (chest sensor, advanced
fitness band)
▪ Cadence (foot pod)
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16. BRANDS AND TYPES OF FITNESS TRACKING
SYSTEM
CLICK ON THE SCREEN SHOTS TO GET TO THE BRAND’S WEB SITE

17. POLAR FITNESS
Finland-based firm, compatible with
most gym equipment. Customer base
includes sports teams, cyclists, runners,
fitness enthusiasts
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18. Fitness monitors run from the most
basic pedometer to a multisport
GPS watch with built-in heart-rate
monitor. Fitbit also sells a scale so
you can keep track of your weight.
FITBIT

19. GARMIN
The Doyenne of sport-specific GPS,
Garmin has expanded into the world of
activity trackers.
This page contains links to Garmin’s
various sport-specific products
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20. The Apple Watch Series 2 includes
built-in GPS
APPLE

21. MISFIT
The original Shine activity monitor was
so basic and simple that many people
wore it as a piece of jewelry. They’ve
since expanded their line.
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22. Known for their lights, reflectors,
and basic cyclometers, CatEye’s
high end includes sophisticated
cycling and multisport training
systems
CATEYE

23. SIGMA SPORT
A German-based competitor to CatEye,
both in product line and price point.
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24. Known for its audio components,
Pioneer has a product line geared
specifically for “cycle sports”
PIONEER

25. OMRON
The maker of home healthcare tools
makes a reportedly excellent
pedometer
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26. SOFTWARE AND WEB SYSTEMS
▪ BYOD (sensors, computers, etc.) optional
▪ Manual, smart device, and direct-from-sensor-system upload
▪ Examples:
▪ Polar Personal Trainer (works with Polar devices; manual input allowed)
▪ Omron Wellness and Fitness apps
▪ Livestrong.com (Daily Plate, etc.)
▪ Walgreen’s Balance Rewards
▪ Microsoft Health Vault
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