omsteadily
commented
6 years ago Thanks, John. CrossFit would definitely be all over this, as they're founded on competition and scoring. I'm less convinced that gyms would want this: the typical gym business model is built around luring people into memberships and then never seeing them again, and I doubt gyms would be interested in large capital outlays like scales or sensors. Something that plugged into the security cameras they already have, though, would be cheap and represent a point of stickiness (people's data is only relevant as long as they're a member). I'm torn about how to proceed, but my inclination is to go with CrossFit: the larger opportunity is everyone with a smartphone, not just gyms.
The Idea: Level the playing field by developing a metric for measuring exercise and weightlifting performance that is not skewed by individual body types and then apply an algorithm to calculate work automatically. Keep: There are good, clear scientific explanations throughout. I never questioned your expertise in the subject matter or the methodology as I read it. Cut: The discussion of barbell recognition is solid. However, it might be unnecessarily complicated. Is there a simpler way of recognizing plates and dumbbells? What if a gym attached sensors to each plate or dumbbell that could allow for quick identification with no room for error? Add: The next steps portion is particularly compelling. These bullets start my imagination spinning. I would love to see some of these concepts worked into the main part of the idea. The most forward-looking item is recognizing movements. Developing something that can automate telling people when they have good or bad form would be a huge selling point for consumers. Other Comments: Is this a widely accepted problem? Do CrossFit and gyms recognize that they are missing an opportunity? There is a typo in the second paragraph: an extra character in “better-positioned”.