Join the Revolution
Check out these short promotional videos about the revolutionary new Ultrahuman Ring AIR and Ultrahuman M1 products .
The Ring AIR comes with a docking unti for recharging
bottles on this Epic than I have on any of my previous long races . I ’ m pleased to say that I managed to stay in the green for the rest of the week , even though the energy expended on some stages approached 4000 kilojoules . I even managed a perfect 10 on the Queen Stage !”
The Ring AIR is a smart ring that monitors your sleep , movement and recovery through an array of sensors built into the ring , that capture signals from your finger , which are then processed to provide you with metabolic insights and a comprehensive understanding of your body ’ s dynamics .
“ Another aspect that fascinated me was tracking my recovery nutrition , and the resultant glucose spikes from various foods . The post-stage glucose spikes are desirable , because our muscles are like sponges , ready to mop up any blood glucose to restore glycogen stores , so I focused on easily digestible carb sources after each stage . Overall , I ’ ve come out of this experience more in tune with my nutritional demands during racing and recovery . Am I ‘ crash-proof ’ now ? Perhaps not , but I ’ m better equipped to avoid hitting empty in future ,” concludes Jarrad .
The Learning
Benno is equally effusive about his experience with the Ultrahuman gear , and his deep dive into the data shows how much this knowledge can shape an athlete ’ s race and recovery . “ The data is fascinating , and I found that by wearing the ring daily , we identified three key data points vital to performance ,” he says .
“ Firstly , Heart Rate Variability ( HRV ) measures the variation in time between each heartbeat , which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system ( ANS ). The ANS regulates bodily functions such as heart rate , digestion and respiratory rate , and a multitude of factors affect this . A heavy meal before bed might lower HRV and disrupt sleep , lowering recovery , and being able to track this so accurately meant we could create good habits , which meant we were at our best every morning .”
Improve your diet and exercise based on real-time health insights with Ultrahuman M1 . It helps you monitor your blood sugar levels to optimise your metabolic health , by providing you with a metabolic score . The key determinants of this metric include glucose variability , average glucose score , and time in target range .
I could leave my smartwatch at home and still get all the information I needed to evaluate the day , and plan for the next . For example , I woke up on the morning of the first race day with a metabolic score of 94 , indicating stable glucose readings overnight , and a recovery score of 89 from the ring . Easy game , I thought ,” he adds .
The Information
Once the Epic began , the two riders continued to see the benefits of the new tech they were testing , with Jarrad saying it was a great aid right from the first stage . “ The prologue was only 26km , but the pace was blistering as we fought our way to the eighth-fastest masters team on the stage . I ’ d managed to get one gel and a bar down on the start line , but hadn ’ t finished my bottle . I ’ d felt pretty good most of the way , but did feel a little empty towards the end . It was time to check what my glucose levels were … 3 out of 10 . That was a failing grade ,” he recalls .
“ It seems I had spent a large part of the race with high glucose due to my gel and bar at the start , but then I ’ d sloped sharply downwards for the rest of the stage . Now , in the prologue , this wasn ’ t the end of the world , but I would need to do better in the longer stages to avoid the dreaded crash . The data definitely made me more mindful of my nutrition on the bike , and I got through far more gels and
“ The next was skin temperature , and here the ring gives you real-time data ,” continues Benno . “ The ring is designed to go on your finger instead of your wrist because your finger has a higher perfusion index and arterioles . This means the data is more accurate than what you would get on any smartwatch . Naturally , when it ’ s close to bedtime , your body ’ s skin temperature drops , signalling that you are ready to sleep , meaning your skin temperature is vital . With all of the exercise , our natural skin temperature was higher than normal , so to counteract this , we took cool baths and lowered our room temperature to ensure we got the best sleep possible – because you can ’ t race Epic without focusing on recovery !”
Benno says that the third data point they looked at was the circadian clock . “ This is your body ’ s internal 24-hour clock that runs in the background of your brain . It affects everything , from jetlag to why early morning race starts are so tricky . Epic has some extremely early starts , so we watched our data and started altering our routine beforehand , so that our circadian clock would adjust . This is probably the data that most athletes overlook , so having it at hand was brilliant .”
The Takeaway
The tech that pro riders use is often prohibitively expensive , and complicated , and it ’ s just not tailored for , nor available to the average athlete or weekend warrior . Ultrahuman is changing the game on this front , and now , you don ’ t need a sports scientist on your team to help you optimise your health , because the data you need to do that can be at your fingertips .
GET IT HERE
The Ultrahuman Ring AIR and Ultrahuman M1 can be ordered at https :// myultra . life . The Ring AIR currently retails at R7199 and is available in four colours . Stocks of the M1 will be arriving in SA soon , and pre-orders are being taken on the website .
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