Boston, MA, based Tymewear has introduced its VitalPro chest strap and integrated app. The new wearable technology platform focuses on athlete breathing data and is designed to provide lab-grade metabolic insights during real world training conditions.
By measuring lung ventilation and breathing data, Tymewear notes that its new device allows endurance athletes to identify personalised training zones more accurately than traditional heart rate or power-based methods.
The technology is built on the premise that training with individual metabolic thresholds can improve fitness up to 2.4 times faster than using general mathematical formulas. Unlike heart rate, which can fluctuate due to caffeine, stress, or fatigue, lung ventilation remains a consistent indicator of actual metabolic exertion.
Tymewear is currently the official breathing sensor supplier for the UCI professional cycling team Team Visma–Lease a Bike. The team utilises the technology to optimise Zone 2 training intensity, monitor metabolic load to prevent overtraining, and personalise training plans based on each athlete’s individual physiology.
Arnar Larusson, Co-Founder and CEO of Tyme Wear, said “We’re working closely with leading triathlon specialists, their elite athlete programmes, and world-class competitors performing and winning at the highest international level.
“Together with Tymewear, the elite triathlon coaches, and their top pro triathletes including the likes of Cassandre Beaugrand, Ellie Salthouse, Marten Van Riel, Thomas Steger, Menno Koolhaas, Tristan Olij, and Youri Keulen, we are driven by a shared commitment to science-based training and continuous progression.”
The VitalPro sensor tracks several key metrics, including:
- Minute Ventilation: a primary indicator of metabolic exertion
- Tidal Volume: the amount of air in each breath
- Respiratory Rate: a measurement of breathing rhythm
- ECG-based Heart Rate: accurate measurement from a single lead
- Movement Metrics: including running cadence and ground contact time
The accompanying app analyses this data to determine an athlete’s VT1 and VT2 ventilation thresholds. It provides real-time intensity monitoring on smartphones, Apple Watch, and Garmin devices, and integrates with platforms such as TrainingPeaks and ERG trainers.
Glenn Poleunis, Founder of PTC Coaching in Girona, Spain, added “Tymewear, alongside our elite triathlete programme and the VitalPro breathing sensor, allows us to bring lab-quality breathing insights into the field, making training more precise, more individualised, and ultimately more effective for our athletes.
“The Tymewear coaching dashboard adds a unique layer of insight, giving us a clearer, real-time picture of each athlete’s response so we can make smarter decisions, every session.”
The device is designed to eliminate the guesswork inherent in traditional training zones, which can vary by as much as 40 beats per minute from an individual’s true metabolic state. By providing a measurement of body load that is independent of external factors, Tymewear aims to bridge the gap between clinical testing and daily performance.
