The fitness industry has undergone a significant transformation with the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies designed to help individuals monitor and enhance their performance. From wearable devices to AI-driven fitness applications, technology is enabling users to track essential metrics, set objectives, and optimize their exercise routines more effectively than ever before.

Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness bands have become indispensable tools for tracking health and fitness. These devices monitor vital signs like heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep patterns, and even blood oxygen levels. Products like the Apple Watch, Fitbit, and Garmin watches also offer features such as VO2 max estimation, a critical metric for assessing cardiovascular fitness.

On the other hand, fitness apps leverage artificial intelligence to provide personalized insights. These applications analyze user data to recommend customized workouts, track progress, and dynamically adjust training plans. For example, apps like Whoop focus on recovery by analyzing stress and sleep data to suggest optimal rest periods, among other features.

Advanced tools such as heart rate variability (HRV) monitors and body composition analyzers offer deeper insights into fitness levels. HRV provides a measure of recovery and stress levels, offering a comprehensive view of physical health. The ability to quantify fitness performance encourages accountability and helps individuals make informed decisions about their health.

However, the question arises: Are we becoming overly dependent on technology? This is a topic we explore in our conversation with fitness influencer Mike Thurston. With over a million subscribers on YouTube, Mike is also the founder of THRST, an app that provides tailored fitness advice to help users achieve their ideal physique.

In addition to discussing the potential over-reliance on tech, we delve into high performance and the key wearable technologies that assist in monitoring it. Edited highlights from the interview include:

Mike defines high performance as consistently pushing boundaries, both physically and mentally, to achieve personal bests. Over the years, his approach has evolved from a purely aesthetic focus to a more holistic view that includes recovery, mental health, and sustainable habits. Wearable fitness tech like WHOOP has played a significant role in this journey by providing insights into his recovery and sleep, allowing him to optimize his performance sustainably.

Technology plays a crucial role in optimizing workouts and tracking progress. Mike relies heavily on WHOOP to monitor his heart rate variability, sleep, and recovery, which informs his training decisions. This data helps him fine-tune his workouts, ensuring he pushes hard when he can and takes a step back when he needs to recover.

Mike's fitness app is designed to help users perform at their highest level by focusing on exercise execution and tracking, along with providing a wide range of structured programs. The app emphasizes educating users on proper lifting techniques, tempo, and control, and holds them accountable to complete their sessions consistently. Unlike other apps that offer generic routines, THRST emphasizes understanding each user's unique needs, allowing them to substitute exercises and focus on lagging muscle groups and weak point areas. Integrating insights from wearables into the app allows users to connect their training with real-time data on their recovery and performance, creating a more comprehensive approach to high performance.

Mike advises focusing on tools that provide actionable insights rather than just data for the sake of it. To avoid tech overload, he recommends sticking to a few trusted tools that align with specific goals and needs. Quality over quantity is crucial in optimizing performance.

AI and machine learning are set to revolutionize fitness by providing even more personalized training and recovery recommendations. Mike is particularly excited about advancements that integrate data from wearables, allowing for real-time adjustments in training programs based on how a user is feeling and recovering. This could lead to breakthroughs in how we approach fitness, making it more effective and accessible.

While over-reliance on tech can sometimes lead to anxiety around performance metrics, when used mindfully, technology can enhance mental resilience. The tech Mike uses provides insights into recovery and sleep, which can help individuals understand when to push harder or, more importantly, when to take a step back. This awareness can reduce stress and promote a healthier mindset.

The key to a long-term high-performance mindset is patience and consistency. Mike emphasizes incremental improvements rather than overnight transformations and stresses the importance of recovery, as it’s during rest that the body adapts and grows stronger. High performance is a marathon, not a sprint.

Time management is crucial for maintaining high performance while balancing multiple responsibilities. Mike prioritizes his tasks and monitors his energy levels, understanding when he’s at his peak to allocate time for business and content creation, while still making time for his personal life and recovery.

Mike is inspired by his community and the individuals he connects with through his platform. The beauty of his career has allowed him to train with and meet some of the most elite athletes on the planet, inspiring him to work harder and push further both mentally and physically.

For someone just starting their fitness journey and aiming for high performance, Mike advises starting slow and prioritizing form over intensity. A common mistake is pushing too hard too soon, which can lead to injury. He also stresses the importance of recovery and suggests using tools that can help understand the body better and make informed decisions about training and rest.

If he could develop or invest in any tech advancement for fitness, Mike would focus on nutrition. He believes that customisation and a tailored approach are the future for training, nutrition, supplementation, recovery, and more. The health and wellness scene is booming, and as tech and AI develop, he believes we will see some amazing developments and products emerge.

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com