Needs Assessment

Team 19

Strength Training Measurement Device

Brad Bone bdb11c@my.fsu.edu

Jorge Cabrera jmc11h@my.fsu.edu

Kendall Parker kendall1.parker@famu.edu

Fiona Robertson fhr13@my.fsu.edu

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Camillo Ordonez

Sponsor:

Dr. Michael D. Devine

Instructor:

Dr. Nikil Gupta

Date Submitted: Friday, September 30, 2016

Team No. 19, Strength Training Measurement Device

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1. Introduction

2. Background

2.1 Original Project Scope

2.2 Background and literature review

2.2.1 Parameters of Interest

2.2.2 Existing Devices

2.3 Revised Goal Statement and Objectives

2.4 Constraints

3. Methodology

3.1 Design Stage

3.2 Prototype Stage

3.3 Verification Stage

3.4 Modification Stage

4. Expected Results

4.1 Prior to InNOLEvation competition

4.2 During to InNOLEvation competition

5. Conclusion

References

Appendix A

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Appendix B

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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this Needs Assessment Report is to illustrate the design of a device that
measures how powerful an athlete is. The results from this device will allow the athlete to
monitor improvement and identify areas of needed attention when it comes to power exerted.
This device will also be entered into the InNOLEvation Challenge where it will be judged
against various student projects.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Our group would like to extend gratitude to our sponsors for guiding us in the right
direction for the project. Dr. Devine, Dr. Gupta, and Dr. Ordonez provided great assistance to
our group to narrow our project down to a specific goal.

We greatly appreciate the opportunity to explore something we are passionate about,

while using the skills we have acquired in our engineering courses.

In addition, we owe a great deal to the trainers who helped us develop an idea that would
be beneficial to our target market. We provided surveys to a wide variety of trainers who gave us
their opinions on our device, and what they thought it should incorporate.

We would like to thank Taylor Jacobs, a former NFL player and trainer at Premier Health
and Fitness who gave us his expert opinion on whether our device would be suitable for
Professional sports, and athletic training. Also we extend gratitude to two more personal trainers
from Premier Health and Fitness whose names are disclosed.

Finally we would like to thank two personal trainers from Top Dog Fitness LLC. Sam
Allsopp, and Eddie Matthews. They provided us with a great deal of insight, and a different
opinion on training techniques that was useful in the iteration stage of our project idea.

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1. Introduction
The PowerTrak workout band has two goals, measure the performance of an athlete
during a workout and store the collected data in a smartphone app. From surveys and interviews
with sport trainers, we concluded that power exerted is a factor of importance when it comes to
evaluating the performance of an athlete. The PowerTrak band will measure the power exerted as
well as monitor the athletes heart rate throughout a workout. The PowerTrak band will collect
data on the velocity, acceleration, and the distance traveled of a given weight by the athlete.

The corresponding smartphone app will collect the data from the PowerTrak band via
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The app will analyze and organize the data into a user-friendly interface for
easy evaluation of the athlete. The data from previous workouts will be stored to allow the
athlete to monitor their improvement and to compare their overall performance to other athletes
using the PowerTrak band.

We will also enter the PowerTrak workout band into the InNOLEvation Challenge. The
InNOLEvation Challenge is a competition that identifies problems and possible solutions. Our
project will enter the competition on the basis of solving problems when it comes to evaluating
athletes in the weight room.

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2.0 Background

2.1 Original Project Scope

In 2013, the idea for an explosive strength weight training device was conceived by Dr.
Michael Devine and expressed to a few of his close companions and a group of his students.
From preliminary research concerning muscle power and weight training, it was found that
although explosive strength training involved methods to improve power, the market lacked
devices with the ability to quantify the amount of power an athlete could exert. Therefore, Dr.
Devine and his counterparts developed the following project goal:

Utilize off-the shelf components to develop an attachable mechanism so one can measure how
powerful an athlete is. The device should store and transmit data to a smartphone.

The required measurements included, but were not necessarily limited to, how fast a person
could move a given weight a given distance, how much acceleration a person could impart to a
given weight, and how much jerk a person could impart to a given weight. With these
parameters, the athletes performance could be monitored for improvements or, comparisons
could be made between different athletes.

An inexpensive minimum viable prototype (MVP) was built by Dr. Nikhil Gupta to test
the idea and accuracy of the components used. This proof of concept phase was never completed.

