There still aren't many fitness trackers that
are suitable for a gym atmosphere. While devices like the Atlas
Wristband have pushed the category forward, the Fitbits and Garmins of
the world still mostly focus on cardio exercises while throwing a few
trackable moves like "weight training" into the mix. The $250 Beast
Sensor is one of the newest devices to target gym-goers, specifically
weight-room junkies.
The Sensor is a small module that, when
attached to your wrist, back, or gym equipment, measures speed, power,
and a number of other atypical metrics to help you achieve beast-like
fitness goals. The Beast Sensor is built on the principles of
velocity-based training, which is a way of working out that only a
select group will be able to use (and want to use) to their benefit. I
spent some time with the Beast Sensor in my gym and can say it's a
capable fitness tracker, but only certain people will find it
invaluable.
Design: Little sensor, lots of power
Despite its pseudo-intimidating name, the
Beast Sensor is diminutive. It's a two-inch long neon yellow module that
holds three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, and three compasses, with
a lithium ion battery inside. The Sensor has the company's logo in
black, and a small indicator light flashes when the sensor is properly
connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The indicator also flashes
when the Sensor charges via its microUSB port. On top of everything the
Sensor packs into its tiny module, it's also magnetic, so you can attach
it to its included wristband and any gym equipment you want, including
barbells and metal weight machines.
The sensor feels weighty in your hand, but
when you slide it into the pocket on the included wristband, it becomes
nearly undetectable. The wristband isn't anything special—just a black
stretchy band that you can secure with its Velcro end. The open-ended
pocket also has a magnet to ensure the Beast Sensor doesn't fall out
when you're completing a set.
The Beast Sensor is in the same general category as the $250 Atlas Wristband
in the sense that it's a gym-based fitness tracker that emphasizes
weight training. However, while the Atlas Wristband has a PMOLED display
and focuses on rep counting, the Beast Sensor uses its module design
and accompanying algorithms to track velocity and performance. It
records workouts and gives feedback based on the principles of velocity
based training (VBT), which is a way of using speed to determine how
much weight you should be lifting on any given day, depending on your
end goal.
For example, let's say you're lifting to get
stronger: under the guidelines of VBT, if you're lifting too quickly on a
day when you feel energized for a workout, you should increase the
amount of weight you're lifting in order to bring your speed down and
maximize the strength you're gaining from each individual rep. The Beast
mobile app has a Cliff-notes VBT explainer in it, and the company has
the same information on its blog.
We'll get into the specifics of how the Beast
Sensor works in relation to VBT in the following sections, but its
design is in line with its intended purpose. Unlike the Atlas Wristband
that you wear almost exclusively on your wrist, the Beast Sensor can and
should be moved around. Wear it on your wrist while you do bicep curls,
place it on the weights when you do leg presses, or put it on your back
in the optional Beast Vest to record pull ups and push ups. The Sensor
may seem less user-friendly since it doesn't have any controls on the
module itself, but it's more versatile than you may initially believe.
Beast Sensor with included wristband. The sensor module is magnetic.
Valentina Palladino
It has three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, and three compasses inside.
Valentina Palladino
The small power button turns the sensor on when you want to record a workout.
Valentina Palladino
The Sensor charges via microUSB. It can last up to eight hours on a single charge.
Valentina Palladino
Features: Making the weight room your own
The Beast Sensor combines its motion tracking
guts with algorithms and user-provided information to judge how hard
you're working while you exercise. But first, you have to make sure
you're doing exercises it can track. While the app has a list of
trackable moves, you can add your own, too. When I took the Beast Sensor
into my gym, I added the hip abduction machine to its list. With the
Beast Sensor attached magnetically to the side of one of the moving leg
rests, I started a workout within the app only to find that the sensor
wasn't picking up my reps.
Placement is key for the Beast Sensor. I had
better luck when I placed the sensor on the stack of weights in the
machine. While I moved on from the hip abduction machine, I used the
sensor in this way on a bicep curl machine as well as an abdominal curl
machine. Every time the weights moved up and down, the Beast Sensor
captured my reps in real time (you can follow along with the app opened
on your smartphone). The Sensor also captured my speed in meters per
second, and power in watts changed with each rep.
The same thing happened when I slapped the
Sensor on the metal handle of a dumbbell. Depending on the size of the
dumbbell, I kept the Sensor just to the side of my hand grasping the
handle, or I put the sensor on the handle directly underneath my hand so
I could grasp both it and the handle at once.
A few exercises won't be accurately completed
unless you have the Beast Vest, which lets you attach the Sensor to your
back. I tried doing some push-ups with the device in its wristband, but
no reps were recorded. While the Sensor's design makes it easy to stick
on different surfaces, you have to figure out which position is best
for the exercise you're completing before you can get an accurate
reading. The Beast Sensor is similar to the Atlas Wristband in that way,
even if the former was designed to be placed on external objects as
well as your body.
The Beast Sensor is also similar to Atlas in
that it gets tripped up from time to time. But rather than missing reps
like the Atlas, my Sensor counted a few extra reps during some workouts.
Thankfully, I never finished a workout with 10 or 20 more reps than I
actually completed. At most, my Sensor mistakenly counted one or two
extra.
The Sensor has five options of activity
tracking modes: Performance Tracking, which simply monitors your
movements; Hypertrophy, for bulking up muscle to gain strength and size;
Max Strength, for increasing the force you can output in each movement;
Power, for performing under the ideal strength and speed conditions to
maximize power; and Velocity, for increasing the speed of your
movements.
The variety of choices is confusing to
understand at first, but when you break down each mode, you can easily
choose the best for your intended fitness goals. Next to each mode in
the app is a question-mark bubble that you can tap to get more
information. That's invaluable. Underneath each mode title is a catchy
tagline like Max Strength's "grow as strong as a bear." I wish the
company didn't try to be cute and instead put accurate, simple
descriptors underneath each title so that VBT newbies wouldn't have to
search for basic information.
Beast Sensor reviewed: When all you want is to get stronger, better, faster—now
Reviewed by Bizpodia
on
19:09
Rating: 5
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