Technology Keeps Steelers On Top Of Their Game
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Steelers aren't replacing their weights just yet, but they have found a fun alternative to lifting.
"Technology is here and it's here to stay. You either get on board the train or you might as well jump off it," Steelers Strength and Conditioning Coach Garrett Giemont said.
The Steelers are not jumping off this train. They're on board, full steam ahead, and Giemont along with Marcel Pastoor are the conductors.
"You need to continue to stay up with the times, stay up with the science behind what's going on," Giemont said.
Training in the NFL is now a science. Giemont was looking for a company that could provide something new. He found it with Activ5. Giemont said he helped develop a program with the company that the Steelers now use on a regular basis for Isometric training.
"You can do anything you want to do ... if you have an imagination, you can continue to do as many exercises as you want to do," Giemont said.
With your imagination, an iPad and the Activ5 device, it's game on, especially for the Steelers.
"Players love to compete and when you have something in a video game type format, they love that," Giemont said. "All this work goes to the cloud. Everything gets stored."
The Activ5 isn't the only cool technology the players use to workout. They also use a light board, which improves vision.
"There are muscles in our eyes. The faster that we can go ahead and read with our eyes and react with our body, the end result I'm hoping for is a positive one," Giemont said.
The players also wear GPS trackers during practice and games. It's a device called Catapult. It's something Marcel Pastoor monitors every day.
"It tracks all different kind of metrics we use on a daily basis," Pastoor said.
The Steelers know exactly how fast everyone is running, plus it also tracks things like acceleration, distance and even a player's gait.
"Every day ... as soon as practice is over, we download the information. Guys will come over and see how they did for the day. It gives us a boat-load of information, just depends what you want to do with that information," Pastoor said.
It's important information that is very beneficial to Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
"There are four or five metrics that are important to us ... You can tell if a guy is practicing hard or if a guy is going through some issues," Pastoor said.
It's a huge help when it comes to evaluating the right player for the right situation.
