SSMT Claim Register

What does the evidence actually say?

SSMT grades the claims sports technology makes, one claim at a time, so coaches and clinicians have something defensible to say when an athlete asks. Every grade is permanent, dated, citable, and carries the specific study that would change it.

Draft register — nothing here is published. These 12 cards were graded by hand from targeted literature searches, not systematic reviews. Several carry unresolved verification items, and one grade is withheld entirely. Counts are floors, not censuses.
1 Supported
7 Partially supported
0 Vendor-only
2 Unevaluated
2 Contradicted
SSMT-2026-0001 M Partially supported
Wrist-worn photoplethysmography (PPG) wearables measure heart rate accurately during exercise.
“Accurate heart rate, right from your wrist.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 3/7
SSMT-2026-0002 M Partially supported
Consumer wearables measure sleep stages (light/deep/REM) accurately.
“See your deep, REM and light sleep every night.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 5/7
SSMT-2026-0003 P Partially supported
Prescribing training intensity by daily heart-rate variability produces better fitness or performance than a predefined fixed plan.
“Train when your body is ready.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 4/7
SSMT-2026-0004 P Unevaluated
Adjusting training according to a proprietary composite readiness score improves training outcomes compared with not using it.
“Your readiness score tells you when to train hard and when to back off.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 7/7
SSMT-2026-0005 P withheld Contradicted
The acute:chronic workload ratio predicts injury risk, and keeping athletes within a target ACWR range reduces injuries.
“Stay in the sweet spot. Avoid the danger zone.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Injury Science · drift 7/7
SSMT-2026-0006 M Partially supported
Markerless pose estimation from ordinary video recovers joint kinematics with accuracy comparable to marker-based optical motion capture.
“Lab-grade biomechanics from your phone.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Computer Vision · drift 4/7
SSMT-2026-0007 M Partially supported
In-shoe sensors measure between-limb load asymmetry during training.
“Know your injury risk before it happens. (measurement component)”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Biomechanics · drift 3/7 · split with SSMT-2026-0008
SSMT-2026-0008 P Contradicted
In-shoe-measured load asymmetry indicates future injury risk.
“Know your injury risk before it happens.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Injury Science · drift 5/7 · split with SSMT-2026-0007
SSMT-2026-0009 O Unevaluated
Continuous glucose monitoring in athletes without diabetes improves fuelling decisions and thereby performance.
“Fuel smarter. See how your body responds in real time.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 4/7
SSMT-2026-0010 M Supported
Commercial velocity-based training devices measure barbell velocity accurately.
“Know exactly how fast you lifted.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Biomechanics · drift 3/7 · split with SSMT-2026-0011
SSMT-2026-0011 P Partially supported
Prescribing training by velocity improves outcomes compared with percentage-of-1RM prescription.
“Autoregulate every set.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Biomechanics · drift 3/7 · split with SSMT-2026-0010
SSMT-2026-0012 O Partially supported
Intermittent pneumatic compression accelerates recovery and improves subsequent performance after exercise.
“Recover faster. Train harder tomorrow.”
PopulationSettingComparatorOutcomeMagnitudeReproducibilityIndependence
Wearables & Recovery · drift 4/7

How grading works

Three claim types. Most sports-tech claims are measurement claims wearing practice clothing. A vendor saying “validated to reduce injury risk” is usually asserting P while holding evidence for M. Where a marketed claim spans both, it gets two cards — so the false half cannot ride on the true half.

Seven drift axes. Each compares what a study tested against what the marketing says: Population · Setting · Comparator · Outcome · Magnitude · Reproducibility · Independence. drift · aligned · not assessed.

Verdicts bind to a device class, not a product category. “VBT devices are accurate” is simultaneously true for linear transducers (±0.02 m/s) and false for one IMU (CV 75.8%).

Nothing here says a product does not work. Where no evidence was found, the card says “no independent evidence located as of [date]” — a checkable statement about the search, not an unfalsifiable statement about reality.