2.2 Background Research and Literature Review

Dr. Devines original invention disclosure acted as a starting point for the background
research and literature review needed for this projects needs assessment. A copy of Dr. Devines
document can be found in Appendix A.

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2.2.1 Parameters of Interest

Before proceeding with the given goal statement, it was of interest to explore the
usefulness of the required measurements. A literature review was conducted and surveys were
distributed to local athletic trainers regarding power, jerk, and the universality and benefit of
these parameters to various sports and exercises.

When discussing athletic performance, the terms strength and power are often used
interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Strength is the ability of your body to
produce internal force in your muscles to move an external force, meaning how much weight a
person can lift. Strength is independent of time, unlike Power. Power refers to fast a person can
lift that weight. (1) Power, which results from explosive strength, is calculated in Equation 1.

Power = Force * Velocity Equation 1

An investigation into explosive power revealed correlations to explosive strength and

speed strength. Syatt Fitness defines explosive strength as ... an individuals ability to exert a
maximal amount of force in the shortest possible time interval [5] . M.H. Stone at
strengthcats.com states that explosive strength refers to acceleration or rate of force
development, or "the neuromuscular system's ability to generate high action velocities [2]".
Jordan Syatt, a 5 time World Record Power lifter as well as a Precision Nutrition and Westside
Barbell Certified coach, stated he was willing to argue every athlete needs explosive strength
[1] and although this parameter is influenced by things like individual strengths and weaknesses
and training cycles, it is universal across many sport platforms. But athletes in certain sports,
including soccer, football, lacrosse, hockey, and boxing, are most likely to incorporate explosive
based strength training into their workout routines. In these sports, athletes demonstrate
explosive movement such as sprinting, quick changes in direction, jumping, throwing, etc. To

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improve explosive strength/power in athletes, it is best to incorporate these high intensity

movements near the beginning of a training session. The athlete would not perform as highly in a
fatigued state, and may not be capable of maintaining proper form. [6] Exercises used to develop
explosive strength are defined as those in which the initial rate of concentric force production is
maximal or near maximal and is maintained throughout the range of motion of the exercise. [7]
These training exercises include jumps, squats, medicine ball throws, and explosive push-ups. A
full table of explosive movements is listed in Table 1. An athletes ability to display explosive
power is a key factor in determining athletic success.

Furthermore, powers practical relation to speed-strength refers directly to the well-

known physics definition of power; summarized as being equal to the product of force and
velocity. Speed-strength is the ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the greatest
possible impulse in the shortest amount of time [3]. Understanding the universality of power for
athletics helped Team 19 narrow in on a market for our device: the athletic community and their
trainers.

Table 1. Explosive Movements Used in Sports [K1]

Sprinting Leaping

Jumping Bounding

Cutting Kicking

Juking Punching

Diving Throwing

Rotating Hopping

Table 1. Explosive Movements Used in sports

It was found that jerk had little importance to the field of athletics. As the third derivative
of position, jerk tells the rate of change of acceleration. Speaking in simple terms, in order for a

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non-zero or non-constant value of jerk to occur the position profile would have to mimic one of
the following: [1] A sine or cosine wave, [2] an exponential (whether it is growing or decaying),
or [3] a fourth order or higher function. The likelihood of a persons body during weight lifting
or exercising matching one of these function profiles is very low. Though it is important in
designing for motion control in transportation systems [4], jerk would not present any useful
information to the target market of this athletic device. Therefore, our project will not be
investigating this parameter.

To better understand our market, we conducted surveys with professional trainers who
work with both male and female clients. Results from these surveys revealed how important a
device of this nature would be for their profession. A device that could accurately display power
measurements and correlations with heart rate would serve several purposes, depending on the
needs of the athlete. The data would show any decrease in power output as the duration of the
workout lengthens, and any correlation with an increase in heart rate. As mentioned earlier, high
intensity movements are most effective in the beginning of the workout, in a non-fatigued state.
Furthermore, females who want to burn fat can see which workouts optimize a combination of
power and heart rate (calorie burn)

2.2.2 Existing Devices

An unpredicted problem was discovered when conducting background research for this
project. A few devices already exist that satisfy the given requirements. They include the PUSH
Band and Bar Sensei. In order to explore the creation of something unique, it became imperative
that the original project scope needed to be modified. Comparison of these existing devices can
be seen in the House of Quality in Appendix B.

