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Self-Calibrating Workout on MagneticDays smart trainer: the advice of Coach Simone Buracchi

  25 January 2022

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The Self-Calibrating Workout on JARVIS smart trainer is a type of workout studied by MagneticDays, in collaboration with the University of Verona, that can be used as a “guideline” in case you do not have the support of an MD Coach (different from the HTT – High Tech Training methodology), which, to date, represents the top possible scientific personalization of a training carried out on any type of smart trainers currently on the market, and with the supervision of a Coach. Specifically, Self-Calibrating Workout represents a series of protocols designed to allow the user/athlete to perform a good workout when the optimal conditions for doing so are lacking. Here’s what Simone Buracchi, head of the MD technical area, had to say.

 

Self-Calibrating MD Workout: why and when to use it

Self-Calibrating Workout is the most effective training that can be done – if done well – without the presence of a Coach. Normally, when performing an incremental test, the MD Coach observes the results and accurately identifies the frequency threshold values, with the aim of setting the first cycle of tailor-made workouts. On the other hand, with Self-Calibrating Workout, the Coach cannot personally verify what the user/athlete has done, and the protocol we studied in collaboration with the University of Verona comes into play. We evaluated the individual incremental tests by observing where the threshold was placed on average with respect to the last step performed according to the protocol used. In the case of the 1:6 protocol (1 watt every 6 seconds) the threshold fell on average around 82% – 80% of the last work step completed, while in the 1:3 protocol (1 watt every 3 seconds) the threshold fell on average around 76% – 74% of the last work step completed.

The only “scientific” aspect taken into consideration for the drafting of the self-calibrating protocol (i.e. the data as close as possible to reality), is to understand how much, at a statistical level, the threshold is set with respect to the type of protocol used, without having a Coach. This type of training, performed with this criterion and specific for the required methods, is used to evaluate the condition of the user/athlete at a precise moment. While our classic incremental test is performed after 25/30 minutes from having performed an adequate warm-up first and some exercises after, the self-calibrating workout is performed at the beginning of the training (protocol 1:3, 1 watt every 3 seconds) right after a short warm-up phase. Nonetheless, I’d like to remind everybody that behind the infinite possibilities offered by the JARVIS indoor training system there is always and in any case knowledge. This tool can do anything, and does everything the coach tells it to do. With this concept in mind, we structured the self-calibrating workout by telling the instrument, once the user/athlete finishes the test, to analyze the last work step completed by subtracting a previously estimated X value. Consequently the second part of the exercise is structured automatically on the basis of the values calculated at that precise moment. It goes without saying that, for greater accuracy, the support of an MD Coach is always recommended. However, we believe that this way we can provide accurate data with the aim of delivering a test that is appropriate at the precise moment in which it is used.

How is an MD Self-Calibrating Workout structured?

The first part of the self-calibrating workout consists of the incremental test (warm-up + 1:3 protocol). With this type of protocol (1 watt every 3 seconds), which lasts less than the classic 1:6, the user/athlete feels more fatigue but for a shorter time. The test is certainly shorter in terms of duration but with a wider gap regarding the rounding of the data. The second part, on the other hand, consists of the workout that the instrument processes with the values based on the incremental test just performed.

 

In which cases is Self-Calibrating Workout on MD smart trainers recommended?

We normally recommend it anytime you don’t feel 100% of your normal psychophysical condition. That is to say, if you feel intensely fatigued and a particular workout assigned by your MD Coach (who deems you in suitable conditions to carry it out) requires too big an effort, the self-calibrating workout option comes into play with the aim of providing an assessment of the user’s/athlete’s state of fitness at that moment. So feel free to do this workout whenever you feel that your condition is not at its best. This is an effective training, but keep in consideration that the actual calculation of the threshold value is always better than an estimated one.