Ready to jump into the rabbit hole known as Velocity Based Training (VBT), but not sure where to begin? In this post I'll review my initial thoughts on the OVR Velocity training device, which appears to be the most entry level option for Linear Positional Transducer (LPT) based VBT (so many acronyms!!!). There are other technologies out there including depth sensing cameras, accelerometers, and camera based smartphone apps. However, LPT technologies appear to be the most accurate commercially available option [1]. I may be a little late to the VBT party, but that's only because I haven't been willing to open up my wallet to pay the cover charge, that is... until NOW.
The scope of this review will be limited to comparing the OVR Velocity to other LPT devices that the "casual" user might consider for barbell training, if there even is such a thing as a casual VBT user. There are many LPT devices out there, some of them over $1,000 USD, so the scope of this post will be limited to devices below $1,000 USD that are more viable for said casual user, herein referred to as "user." Said user being someone like me, who competitively trains for fun (oxymoron?), and who would ever-so-gently throw this into their gym bag.
QUICK COMPARISON
Below is a quick comparison of the most popular LPT devices under $1,000. The comparison is based on information that can be easily found on each manufacturer's website, not based on personal use. If any of this information appears incorrect, let me know in the comments so I can update accordingly! Anything with a question mark "?" indicates information I could not find on the manufacturer's website.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
In the box you get a transducer a.k.a. the thing with a string, velcro strap, a USB cable, QR codes, and a sticker. This seems to be in line with other devices like the Vitruve and RepOne. Although Vitruve also comes with a neoprene carrying bag and RepOne comes with a rubber holding strap, I don't think that alone justifies the extra $150+ USD. I opted to spend the extra $14 for the neoprene carrying case to help protect my investment.
METRICS
OVR Velocity gives you 5 metrics for every rep:
Average Velocity
Peak Velocity
Range of Motion
Average Power
Peak Power
This appears to be the same information made available by RepOne and Vitruve. However, with RepOne's development of 3D sensing technlogy, they will be able to offer additional metrics and insights into your training.
USABILITY AND SAMPLE DATA
If you go to a commercial gym that doesn't use flat plates, be warned, the magnet on this device will have a hard time holding it down. If you don't want to carry around a 1.25 pound micro plate with you, you could strap it to a plate using bands. The RepOne comes with a band accessory for such situations. The OVR and Vitruve appear not to have that option, although I'm sure you can find some rubber bands online or your local hardware store that will do the job.
The app is fairly intuitive and easy to get the hang of after a few uses. Using Bluetooth headphones doesn't seem to interrupt use or connection to the transducer, which is a plus if you lift with wireless headphones.
The app comes with a variety of pre-populated exercises, however, it also allows you to track and measure custom exercises. For example, instead of tracking a regular back squat, you could create a new exercise for a tempo squat or pause squat variation. One criticism of the app and data is that in a multi repetition set, it is not obvious which rep is the first rep or the last rep, especially if the last rep didn't move slower than the first rep. You can see what I mean below for my 220 Tempo Pause High Bar Squats. Set 1 was my last warm up, set 2 was my top set.
However, the data can be exported from the app as an excel file which is very useful, as it includes a separate tab for each exercise. Then, within each tab, you can see every repetition sorted by date, set, rep, and more. The following data is exported per exercise and per tab:
Date, Exercise, Weight (lb)
Set Number, Rep Count, Rep Number
Avg Velocity, Max Velocity
Range of Motion
Avg Power, Max Power
Avg Velocity Set Avg, Max Velocity Set Avg, ROM Set Avg
Avg Power Set Avg, Max Power Set Avg
Below is a sample of all data for my competition low bar squat as of October 4, 2024. For reference, I've only been tracking on heavier warm up sets and top sets.