2.3 Revised Goal Statement and Objectives

After assessing the survey results, background information, and comparing suggestions from our
advisors, the project goal statement was revised to the following:

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Combine the features of the Fit Bits heart rate monitoring capabilities with the PUSH Bands
Power monitoring to create a more complete workout for the user.

Contrary to the Fit Bit, this device will not be worn everyday, but only during workouts.
As a future addition, we may investigate adding on capabilities to monitor form and bar position.
This device will only investigate upper body workouts and movements.

2.4 Constraints
Based on the entrepreneurship foundation of this project, we are required to enter our device
in the InNOLEvation Competition with a full business model as support. In addition, the
following constraints were given:

Total device should be small enough to wear on the wrist, arm or leg.
Data must be transmitted and received by a smartphone.

3.0 Methodology
GANTT CHART

This project will have a time span of two school semesters, less than 8 months in total.
During the fall semester, the Design Stage and Prototype Stage will be complete. We expect to
have a working prototype to begin testing with Trainers and Athletes near Midterm. The spring
semester will be primarily data analysis and building our PowerTrak app in the Modification
phase.

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Figure 1- Gantt Chart Fall Semester

Figure 2 - Gantt Chart Spring Semester

3.1 Design Stage

The original idea for our strength training measurement device was to attach to a barbell or
weight and measure the forces and acceleration when moving that weight to determine power.
After surveying potential customers and analyzing the market for strength training devices,
health and fitness apps and potential competitors, we have finalized a design that combines
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features of existing products in a new way. The design for our device will be a wristband with an
accelerometer, heart rate monitor, and Bluetooth. We plan to order off the shelf components to
build the device, so specifications and dimensions will be determined during the prototyping
stage.

3.2 Prototype Stage

Our goal is to have a working prototype by the end of fall semester. Our prototype will be
made of off the shelf components, which mainly includes an accelerometer, heart rate monitor,
and Bluetooth. We want to minimize cost, but maximize quality and reliability of the product.

3.3 Verification Stage

The device should not only take measurements, but also store and transmit the data to a
smart phone. Although we are not building a mobile application until Modification stage in
spring semester, we need to perform initial verifications of the Bluetooth capabilities of the
device.

To interpret the data accurately, we will have several rounds of testing the device during a
workout. The device must be able to measure:

1. How fast a person can move a given weight a given distance

2. How much acceleration (rate of change of velocity) a person can impart to a given weight

3. How much jerk a person can impart to a given weight (jerk=rate of change of acceleration)

4. Track a user's heart rate throughout an exercise.

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3.4 Modification Stage

This stage of the project will begin spring semester, with analyzing the data from the
device. One should be able to track an athletes progress over time as he/she uses strength
training equipment, and that requires syncing the device to a smart phone frequently. We will
build a mobile application that is compatible with the device, and user-friendly navigation.
Charts and visuals will display indicators of power and progress in workouts.

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4.0 Expected Results

4.1 Prior to InNOLEvation competition

Group assignments were designated, and our group met to discuss our entrepreneurship
project and assign roles

The group met with our sponsor, Dr. Devine, and he suggested we enter the InNOLEvation
competition hosted by FSU.

Our group will attend all necessary InNOLEvation meetings, and keep necessary
documentation up to date.

One member will be present at all workshops hosted by FSU, and these workshop
assignments will be designated by the team leader

Our team will meet to discuss our overall goal as a group, and in what direction we want to
take with our device

We will finalize our idea, and begin the preliminary design of our strength training device

As a group we will decide on a target market such as professional athletes, and large sport
organizations such as the NFL, MLB, or NHL

4.2 During InNOLEvation competition

The preliminary design of our strength training device will begin, and will be designed to
meet all the sponsors requirements

Research on existing technology will be required to avoid infringement on another pre

existing device with similar functions

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Once a finalized idea is generated, parts will be ordered using the funds allocated to us by
our sponsor

The device should use an accelerometer to collect data during a participant's explosive
weight training activity

The device will be worn as a wristband during these workouts, and store and transmit data to
a smartphone using an app

The strength-training device will be able to measure an athletes output power, velocity,
acceleration, and jerk.

A heart beat monitor will also be installed in order to track the athletes heart rate, and find
target heart rates for fat loss, or muscle gain.

Athletes will then be able to analyze the collected data to improve their strength training
techniques. This will done by comparing power output over a workout revealing muscle
fatigue

Athletes will be able to also see power output compared to heart rate in order to find a target
power output that correlates with their target heart rate

Finally the device will allow for athletes to track progress overtime, and analyze the trend of
their power output.

