OMsignal launches Biometric Training and Certification program

In an effort to help users make sense of biometric data and further the value and distribution of its smart wear, OMsignal announced today the launch of a first-of-its-kind biometric training and certification program. The platform gives personal trainers and health club owners the tools to advance their workouts using biometrics and users access to video content, as well as remote or in-person training that uses the data collected by OMsignal smart wear to take their fitness to the next level.

If you are familiar with the OMsignal smart shirt, you have probably already sweated out to the fitness test you are asked to do when you first put your shirt on out of the box. The fitness test is essentially a workout video you follow which shows your biometric data in real-time while performing the exercises. It’s a great introduction to the biometric data OMsignal offers and begins to coach users on how to use this data to better their workout. Today’s announcement furthers this experience as OMsignal is building a community of certified trainers to add to the video library within the app while at the same time expanding the OMsignal experience to the gym.

At the core of OMsignal’s new biometric fitness platform is the trainer. OMsignal has developed an OM Certification Training Program which aims to help trainers and health club owners gain a deeper understanding of their client’s fitness levels by measuring them from the inside while training. To get certified, trainers submit their biometric workouts to the OMsignal Fitness Advisory Committee, a group of kinesiologists, strength coaches, personal trainers, and doctors who provide counsel on proper uses of the OMsignal shirt in an exercise environment.

Once certified, trainers and health clubs will get access to the OM Trainer Dashboard to monitor their client’s biometrics. The dashboard displays heart rate, movement and breathing of each of the clients who opt-in to show their biometric data during a session and of course are wearing an OMsignal smart shirt. Up to nine clients at a time can opt-in to display their real-time profile on screen and the trainer can also choose to show his or her vitals at the same time. Trainers can use this dashboard for one-on-one or group sessions, both in-person or virtually via a dual screen experience through OMsignal’s app on the iPhone/iPad, computer or connected TV.

Essentially a biometric workout program is one that you cannot hide from. Say goodbye to those times you pretended to increase the resistance of your bike in spin class to take a break or look like a superstar because OMsignal is watching. Opting to have your biometrics on screen in a fitness class makes you wholly accountable for how hard you are working. This added layer of data can push you to the next level either through personal motivation, peer pressure or from trainer cues which are rooted in data.

“There’s been a paradigm shift in training with the concept of prescribed workouts,” explains Dr. Jesse Slade Shantz, Chief Medical Officer at OMSignal. “Trainers are challenging their clients to think of physical fitness as medicine. I’m all for this, and the OM Certified Training Program is a real step toward giving our users and their trainers the tools they need to train biometrically. This is the birth of a quantified, informed workout experience.”

Of course this accountability and motivation can also be found in the video library which OMsignal will be building as part of this platform. All four to six-week workout programs which are approved by the Advisory Committee will be added to the OMsignal app and will be searchable by type of training. Like the fitness test, the new videos will show users biometric vitals on screen while they follow the program. During designated breaks within the video, users will be asked to compare their actual biometric data against benchmarks based on their age via a chart. The app will also be updated to include a directory of certified trainers users can access either remotely within the app or arrange an in-person training session if they are in the same city.

Both the OM Trainer Dashboard and the addition of new videos and access to trainers in the app won’t be available until Spring 2015. But trainers and health club owners who want to create the gym of the future can submit their workout programs to the OM Certified Training program now.