Ideal Combinations of Acceleration-Based Intensity Metrics and Sensor Positions to Monitor Exercise Intensity under Different Types of Sports

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22; no. 7; p. 2583
• Main Authors: Chen, Wei-Han, Chiang, Chun-Wei, Fiolo, Nicholas J., Fuchs, Philip X., Shiang, Tzyy-Yuang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.03.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Acceleration; Accelerometers; Adult; Badminton; Basketball; Benchmarking; Data collection; Exercise; Exercise intensity; Fitness equipment; Heart Rate; Humans; Physical fitness; racquet sports; Racquet Sports - physiology; Running; Running - physiology; Sensors; team sports; Wearable computers; wearable electronic devices; Young Adult; Taiwan; running; acceleration; team sports; racquet sports; wearable electronic devices
• DOI: 10.3390/s22072583
• ISSN: 1424-8220

This study quantified the strength of the relationship between the percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR) and two acceleration-based intensity metrics (AIMs) at three sensor-positions during three sport types (running, basketball, and badminton) under three intensity conditions (locomotion speeds). Fourteen participants (age: 24.9 ± 2.4 years) wore a chest strap HR monitor and placed three accelerometers at the left wrist (non-dominant), trunk, and right shank, respectively. The %HRR and two different AIMs (Player Load per minute [PL/min] and mean amplitude deviation [MAD]) during exercise were calculated. During running, both AIMs at the shank and PL at the wrist had strong correlations (r = 0.777–0.778) with %HRR; while other combinations were negligible to moderate (r = 0.065–0.451). For basketball, both AIMs at the shank had stronger correlations (r = 0.604–0.628) with %HRR than at wrist (r = 0.536–0.603) and trunk (r = 0.403–0.463) with %HRR. During badminton exercise, both AIMs at shank had stronger correlations (r = 0.782–0.793) with %HRR than those at wrist (r = 0.587–0.621) and MAD at trunk (r = 0.608) and trunk (r = 0.314). Wearing the sensor on the shank is an ideal position for both AIMs to monitor external intensity in running, basketball, and badminton, while the wrist and using PL-derived AIM seems to be the second ideal combination.