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Conclusion
We were tasked to create a device that evaluates an athletes performance. After
numerous surveys and interviews with sports trainers and industry experts, it was determined that
power exerted during a workout is the performance trait that will be evaluated. The strength-
measuring device will consist of two components, the wearable band and the smartphone app.
The band will contain an accelerometer and heart rate monitor to collect the necessary data to
measure the athletes power exerted during weight lifting exercises. The smartphone app will
collect the data using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and store it as a reference for the athlete to monitor
performance improvement.

We plan on a 2-stage design process for our PowerTrak workout band. In the fall
semester we will focus on designing the PowerTrak band and app as well as building a prototype
for the wearable band. Our goal is to have a working prototype by Midterm and give the
prototype to trainers to use on their clients for testing. Spring semester will be used for 3
objectives, fine-tune the PowerTrak workout band, create the corresponding app, and create the
data analysis program. We fully expect to have a working product by the end of spring that will
be an essential tool to any athlete wanting to take their performance to the next level.

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References
[1] @SyattFitness. "Developing Explosive Strength and Power for Athletic Performance." Syatt
Fitness. N.p., 30 June 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2016. http://www.syattfitness.com/westside-
barbell/developing-explosive-strength-and-power-for-athletic-performance/

[2] Stone, M.H. (1993). "Position Statement. Literature review: Explosive Exercises and
Training.". NSCA Journal 15 (3): 7-14.
http://www.strengthcats.com/explosiverepsvariableresistance.htm,

[3] Knowles, Dennis (n.d.). TRAINING FOR SPEED STRENGTH. Coachr.org.

http://www.coachr.org/spst.htm
[4] "Jerk (Physics)." Revolvy. Revolvy, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
http://broom02.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Jerk%20(physics)&item_type=topic

[5] "Explosive Reps Variable Resistance." Explosive Reps Variable Resistance. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 Sept. 2016.

[6] @SyattFitness. "Developing Explosive Strength and Power for Athletic Performance." Syatt
Fitness. N.p., 30 June 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

[7] "Differences Between Muscular Strength and Power." LIVESTRONG.COM.

LIVESTRONG.COM, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

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Appendix A
Invention Disclosure
Mike Devine
November 12, 2014
EXLPLOSIVE STRENGH (aka Power) WEIGHT TRAINING INVENTION IDEA

PREFACE:
The following invention idea was first conceived in 2013 and disclosed confidentially to a few
people, including to a group of students in my Spring 2014 Technology Entrepreneurship and
Commercialization class as a possible team projectbut they decided to work on their own idea.
I first wrote notes about this in Sept. 2014 and disclosed the idea to two colleagues (Scott Helzer
and Nikhil Gupta) who plan to pursue the idea with me and to Richard Benham and two of his
students both orally and via email on 9/30/2014.

BACKGROUND:
For quick background on strength versus power see http://www.livestrong.com/article/507621-
differences-between-muscular-strength-and-power/ and relatedly, slow twitch versus fast twitch
muscle fibers see http://www.stack.com/2014/03/12/fast-twitch-muscles/. Although strength and
power are often used interchangeably, strength refers to how much force a muscle can exert (i.e.
how much weight it can lift) whereas power refers to how fast a muscle can move a given
weight. Athletes generally use weight training for 3 reasons:
1. To increase muscle mass (size),
2. To increase strength, and
3. To increase power.
These three different goals involve different muscle types (slow twitch, fast twitch Type IIa and
fast twitch Type IIb). Obviously, the goals differ among sports, for example, golf versus
football; in theory at least, golfer should only be concerned with speed/power NOT muscle mass
or how much force they can lift. Explosive strength training refers to trying to increase an
athletes ability to exert a maximal amount of force in the shortest possible time interval.
(REF: http://syattfitness.com/athletic-performance/developing-explosive-strength-and-power-
for-athletic-performance/ )

According to this website on explosive weight training (http://syattfitness.com/athletic-

performance/developing-explosive-strength-and-power-for-athletic-performance/ ), the idea of
modifying weight training machines/equipment makes senseeven though for some odd reason,
no one seems to have thought of my idea yet:

