Austin, TX-based BSX Athletics, a sports tech company attempting to redefine the activity-tracking space through real-time muscle monitoring, launched its second generation of BSXinsight.
With extended capabilities including real-time monitoring of muscle oxygenation, daily activity tracking and third party connectivity, the next generation BSXinsight tracker not only collects personal workout data, but shows athletes how to use the feedback in real-time.
“Muscle Oxygenation [SmO2] is a new concept to the athletic world, but one that is gaining tremendous traction, and will soon be recognized as the most important real-time metric possible,” said Dr. Dustin Freckleton, CEO of BSX Athletics. “Oxygen is the central piece of energy production which makes muscle oxygenation critical for any athlete to keep track of during their training.”
“Oxygen is the central piece of energy production which makes muscle oxygenation critical for any athlete to keep track of during their training.” -Dr. Dustin Freckleton, BSX CEO
With BSXinsight, athletes can make meaningful, on-demand adjustments during their workouts, with the security of knowing they are training at optimal performance.
Freckleton explained the advantage of tracking muscle oxygenation versus traditional heart rate monitoring. He said, “Similar to heart-rate training, muscle oxygenation can help you understand your daily training. However, where heart-rate is influenced by conditional factors like stress, temperature, sleep and hydration, SmO2 is constant, more dependable and accurate. Muscle oxygenation is also much more immediate.”
And for BSX, immediacy is key. Using optical technology and consumer safe LEDs, BSXinsight tracks the critical energy systems in the muscles and directly translates the information to the athlete. The athlete then knows how much effort they have left to give, and which trends and opportunities will improve their performance over time.
The system can be worn anywhere, during any activity, however the company recommends placement on the calf. For this purpose, BSXinsight comes with a custom compression sleeve to ensure it’s secured to the calf during endurance tests. BSXinsight also connects with ANT+ foot pods, heart rate monitors and power meters, broadcasting real-time bio-signal data to ANT+ watches and bike computers. Connectivity to iOS and Android devices using Bluetooth Smart technology via the BSXinsight mobile app is available as well.
Improvements from its original version result in better firmware, improved software and a beautifully redesigned mobile application and web dashboard. These updates have made it so athletes are also benefiting from more accurate lactate threshold results and personalized training zones.
Updates have made it so athletes are also benefiting from more accurate lactate threshold results and personalized training zones.
The BSX mobile app got its own unique redesign, to refine the simplicity and accessibility of the program. Now the data is laid out so athletes can review and manage their results, “in an intuitive and meaningful way,” said the company, with new features like an interactive tutorial, supported real-time muscle oxygenation readouts and a social sharing functions.
Weighing 20 grams and optimized for up to eight hours of continuous use, BSXinsight is also a heading device for run time.
Available in three editions, the XR2 running edition, $299.99, BSXinsight XC2 cycling edition, $369.99, and BSXinsight XM2 multisport edition, $419.99, each version packs the technology to help athletes break personal records and make more meaningful training choices.
