Testimony of Thibaut Schnitzer (physiotherapist and physical trainer in top-level alpine skiing).
It’s incredible to be able to measure fatigue in such a short time, and without any real strain on the athlete! It accompanied us on all our winter races, and is an easily transportable tool that can be set up virtually anywhere.
It’s extremely useful for optimizing physical preparation. In fact, during the pre-season we aim to work to the maximum, pushing ourselves to the limit but respecting the athlete’s ability to take the load. The Myocene device allows us to check that the athlete has given his all, and to reduce the load if he is not recovering sufficiently. We had the opportunity to measure the fatigue generated by different training sessions (strength, speed, etc.). Thanks to this, I now know that I can push much harder the exercises that generate less fatigue, provided Armand recovers properly, which I can easily measure with the Myocene device.
It’s also a way for athletes to get to know their bodies better. The Myocene device enables us to correlate the subjective sensations of the athlete or his trainer with objective values of muscular fatigue. I find it very interesting to be able to compare, on an almost daily basis, the athlete’s perception of fatigue and that of the staff with the Myocene figures. Another advantage is that fitness trainers often have to back up their decisions with figures or data, for example, to “calm” the athlete and thus reduce the load. In such cases, the Myocene device can be useful in demonstrating to the athlete or a member of staff that he or she is at the limit in terms of muscular fatigue.
Legend: The graph show the impact of 4 consecutive training sessions: Strength (squat), Plyometric, Speed, Upper body coordination. The strength session induced much more fatigue compared to other training session but the fatigue induced by the strength session was fully recovered the next day. Therefore, the athlete is ready for the plyometric session and keep with the optimal load of the plyometric session.