Zatsiorksy defines the Dynamic Effort Method as lifting (throwing) a non-maximal load
with the highest attainable speed. Since developing speed-based qualities such as Rate
of Force Development and Reactive Ability are very much a skill, using the Dynamic
Effort Method is essential in the process of teaching an individual to become as fast and
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explosive as possible. On Dynamic Effort training days athletes should perform their
explosive/power based movements with light to moderate loads (anywhere from 0-60%
1RM).1 When performing these movements it is essential to actively try to perform the
movement as quickly and explosively as possible! (Source:
http://www.amazon.com/Science-Practice-Strength-Training-Edition/dp/0736056289 )

As far I have been able to determine, all current explosive training involves throwing heavy
objects (e.g. medicine balls), jumping, Olympic power lifts etc. or using specially designed
weight equipment but NO WHERE is the power that an athlete can exert, for example in bench
presses or squats) directly measured so that athletes can be compared or performance
improvement directly monitored. Here is one website for POWERNETICS
(http://powernetics.com/ ) that sells 11 different machines for improving explosive strength (i.e.
power) but notice that in NO case do they actually measure the time/power/acceleration so that
one can measure/monitor.

INVENTION IDEA:
My idea is simply to use off-the shelf and/or newly developed electronic and mechantronic
devices either retrofitted to existing weight training equipment (including machines and free
weights) or incorporated into newly designed weight training equipment so one can measure how
powerful a specific athlete is. Measurements could include, but are not necessarily limited to:
1. How fast a person can move a given weight a given distance
2. How much acceleration (rate of change of velocity) a person can impart to a given
weight
3. How much jerk a person can impart to a given weight (jerk=rate of change of
acceleration)
If this technology were available, one could compare two or more athletes and be able to
measure an athletes progress over time as he/she uses the explosive weight training equipment.
Here are 3 examples:
1. Bench Press: Add sensors and timers to an existing bench press machine so that one can
measure (in 0.01 second increments) how fast a person can move, say 100 lbs, the
distance of the press, say 20 inchesi.e. measure POWER. By being able to do this, one
can compare
a. How long it takes to move 100 lbs vs. 150 lbs
b. Compare athletes A & B (
For example, make this one of the tests that the NFL uses in evaluating future
draft choices?)

1(NOTE: One rep maximum (one repetition maximum or 1RM) in weight training is the maximum
amount of force that can be generated in one maximal contraction. [1] One repetition maximum can be
used for determining an individual's maximum strength and is the method for determining the winner
in events such as powerlifting and weightlifting competitions. One repetition maximum can also be used
as an upper limit, in order to determine the desired "load" for an exercise (as a percentage of the 1RM).
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c. Monitor progress over time as the result of explosive strength (i.e. power)
training. (Of course, the data from any workout would need to be easily
downloaded to the users/coaches for analysis.)
2. New Machines: Design, manufacture, and sell new power training machines that
incorporate the sensors and timers so as to optimize the training for a given set of
muscles and/or sports. For example, along the lines of the Supercat Vertical Jump
Machine (see http://www.powernetics.com/index.php?pgid=3&subid=5 ) but with the
necessary electronics built in.
3. Other Types of Power Training Devices: For example, one could add electronic devices
(such as accelerometers) to the inside of medicine balls to send wirelessly the maximum
acceleration of a throw/toss. This is already possible for several sport balls, such as the
94Fifty Smart Sensor Basketball http://www.94fifty.com/ but as far as I know NOT
available for explosive weight training.

Next Steps:
Perform a Patent Search (found a few possibly related patents including
https://www.google.com/patents/US20130012359?dq=hanoun+fitness+equipment&hl=e
n&sa=X&ei=irRjVKDBFMGnNt20gPgC&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA 0
Build some minimal viable products (MVPs) so one can demonstrate/test the idea
with experts.
After signing a confidentiality agreement with one or more experts, talk to/demonstrate
the idea for a simple case (e.g. MVP added to bench press machine).
Depending on the level of interest, sign a joint development agreement with a major
sports institution (e.g. FSU) to further develop and test the idea.
If indicated, file patents and begin making retrofit devices for more widespread testing.
Eventually, perhaps license the idea or start a company to manufacture an entire suite of
explosive strength training equipmentfrom football to golf!

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Appendix B

Figure B1- HOQ for strength training measurement device

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Figure B2- Gantt chart for the fall semester

Figure B3- Gantt chart for spring semester

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Table 1. Explosive Movements Used in Sports [K1]

Sprinting Leaping

Jumping Bounding

Cutting Kicking

Juking Punching

Diving Throwing

Rotating Hopping
Table B1- Explosive movements used in sports

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