DURABILITY
Being made of predominantly ABS and TPU plastics, as well as aluminum, the transducer unit is light weight, a whopping 323 g according to the product specifications. That said, it does feel a bit on the "cheap" side. You don't get the same feeling you get when you unbox a denser item like the flagship phone of [insert any manufacturer of your choice]. It feels like I'm carrying a Fabergé egg of sorts around the gym, so I highly recommend getting the optional carrying case if you do decide to get this or any other LPT device. I don't know from experience how the Vitruve or RepOne feel, but I would hope they feel more premium at the higher price points. That said, perhaps at $249 USD, you are getting exactly what you pay for.
WHO THIS MIGHT BE FOR
People who may be interested in the OVR Velocity, or other similar device, are those people who are:
Interested in fine tuning their Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) assessments
Willing to spend the time developing Velocity profiles for each lift of interest
Looking for more objective feedback and data
If you already use RPE in your training and use footage to help corroborate or adjust your final rating, VBT will certainly help to further fine tune your assessments with additional objective data once you have developed velocity profiles for each lift of interest. There will be a learning curve and you still need to account for variables in your velocity profiles. For example, your last set could have moved the fastest but also been the highest effort; if all things were truly equal, one would expect the highest effort repetition to move the slowest. The reality is, even for a highly refined athlete, every repetition is slightly different if you look at it at a fine enough scale and resolution, even though with the naked eye the reps look "exactly" the same. The intent of each repetition must also be taken into context. For example, if you are only trying to move the weight as fast as possible on the last rep, then the velocities of the previous reps don't really reflect how fast they could have moved.
WHO THIS MIGHT NOT BE FOR
People who may want to stay away from OVR and similar VBT devices are those people who:
Are very inconsistent with their lifting setup and technique
Might let the numbers get to their heads, especially when looking at warm up set velocities
Are minimalists that want to cut down on the number of things they need to track consistently and carry around the gym
I am by no means trying to be a gatekeeper of VBT, however, if all of your repetitions look dramatically different every time you train that lift, the data you obtain from a VBT device will be useless. In addition to lifting technique, if you are inconsistent with your lift setup, that will impact the data. For example, if on set 1 of squats you take 2 steps back during the unrack, but on set 2 you take 4 steps back, and on set 3 you take 3 steps back, the horizontal displacement between the barbell and the unit will affect range of motion and velocity data. Perhaps RepOne is able to solve this with their 3D sensing capabilities, but I do not believe OVR or Vitruve have this capability as of the publishing of this post.
If you are the type of lifter who sees a lower than expected velocity during a warm up set, and you let that get to your head, it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy and cause you to perform worse on your priority or top sets than if you had never known the velocity of your warm up sets in the first place. If you are that type of lifter and are unable to ignore the data when it needs to be ignored, then VBT may not be for you. Anecdotally, many experienced lifters have had warm up sets that don't feel great, but manage to hit all time bests or personal records, despite warm up sets telling them the contrary.
Finally, if you are a minimalist lifter, this is one more thing you will need to carry around with you. In addition to physically occupying more space, it will add more data to consider and take up more of your head space than you may like.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this is a great product for the price point. As of the publishing of this post, the OVR Velocity is out of stock, but I would highly recommend getting your hands on this if you want to enter the world of Velocity Based Training. If you've already been in the VBT space using accelerometer or smartphone technologies, then the OVR Velocity is a great entry point if you are interested in more accurate LPT devices. If you've already been using LPT devices from Vitruve, RepOne, or higher priced options, then I certainly wouldn't throw those away for the OVR Velocity. However, if you are on the market for additional LPT VBT devices because you are coaching multiple athletes, or just want to have multiple devices available at your gym, then the OVR Velocity is definitely an option worth considering.
DISCLAIMERS
This post is NOT sponsored and I purchased the OVR Velocity with my own hard-earned money.
I do not receive any affiliate commissions should you decide to purchase this product
Any views and opinions expressed are my own and are not affiliated with OVR Performance, USA Powerlifting, or any other companies mentioned in this post.
REFERENCES
Weakley, J., Morrison, M., García-Ramos, A. et al. The Validity and Reliability of Commercially Available Resistance Training Monitoring Devices: A Systematic Review. Sports Med 51, 443–502 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01382-w