Beyond Performance: The effects of Exerfly on the weight room environment from a psychological perspective.

I often talk about how flywheels can improve performance, ideas on how to implement it, and the classic sets and reps in most of my blog and social media posts.  I tend to neglect the psychological effect of introducing new technology to the weight room or to new clients.  This is partly because it is extremely hard to quantify.  As coaches we don't hand out surveys to find out motivation levels, the weight room buy in, or exercise preference.  Rather these items are something as coaches that we instinctively pick up on and always try to improve upon.

Coaches’ Insights on Exerfly's Psychological Benefits:

After talking to coaches from Perry High School, Trinity High School, Mason High School, and SPIRE academy, there seems to be an overwhelming consensus that Exerfly has a strong effect on the high school weight room environment.  Each of these coaches found that once they were able to get their athletes on the unit, the athletes bought into flywheel resistance training (FRT) immediately.  In addition, it helped motivate the athletes whether they used it at the start of the training session to set the intensity of the day or if they used it as a burn out finisher.   They also found that it was an amazing teaching tool, in which each athlete was physically able to understand how to drive with maximal intent on each rep.

The Role of Exerfly App in Enhancing Athlete Motivation:

Another noticeable feature of the Exerfly that helps further drive these factors is the Exerfly App.   The Exerfly app allows athletes to view their velocities in real time.   This feature allows athletes to challenge themselves, as well as create an inner team competition between athletes.   In a recent study conducted on high school level rugby players, it was reported that visual feedback of velocity can improve motivation by 122%, competitiveness by 46%, effort by 10%, and movement speed by 8% when compared to when no feedback was provided (2).  The results of this study seem to hold true with our users that work in a team setting and it is especially pronounced in the high school environment.

Flywheel Resistance Training (FRT) for Reducing Training Monotony:

Although the existing literature of the acute effect that FRT has on the weight room environment is small, FRT can reduce training monotony considering the user dependent resistance that it provides.  In addition, it can increase overall variation to your training sessions as it is a different form of resistance compared to what is traditionally seen in the weight room.  Both of these factors can prevent overtraining and the negative psychological factors that are associated with it (1).

Exerfly's Comprehensive Impact on Weight Room Psychology:

The effect of new technology on the weight room environment is often overlooked and not thought about before a purchasing decision.  The Exerfly technology in conjunction with the app seems to not only improve performance but also have a pronounced effect on many psychological aspects of training such as motivation, intent, competitiveness, effort, and buy in at the high school level.  In addition, the inherent feature of FRT can likely prevent overtraining and the long term negative psychological factors that are associated with it.

References

1. Kreher, JB and Schwartz, JB. Overtraining Syndrome: A practical guide. Sports Health 4: 128–138, 2012.
2. Wilson, KM, Helton, WS, De Joux, NR, Head, JR, and Weakley, JJS. Real-time quantitative performance feedback during strength exercise improves motivation, competitiveness, mood, and performance. HFES 61: 1546–1550, 2017.