kMeter Manual: App Usage
An overview of the functions of the kMeter App 3.0
Start
Start the app, login will be automatic if you logged in before. In the first screen select which users are training and their individual order by clicking in the white box. When done press continue.
The next screen will display the name of the first user followed by the default the exercise, which is the Squat. Press the exercise name (Squat) to open up a list of exercises and make your pick or use the < > arrows on the sides of the exercise image to browse the exercises.
Connect your preferred device by pushing the red box saying kMeter not connected and a list of nearby active and available kMeters will pop up, pick the kMeter you want to connect to.
Now you are ready to do the final set up before starting to train.
Training parameters
You should see the inertia settings below the green start button. Swipe up to see more settings below and set the parameters.
Inertia
Use + and – sign to add or remove flywheels, so that the settings correspond to the actual setup you have on the kBox. The total inertia will be displayed under the exercise image and is the sum of the inertia of the different flywheels.
Others
Here you can select the endpoint of the set in different ways.
- Pre-defined number of reps
- Pre-defined time.
- Absolute power threshold to stay above.
- Stop at a certain drop-off from max power.
Advanced
From session to session you might keep these settings the same but they are still important to look over especially when you first begin to use the app.
Pre-reps: these are the extra reps before the set and the data collection starts. These reps are used for acceleration and will be discarded in the workout summary. Iso mode means 0 pre-reps, usable if you want to go from a ISO-hold into dynamic action (pinch-release). Default is two pre-reps.
Auto start: kMeter Module and App senses rotation and stops by itself. Acquisition of data starts and begins without any interaction for the user on the screen. Default: on.
Voice: Mute or choose auditive feedback with rep count, average, peak power, average speed or power limits. Power limits allow you to set a range and kMeter will give vocal and graphic feedback if you go outside of this range. Default: off.
Show result after exercise: with this activated (default) you will be brought to the result screen after a completed set. With this deactivated you will be brought back to the start screen and the next set and user. The data will always be saved either way but if you don’t see the result screen you won’t be able to add info to the set like VAS and comment.
Single turn mode: this mode only needs to be activated when using the Single-Turn Buckle on the kPulley. Default is deactivated. When activated it recalculates the numbers accordingly to account for the changes in the ROM-rotation relationship.
During acquisition
Graph shows pre-reps (faded) and training reps with average or peak power values or average force for every rep. In peak power mode you get one column for CON phase (orange) and one for ECC phase (red) to track ECC overload rep by rep.
Use ‘stop’ to manually stop data acquisition.
Workout summary
POWER AND FORCE
Average power = average power for all reps in set (except pre-reps) both CON and ECC phase.
CONC peak power = average CON peak power during all CON phases in the set (To see CON peak for every individual rep look at the graph).
ECC peak power = average ECC peak power during all ECC phases in the set (To see ECC peak for every individual rep look at the graph).
Peak overload % = ECC peak power / CON peak power
Relative peak power = W / kg or W / lbs body weight
Average force = Approximated force based on calculations from ROM and power. Not to be used between users or exercises but works as an approximation for certain exercises by a certain user.
Press tabs over the graph to switch view between average power, peak power and estimated force values.
MOTION
range of motion = how long the average rep was (in centimetres) over the whole set.
Average speed = average rep speed in m/s over the whole set.
WORKOUT
Generated energy = energy put into the flywheel in kJ (not your expenditure).
Repetitions = number of reps performed.
Workout time = duration of the set.
Inertia = the inertia you set in setup.
VAS = Visual analogue scale. User input after workout summary in the display. Stored in the database with all other data. Can be used to track effort or pain for example.
SAVING YOUR DATA
You can press ‘share’ to save a screen dump of the summary to your camera roll.
If you have “show results” deactivated and don’t interact with the results screen when it is shown for a few seconds, your data will be saved automatically. If you interact or have “show results” activated you will have the option to edit user, exercise, VAS rating and comment before you save manually (or discard the set).
Your saved data is accessible via the ‘Results’ icon at the bottom at the start screen. Here you can edit the settings if you want to change user/exercise, RPE or comment. You can also filter your sets on a specific user or access your and your clients data from data.exxentric.com where you can filter on user, exercise and data. You can also compare results against the global database.
Understanding the feedback
The kMeter app receives rotational data from the kMeter via bluetooth. The power is calculated and presented as average power per rep and peak power in CON and ECC to determine eccentric overload.
The power data is exact and consistent. Number of reps, rep time and energy expenditure are also exact while vertical motion (ROM) and force are more complicated calculation with more variables and should be considered as an approximation.
ROM and force data should not be used to compare different athletes or exercises but to be used in the same athlete and exercise. It can give information of progress overtime or changes with different inertial loading.
There is a kMeter walkthrough (based on older versions of the kMeter Module and kMeter App) available for free in our online kMeter intro course here.
Testing your power
The kMeter provides accurate power monitoring, but to get data comparable between users and over time, a standardized test protocol is necessary. The kBox Power Test defines in detail how the exercise should be performed and documented. Read more.
Presentation video
For a presentation of the kMeter app, watch the video below.
Go back to the kMeter Manual.
