A smartphone compatible training device that claims to help cyclists avoid overtraining has been launched in the UK.
The £225 CHECK is a user-operated device that sends a low voltage current through the muscles and nerves and measures the intensity and delay of the returning signal. It is similar technology to that used in TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) units, which are often used to treat pain.
The CHECK system synchronises with a user's smartphone and after a 30-second reading, displays a Training Readiness score. This, say the developers, is an indication of the body's state of repair and whether it is advisable to carry on training or have a rest.
It will also give a recommendation for an upcoming training session's intensity based on the rate of recovery.
It banks data to create a long-term training profile which, claim the developers, will help users avoid overtraining and its associated pitfalls such as injury and excessive fatigue.
The CHECK smartphone app is compatible with Android 4.0-4.2 and iPhone 4s, 5, 5c/s along with iPad3 and Mini.
Suunto – also a Finnish company – incorporated an overtraining avoidance programme into its previous generation of T-series watches. Dubbed Training Effect, it assessed physical effort during a session which allowed users to dose their effort to avoid going too deep unnecessarily.
CHECK is a device that is aimed at preventing you from overtraining