Winter 2025 - 25

W
hen evaluating and
implementing new
technologies it is important
not to lose sight of the main
objective and focus aiding in
optimizing training programs,
reducing the likelihood of
injury, enhancing individual
performance, and improving recovery strategies.
In recent years, the advancement in personal
wearable technology has allowed the tactical
population quick access to data surrounding
their sleep quality, readiness, activity, and overall
wellness. The personal wearable monitoring
sector can provide individuals with detailed
reporting around heart rate variability, sleep
quality, and activity levels, which allows for more
informed decisions about when to push yourself
and when to prioritize rest and recovery.
These technologies can also really help with
communicating to practitioners about overall
readiness. In many cases, practitioners will not
have direct access to this
information, so creating a
situation where athletes
can share this data can increase the
chances of adequate training stimulus and, in turn,
increase performance based on objective data.
INTERNAL & EXTERNAL LOAD TECH
With the development of budget-friendly
options, internal and external load technologies
have gained popularity within the tactical space
to evaluate the 'needs' associated with workrelated
tasks. Understanding work-related tasks
and the 'load' that accompanies those tasks can
be vital when improving training programs along
with performance. Internal load can be defined
as the following technologies: session RPE,
heart rate, psychological questionnaires, and
biochemical markers (blood work). External load can
be defined as the following: GPS, IMU, LPS, and
optical tracking. Do a deep dive into what you are
trying to accomplish with internal and external load
technology and make a decision that best fits your
situation and the population you are working with.
Internal load technologies may have more
application concerning monitoring or evaluating the
training/work-related response, specifically heart
rate. Having athletes wear heart rate monitors
during work-related tasks allows the practitioner
insights into the demands associated with the task -
this will then allow the practitioner to design and
implement training programs that better prepare
athletes for the tasks associated with their jobs.
These devices also work in many different locations.
Another huge positive is heart rate monitors are
relatively cheap and can sync with most personal
wearable devices. Internal load technologies can
also be extremely beneficial when used during
training sessions. These technologies can allow
practitioners to prescribe a desired outcome based
on intensity and a certain response. In many cases,
this allows the athlete real-time feedback along with.
External load technologies have also gained
some traction in various spaces within the realm of
tactical strength and conditioning. When speaking
directly about GPS and IMU-based technologies,
these technologies can provide practitioners with
distance, velocity, time, acceleration, decelerations,
and change of direction-based data during jobor
training-related tasks. This data can allow
practitioners to have a deeper understanding
of job-related tasks as they relate to distance,
velocity, accelerations, etc. One limitation of this
technology is its accuracy - in many cases, the
tactical population will be 'indoors' during jobrelated
tasks where 'GPS' based data will not be
collected. If a sample population tends to spend
more time indoors, practitioners should use IMUtacticaltrainingandconditioning.com
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http://www.tacticaltrainingandconditioning.com
Winter 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2025
