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With the Olympics happening soon, we will all be flooded with stats on performance. Undoubtedly old records will fall and new ones will be set. So how are athletes performing better, faster and stronger year after year? How are what were once viewed as unbreakable world records falling every Olympics? The answer is technology.
Tech in sports is omnipresent for professional athletes. From motion analysis technology, wind tunnels and immersive race simulators, using technology in training has been a game changer.
Trainers and athletes benefit from technology for some of the same reasons as technology benefits businesses. The result is faster decision making, a competitive edge and improved efficiency.
As an amateur athlete myself I rely heavily on tech to help me excel. I am currently training for an Ironman 70.3 and I cannot imagine doing this even 5 years ago without my smart watch. Here are some of my observations on how tech has changed the playing field for athletes.
Faster Decision Making
Before waterproof smartwatches, swimming pool laps required looking at the giant clock on the wall. At first, this was challenging as a newbie to look up while swimming but eventually I got the hang of it. What I never got the hang of was remembering when I started and calculating my time, whilst swimming. I can barely count my laps yet alone the time it took.
Fortunately my smart watch does this for me. I just glance at my wrist to see my average and current pace and distance. I can have it beep or buzz to alert me to designated milestones. They even have swim goggles that display this right in front of a swimmer’s eye for ultra convenience.
I rely heavily on my real-time stats and alerts to tell me when I need to push harder or dial back, not only in swimming but in running and biking as well.
Competitive Edge
Thanks to the Internet of things I can train indoors on stationary bikes and treadmills and have everything tracked. Now training never has to stop because of bad weather or after sunset like it did decades ago.
The best competitive advantages seem to come from machines. I once toured the USA Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. It is overflowing with technological innovations and it is no wonder that countries that invest more in athletes traditionally perform better. They have 3D motion analysis for gymnasts and pressure sensing tracks for runners. They even have climate and altitude control rooms that can simulate race-day conditions in Paris such as running at 115’ above sea level in 30% humidity.
Not only did Zoom change the face of business meetings it also changed coaching. Now coaches and athletes can connect via video even if they are thousands of miles away. No longer do athletes in close proximity to the best coaches have the advantage.
Improved Efficiency
Just like businesses become more efficient thanks to technology so to do athletes. For example, I told my Garmin Coach app what I was training for and my level and it tells me my workout of the day based on my goals and progress. For swimming I just hit start and it tells me when to rest and when to go. My watch will even tell me if my heartrate is too high, so that I can focus on breathing more efficiently.
The efficiency gains continue with the athlete’s equipment. For example, most triathletes and cyclists get a professional bike fit done. I wrongly assumed this was done like an office desk ergonomic fitting with a tape measure and feel. I could not have been more wrong, it is all very high tech, for example today’s bike fits use sensors in the saddles to make sure your weight is optimally distributed. Even minor adjustments of milimeters can increase an athletes’ performance and speed.
Tech is a Tool not a crutch
Unlike computers that do the job for you at the end of the day it is up to the athlete to show up, dig deep and compete.
Earlier this year I did a 10 mile race. Because it was cold out I had on long sleeves and gloves and thus could not see my watch; nor had I programmed in a target goal for silent buzzing if I was off target. So I decided to run the whole race based solely on feel. Because I had trained with tech and tons of data my body and brain knew how to compete without tech. I knew exactly what my breathing, heart rate, and steps should feel like. The result? Even though I had zero idea of my actual time until I saw the finishline, I finished exactly at my target race pace. As much as I could not live without technology it was nice to unplug and just enjoy the moment.
I am sure the Olympic athletes will do the same. Enjoy the games everyone!
