COACHED BY ROBOTS
“When predicted fatigue begins to drift from observed fatigue, the AI engine will lower the intensity and accelerate the user’s recovery week”
One of the companies leading the way in AI-enhanced endurance sport training is HumanGo, which was launched by Dr Eric Abecassis in 2021. “I draw my inspiration from people of all ages and backgrounds taking steps to transform their lives through exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness,” says Abecassis.
“HumanGo leverages the latest technology to provide them with individualised guidance and become their accountability partner on this journey.”
You start by registering as a coach or athlete, and HumanGo tries to gather as much athletic history and information from you as possible during the onboarding process. Handily, you can speed all this up by syncing training data from whatever platform and device you use, such as a Garmin. Its creators argue the essence isn’t to be a quick-fix, off-the-shelf plan, but a smart system to adapt as you evolve.
Once set-up, HumanGo provides an ‘individualised and optimised’ schedule for your event, including planned training time if you have a cycling event coming up. It then tracks what you complete and readjusts to suit. Training zones are set for cycling (heart rate/ power), but can be manually updated if, for example, you have numbers from lab testing.
For each big ride build you can set different preparation phases (i.e. base, build, taper) and tinker with different rest and adaptation cycles (ie. three weeks load, one week recovery). If you’ve more than one event, a season-planner allows you to periodise your training to suit.
The general principle is to allow the cyclist to increase the intensity or duration of rides while avoiding overtraining. “HumanGo monitors fatigue accumulation through direct measurement (training load), subjective feedback (user’s perception), and derived metrics (such as efficiency drift during exercise),” Abecassis adds.
“When predicted fatigue begins to drift from observed fatigue, the AI engine will lower the intensity, accelerate the user’s recovery week, or even adjust the user’s fatigue tolerance automatically. As such, it helps the user avoid overtraining while optimising training load.”
When you start rejigging sessions, the AI really kicks in. If, say, you can’t resist heading out on a six-hour bike ride with a friend, you simply sync the data once done and it reshuffles your programme to give you enough rest.
To make the most of everything the platform offers, though, you’ll need to pay $29.90 per month. humango.ai